Sleep Apnea Cures
A good night’s sleep is essential to optimal health. For many people however, this can prove frustrating and elusive. There are a number of conditions that can interfere with getting enough sleep. Of these, sleep apnea is the most potentially dangerous.
Sleep apnea is a disruption of breathing while asleep, causing periodic gasping for air or struggling for breath, sometimes hundreds of times during the night. Most people who suffer from this disorder do not realize they have it, because when they awaken they don’t remember having trouble breathing.
If not treated, sleep apnea can be life-threatening, so it is very important to ensure that your breathing is normal during the night. It is advisable to watch for the warning signs and seek out sleep apnea solutions as soon as possible. These warning signs can include very loud snoring or gasping; choking as if unable to get air into the lungs; sudden awakenings during the night, sometimes waking up sweating; and feeling exhausted during the day even with a full night’s sleep.
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What causes these awakenings? When breathing is interrupted due to sleep apnea, it changes the balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood. The imbalance of these essential chemicals signals the brain to restart the breathing process. These awakening incidents are necessary to restart breathing, but may not be remembered later. The result is feeling very tired and unrefreshed by any amount of sleep.
There are two main types of sleep apnea.
The most common is Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), which is caused by an obstruction that blocks flow of air in the nose and mouth. With OSA, the throat collapses during sleep, obstructing the airway and preventing air from reaching the lungs. In a healthy person, the throat muscles keep the throat and airway open during sleep. In some people, however, these muscles can relax more than normal, due to age, alcohol, other sedatives, or even being overweight or obese. People with certain physical factors, such as large tonsils or tongue, deviated septum, or enlarged adenoids, can also be more at risk for sleep apnea. Even temporary factors such as nasal congestion can cause sleep apnea.
The other type of sleep apnea, though less common, is Central Sleep Apnea (CSA). This is a central nervous system disorder in which the brain signals instructing the body to breathe are delayed. CSA can be caused by a diseases or injuries of the brain, such as viral brain infections, strokes, brain tumors, or respiratory problems. CSA sufferers seldom snore. While the causes of sleep apnea are different in CSA and OSA, they both are serious conditions that result in a deprivation of oxygen and not enough sleep.
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The effects of sleep deprivation can include irritability, inability to concentrate, and a compromised immune system. The problems of oxygen deprivation are even more serious: heart disease, high blood pressure, sexual dysfunction, learning and memory problems, and depression. If you suspect you might have sleep apnea, try keeping a “sleep journal” for several nights (or have your partner record the data). Include information such as snoring, any choking or gasping sounds, and awakening during the night.
Also make a note of how refreshed you feel in the morning. You should also try losing any excess weight and refraining from sedatives before bed. After you have recorded a typical time period of your sleep (perhaps a week), consult a doctor or a sleep specialist. If they suspect you have sleep apnea, you will probably be sent for an overnight study in a sleep lab. By observation and measuring how frequently you stop breathing, a diagnosis can be reached and a cure for sleep apnea can be discussed.
The most important thing for your health is to make sure that you are getting a normal night’s sleep. Sleep apnea cures can be as simple as lifestyle changes so seek out help today.
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Natural Sleep Techniques
How wonderful it is to wake up after a good night’s sleep! Ah, the body feels refreshed, the mind renewed. Say goodbye to nights of tossing and turning, instead wake up with a smile! Irrespective of your reasons for insomnia, here are some simple and natural tips on how to fall asleep fast:
Instead of resorting to popping those sleeping pills (which can be addictive in itself and will require you to take more and more as you become increasingly dependent on it), you can go at it the natural way. Here are some quick and easy ways to fall asleep. Although some of these will not work immediately, keeping at it will eventually reap the benefits of good sleep.
1. Keep away from heavy and late meals at night or during the wee hours of the morning. An empty stomach will actually help in quieting your mind so that it is geared towards sleeping.
2. Get rid of caffeine in your diet. Or, if you really can’t avoid coffee, drink this in the mornings, and not before you need to go to bed to sleep.
3. Read. This habit can relax you.
4. Remember that the bedroom is for sleep and sex only! This will help condition your mind that once you are in bed, you should already fall asleep. Eliminate distractions – such as the television, the phone and the computer.
5. Take a warm and scented bath. Sprinkle chamomile or lavender oil into the bath to thoroughly relax and soothe your body and sense. The warmth and the steam will make you feel drowsy an hour after the bath.
6. Get comfortable – wear the night clothes you are comfortable with. Be willing to spend money on a good and comfy bed – it should not be too hard nor too soft. A memory foam pillow would be another wise investment.
7. Use a fan to get rid of surrounding noises. It can also serve to distribute the air throughout the room.
8. If it helps, listen to relaxing music – such as the sound of the waves or birds chirping.
9. Eliminate distractions in the bedroom – turn the TV off, put away magazines and fliers, if you’re sleeping beside someone, request that they be quiet as possible.
10. Shun coffee at least 3 hours before you go to bed. The same goes for candies and chocolates.
11. When you have to exercise, don’t do so before bedtime. The exercise will give you an energy boost and will certainly not help you fall asleep.
12. Don’t go to bed when you are not sleepy. This will increase your struggle to sleep and condition your mind that getting some sleep is a struggle.
13. Fake it until you make it. Pretend to be sleepy.
14. Picture yourself doing something in the house, like painting the walls with slow up and down motions.
Tags: daytime sleepiness, insomnia, REM, rem sleep cycle, sleep, sleep deprivation, types of sleep disordersRelated posts
Sleep Apnea Side Effects
Sleep Apnea, also called Pickwickian syndrome, is a disorder in which the sufferer periodically stops breathing while asleep. It can have a number of effects on the body and health of the person afflicted with it. The most common form of sleep apnea is OSA, or obstructive sleep apnea. It occurs when an individual has a lot of soft tissue around their airway (back of the mouth leading to the windpipe) which can shift during sleep and close off the passage of air.
The most obvious effect of sleep apnea is that the sufferers’ sleep is frequently interrupted because when the airway is shut off, the person suffocates, and wakes up to breathe. This sleep deprivation can lead to a number of maladies, of which the most obvious is daytime sleepiness. In addition, the extra tissue which can cause OSA will frequently also vibrate while the person is breathing, causing snoring. Sleep apnea has also been linked to waking up with morning headaches, sexual dysfunction and even certain cognitive disabilities (related to memory and learning). To add insult to injury, the sleep deprivation caused by sleep apnea also leads to an increased rate of automobile accidents, which, of course, carry a range of negative outcomes, ranging from simple property damage all of the way to dismemberment and death.
Although these effects are all unpleasant and inconvenient, they pale next to the more serious side effects of sleep apnea. People who suffer from sleep apnea have a much higher incidence of cardiovascular problems, as well as diabetes. The high blood pressure which can be caused by OSA is unique in that it never allows the body to rest since readings do not stop during sleep. Obstructive sleep apnea also has neurological effects, including both increased risk of stroke and, recently discovered, tissue loss in parts of the brain that serve as memory storage.
Finally, obstructive sleep apnea can cause cor pulmonary. This is the failure of the right ventricle of the heart, which provides blood to the lungs. Cor pulmonary is fatal. Central sleep apnea is a much rarer form of the malady and is caused by a failure in the respiratory controls in the brain. Put simply, the brain forgets to have the sufferer breathe. This can be caused by a number of things, including medications which depress the central nervous system. It has similar effects to OSA.
Although sleep apnea has a number of unpleasant side effects, it is treatable. Some sleep apnea treatments are as simple as lifestyle changes (losing weight, ceasing smoking or alcohol use), while the use of a CPAP machine is also an option. Serious cases can also be treated surgically. Luckily, the serious side effects of sleep apnea can be removed by treating the apnea.
Tags: cognitive disabilities, CPAP, cpap machine, daytime sleepiness, morning headaches, neurological effects, obstructive sleep, obstructive sleep apnea, REM, sleep, Sleep Apnea, sleep apnea treatment, Sleep Apnea Treatments, sleep deprivation, snoring