Stop Breathing While You Sleep? You May Have Sleep Apnea

If your spouse notices that you stop breathing for more than 10 seconds more than 10 times an hour during sleep, you may have sleep apnea. Many overweight people suffer from sleep apnea and have difficulty staying awake during the day because stopping breathing interferes with deep sleep, causing them to wake up tired each morning. A report in Archives of Internal Medicine shows that obese people are at high risk for suffering from daytime sleepiness, even when they do not have sleep apnea.

If your doctor suspects sleep apnea, he will probably refer you to a sleep specialist. Most of the time, you will be diagnosed as having sleep apnea. Since there are no effective drugs, you will usually be given a special CPAP machine. Some people adapt easily to the CPAP machine and benefit from it, but others find it uncomfortable and cannot sleep with it on.

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There are two types of sleep apnea: in one, the airway is obstructed, in the other, a person just stops breathing with no obstruction and is usually overweight. Therefore, if you have sleep apnea and are overweight, you should get on a diet and start an exercise program to lose weight, the most effective treatment for sleep apnea. People who have obstructive sleep apnea should be treated for their asthma or nasal obstruction. If you snore loudly, check with you doctor to see if you need cortisone nasal sprays or antibiotics. If you feel sleepy during the day, the most effective treatment is a nap. Some people with asthma do not have respiratory obstruction; they just stop breathing and are normal. They may have been incorrectly diagnosed as having sleep apnea because normal people stop breathing for up to 10 seconds up to 10 times a night.

Stop Breathing While You Sleep? You May Have Sleep Apnea

However, if you suffer daytime sleepiness, inability to stay asleep at night or stop breathing for more than 10 seconds more than 10 times a night, you may be cured by taking naps for between 30 and 60 minutes each afternoon or whenever you have an overwhelming feeling of tiredness.

For journal references on this article see the More Health section of my web site (below.)

Stop Breathing While You Sleep? You May Have Sleep Apnea

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Dr. Gabe Mirkin has been a radio talk show host for 25 years and practicing physician for more than 40 years; he is board certified in four specialties, including sports medicine. Read or listen to hundreds of his fitness and health reports at http://www.DrMirkin.com

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Sleep Apnea Death - Can Sleep Apnea Lead to Death?

Sleep apnea death is quite possible. The reason for that is the pressure sleep apnea puts on the whole body, especially on the heart and brain. So, it is only normal for this condition to lead to heart attacks, congestive heart failures and strokes.

Age and obesity are two factors that make people more susceptible to suffer from sleep apnea (SA). But that doesn't mean that people who are overweight, or children, even infants, can't suffer from this sleeping disorder.

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Recent studies have shown that there is a real risk of death in people suffering from sleeping apnea. One such study has been conducted by a prestigious medical institution, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center.

Sleep Apnea Death - Can Sleep Apnea Lead to Death?

For this research were used over 6,000 people aged over 40, none of whom were treated for sleep related conditions. At enrolment these people had a health examination. Their night-time breathing, sleep patterns, and blood oxygen levels were also assessed.

During an 8 year follow-up period, 1,047 participants died, 587 men and 460 women. The results have shown that participants with severe sleep-disordered breathing when compared with participants without sleep-disordered sleeping were about one and a half times as likely to die from any cause after adjustment for potential confounding factors.

Taking into consideration the age and sex of the participants, it was found that men aged 40-70 years with severe sleep-disordered breathing had twice the risk of dying from any cause compared with men of a similar age without sleep-disordered breathing.

The results of the study were published in the August 18, 2009 issue of the journal PLoS Medicine and they indicate that "sleep-disordered breathing is associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality, particularly in men aged 40-70 years".

Because the number of women participants who suffered from SA was too small, a similar conclusion regarding women couldn't be drawn.

In conclusion, people should first try to find out if they have sleeping apnea, and if they have they should consider possible way of treatment, because left alone this condition increases the risk of sleep apnea death.

Sleep Apnea Death - Can Sleep Apnea Lead to Death?

If you wonder "Do I have sleep apnea?", you could read about the sleep apnea test, and visiting the site SleepApneaNatural.com you can find out what sleep apnea cures are available for you. Treating this sleeping disorder not only improves the quality of your life, but it also helps you live longer and happier.

Snoring & Mild Sleep Apnea - Positional? Pillow, Shirt, Vest, Backpack & Brace Performance Explained

Most users seem to prefer pillows over the other positioning devices. The apparent reasoning is that there is basically no interference at all with their lifestyles. There may be a slightly higher degree of comfort to the user than with other positioning devices. The big question is are the pillows beneficial. The answer will be that it depends on the individual, their health conditions and design of the pillow mechanism.

When you move in your sleep you must have a pillow with slots or sleeves for your arm or an attachment that keeps you off your back, in a snit position, elevated from the waist up or in whatever position your condition requires. If it does not secure you in some way it does not matter what is stated, it will not benefit you if you move off the pillow in your sleep. Also even if the pillow has the attachments and you do not use them you will not benefit if you move in your sleep.

\"sleep Apnea\"

Shirts, Vests and Backpacks have the advantage over pillows of allowing freedom of movement in bed while asleep. As long as it is of a good design (some input below) you can be fairly confident you will not roll onto your back while asleep. Unlike pillows you know there is some resistance behind your back but you also have freedom of movement and to move your arms. This is a huge benefit to a user with rotor cuff repair, a shoulder problem, a toss and turn sleeper or everyone that moves at all in their sleep.

Snoring & Mild Sleep Apnea - Positional? Pillow, Shirt, Vest, Backpack & Brace Performance Explained

Shirts, Vests, Backpacks and Body Braces with limiting on the back mechanisms also need to be evaluated when it comes to keeping you reliably off your back. Many allow you to almost reach a supine position before they either become uncomfortable (ball or hard foam) or are positioned on the lower area of back to allow shoulder to twist toward bed and therefore head to be facing upwards (tongue and tissues fall back and may obstruct airway. The general recommended placement of the limiting mechanism is between shoulder blades on the spinal area where even if the lower upper body twists toward bed your shoulder will stay elevated and your head will lay sideways and tongue and tissue will fall to the side of mouth which will help the airway stay clear.

Many use a t-shirt to accomplish this task. At home try a t-shirt on backwards with a ball in pocket (even though the pocket will not be centered on the spine) and simulate movement in your sleep by rolling back and forth from side to side on your bed and see how long the pocket stays in place. Try the same thing with a pajama top on backwards (have your partner button it). This type of top will not easily stretch (like a t-shirt) and will normally be better at keeping limiter on or near spine.

Vests are not as dependable in keeping limiter on spine as a shirt but depending on limiter dimensions and placement perform similar and they should not be made of stretch type materials.

Body Braces like pillows must be of a good design to reliably keep you off your back.

Backpacks will in most cases work well keeping you off your back and if designed only for sleeping can be comfortable and reliable.

Also of great importance is the design of the limiter. Some use Air Bladder. Some use Flexible Type Foam. Some use Hard Foam. Some use a Wiffle or Tennis Ball (which will not usually be sized within the shown guidelines). Size of Limiter including depth and width or diameter should be at least ¼ to 1/3 of width across shoulders ( in other words somewhere between 5" and 9") (depth and width or diameter)and being 10" to 15" in length for most users. This in most circumstances will prevent rolling onto your back while asleep. The limiter also needs to begin at shoulder blade area and extend along spinal area towards lower back for better outcomes.

I have slept with all of the above and the most dependable and comfortable for me were the Air Bladder and Flexible Foam. Advantage of Air Bladder is weight. Disadvantages are that Air Bladder feels a little stiff and may leak which can become aggravating. Advantages of Flexible Foam are long useful lifespan with a reliable consistent pillow feel. Disadvantage is when not laying in bed there is more weight to foam than air bladder.

Backpacks, Shirts and Vests with frontal attachment mechanisms are also easier for users to put on and take off especially with the limiter on back.

With most positioning products available today only Air Bladder and Flexible Foam are designed to keep you off your back while not disturbing your sleep.

In conclusion, there is plenty of detailed information available about Positive Pressure, Dental Devices and Surgery available. When it comes to Positioning there is very little with the exception of using the old method of sewing a pocket on the middle of the back of a tee shirt and inserting a tennis ball in it. An inclusion of the importance of the above type of products to positional therapy would appear to benefit the sufferer of some sleep conditions. These products while not necessarily limited to the following include pillows, shirts, backpacks and braces. Any of which may benefit the positional patient.

The reality is that there are devices being marketed that are priced very reasonable, are comfortable and work for many positional sufferers which may not have some of the drawbacks that other therapies might have.

Snoring & Mild Sleep Apnea - Positional? Pillow, Shirt, Vest, Backpack & Brace Performance Explained

I am a Serious Loud Snorer and a Moderate Sleep Apnea Sufferer and I have used these types of products. I was frustrated at the results of trying different methods available and seeing drawbacks that many created. By creating my own devices I realized how hard and with the correct device how easy it is to modify sleeping habits. The benefits of recuperative sleep will be realized if good sleeping habits can be maintained over time. At this time we only indicate snoring for our products. We do stress the importance off the back sleep has on Sleep Apnea. To see our products click on pajama pillow shirt. Also at spousal pillow shirt. SLEEP HEALTHY.

Sleep Apnea - An Extremely Common and Dangerous Sleep Disorder

Sleep apnea refers to a sleep disorder characterized by the interruption of breathing during sleep, such that respiration stops for ten or more seconds, cutting off valuable oxygen supplies to the brain. This interruption of the body's breathing cycle can recur hundreds of times each night, with potentially fatal results. Even more alarming, sleep apnea, the most dangerous of all sleep disorders, also represents one of the most commonly identified sleep disorders, affecting as many as eighteen million Americans each year.

This condition can be divided into two primary categories. "Central sleep apnea", caused by a neurological malfunction in which the brain somehow disrupts the normal signal to breathe and "Obstructive sleep apnea", characterized by the excessive relaxation or the collapse of muscles around the windpipe, which in turn causes windpipe obstruction. Both forms involve the frequent cessation of breathing and the temporary suspension of the oxygen supply to the brain, putting sleep apnea sufferers at a significantly greater risk of high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke.

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Diagnosing sleep apnea can be difficult. Snoring, one of the most common symptoms associated with sleep apnea (resulting in many people referring to this as "the snoring disease"), often leads to an erroneous diagnosis of the condition. In fact, snoring can be associated with a variety of other sleep disorders and conditions unrelated to sleep apnea.

Sleep Apnea - An Extremely Common and Dangerous Sleep Disorder

When the brain senses a lack of oxygen, as a result of an obstructed windpipe, it reacts by waking the suffer sufficiently to start breathing again, often causing snoring or sometimes coughing. As a result, sleep apnea suffers enjoy a very poor quality of sleep and wake up feeling even more tired than before they went to bed.

Feelings of exhaustion, fatigue and an overwhelming desire to sleep during the day, known as excessive daytime sleepiness, characterize sleep apnea; especially if seen in conjunction with other symptoms such as morning headaches, noticeable lethargy, loss of interest in sex, forgetfulness and difficulty concentrating.

The ongoing exhaustion and physical fatigue brought on by undiagnosed or untreated sleep apnea can also lead to the onset of serious psychological symptoms such as depression, irritability and changes in mood and behavior.

If you suspect that you are suffering from sleep apnea, you should seek immediate medical guidance and, if necessary, arrange the appropriate tests.

There are a variety of effective treatments available for both obstructive and central sleep apnea. Most patients benefit significantly from one or more of these treatments, which primarily involve simple behavioral adjustments like changing or modifying your sleeping position. Sufferers of mild obstructive sleep apnea as a result of persistent nasal congestion may simply require a course of decongestants, while more severe sleep apnea may need the use of an oxygen mask to stimulate consistent breathing while asleep. In severe cases of obstructive sleep apnea, certain surgical procedures can help to restore effective and consistent respiration during sleep, although sufferers should proceed down this particular route with caution, as surgery can often lead to added complications.

One important point to note is that, because of the risk of potentially fatal respiratory arrest, sleep apnea sufferers should refrain from taking sleeping pills or artificial sleep enhancers because of the associated respiratory dangers.

Natural sleep remedies provide an effective complement to medically prescribed treatments and can certainly help sufferers to enjoy a better night's sleep. Herbal remedies designed to improve the quality and duration of sleep can assist patients in managing and even reducing the excessive daytime sleepiness otherwise brought on by sleep apnea.

Similarly, the use of aromatherapy, chromatherapy and guided relaxation and meditation can help to reduce the anxiety and insomnia sleep apnea patients experience as they learn to manage their sleep disorder.

Sleep Apnea - An Extremely Common and Dangerous Sleep Disorder

Donald Saunders is the author of a number of health related publications including: "Help Me To Sleep - A Guide To Natural Sleep Remedies", "Jet Lag - An Alternative Approach", "Shift Work Insomnia" and "The Art of Meditation - A Guide To Meditation, Breathing and Relaxation Techniques".
For further details please visit http://help-me-to-sleep.com

Sleep Apnea Causes High Blood Pressure

Sleep apnea is the repeated pausing of breathing while sleeping, so that one or more breaths are missed. A person can have many occurrences a night and in some people, episodes may last for up to minute. At each incident the brain awakens the person for a moment, to make them inhale air again. This cycle of brief awakenings results in disturbed and poor quality rest. Sleep apnea is not the same as snoring, though most people with this condition do snore.

Blood pressure normally falls during sleep. There is a substantial amount of evidence that if there is no fall at night, there is an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, including stroke and heart failure.

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One of the side effects of sleep apnea is that blood pressure usually does not fall at night. This means that there is an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Additionally if left untreated, there is an increased likelihood of having daytime (resting) high blood pressure too.

Sleep Apnea Causes High Blood Pressure

Some estimates are that 50% of long-term sufferers have high blood pressure. It is not clear whether the cause is the repeated shortage of oxygen, caused by missing breaths, or the interrupted and poor quality of sleep. It is probably a combination of both. Studies have shown that continually not getting enough sleep increases the risk of elevated blood pressure. The lack of continual deep sleep due to sleep apnea may have a similar effect.

Those with sleep apnea usually cannot tell that they have this condition, since they are not aware of stopping breathing and the brief awakenings. Consequently, many sufferers do not believe that they have this problem. when others tell them.

The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute estimates that 18 million people have sleep apnea. This is a large number of people who are at greater risk of increased blood pressure.

There are a number of treatment options for sleep apnea depending on the cause. Sometimes lifestyle changes are sufficient, and can include, not lying on the back, sleeping with head and upper body elevated (such as in a recliner) a reduction in alcohol consumption, reduction in the use of muscle relaxants, quitting smoking and weight loss. There are a number of devices that fit in the mouth that are worn at night. Positive airway pressure devices are available also. A good place to start for more information about the causes and treatment is the American Sleep Apnea Association.

Treatment will decrease the risk of getting high blood pressure. For those who already have high blood pressure, treatment will help stop further increases, and reduce the risk of the consequences such as stroke and heart failure.

Sleep Apnea Causes High Blood Pressure

Judith Airey PhD. is a biomedical researcher with a range of interests including all things cardiovascular. She has several health-related websites including a blood pressure information site http://www.InfoBloodPressure.com and a blog [http://www.lifeagingand.com]

Anti Snoring Mouthpiece - Are They Any Good?

If you want to know if it's worth buying a anti stoning mouthpiece then this is the article for you. We will discuss what they are, what do they do, and if there are any permanent alternatives. At the end of this article you will have the information you need to make a informed choice.

Snoring is something that can quite literary destroy your marriage , it has been cited as the prime reason for divorce on more than a few occasions.

\"Sleep Apnea Side Effects\"

So what can be done about it?
Well one of the devices that has been designed to tackle the problem of snoring is a anti snoring mouthpiece. The idea is it keeps the airways open so eliminating the dread snores

Anti Snoring Mouthpiece - Are They Any Good?

How do they work?
There are a few different types on the market but they all have one goal in mind to stop the tissue or soft palate at the back of the throat from vibrating. Most seem to work on the principle of setting the jaw in a certain position so the air passage is clear. Some simply keep the jaw slight open where others bring the jaw forward which raises the soft palate preventing any sagging in the throat. There are other anti snoring mouthpieces that prevent the tongue from blocking the throat but that is often only one part of the problem.

There are Pros and cons to using these devices
Pros
Most snoring mouthpieces are relatively cheap compared to other devices you can buy if you buy of the shelf regular ones, you can have them individually made but of course at a cost.

They are simple to use pop it in and away you go.

They have a above average success rate.

Cons
They can take some getting used to.

As with all anti snoring devices they are not a permanent solution to the problem only a temporary fix.

Is there a permanent solution?
There is surgery or laser treatment, but this can cost upwards of 00 and as with any type of operation there are dangers.

The best safe virtually guaranteed stop snoring solution is specialized exercise that strengthen the whole throat area permanently keeping your airways open for snore free nights. You don't have to go to a gym for them and they take about 3-5 minutes a day. However you do have to do them consistently for about 2 months for a permanent cure.

So if you don't fancy using a anti snoring mouthpiece for the rest of your life check out these special exercises.

Anti Snoring Mouthpiece - Are They Any Good?

Mike is a writer who specializes in health issues and product reviews. To learn more about Exercises To Stop Snoring Permanently just click on the link http://www.squidoo.com/stopsnoringexercises

Sleep Apnea Side Effects - True Stories

Here are some true stories about sleep apnea side effects. In 1959, a disc jockey named Peter Tripp went without sleep for 200 hours to raise money for the March of Dimes. After about five days without sleep, he began to experience hallucinations-believing that somebody's tweed suit was made of worms and that flames were coming out of a drawer. He managed to do his daytime broadcast, but felt that he was in danger at night. After 200 hours of sleeplessness, he slept for 13 hours and felt much better. After a few nights of extended sleep, he was essentially back to normal, except that he reported slight feelings of depression for several months.

In 1964, Randy Gardner, a 17-year-old high-school senior, tried to establish a new record of 260 sleepless hours as a project in his local science fair. He became irritable after about the fourth day, but he retained many skills-after 230 hours of sleep loss, he still was able to hold his own on a pinball machine with sleep researcher Dr. William Dement, director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Stanford University.

\"Sleep Apnea Side Effects\"

Several laboratory experiments have involved sleep deprivation for long periods and the sleep apnea side effects. It was found that a person's mood deteriorates first-joy disappears-and the person becomes very sleepy and grim. After about two or three days, most people start having minisleeps, little lapses of attention when the brain goes to sleep for only five or ten seconds and wakes right up again. By about five days, these minisleeps become longer and more numerous. By ten or eleven days, the minisleeps are so numerous and so mixed with wakefulness that you can't tell whether you are awake or asleep. You can talk, and in the middle of talking have two or three slow waves of sleep. You can walk, and from one 5tep to the next you might catch a second of sleep.

Sleep Apnea Side Effects - True Stories

If you are given a task to do yourself, such as adding a column of numbers, the minisleeps may occur without your being aware of them.

However, if you are given a paced task-for example, if someone calls out numbers to you that you have to add-you may make many mistakes, because for the few seconds of minisleep, you don't hear the numbers.

Many adults obtain less than optimal sleep, and some have a sizable sleep debt. Like gamblers playing with borrowed money, many sleep-deprived persons live in the red of lost sleep, often compromising their responsibilities at their jobs, sometimes using drugs for temporary energy. Most employees, even in crucial jobs, are forced to keep going all day no matter how fatigued they are. What if such sleep-deprived persons are dealing with the safety of an airplane? What if they are driving a semi-trailer down a crowded highway? What if they are making a military decision pivotal to war or peace?

If you are suffering from sleep apnea side effects there is help. What you need is an overall program that will cover all aspects of your day-to-day life so that you can gain a handle on it and regain your full, natural, sleep filled nights again.

Sleep Apnea Side Effects - True Stories

Click Here to learn how to cure your sleep problems quickly and easily.

Sleep Apnea Oxygen Mask

One of the most effective treatments for obstructive sleep apnea is the use of a CPAP, BiPAP, or APAP machine to force the airway to remain open and reduce apnea caused by collapsing tissue in the throat. This is achieved by forcing pressurized air down the airway to allow the patient to breathe easier in the event that tissue begins to obstruct the airway. This pressurized air is delivered through some form of mask or other apparatus that directs the pressurized air into the nose or mouth.

There are many different interfaces that allow this to occur, and choosing one that best suits you is critical to maximizing the effectiveness of the treatment. An uncomfortable interface can reduce the patient's ability to sleep peacefully, countering any positive effects the machine may be providing. Therefore, great consideration she be had when choosing an oxygen mask.

\"Sleep Apnea Side Effects\"

Before you choose your sleep apnea oxygen mask, it is important to be informed about the mask you plan on purchasing. Most oxygen masks are triangular and made of a synthetic material such as plastic or rubber. The masks use various sealing methods, such as a soft foam or rubber gasket to form the seal with the face.

Sleep Apnea Oxygen Mask

Masks come in varying sizes to accommodate a wide variety of customers, and to ensure that each patient receives a mask that can fit the contours of their face. Most sleep apnea oxygen masks have straps that encircle the head and under the chin to ensure a tight seal and to prevent slipping during the night.

Sleep apnea oxygen masks may cover the nose or both the nose and the mouth, depending on the need of the patient. Those patients who have problems breathing only though their nose may require an oxygen mask that covers the mouth as well, as breathing unpressurized air through the mouth will result in less effective treatment. Patients who have excessive amounts of facial hair may find that the seal is unable to form due to the interference from their facial hair. In this instance, it may be recommended that the patient find an alternative to using a face mask, such as using nasal pillows.

Nasal pillows allow the user to forgo the use of headgear in favor of two inserts that form the seal in the nostrils. While this is an effective way to counter facial hair as well as feelings of claustrophobia caused by the face masks, the seal formed is weaker due to the lack of straps, and therefore more apt to break at higher pressures.

Regardless of which type of sleep apnea oxygen mask you choose to utilize in conjunction with your machine, keep in mind that any discomforts can likely be eliminated by switching to another mask. Do not be afraid to try many masks before settling for a particular one, as the oxygen mask is too important a component to compromise with. Make sure that the mask you pick is satisfactory in meeting your wants and needs, as well as functional to your particular situation.

Sleep Apnea Oxygen Mask

Go to Sleep Apnea Zone to get your free eBook on Sleep Apnea at Sleep Apnea [http://sleepapneazone.org/]. Sleep Apnea Zone also has information on Sleep Apnea Oxygen Mask [http://sleepapneazone.org/] along with a lot of other free information. Come by our new Sleep Apnea Community site today for free eBooks and other free information that can help you today.