7 Causes of Constant Fatigue and Excessive Tiredness

The general view from doctors is that the single biggest complaint they hear from patients is a feeling of constant fatigue. For some the trouble is simply not making sleep a priority... burning the candle at both ends for too long. Your doctor will tell you that continually getting 5 to 6 hours of sleep a night is going to catch up with you... at any age.

If you're getting the recommended, research supported 7 to 9 hours a night fairly regularly, and you're still tired, it's time to see your doctor to find out the causes of constant fatigue. While it could be the first sign of a more serious illness, most often the excessive tiredness is a more straightforward medical issue that has an easy fix.

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Here are seven sometimes overlooked causes of fatigue for you to consider and discuss with your doctor.

7 Causes of Constant Fatigue and Excessive Tiredness

1) Anemia. A woman in her reproductive years, especially if you have heavy periods, have recently given birth or have uterine polyps or fibroid tumors can lose enough blood to bring on anemia. This is one of the leading causes of fatigue in women. Your doctor will order a blood test and if anemia is the cause of your fatigue, you'll be given iron supplements and urged to add natural food sources like spinach, broccoli and red meat to your diet. With treatment, your fatigue should lift in 30 days, or less.

2) Underactive thyroid. If you generally feel sluggish, run down or even a bit depressed, a slow thyroid could be the cause. Known as hypothyroidism, this condition is one of the major health problems of women in the U.S., and may be much more widespread than anyone has realized.

According to the American Thyroid Foundation, by 60 years old, about 17% of women will have a thyroid disorder and not know it. To check, ask for blood tests known as T3 and T4 used to detect thyroid hormones, if they're low, synthetic hormones can be prescribed to bring you back up to speed. You'll start feeling better pretty quickly.

3) Undiagnosed urinary tract infection (UTI). In some instances fatigue can be the only clue of a UTI a woman gets. You might have no other symptoms, or symptoms that are mild enough to go unnoticed.

UTIs are caused by bacteria in the urinary tract that can come from improper wiping (back to front) or sexual intercourse. A urine test will tell and the treatment is simple, involving an oral antibiotic medication. Your fatigue should lift within the week... perhaps sooner. If the symptoms return after being on medication, get tested again - sometimes UTIs can be chronic.

4) Caffeine Overload. For some women, the caffeine that revs most people up does the opposite for them. Caffeine is usually acts as a stimulant, but if you use too much, the opposite can be true - abuse brings fatigue. If you try to solve the problem with yet more caffeine, your fatigue will actually get worse. Your best bet is to eliminate as much caffeine from your diet as you can. Look beyond coffee to chocolate, tea, soda and even some medications.

5) Food intolerance. Hidden food intolerance, even mild ones, can leave you feeling tired. Eat the troublesome food long enough and you could find yourself feeling continually exhausted. Fatigue is sometimes an early warning sign that food intolerance has developed. To find out, start with an elimination diet, cutting out any food that has you feeling sleepy within 10 to 30 minutes of eating it.

6) Sleep apnea. Some people don't realize they're not getting sufficient sleep, and this is particularly true of sleep apnea, a disorder that causes you to stop breathing for a moment, usually many times during the night.

Each time you stop breathing you wake long enough to disrupt the natural sleep cycle. The only clue many patients have is that they experience constant fatigue, no matter how many hours of sleep a night they get.

Women who are overweight or obese are often diagnosed with the condition. Snoring is often another sign; though the definitive diagnosis comes from a visit to a sleep lab, or a physician who specializes in sleep disorders.

If you do have sleep apnea, your doctor will suggest lifestyle changes (stop smoking, lose weight) to help. Left untreated this condition can increase your risk of stroke or heart attack.

7) Undiagnosed heart disease. If you're totally exhausted after doing things that used to be easy... like vacuuming, yard work, even your commute each day, then it's time to talk to your doctor.

Fatigue is usually not the first sign of heart disease and is often the result of something much less serious. However it is an under diagnosed problem in women, even though heart disease is the leading cause of death for females. Medication or treatment can usually correct the problem and restore your energy level.

Our world is a busy one to be sure, but that does not doom us all to excessive tiredness. To always being tired, feeling awful. Whatever are the causes of fatigue in your life... keeping you feeling exhausted and dragging can be treated... all you need do is get the process started.

7 Causes of Constant Fatigue and Excessive Tiredness

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Sleep Apnea Treatment - The Controversy Surrounding CPAP Side Effects

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the most commonly prescribed obstructive sleep apnea treatment, but CPAP side effects make it a poor choice for many people. Even after months of trying, many patients simply can't get used to wearing a mask and being tethered to a CPAP machine while they sleep. Yet, many patients are given no other treatment options by their doctors.

If you're currently suffering from sleep apnea, chances are you're feeling the effects of daytime fatigue and anxiety over long term health effects and the negative impacts the condition can have on your work and relationships. Continuous positive airway pressure treatment has helped thousands of people, but it also has many drawbacks that make it a less than ideal sleep apnea cure.

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You want a solution, but is CPAP the answer you're looking for?

Sleep Apnea Treatment - The Controversy Surrounding CPAP Side Effects

First, there is the drawback of having to wear a mask over your nose or both your mouth and nose while you sleep. This is both unnatural and uncomfortable. If interruptions and pauses in your breathing don't keep you from getting a good night's sleep, then the CPAP mask probably will. For some people, a mask isn't even an option because it invokes anxiety and feelings of claustrophobia.

Second, some people who think they may suffer from breathing interruptions while they sleep never get a true diagnosis because the thought of wearing a CPAP mask is enough to keep them from seeking help. For these people, symptoms may worsen as they grow older, and apnea events can become more severe.

A third side effect of CPAP masks and machines is they are not generally form fitted to an individual's face. Although they do come in a range of different sizes, problems exist that can prevent a proper fit. This can lead to a poor seal which lets air escape and makes the device ineffective and may also cause rashes and facial or nasal irritation.

A fourth side effect many people complain about is being tethered to the CPAP machine via the hose that carries air from the pump to the mask and into your airway. The hose is a necessary evil that makes it difficult to find a comfortable sleeping position. Also, since the pump requires electricity, airflow can be cut off if power fails.

Lastly, some people experience additional health issues when using continuous positive airway pressure as a treatment for sleep apnea. The most commonly reported symptoms include headaches, dry mouth, throat irritation, and sometimes even stomach bloating.

Sleep Apnea Treatment - The Controversy Surrounding CPAP Side Effects

Next, here's how to avoid CPAP side effects and treat sleep apnea via alternative methods: Sleep Apnea Treatment

If you really want to cure your condition and end your daytime fatigue so you can get your life back, then discover how sleep apnea sufferers are finding relief without CPAP by visiting: Sleep Apnea Treatment Options

Chronic Fatigue and Sleep Apnea

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is a serious condition that is not well understood. It generally causes its sufferers to not be able to deal with life's daily issues as they are simply too tired. Moreover, it results in "Brain Fog" (cognitive deterioration) and/or poor memory, weakness of muscles, irritable bowel syndrome and a host of other problems. Those that are diagnosed with CFS often find that sleep is simply does not refresh them; no mater how much they sleep, hey still wake up feeling tired.

Sleep Apnea is a different issue that is occasionally relates to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. As you may know, there are five levels of sleep. The deepest level is called REM (for Rapid Eye Movement) and is dream sleep. Most people spend a quarter of heir time at level 5 sleep, which is refreshing and necessary. People who suffer from Sleep Apnea, for various reasons, literally choke in their sleep for a very short period of time. During this time, the brain detects the lack of Oxygen and brings back the person to a lower level of sleep. This can literally happen dozens of time every hour, resulting in very poor quality of sleep, and consequently, a never ending feeling of being tired.

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Chronic Fatigue can explain a wide range of problems, and sleep apnea is just one of them.

Chronic Fatigue and Sleep Apnea

One of the doctors I was sent to sent me to a sleep clinic. I have to say that this was much less pleasant than I thought it would be, trying to sleep with so many things hooked on to me, and being unable to go to a restroom without calling an aide to untie you. But I eventually managed to. They discovered I have "mild to moderate" sleep apnea.

Can this explain my chronic fatigue? Probably not, because I've had sleep apnea my entire life, and chronic fatigue for only for two years. However, any improvement in my sleep may result in a big improvement of my CFS. Makes sense, no?

Thus, I was sent to the sleep clinic for a second time, to try sleeping using a machine called CPAP (which stands for "Continuous Positive Airflow Pressure"). Sleeping with CPAP is a very strange feeling, as the machine constantly pushes air into your nose, basically keeping the air passages open. The idea is that it will prevent the choking that takes place, and the person could reach a deeper level of sleep. Some people have reported a almost miraculous improvement in their quality of life using a CPAP machine.

Unfortunately, I never got my results. I came to the clinic feeling ill, and simply was not able to fall asleep.Particularly with a machine stuck up my nose, and tens of wires hooked up to me. At 2am the technician and I gave up, and we decided to try it another time. My personal feeling is that the machine would have helped me sleep better, despite the fact it is generally uncomfortable (though it is said this is very easy to get used to).

I intend to go back and be tested again. But so far have not.

My conclusion: check with your doctor whether you may have sleep apnea. If he suspects you suffer from it, he'll send you to a sleep clinic. If you do have sleep apnea, you'll be tested with a CPAP machine, and if that proves effective, you'll be given one from your insurance provider (or so I am told). This could eliminate a large component if not the major component of what causes you to be chronically tired.

Chronic Fatigue and Sleep Apnea

In my website, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Symptoms and Treatments we aim to bring interesting articles for people who suffer from CFS. Since there are various causes of extreme fatigue, there are multiple potential treatments, and we aim to bring them all to the attention of our visitors.

One potential link is between CFS and sleep apnea. In this article, we've discussed the connection between sleep apnea and CFS through my own personal story and experiences for sleep apnea treatment in a sleep clinic.

What Is Bipap/Cpap Therapy?

Cpap Therapy

The acronym (cpap) stands for continuous positive airway pressure. Cpap is used to treat sleep apnea patients, who have upper airway obstruction.

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Cpap is a simple respiratory ventilator used by sleep apnea sufferers while they sleep in there homes following a polysomnograph study in a sleep center.

What Is Bipap/Cpap Therapy?

When a patient has sleep apnea their upper airways become obstructed by the nasal cavity, palatal tissue, or the base of the tongue (hypopharynx). However in some instances it can involve the whole of the upper airway passages.

Cpap prevents the upper airway disturbance by pushing a constant steady stream of air through a mask worn while sleeping, effectively forcing the air passages to stay open allowing a patient to breathe, and alleviates the apneas.

There are numerous types of these kinds of machines on the market, which essentially all do the same thing. Usually a small compact device that is hook to tubes that carry the air to the patient when resting. Some models have heated humidifiers, as well as c-flex settings making it easier to exhale.

There are also various types of facial mask that can be worn with continuous positive airway pressure machines. Straps that go around your head and tighten, to hold the mask in place to discourage leaks.

Complications with Cpap

Some patients are not able to stand wearing a mask all night long, seriously reducing the benefit of this modality of treatment.

Still other patients want to have a good nights rest without a mask on at all, so they elect surgery.

Patients experience vertigo when using cpap therapy, chest congestion, risk of developing complex sleep apnea or (CSA), nasal dryness, sneezing runny nose, nosebleeds, in extreme cases infection around the brain lining.

By working close with your doctor and sleep therapist, you will be able to determine the correct presser settings for you.

BiPAP Therapy

Bilevel positive airway pressure, is similar to CPAP therapy however with BiPAP therapy there are two different pressure settings for the patient.

Patients who are treated with BiPAP therapy have been found to have breathing disorders beyond sleep apnea.

With continuous positive airway pressure or (CPAP) the machine delivers is a constant steady stream of airway pressure during inhilation and expiration.

BiPAP therapy is used to treat more than just sleep apnea. The bipap machine is able to detect how much pressure a patient needs and supply the adequate amount of air pressure on inhalation and exhalation.

The dual settings of the BiPAP machine, allows patients to get more air into, and out of the lungs without the normal muscular activity needed to do so.

Bilevel positive airway pressure therapy is really useful for people who have congestive heart failure and different types of lung disorders, particularly patients who have above normal carbon dioxide.

BiPAP therapy is also used in treating central sleep apnea a sleep disorder characterized by failure of the brain to signal the chest muscles to breathe.

New BiPAP machines are now in the market that have Bi-flex a very useful feature that provides pressure relief to smooth, the transition between the end of IPAP and the beginning of EPAP.

Complications with BiPAP Therapy

Complications that result from using bilevel positive airway pressure, are some have mask discomfort, some patients develop sores and numbness around the mask area.

Also there's been documented cases of patients having bloating from the swallowing of the air as well

As always, it is best to consult your physician to determine the type of pap therapy that is right for you.

What Is Bipap/Cpap Therapy?

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Thyroid Disorders Affect The Entire Body, Including Poor Sleep Due to Sleep Apnea

The thyroid is a small butterfly shaped gland located in your neck. Though it weighs only about an ounce, the thyroid gland has some very important functions to carry out that have a major impact on one's health. It maintains body temperature, controls the rate of energy production (including oxygen use and basal metabolic rate), regulates the skeletal and muscular growth of children and heavily influences brain chemistry and thus brain function.

Additionally the thyroid gland has major influence in all of these areas:

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• Enhances a portion of the nervous system called the sympathetic nervous system.
• Promotes breakdown of blood sugar, mobilizes fats, essential for protein synthesis, enhances the liver's synthesis of cholesterol.
• Promotes normal adult nervous system function and mood.
• Promotes normal functioning of the heart.
• Promotes normal muscular growth and function.
• Promotes normal GI motility and tone; increases secretion of digestive juices, particularly that of the gallbladder and the stomach.
• Promotes normal female reproductive ability and lactation.
• Promotes normal hydration and secretory activity of the skin.

Thyroid Disorders Affect The Entire Body, Including Poor Sleep Due to Sleep Apnea

The thyroid gland takes iodine, which is found in many foods, and converts it into thyroid hormones thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). It is estimated that Iodine makes up about 0.00004% of total human body weight and iodine is found in highest concentration in the thyroid the gland cells. These cells combine iodine and the amino acid tyrosine and hydrogen peroxide (using an enzyme called thyroid peroxidase or TPO) to make the hormones T4 (thyroxin) and T3 (triiodotyrosine), which are then released into the blood stream and transported throughout the body attached to a protein called Thyroid Binding Globulin (TBG).

It is important to understand that T4 is inactive thyroid hormone and about 93% of the thyroid's production of hormone is T4. Only about 7% of the hormone the thyroid gland produces is active thyroid hormone (T3). The 93% inactive T4 hormone must be converted to T3 in order for this active hormone to generate all the important effects in the body. 60% of T4 is converted to T3 in the liver and 20% is converted into another inactive thyroid hormone called reverse T3 (rT3). Another 20% of T4 is converted to T3 Sulfate (T3S) and triiodothyroacetic acid (T3AC) and is acted upon by the digestive tract bacteria (assuming your digestive tract is in healthy balance of bacteria) and fully converted to T3. Any remaining T4 hormone that wasn't transformed into T3 or inactive T3 forms will be converted into T3 by the peripheral tissues (such as in brain cells, kidneys and muscle cells).

Only the active T3 hormone exerts is controlling effect on metabolism and all the other functions it governs or modulates. The thyroid is the master gland of your metabolism and so it has a very important job. People who suffer from thyroid malfunction experience many different kinds of health complications affecting a multitude of systems in their body. Every cell in your body had thyroid hormone receptor sites so that little gland affects the function of every cell in your body!

An estimated 27 million Americans suffer from thyroid dysfunction, half of which go undiagnosed. Women are at a and estimated 24 times greater risk of developing thyroid malfunction and this risk increases with age and also for those who have thyroid dysfunction within their family.

When the thyroid gland begins to malfunction many doctors neglect to ask the very important question of why. Adrenal problems, hormonal imbalances, poor blood sugar metabolism, irregular immune function and gut infections are all signals that the thyroid might be depressed.

Many times replacement hormones are used in an effort to wipe out symptoms without understanding what has caused the thyroid to malfunction in the fist place. More often than not the relief these drugs provide is short-lived, or never really works, because in order to really address the health of the very important thyroid gland, the systems of the entire body must be taken into account. So even though you are taking medications for thyroid dysfunction you may still have problems with your thyroid (even though your TSH levels are in the normal range). For example you can have problems with how the thyroid hormones are transported or how inactive T4 hormone is converted to active T3 hormone. You may have issues with the end effect the thyroid hormone is intended to have at the cell level.

Here is a List of The Influences of Thyroid Hormones on Physiological and Metabolic Function

• Bone: Deficiency of thyroid hormones lead to a decrease in bone development and an abnormal architecture of the bone that is created. Generally, a functionally low (which means low but not flagged as of yet) serum calcium is noted in hypothyroidism. Elevated thyroid hormones causes an increased serum calcium, as it pulls calcium from the bone, leading to increased risk of pathological fractures of the spine and weight-bearing joints.
• Gastrointestinal Function: Transit time is affected directly by thyroid hormones as is absorption of nutrients.
• Male Hormones: Hypothyroidism has been linked to diminished libido and impotence. Although this condition is more rare in men, it must be considered in treating these conditions.
• Liver and Gallbladder Function: Low thyroid function caused decreased liver clearance and gall bladder congestion through thickening of the bile, often also associated with an elevation of cholesterol. Unfortunately, also often treated with cholesterol lowering drugs while the thyroid function is the cause of the elevated cholesterol.
• Body Composition: As you may know all too well, low thyroid function causes an inability to lose weight. This is caused by a slowed conversion of glucose and fat into energy, and altering the way Human Growth Hormone (HGH) is metabolized in the body.
• Blood Sugar Regulation: Low thyroid slows the insulin response to glucose following eating carbohydrates or sugar and it also slows glucose uptake into cells and tissues, and slows absorption of glucose from the intestinal tract. In other words, your entire energy production system is slowed. It is quite confounding to your body and brain, in that the glucose is in the blood, but the tissues are not able to absorb it. This really confuses the pituitary gland and adrenal glands, resulting in a "stress physiology," even if life is good.
• Cholesterol: As mentioned earlier, low thyroid increases your cholesterol and triglycerides, so your doctor tells you your diet is poor. You become even more strict in your diet, and the tissue starvation (low glucose, low energy) gets worse, which makes the stress physiology worse, which makes your cholesterol higher, which prompts your doctor to put you on cholesterol medication, which interferes with energy production, which further stresses your physiology...whew! You are frustrated!
• Depression: Low thyroid impairs the production of stimulating neurotransmitters, which are the chemicals that antidepressants work on. Low stimulating neurotransmitters leaves you, as one of my professors described, feeling "lower than a snakes belly."
• Female Hormones: Low thyroid changes the way estrogen is metabolized in the body, shifting toward an estrogen metabolite that has been proven to increase the risk of breast cancer.
• Stress: Low thyroid slows the elimination of the stress hormone cortisol, which leaves you feeling stressed out, not because of "stress," but because the stress hormone can't be removed efficiently.
• Detoxification: Low thyroid slows an enzyme critical for metabolic biotransformation, or detoxification, the process by which the body binds and removes all environmental chemicals, and normal byproducts of metabolism, including hormones. "Toxicity" further slows your metabolism, and leads to headaches and other toxic symptoms.
• Digestion: Low thyroid reduces the release of Gastrin, which determines the output of hydrochloric acid in the stomach, leading to poor protein digestion, sour stomach, and GERD.
• Thermoregulation: Regulation of body temperature is affected by low thyroid, resulting in hot flashes and night sweats, which is especially prominent in perimenopausal women. This is often blamed on estrogen dropping, but may be directly caused by low thyroid.
• PMS and Infertility: Low thyroid affects the progesterone receptors, making them less sensitive to progesterone, which feels like low progesterone, although the progesterone levels may be normal. Since the activity of progesterone is diminished, the health of the uterus is insufficient for implantation in the second half of the female cycle, leading to difficulties getting pregnant and PMS. Low thyroid also reduces sex hormone binding proteins, leading to an increase in estrogen activity.
• Anemia: Low thyroid, as mentioned affects protein metabolism, which then lowers the red blood cell mass, which carries oxygen to tissues for metabolism of energy. Yes, another mechanism for feeling lousy.
• Homocysteine: Low thyroid slows a process called methylation, often evidenced by elevated serum levels of homocysteine. Elevated homocysteine in the blood has been proven as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative disorders, and cervical dysplasia.

Due to the effect the thyroid hormones have on so many systems of the body, including metabolism and nervous system function, a minimum of two mechanisms can lead to sleep apnea. Number one is the weight gain that typically occurs about the face and often, an enlarged thyroid gland, which can physically impede airflow through the airway, leading to sleep apnea. In addition the reduction in proper thyroid hormone leads to impairment of the part of the brain stem that is in charge of the cardio-respiratory centers, thus leading to abnormal breathing patterns during sleep. Weakened respiratory muscles due to hypothyroid myopathy can be a third cause for sleep apnea.

As you can see, living with low thyroid has far reaching effects on your health and function. There are as many as 24 published mechanisms for thyroid function to be impaired. Visit http://www.helpmychronicpain.com/Shelby-Township-Thyroid-Answers/ to become informed about how to get a functional diagnosis, that truly gets to the root of your thyroid health challenges so you can regain the zest in your life and sleep better.

Thyroid Disorders Affect The Entire Body, Including Poor Sleep Due to Sleep Apnea

Dr. Karl R.O.S. Johnson is a chiropractic physician and medical writer in Shelby Township, Michigan. Dr. Johnson's areas of expertise include chiropractic, functional medicine, functional neurology and spinal rehabilitation. He is the author of the "Ultimate Strategy" series of eBooks on the topics of fibromyalgia, balance disorders, migraine and other debilitating headaches and well as unresolved thyroid symptoms. For more information and to receive my FREE informative thyroid answers DVD, free report and eBook please visit ShelbyThyroidAnswers.com or call 586-731-8840.

What is the Difference Between CPAP and BIPAP Ventilation?

Do you deal with sleep apnea or other breathing problems?

If so, then you may find yourself needing a breathing machine, such as a CPAP or BIPAP machine. If you have to use one of these machines, you'll need to know the differences between them and how they work. So, let's take a closer look at these machines and masks, how they work, when to use them, and the differences between them.

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What is a CPAP Machine?Continuous Positive Airway Pressure, also known as CPAP is a method of take positive pressure and applying it inside the throat in order to keep it from collapsing while you are sleeping. The mask is hooked up to this machine and it is worn over the nose and is connected to a CPAP pump. This pump then applies pressure to the throat through the mask in order to keep your throat from collapsing. While many people tend to stop using their mask within the first year, finding a mask that fits and feels comfortable can provide a solution to this problem. Usually these masks are made out of silicon and it then makes a seal over your nose. New gel filled masks are also available, and many people find them more comfortable

What is the Difference Between CPAP and BIPAP Ventilation?

What is a BIPAP Machine?The BIPAP machine is also a breathing machine designed to help patients breath easier. Not only does this machine help to push some air into the lungs, but it also helps to get more oxygen into the lungs by holding them open. This machine is adjustable and can sense the amount of pressure to use when exhaling and inhaling. The mask that goes along with this machine goes simply over the face, usually the mouth and nose, and creates a seal so the air pressure goes into your body.

When to Use These MasksIf you happen to have Obstructive Sleep Apnea, then more than likely you'll want to use the CPAP machine, since it is great for people who deal with mild Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Most people who use these machines regularly see great improvement and it can be adjusted in such a way to make sure that normal breathing is restored while you are sleeping. However, a person who has severe problems with emphysema should never use a CPAP machine.

Many doctors actually use BIPAP machines for patients who are not totally able to breath on their own. This helps to get more oxygen in their blood. Of course BIPAP machines are also used to treat sleep apnea. This is usually a treatment for those who have more severe apnea problems or for those who have a hard time dealing with the CPAP machines. The machines also help to prevent snoring as well.

The Difference Between the TwoSo, what is the real difference between CPAP ventilation masks and BIPAP ventilation masks? Well, the difference is actually quite simple. The CPAP machines apply continuous pressure to the airways and have only one level of pressure. However, the BIPAP machines have two different pressures. Higher amounts of pressure are applied when the patient is breathing in, while lower pressure is used when they are breathing out. Both machines do well for treating mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea; however, the BIPAP machines are better for severe obstructive sleep apnea and also are effective in treating central sleep apnea as well.

So, as you can see, both types of machines can be extremely useful for treating sleep apnea. Many suffers of sleep apnea actually end up preferring the BIPAP machines, and it is easy to see why. Instead of dealing with that constant pressure that CPAP machines use, the pressure of the BIPAP machines vary, while you are inhaling and exhaling.

What is the Difference Between CPAP and BIPAP Ventilation?

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Sleep Apnea Devices and Their Side Effects

Unlike many disorders, for those afflicted with sleep apnea, the sufferers are often the people with whom they sleep. Bed partners have to lie awake listening to their irregular breathing patterns and worry that they may not take their next breath. Of course, those who are afflicted also contend with symptoms that make life difficult, particularly in their waking hours when they are dealing with tiredness and lack of concentration as a result. Sleep apnea devices are designed to assist the patient to breathe properly and thus, hopefully ensure a good night's sleep. Unfortunately, not all sleep apnea devices work for all sufferers so it can be a case of trial and error until the most appropriate device is determined.

CPAP devices

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Some cases of the disorder are remedied with surgical solutions whereas others are more readily treated with sleep apnea devices designed to help the airways remain open during sleep. These can include, CPAP - Continuous Positive Airway Pressure - devices, dental appliances, jaw adjustment devices and even the administration of oxygen during sleep.

Sleep Apnea Devices and Their Side Effects

CPAP sleep apnea devices provide safe and effective, immediate relief. CPAP stands for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure. CPAP machines are portable air generators that operate to deliver oxygen at low pressure to the patient via nasal tubing or a full face mask. The job of the air pressure is to push the patient's tongue forward and open the throat so that air can flow more easily into the lungs.

Side effects

Unfortunately, CPAP sleep apnea devices are not without their own side effects. Some patients report dry eyes, headaches, soreness on the bridge of the nose, skin breakouts around the perimeter of the mask, skin dryness, dry mouth, dry nose and stomach wind. Still, for some patients, not using one of these machines presents more health issues than the associated side effects and could even make the difference between life and death.

Types of machines

CPAP machines are not all the same. There are those that are self-adjusting, some that are adjusted manually and some that are bi-pressure. Some include heated dehumidifiers. Understandably these kinds of sleep apnea devices require a prescription so that the correct machine can be purchased for the patient's particular requirements. It is important to develop a relationship with your machine retailer because they will stock all the necessary masks, hoses and other accessories that will need to be replaced periodically. Your retailer will be specially trained in the functioning of the machines and will be able to advise on maintenance as well as be able to answer all of your questions.

APAP machines

The APAP sleep apnea device is a machine that operates automatically to adjust the pressure required on a breath by breath basis, to keep patients' airways open as they sleep. APAP machines are more advanced, and therefore more expensive, than CPAPs but for severe apnea sufferers, the extra expense means enhanced peace of mind.

Dental devices

For those who are fortunate enough not to require comprehensive machinery, there are dental sleep apnea devices that are quite effective. They are portable so ideal for travel and in some instances, they are actually more successful and effective than surgery for some kinds of airway obstructions.

A dental sleep apnea device prevents the patient's tongue from falling back into the throat and causing the patient to stop breathing, however temporarily. The device simply holds the patient's lower jaw forward using two full arch acrylic devices that cover the teeth and that are attached to each other. Different models offer different degrees of advancement but medical professionals recommend at least 50% movement for success.

Side effects

Side effects of dental sleep apnea devices include soreness, build-up of saliva, possible damage to the jaw, teeth and mouth and even a permanent alteration to the position of the teeth or jaw. Again, the side effects must be weighed against the benefits achieved to determine the best solution.

Considering the degrees of severity of sleep apnea and the results achieved by some of the sleep apnea devices available to patients, sufferers should invest time in being diagnosed properly. Therapy for the condition is not a one-size-fits-all situation and solutions must be tailor-made for the individual.

Sleep Apnea Devices and Their Side Effects

Visit medopedia.com for more on the sleep apnea mask and sleep apnea tests

BiPAP Settings and Use

Sleep apnea is a disorder characterized by the constant interruption of normal breathing while sleeping. When a patient experiences an "apnea" their breathing stops for a prolonged period of time. Some patients, after overcoming the apnea, will experience a hperpnea, which is rapid shallow breathing to compensate for the lack of oxygen experienced during the apnea. One treatment for sleep apnea is the use of a bilevel positive airway pressure machine, or BiPAP for short.

The function of a BiPAP machine is to provide positive air pressure to the patient to prevent the collapse of tissue in the throat, which would cause an apnea. In this way, BiPAP machines function similarly in purpose to a CPAP machine. However, a BiPAP machine administers two levels of pressure: an inspiratory positive airway pressure (IPAP) for when the patient inhales and an expiratory positive airway pressure (EPAP) for when the patient exhales. This is so the patient experiences less resistance to exhalation that is present in CPAP machines, which administer a constant pressure during inhalation and exhalation alike. Though the functioning of the machines differ, the use of the machines are almost identical.

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A typical Bilevel positive airway pressure machine machine is set up in a similar manner to a CPAP machine: hoses are attached from the machine to a delivery device such as a face mask or nasal pillows, which are then secured to the patient in a way that allows pressure to build. Once the mask is secured, the pressure builds and prevents the patient's airway from collapsing by increasing the pressure during inhalation and lowering the pressure during exhalation.

BiPAP Settings and Use

The settings on a Bilevel positive airway pressure machine machine are configured by a doctor or technician that has received the results from a sleep study that monitored the severity of the disorder and calculated the optimal pressure to administer through the machine. Because the Bilevel positive airway pressure machine machine comes preconfigured, the patient is not required to make any adjustments or complete any advanced setup options to use the machine.

The machines are usually configured to run in one of three settings controlling the change in the pressure from IPAP to EPAP and back again: spontaneous, timed, and spontaneous/timed. Spontaneous mode monitors when the pressure changes based on the patient's breathing and then changes from IPAP to EPAP or vice versa accordingly. Timed mode controls the pressure completely mechanically, switching pressure when a preconfigured amount of time passes. Spontaneous/Timed mode is when the pressure is adjusted based on the patient's breathing, and if the patient's breath should stop, the time will resume the pressure until normal breathing is again achieved.
BiPAP machines are similar in use to CPAP machines but differ in function.

For those who find the constant pressure of a CPAP machine too discomforting, a BiPAP machine is an excellent alternative. Switching from a CPAP machine to a BiPAP machine takes little effort, as most face masks have universal hookups and your previous titrations from your sleep test will still be relevant in configuring your Bilevel positive airway pressure machine machine, so there is little to worry about as far as inconvenience is concerned when switching to Bilevel positive airway pressure machine machines.

BiPAP Settings and Use

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 BiPAP Settings and Use [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.

Sleep: 10 Ways to Get a Good Night's Sleep

Sleep - are you getting enough? For some people, enough is four to six hours. Other people just don't feel right with less than eight hours. People need more or less sleep at different phases in their life. Women may need more or less sleep at different phases of the month.

The simplest way to tell if you're getting enough is by noticing every morning - do you feel rested? Do you wake up without an alarm clock and feel ready to get right out of bed and start your day?

\"sleep Apnea\"

Not getting enough sleep is one of the most direct ways that we self-sabotage our success and well-being. When we are better rested we not only feel better, but are calmer, smarter, more rational, nicer to be around and we look better. Why wouldn't we choose to have that every day??

Sleep: 10 Ways to Get a Good Night's Sleep

1. Set the Stage - turn off the computer and television at least one hour before you'd like to fall asleep, and turn on some music that you find relaxing. Test what your stereo system will do when the recording is finished - does it SNAP! or does it "wrrrr" - this will make a difference as you're drifting off. My CD player makes a very soft "wrrrr" noise (though I honestly can't remember the last time I was still awake when the CD was over).

2. Music without words - words can provoke and direct your thoughts more than instrumental music or pure vocal sounds.

3. Music with natural "breaths" - music where the soloist takes natural pauses to breathe can help you to slow down your own breath - try flute, other wind instruments or voice (either with no words or words in a language you don't understand).

4. A good book - For bedtime reading, try to stay away from material that gets you thinking about things you deal with during the day. Magazines or stories that distract you from your own life may help you to drift into sleep.

5. Imagery - If you find that your mind is racing when you are trying to sleep, picture a viewpoint where you're traveling down a road. See your thoughts as signposts that you're passing. Concentrate on letting them pass right by.

6. Progressive muscle relxation - Imagine that a ball of light is traveling along your body, beginning at the top of your head, going down to the tips of your toes, and then coming up again. As it passes your muscles, they fill with light and relax.

7. Take a nap - If your sleep has been interrupted or there've been unavoidable late nights, an afternoon nap can help you catch up. Experts advise that naps should be taken earlier in the afternoon, rather than later, and that we should keep them to 30 minutes or less. This will avoid disrupting your sleep at night.

8. Lavender Bath - Take a hot bath and add a couple of drops of lavender oil. Lavender has naturally occurring relaxing properties.

9. Chamomile Tea - Calms the nervous system and helps to promote restful sleep.

10. Take 500 mg Calcium with 250 mg Magnesium at bedtime - The calcium has a calming effect, and the magnesium works along with it.

The advice and information in this article is not meant to replace medical advice. If you suspect you have a serious sleeping problem such as sleep apnea, or if you experience insomnia or extreme fatigue, please consult a healthcare professional.

(c) Copyright 2005, Genuine Coaching Services.

Sleep: 10 Ways to Get a Good Night's Sleep

Linda Dessau, the Self-Care Coach, is the author of “The Everyday Self-Care Workbook”. To receive one of her free monthly newsletters, subscribe at http://www.genuinecoaching.com/newsletter.html

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.

\"sleep Apnea\"

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

Read my Good Food Book FREE, with 100 healthful recipes.

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.

\"sleep Apnea\"

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.

\"sleep Apnea\"

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.

\"sleep Apnea\"

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.

Whiskey, Wine and a Good Night's Sleep - Prevent Alcohol's Ill Effects on Your Slumber

The nightcap has quite a following: Up to 15% of people use alcohol to seduce the sandman, large-scale surveys show. Alcohol's sleep-inducing effects occur partly because it's a muscle relaxant (relaxed muscles help you fall asleep more quickly), and partly because it's a psychological (or emotional) relaxant, says clinical psychologist Michael J. Breus, Ph.D., author of Beauty Sleep: Look Younger, Lose Weight, and Feel Great Through Better Sleep, which helps knock you out faster, especially if you're feeling stressed.

Once your body starts relaxing, it continues to relax as you fall asleep. But watch out! This is when the alcohol causes your body to veer from its normal, healthy course, Breus says. Alcohol's powerful knock-out-fast effects pilfer part of the other sleep stages you need. It forces you to stay in the lighter stages of sleep and makes it hard for you to enter both deep and REM sleep, important stages for waking up refreshed and ready to handle the day. This happens later in the night, when your body has mostly metabolized the sugar in the alcohol. Your sleep becomes light and fragmented, and you're prone to frequent awakenings (often to hit the bathroom).

Slumber

You may also struggle with snoring, nightmares, insomnia and night sweats. (Because alcohol is a diuretic, as it flushes out of your system, it can affect your body's ability to maintain a normal temperature.) And if you suffer from obstructive sleep apnea, be extra careful when mixing sleep with alcohol. As a muscle relaxant, it causes the muscles at the back of your throat to relax even more than usual, worsening sleep apnea's symptoms. In fact, research from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, shows that men, especially, have longer episodes of sleep-disordered breathing after drinking alcohol.

The Morning After

Half of the hangover that hits you the morning after a few extra glasses of wine is caused by sleep deprivation and the other half by dehydration. Will just one glass of booze have a negative effect? No, Breus says. It's when you get to two, three or four glasses that the problems start. And whether you drink wine, beer or hard liquor (brandy, whiskey, etc.,) doesn't make a difference--it's the drink's ethanol content (a generic name for alcohol)--that matters. Here's how the drinks break down: A standard "drink" of ethanol equals 10 ounces of regular beer (5% alcohol content); between 3 and 4 ounces of wine (12% alcohol content); or 1 ounce of hard liquor (40% alcohol content).

Plus, if you're a regular imbiber-say a glass of wine with dinner daily-you'll build up a tolerance to the effects of alcohol, which means you won't be as sedated as if you go out drinking on Friday and Saturday nights alone. Basically, you're better off drinking a small amount of alcohol each day than overdoing it on the weekend. Before too long, you'll be accustomed to its effects and be drifting off into an all-night restful slumber.

5 Smart Sleep Tips

If you do drink here's how to make sure it won't hamper your shuteye:

1) Finish drinking at least 3 hours before bedtime.
2) Don't overdo your imbibing-stick with one or two drinks per day.
3) Try not to stay up too much past your usual bedtime-this only increases alcohol's sleep-depriving effects.
4) Know exactly what one drink means: 1 beer = 1 glass of wine = 1 shot of hard liquor.
5) Follow Breus' one for one rule: Drink one glass of water for every glass of alcohol. This will slow down your drinking, and help prevent dehydration. And downing a few extra glasses of water the next morning to help get your fluid levels back to normal again.

Whiskey, Wine and a Good Night's Sleep - Prevent Alcohol's Ill Effects on Your Slumber

Jenny Stamos Kovacs is a freelance writer and editor for magazines such as Self, Glamour, Shape, WebMD, Redbook and Woman's Day.

To learn more about how your sleep habits affect your energy, mood, food cravings, and even your weight, visit http://www.SleepDietSecrets.com for a free quiz: "Are Your Sleep Habits Making You Fat?"

Connect with Jenny on the web at sleep_gal@jennystamos.com

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How to Fall Asleep and Stay Asleep

Do you have difficulty sleeping? You're not alone, people across the world complain of difficulty sleeping. Of course if you have a bad night then this generally leaves you feeling crabby the next day. It's not something we can hide if our bodies don't get the required rest they deserve and need then it's going to come through in our day to day activities and attitude. So the big question is how to fall asleep, or is it maybe better how to stay asleep? Can you go to sleep and rest through out the night un disturbed? It is a challenge in today's twenty-four seven lifestyle.

If you're one of the lucky ones that is able to fall asleep easily, and also hold it until the morning for eight hours congratulations, you're further ahead then most of us. For some reason this is becoming more and more of an issue, when you'd think it would be going the other way. Todays high tech mattresses and beds are light years ahead of what our parents used. With today's latex and memory foam designs we should be more comfortable then ever. How ever has it ever occurred that maybe it's not our comfort but our lifestyle that keeps us waking up through the night? One thing that contributes greatly to poor sleep is stress. It may be stress from parenting, work, or other areas of life, not matter what it is that stress stays with you through your sleep effecting your ability to stay asleep through the night.

Asleep

Learning how to deal with that stress through day to day work and life is important for your overall health and sleep patterns. Whether you need to learn some basic relaxation techniques, or take a long bath before bedtime each night learning how to wind down and relax will do wonders for your ability to fall asleep and stay asleep.

Other ideas to help you fall asleep and awake feeling fully rested are reducing your caffeine intake. Even if you're not someone who drinks caffeine close to bed time it can still effect your sleeping patterns at night. Professional assistance from a sleep therapist is always an option, but often difficult to get as there are waiting lists from all the others having difficulty sleeping in your area as well. Don't discount the Internet as a place to find good quality sleep and relaxation tips. A few searches from your favorite search engine might yield the solution you've been hoping for.

How to Fall Asleep and Stay Asleep

For tips and articles on relaxation techniques to help you release the stresses of daily life visit our site All Relaxation Tips.

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Types Of Herbal Tea

There are thousands of different types of herbal tea on the market today. So if you are just a little confused, you are not alone.

Many tea and coffee drinkers are making the switch to herbal teas as an everyday beverage and others are turning to herbal teas as remedies for common ailments and sickness.

\"sleep Well\"

If you are wondering why there are so many types of herbal teas, that one is a little easier. Herbal Teas are generally made from different herb combinations. Some of these blends contain tea as well. Black tea, green tea and white tea are all common ingredients in commercial herbal tea blends.

Most herbal tea is purchased in the form of a processed tea bag. You can just look in your tea section at your local grocer and be over whelmed at the number of choices that you have. Some people are just looking for tea flavour, while others are looking for herbal remedies.

No matter what you are looking for in your herbal tea, it will make your life much easier if you do a little research online before you head out to buy your tea.

There are herbal teas for colds & flu, headaches, insomnia, fertility, digestive problems, detoxification, cancer and more... the list just goes on and on.

So a little research will help you before you get to your local grocery store or tea merchant. If you are lucky enough to have a tea merchant in your area, they are usually full of great information on the different herbal teas.

One of the things to keep in mind when thinking about the different types of herbal tea available are that your tea will be much better for you if you go with fresh or dried herbs versus a tea bag.

Whole fresh and dried herbs will give you just the herb, no fillers. You can custom blend your own herbal teas depending on the taste you are looking for or the healing properties.

Need an immune system boost? There are herbs and teas for that. Some of the most potent being goji berry and pomegranate, which both make a refreshing hot or cold tea. Maybe you are looking for a good nights sleep, well chamomile is a great old stand by for that.

There is a type of herbal tea for almost every condition and ailment. So, just remember, a little research and access to whole herbs, and you can make almost any type of herbal tea you want.

Types Of Herbal Tea

For more information on herbs and their specific uses as herbal teas, visit http://www.crazyfortea.com/herblist.html

Crazy for Tea is dedicated to providing helpful information on all types of teas.

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Army Sleeping Bag - Tips For Sleeping in Cold Weather

An army sleeping bag is sometimes used by sportsmen and hunters who are out in severe weather, in addition to regular army troops. These are very rugged, durable sleeping bags that have been designed to function in very cold weather. The first army sleeping bags were issued to mountain soldiers in the early 1940s. They needed to be light weight because the soldiers had to carry them with them. They also needed to be suitable for very cold conditions and the soldier had to have the ability to exit the sleeping bag quickly in case there was an emergency.

Although there have been improvements over the years, the same qualities that were needed in the 1940s are stilled needed today, which also make them a good choice for anyone who is looking for a durable sleeping bag that can perform in severe cold weather.

Sleeping

The current army issue is the Modular Sleeping Bag system which consists of two mummy shaped sleeping bags, the Intermediate Cold Weather and Patrol, a stuff sack and bivy cover. By combining the Intermediate and Patrol sleeping bags it can provide insulation for up to minus 30 degrees F. The Intermediate Cold Weather bag is placed inside the Patrol bag to provide more insulation. The bags are made of ripstop nylon and are water resistant. The sleeping bags also come with a double-pull reversible slider, allowing for bottom or top ventilation, and a draft flap which helps to prevent heat loss.

For the best results in cold weather, the sleeping bags can be placed on top of a sleeping mat made of polyfoam or tree boughs layered beneath the sleeping bag. This helps to prevent heat loss. The army sleeping bag is made to military specifications and is a very durable bag that hunters and sportsmen will be very happy in severe weather conditions.

Army Sleeping Bag - Tips For Sleeping in Cold Weather

You can find an army sleeping bag at many army surplus stores. They are one of the best sleeping bags for camping that you can get since they are designed for extreme conditions.

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Ambien Sleeping Pills

Ambien sleeping pills have become the most popular sleeping pills over the last few years, being taken by almost 22 million Americans. Ambien is a prescription based sleeping pill which your doctor can prescribe to help those who suffer from insomnia. It is not meant for long term use, although it can easily become addictive. Ambien is intended to help a person fall asleep quickly, and should be taken accordingly.

Ambien are sleeping pills which would be classified as sedatives. The drug is intended to alter the chemicals in your brain which sometimes can become unbalanced and lead to insomnia. What Ambien does is it reduces the cells in the brain from being electronically active, causing a feeling of relaxation, and allows the person to fall asleep quickly and easily.

Sleeping

There are some important things to consider when you are taking Ambien sleeping pills. First, since Ambien makes you fall asleep quickly, only take Ambien right before you go to bed. If you take the drug and stay up, you are at risk to do and say things you do not remember. This is because the chemicals in the brain have been altered. Also, make sure to follow your doctors directions when taking Ambien sleeping pills. Do not take Ambien while under the influence of other drugs or alcohol, as that can greatly increase the severity of any side effects. Driving or operating machinery also should not be done after taking Ambien sleeping pills.

Ambien sleeping pills, for all the help they can provide you in falling asleep quickly at night, do have some major drawbacks. The longer you have been taking Ambien, the higher dosage you will need to achieve the same effects. Also, users will often develop mood swings, and can become very irritable, especially if they are unable to take the drug. Ambien sleeping pills can also produce hallucinations for the user, some of which can become very intense and frightening. Anyone taking Ambien sleeping pills must also be very cautious of not overdosing. If someone takes too many Ambien sleeping pills, they could become very sleepy or even go into a light coma. If the person has also been taking other drugs, the overdose could become very severe. There have even been a few cases of death resulting from an overdose of ambient sleeping pills.

There are many benefits and could also be many drawbacks from taking Ambien sleeping pills. Just remember to consult your doctor, follow his instructions, and Ambien could be just what you need to get a good nights rest.

Ambien Sleeping Pills

Rob LaPlante is a web author who was written countless articles. Visit his website, [http://www.sleeping-pills-information.com/Ambien_Sleeping_Pills.html] for more information.

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Sleeping With Severe Leg Pain From Sciatica

Living with sciatica during the day can be bad enough. The searing pain you will be experiencing down your leg is enough to drive the sanest person to distraction. However, that compares to nothing if you are one of the unfortunate ones who is suffering at night as well.

I have often had patients say to me it is as if as soon as they want to go to sleep, their sciatica decides to wake up!

Sleeping

This can create a multitude of problems:

i) The lack of sleep makes you tired.

This is a problem because it has been shown that our perception of pain is increased and our pain tolerance decreased the more tired we are. Consequently, if you are experiencing pain which is preventing you from sleeping, it is going to make you more tired. This in turn will increase your perception of pain and decrease your pain tolerance. What is that going to do? It's going to make sleeping more difficult, which will make you more tired... and so on. I am sure you can see how a vicious cycle results which can be difficult to get out of.

ii) Night Time is prime healing time.

It is during the night, while we are at rest, that the body's fantastic healing process gets to work and aims to heal and replenish all that needs to throughout your body. Your sciatica will be at the top of the list for healing. However, if you are not sleeping at night, tossing and turning, this healing process is going to be interfered with. This creates yet another vicious cycle similar to that given above.

So what can you do?

If you are struggling to sleep of a night, let me firstly say do not replace your bed! Well, not yet anyway. More often than not it is either the position you are sleeping in or what you were up to before going to bed which is the problem - not the bed itself. I shall discuss the latter here...

This may sound like I am stating the obvious, but it is important to avoid any particular activities you know aggravate your pain. Let's use sitting as an example. Sitting tends to be a classic aggravating factor for sciatica (although I except it will not be for everyone). Therefore, if you are like most of us and tend to spend much of your evenings sitting down, there is a fair chance you will be aggravating your sciatica during that time.

This may express itself as forcing you to fidget regularly just to get comfortable, forcing you to stand up because of the increasing pain or your pain may feel OK while you are sitting down, but you experience increased pain and discomfort when you go to stand up from the chair.

If you are familiar with any of these, then sitting down is an aggravating factor for your sciatica.

Consequently, if you are stirring your pain up just before going to bed, it should come as no surprise that the pain is keeps you awake at night when you go to bed shortly afterwards. This may not express itself immediately, sometimes it can be an hour or so after getting to sleep that you pain rears its ugly head.

In such circumstances, I would ask you to firstly think about the chair you are sitting in:

Is it the best for your sciatica?

Maybe it should be a little firmer?

Or possibly you need some support for your lower back?

Just have a think as to how you can make things a little more comfortable for your sciatica. It could well be that you need to try a completely different chair for a while.

In addition to this, I would also suggest you try to avoid sitting for any longer than 15-20 minutes without standing up. This doesn't need to be an extensive break, a few steps up and down the room will be more than suffice, just give your body a chance to straighten up for a bit. If you are watching TV, when the adverts come on is a good reminder.

By doing this, it will help alleviate some stress from your sciatic nerve before going to bed, which in turn will decrease the pain perceived and therefore give you a better nights sleep. This in itself will provide your body with a greater opportunity to heal itself.

If you manage this, a positive cycle is likely to be set up, where more sleep will promote better healing, which will help you sleep more... and so on.

The example I have used here of sitting is just one of many which may be aggravating your pain. It is important you gain a good understanding of your body and are able to tell what your sciatica does and does not like with regards to its healing process.

In addition to this, I have provided a link below which will discuss the best sleeping positions for you to sleep in order to gain a good night's sleep.

Sleeping With Severe Leg Pain From Sciatica

Paul Boxcer - Bsc (Hons) Physiotherapist, has over 14 years experience of treating people in pain. During this time and especially over the last few years, he has concentrated his treatment on those suffering with Low Back Pain & Sciatica.

With regards to the article above and different sleeping positions, some examples and advice can be found from the link http://www.spinal-health-care.com/index.php?page=sleeping-positions

Paul's book"Low Back Pain & Sciatica - A Personalised Treatment Approach" not only explains everything you need to know in order to allow you to cure yourself of the pain you may be suffering with, but by addressing the cause of the problem, it ensures the risk of subsequent episodes is also eliminated. Visit his website at www.spinal-health-care.com to find out more about Paul's unique approach to treating both sciatica and low back pain.

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