Archive for the ‘sleep disorders’ Category
Sleep Apnea Information
ABOUT SLEEP APNEA
Apnea is a word that means unable to breathe or without breath. There are three types of sleep apnea with the most common being obstructive apnea. People with untreated sleep apnea stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep, often for a minute or longer. This results in poor sleep quality that makes them tired during the day. Sleep apnea usually is a chronic condition that disrupts your sleep 3 or more nights each week, and is one of the main causes of chronic daytime sleepiness. In our discussion of chronic insomnia, it should be understood that sleep apnea is different than the type of conscious sleeplessness in that the person with apnea does not know that their sleep is being interrupted by lack of oxygen.
According to the National Institutes of Health sleep apnea affects millions of Americans. Risk factors include being male, overweight, and over the age of forty, but sleep apnea can strike anyone at any age, even children. Yet still because of the lack of awareness by the public and healthcare professionals, the vast majority remain undiagnosed and therefore untreated, despite the fact that this serious disorder can have significant consequences.
The most common type of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea. This means that the airway has collapsed or is blocked during sleep. When you try to breathe, any air that squeezes past the blockage can cause loud snoring. Obstructive sleep apnea happens more often in people who are overweight, but it can affect anybody. The blockage may cause shallow breathing or breathing pauses. You often move out of deep sleep and into light sleep when your breathing pauses or becomes shallow. Breathing pauses can last from a few seconds to over a minute. They often occur 20 or more times per hour. Typically, normal breathing then starts again, sometimes with a loud snort or choking sound.
DIAGNOSIS OF SLEEP APNEA
Generally diagnosis of sleep apnea involves family doctors (general practitioners) determining the primary diagnosis based on various factors including a complete physical and standard sleep studies. If it is determined that sleep apnea may be the cause based on a set of factors determined by the initial exams, the family doctor may refer the patient to a sleep specialist. Sleep specialists are doctors whose specialty is diagnosing and treating people with chronic sleep disorders. Exams, from start to finish may very well be detailed and extensive. Many people find these exams to diagnose sleep apnea invasive and overwhelming to the point that they discontinue them before their sleep disorder treatment can be established with certainty. But for many, finding relief is paramount and if they stay with the initial and specialist exams, they can find relief and begin to live a life with restful sleep.
TREATMENT FOR SLEEP APNEA
Treatment for sleep apnea may be as simple as lifestyle changes and monitoring to procedures as extensive as surgery. Usually, the treatment falls somewhere in between.
A good friend of mine who suffers from sleep apnea who used to snore loudly and all night long was determined to have sleep apnea. His treatment consists of a device called a CPAP )Continuous positive airway pressure) device which consists of a mask that fits over the nose or mouth and nose that gently blows air into the throat. Adjusted properly it keeps the airways from becoming constricted during sleep. With some people there are some mild side effects such as a dry or stuffy nose, or headaches, the vast majority of people using this treatment for sleep apnea report feeling much better and sleeping better.
There are other treatments for sleep apnea that involve simpler treatments such as a mouthpiece that can be made by a dentist and keeps the lower jaw positioned correctly during sleep so that the airways remain open.
SUMMARY
Sleep apnea is a serious, even possibly life threatening condition that should be diagnosed and treated properly to provide the patient with a much improved quality of life through safe, restful sleep.
Understanding The Cause And Treatment Of Sleep Disorders
If you suffer with any form of sleep disorders then you will know just how debilitating they can be. Although they are not thought of as serious illnesses they can drastically affect the way we live our lives. We become more anxious and stressed, and may have to take time off from our jobs or school; there have also been cases when sleep disorders have caused automobile accidents.
It is thought that almost twenty five per cent of the population have sleep problems at some time in their life. The most common forms are insomnia, snoring, and sleep apnoea.
Chronic insomnia is a disorder when an individual cannot retain a regular sleep pattern, this may include having problems falling asleep and also maintaining sleep. It is one of the most common sleep problems and can result in the person becoming very irritable and exhausted and not able to concentrate. There is no single cause for insomnia, but there are conditions and factors that are thought to make it more likely. These include people above sixty years old, women, and those that suffer from depression.
Stress can also be a major factor, if the individual has suffered a traumatic or worrisome event such as an illness, injury, personal loss, or even examinations then their sleep pattern can become disrupted. Insomnia may also be due to lifestyle or environmental factors such as too much light or noise at night or heavy caffeine consumption. In many cases a normal sleep pattern can return over time. For those people were this is not the case then there are a number of prescription drugs that can be given.
Although not as serious as insomnia, snoring can still be a problem. For the person that snores it may simply be an embarrassment but for those that are trying to rest within earshot it can be very annoying and frustrating. Snoring is caused by a problem with the soft tissue that is found at the back of the throat. This results in the snoring sound being transmitted up the airway.
It may happen that the snoring gets worse with age, but it also depends upon the body shape and size of the individual. In most cases snoring can be treated. Some specialists will recommend that a patient tries to shed weight, specifically fatty tissue, from around the neck. Also it is believed that by avoiding alcohol, sleeping pills, and heavy meals before going to bed the problem can be lessened. Perhaps the easiest remedy is for the snorer to sleep on their side rather than their back.
Affecting fewer people than both insomnia and snoring, sleep apnoea can be a serious condition. The problem is best described as a loss of breath whilst asleep. It is caused by the same muscles as snoring. These relax and block the airway causing a loss of breath for anywhere up to thirty seconds. The result of this is that as the oxygen in the blood supply becomes less the so brain transmits an emergency warning to the rest of the body to make the person wake up and swallow air.
The course of treatment for sleep apnoea will vary depending upon the severity of the condition. Most mild cases can be treated through a change in behaviour and habits. Severe cases will require the use of a CPAP machine at night or even surgery.
Chronic Insomnia Help
Below are some links to organizations that provide chronic insomnia help by going in depth into understanding sleep and sleep disorders. They may have some information and references that could help you with your sleep difficulties.
–National Insitute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
The link below is on a page titled Understanding Sleep. The information is very technical and detailed but may be helpful in understanding your situation.
National Insitute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/brain_basics/understanding_sleep.htm
–National Institutes of Health – Office of Dietary Supplements
This site is a serious, extensive and scientifically sound place to get all the information necessary when deciding on the safety and efficacy of dietary supplements. Since diet and supplement use can have a significant effect on chronic insomnia, having the clinically tested information necessary to make intelligent choices is critical.
http://ods.od.nih.gov/
–A site maintained by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute contains information related to various physical illnesses and conditions and how they relate to sleep and sleep disorders. Type in “sleep” in the search form to get information.
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/
–The Center for Narcolepsy, Sleep and Health Research is a site developed and maintained by the University of Illinois at Chicago. Study and explanation of sleep disorders and treatments.
http://www.uic.edu/nursing/CNSHR/index.html
–The National Sleep Foundation: Expert scientific information and expert answers to questions about sleep and sleep disorders.
http://www.sleepfoundation.org/