SLEEP APNEA
from the article "5 Common Sleep Disorders: Disturbing or Dangerous?"
By Laurie Sanchez, Lifescript Staff Writer
Published January 26, 2011
Reviewed By Edward C. Geehr, M.D
You might be spending the entire night gasping for breath – waking up and falling back asleep immediately, up to 20-60 times per hour. And you might not even know it.
This potentially serious condition, called obstructive sleep apnea, occurs in people with a narrowed airway, either since birth or after gaining weight around their neck.
Normally, muscles in the face and neck relax during sleep, including the tongue, cheek muscles soft palate and uvula (the soft tissue that hangs in the back of your mouth).
If you have sleep apnea, this already narrow airway closes completely, making you stop breathing for at least 10 seconds.
That’s when the body’s built-in survival mechanism kicks in, Gromer says.
“Your brain says, ‘Oh my gosh, I’ve got to save you,’ and wakes you up,” she says.
Your heart starts pounding, blood pressure rises, and body temperature skyrockets. That opens the airways, making you gasp and take in air. Then you fall back asleep immediately and the process starts again.
The result: extreme fatigue the next day and increased cardiovascular stress each time you’re jolted awake.
“You’ll always wake up tired,” Gromer says. “Sleep becomes very unrestful. The most common thing I hear [from my sleep apnea patients] is ‘I sleep, but I have no energy.’”
Because sufferers fall asleep immediately after each episode, many don’t know they have sleep apnea until someone informs them. Bed partners unusually notice loud snoring, choking or gasping sounds.
What you can do about it: See a sleep specialist.
Sleep apnea gets worse as you age, and fatigue can be as dangerous as cardiovascular stress. It slows your reaction time, impairs judgment, and may even make you fall asleep at the wheel of your car.
The most common treatment is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), a mask the sleeper wears to assist with breathing.
Other options include surgery to remove or reduce the uvula, soft palate and surrounding tissues, or to stiffen them with deliberate scarring. However, it doesn’t reliably cure sleep apnea, and some scarring may aggravate symptoms, cautions sleep expert Max Hirshkowitz, Ph.D., author of Sleep Disorders for Dummies (For Dummies)
Oral appliances that support the tongue, soft palate or jaw to open airways are also available. But they reduce apnea only by 50%, Hirshkowitz says.
MY THOUGHTS
snoring is not necessarily sleep apnea. if you snore and you're not sure if this is snoring or sleep apnea check out this article - http://www.aaoms.org/sleep_apnea.php
from the article "5 Common Sleep Disorders: Disturbing or Dangerous?"
By Laurie Sanchez, Lifescript Staff Writer
Published January 26, 2011
Reviewed By Edward C. Geehr, M.D
You might be spending the entire night gasping for breath – waking up and falling back asleep immediately, up to 20-60 times per hour. And you might not even know it.
This potentially serious condition, called obstructive sleep apnea, occurs in people with a narrowed airway, either since birth or after gaining weight around their neck.
Normally, muscles in the face and neck relax during sleep, including the tongue, cheek muscles soft palate and uvula (the soft tissue that hangs in the back of your mouth).
If you have sleep apnea, this already narrow airway closes completely, making you stop breathing for at least 10 seconds.
That’s when the body’s built-in survival mechanism kicks in, Gromer says.
“Your brain says, ‘Oh my gosh, I’ve got to save you,’ and wakes you up,” she says.
Your heart starts pounding, blood pressure rises, and body temperature skyrockets. That opens the airways, making you gasp and take in air. Then you fall back asleep immediately and the process starts again.
The result: extreme fatigue the next day and increased cardiovascular stress each time you’re jolted awake.
“You’ll always wake up tired,” Gromer says. “Sleep becomes very unrestful. The most common thing I hear [from my sleep apnea patients] is ‘I sleep, but I have no energy.’”
Because sufferers fall asleep immediately after each episode, many don’t know they have sleep apnea until someone informs them. Bed partners unusually notice loud snoring, choking or gasping sounds.
What you can do about it: See a sleep specialist.
Sleep apnea gets worse as you age, and fatigue can be as dangerous as cardiovascular stress. It slows your reaction time, impairs judgment, and may even make you fall asleep at the wheel of your car.
The most common treatment is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), a mask the sleeper wears to assist with breathing.
Other options include surgery to remove or reduce the uvula, soft palate and surrounding tissues, or to stiffen them with deliberate scarring. However, it doesn’t reliably cure sleep apnea, and some scarring may aggravate symptoms, cautions sleep expert Max Hirshkowitz, Ph.D., author of Sleep Disorders for Dummies (For Dummies)
Oral appliances that support the tongue, soft palate or jaw to open airways are also available. But they reduce apnea only by 50%, Hirshkowitz says.
MY THOUGHTS
snoring is not necessarily sleep apnea. if you snore and you're not sure if this is snoring or sleep apnea check out this article - http://www.aaoms.org/sleep_apnea.php
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