OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA
from the article '4 Sleep Disorders Solved'
By Stephanie Schorow, Special to Lifescript
Published April 26, 2010
Obstructive sleep apnea
What it is: It's a breathing disorder that causes loud snoring and pauses in breathing that last about 10-30 seconds, sometimes longer.
It occurs when certain airway muscles relax during sleep, causing soft tissue in the back of the throat to collapse and block the upper airway.
Apnea results in fragmented or poor quality sleep. More ominously, it’s also associated with high blood pressure, heart problems, memory problems and headaches. It may lead to poor job performance and even motor vehicle crashes among sleep-deprived drivers.
In fact, the National Transportation Safety Board has urged commercial truck and bus drivers and merchant ship pilots to be screened for the condition.
What causes sleep apnea: It can be weight-related. As weight accumulates, fatty tissue can further block the air passage, making sleep apnea worse.
According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, about 9% of women and 24% of men have obstructive sleep apnea. Not all, however, report daytime sleepiness as a result.
As women age and go through menopause, they tend to report more sleep apnea. Weight gain and hormone changes may be the cause.
How to treat sleep apnea: Lifestyle changes, such as losing weight, avoiding alcohol and tobacco, and changing sleeping position, may help. (Apnea tends to be worse when sleeping on the back.)
More severe cases may be treated with a Continuous Positive Airways Pressure (CPAP) mask that gently blows air into the throat during sleep. The masks are considered quite effective, but wearing it can take some getting used to.
Another option: surgery to widen the breathing passages. This involves removing, shrinking or stiffening excess tissue in the throat.
MY THOUGHTS
I wonder if partners, of people with sleep apnea, get enough sleep. I'm sure it's bothersome in the beginning - just like any other habits you were not aware of. It would take some getting used to but I know of several people who have learned to live with the sleep apnea of their partners.
Showing posts with label snoring. Show all posts
Showing posts with label snoring. Show all posts
Monday, April 11, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
SLEEP APNEA
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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