My Life and Sleep Apnea

What occurs when you sleep? Is sleep just one constant pattern all night? No, there are five stages of sleep . The first four stages are considered nonREM and the last stage is REM sleeping. The first stage is between wakefulness and light sleep. It lasts only a few minutes. The heart rate slows and body temperature lowers during the second stage. Brain waves known as sleep spindles begin to occur. The third stage is where light sleep becomes deep sleep. The brain waves become deep and slow at this stage. Stage 4 is a deep sleep that only lasts for 30 minutes. The brain waves are very deep and slow. REM is stage five. In this stage dreams occur. The brain activity is increased and the body’s muscles are relaxed. Breathing becomes shallow and deep. There is rapid eye movement. This is the stage that Sleep Apnea patients never get to. The body will go through these stages about 4 to 5 times a night. Feel free to comment and please subscribe to my RSS Feed thanks

After my first sleep study I was told that I slept with my mouth open all night. I already knew that and so did my wife. Apparently the significance of that was that I would need a full face mask with my cpap machine. The next sleep study was scheduled and this time I would be fitted for a cpap. There was a little mix up at the sleep clinic because when I arrived they didn’t have a full face mask just one that covered over the nose. The mask was put on and the machine started. The technician told me that I had to keep my mouth shut or the air would blow out of my mouth. How was I supposed to do that? I tried to sleep but the thought of just breathing through my nose was unnatural to me. I keep opening my mouth and the weird sensation of the air leaving my mouth occurred. The technician was getting irritated with me. He came into the room carrying what looked like a strap. He wrapped the strap under my jaw and over my head. He assured me that this would help me keep my mouth. It ...

Adults aren’t the only ones who can have sleep apnea children also may suffer from it. Unlike symptoms found in adults where loud and interrupted snoring occurs, in children it isn’t that easy to detect. Although heavy snoring is also found in kid’s sleep apnea there are other common signs that your child has sleep apnea Attention problems Lack of weight gain Mouth breathing Daytime sleepiness Enlarged tonsils Adults who have Obstructive Sleep Apnea tend to be overweight but that isn’t necessarily the case with children who have it. Although children who do have a weight problem may exacerbate the condition. Enlarged tonsils and adenoids are the most common reason that children have sleep apnea. Tonsillectomy is a common surgery for hundreds of thousands of children every year. Children can also be fitted for the cpap machine. A cpap machine delivers air through a hose that is connected to a mask worn over the face. The constant air keeps the air passage open. This usually...

There is a direct correlation between sleep apnea and diabetes. Twelve million Americans have sleep apnea and 23 million have diabetes. Studies have shown that forty percent of sleep apnea sufferers have diabetes. At one time the excess weight that usually accompanies sleep apnea was seen as the connecting factor to diabetes. But now the connection seems to be the reaction the body has to the sudden jolt of waking up caused by sleep apnea. High levels hormone cortisol is produced which causes insulin and glucose intolerance. This may lead to the development of diabetes. The use of cpap reduces the insulin resistance. Feel free to comment and please subscribe to my RSS Feed thanks

You don’t have to have sleep apnea to snore. If you don’t have sleep apnea then you might be able to control your snoring. With sleep apnea the cause of snoring is the blockage of the throat by soft tissue in the palate or it might be an enlarged tongue or even tonsils. You can correct these issues by using a cpap or bipap . If it’s really bad then surgery might be what you need. But if you don’t have sleep apnea, then why are you snoring? It could be a lot of things. Heredity could play a part. You might have inherited a narrow throat or other physical characteristics that contribute to snoring. If this is the case then you might want to check with a doctor to see if you do have sleep apnea. Also as we age our muscle tone usually decreases and that includes the muscles in your throat. Exercise is great for many reasons; it might also help with this issue. Your snoring can also increase when you have a cold or the flu. Once again, it causes blockage in the back of the throat...

There are two common complaints about sleep apnea. One is the lack of rest that causes you to feel very tired in the morning. The other complaint is from your partner who has to endure the sound of gasping and grunting for air all night. These are big problems. But there are more serious consequences in leaving sleep apnea unchecked. Sleep apnea occurs when there is blockage in the back of your throat. The blockage can be from soft tissue palate, tonsils, uvula or an enlarged tongue. The brain goes into action when the body stops receiving oxygen. You gasp for air and abruptly wake up. To a sleep apnea patient this may happen hundreds of times during one evening. You may go back to sleep for a few moments and then wake again gasping for air. This goes on and on. The most serious problem is that you are depriving oxygen to your body. And that lack of oxygen can cause serious health issues such as heart disease, coronary artery disease and high blood pressure. If left untreated sleep...

Some nights you wish you could sleep the whole night through without waking up one time. Of course with sleep apnea that doesn’t happen. The obstruction in the back of your throat makes sure that you wake up constantly through out the night. Many people wonder why folks who have sleep apnea just don’t take sleeping pills . Pop a pill in your mouth and hello sandman! Well, sleeping pills relaxes the throat muscles; you know those same muscles that obstruct your breathing. This makes the apnea much worse not to mention the snoring. And it is not just sleeping pills that have this effect, alcohol right before bedtime will do the same. If you really want to relax before you go to bed try relaxation tapes or self hypnosis tapes. Also don’t eat very much if anything before you go to bed. It’s hard to feel comfortable when your stomach is churning. Feel free to comment and please subscribe to my RSS Feed thanks