My Life and Sleep Apnea

If you do have sleep apnea do you remember what it was like not to have sleep apnea? The ability of waking up feeling like you had a great night’s sleep and feeling refreshed with a lot of energy to spare. It is hard for me to remember that since sleep apnea has haunted me for so many years that I can’t remember what a good night’s sleep is or was. It’s strange but you get used to waking up so many times to start breathing again because that is what obstructive sleep apnea does to you. Living with sleep apnea unfortunately does more than deprive you of rest; it also leads to serious health issues. Not breathing continuously interrupts the flow of oxygen into the lungs, which is what sleep apnea does. This can also lead to other problems like high blood pressure and possible heart failure. Usually but not in every case those who have sleep apnea also have a problem with their weight, which further exacerbates the problems with your heart. While losing weight is su...

There are 3 things that lead to divorce: Money, infidelity, and snoring.   The first two are common knowledge, whether it is just about money, infidelity, or maybe even a combination. But snoring is a common reason for divorce. I’m not sure if that is just an exaggeration or if it does have some truth to it, especially if you or your partner has sleep apnea . That constant roaring and grunting is enough to drive anyone out of the bedroom (at least that is what my wife says) Of course, it isn’t just the annoying sound of snoring that can cause breakups; there is much more to it than that. The partner with sleep apnea has to deal with a great many more problems, such as sexual problems, irritability, memory problems, and a slew of possible health issues like heart disease and diabetes.   There is some evidence that erectile dysfunction can be brought on by sleep apnea, which would contribute to the demise of any relationship.   Mood fluctuations can happen to anybody who ...

About a year ago I wrote a post about how the CPAP mask after continued use would help to restore brain tissue . Although I have never been able to use the mask it was still good news for those folks who can tolerate a mask on their face all night.   Unfortunately I read an article the other day that disputes that finding. The latest study was different in a few crucial ways from the first. The folks in the study were older and the study was held over a long period of time. The article suggested that may have played a part in there being different results. According to Dr. Tracy Kuo “ This was an older group of patients, and perhaps this repetitive, chronic hypoxemia they have lived with for many years prior to receiving treatment may have resulted in some changes at the brain level that are irreversible” Another thing that was different was the length of the study 6 months to a year for the previous study to 18 months for the latest study. This shouldn’t be considered a ...

From my experience with the CPAP mask it seems that the fit and the comfortability is very important if not the most important thing (although getting used to the air blowing into your face also takes time to get used to).   In my situation I had to have a full face mask because I couldn’t sleep with my mouth closed. I tried just covering my nose but it wasn't long before the air was rushing out my mouth which was a strange sensation.   Of course with the full face mask I had problems also such as the air escaping from the side of the mask, or the mask was so tight that it gave me headaches.   You might want to consider a hybrid CPAP mask . The hybrid mask has a combination of the best features in all the other types of mask.   One of best things about this mask is the adjustability of it which helps stop the air leakage and also makes it more comfortable to wear. Another feature is the addition of nasal air pillows which go into your nostrils. It also has ...

We are definitely living in the high tech world, every time you think that you have reached the peak of technology in cell phones, cell phone software and all things dealing with the PC, something else comes up to amaze you. And what is great about all these gadgets is what they can do for you. Smart phones let you do some many that help you when you are on the go, like surfing the net for information about companies, restaurants, stores, weather and just about anything else you might need to know. Surprisingly enough there is now an app (application) that helps determine whether you have sleep apnea or not. From the company RESMed “today released the RESMed Sleep Assessment app, a novel new app for iPhone that lets users record themselves during sleep. The app also includes a clinically validated questionnaire that assesses their risk and other helpful features to empower users to discuss their sleep health with their physician. “ That is really cool! You can record yourself wh...

If you do a search of sleep disorders on the web then you will probably find that sleep apnea is at the top of the list. While insomnia has been talked about for some time, sleep apnea or obstructive sleep apnea is something that quite a few folks want to learn about. Thirty or forty years ago not many spoke about sleep apnea even though the term had been created by the Canadian Doctor William Osler.   Now it is being pretty much accepted that a great deal of the country has some form or degree of sleep apnea. The reason for the increase in sleep apnea probably has a lot to do with the general health of the population. As a society we have become sedentary and overweight, which is cause of sleep apnea. Excess weight around the neck increases the amount of blockage in the throat. Granted, sleep apnea can be caused by other things such as the shape of your face or maybe enlarged tongues but being overweight is definitely a major cause. If you or your doctor feels that you have s...

Sleep apnea is just one of many sleeping disorders that affect millions of people every night. Other disorders broken into two categories Parasomnia and Dyssomnias might not lead to such serious sleep apnea side effects such as heart disease and diabetes but they can cause great psychological problems. One of those disorders that fall in the Dyssomnias group is insomnia , a sleep disorder that can be a problem anywhere from a few days to years. There are lots of reasons for insomnias such as medication, long term illnesses and stress but oddly enough it can also be caused by using a device that helps with sleep apnea, the CPAP. I have written many times about how difficult it was for me to use the CPAP mask and machine. Wearing the mask at night was cumbersome for me and the feeling the air blowing down my throat was something I couldn’t get used to. I tried on two different occasions with two different types of machines, CPAP and BIPAP and neither worked. I hated that it didn’t wo...