My Life and Sleep Apnea

Energy or the lack of it seems to be a major problem with just about everybody over the age of 50, maybe even 40. This has really become a hot issue due to the fact that the population as a whole is getting older.   As we get older it our vim and vigor don’t last too long, and that is understandable because of natural causes and some things that we bring on our own like not eating right and forgetting about exercising.   Another energy zapper is lack of sleep or lack of quality sleep.   As you probably know, sleep apnea is one of the biggest sleep problems. A night’s sleep can be divided into five stages, each one important. Sleep apnea can interrupt probably the most vital stage of sleep, rapid eye movement (REM). During this stage, the body’s muscles are rejuvenated, and the brain is active,  which helps with memory and other functions. These factors can certainly help drain any energy that you may have. What can you do about a lack of energy due to sleep...

Sleep apnea is no longer a secret to most women and men; the effects on their health and mental well-being can be profound and even deadly. The lack of oxygen due to the blockage in the back of the throat not only causes you to wake up constantly throughout the night but is also bad for your heart. Sleep apnea is often found in folks who have weight issues (although not all the time), and it can also be found in children as well. A recent study came out with a shocking result, saying that over half of all women may have sleep apnea. In a Swedish study of 400 women, half of them were found to have mild to severe cases of sleep apnea. According to an article in Reuters, “Among women with hypertension or who were obese - two risk factors for sleep apnea - the numbers were even higher, reaching 80 to 84 percent of women.” That is really astonishing, considering the health risks involved in sleep apnea. What is even stranger is the notion that more men have sleep apnea than wo...

Does the need to use the bathroom wake you up several times each night? If you are like me, you go quite a few times. This can be particularly irritating especially if you have sleep apnea. It seems that there is a connection between sleep apnea and Nocturia . Nocturia is when you wake up to urinate. Bedwetting is called enuresis which is different because you don’t wake up. The vast majority of people can limit their nightly bathroom visits to one time at the most; this is considered normal. Those who have severe Nocturia can go as many as five or six times. Two- or three-bathroom visits are about my average. Of course, since I have sleep apnea, I am usually awake anyway, so it really doesn’t bother my sleep routine. I was always under the impression that the reason you had to go to the bathroom so many times each night was a full bladder caused by drinking too many fluids before going to bed. Apparently, there is another reason, and it has to do with sleep apnea....

If you are a peaceful sleeper who doesn’t snore, then you probably don’t have many experiences being elbowed at night by your partner. But if you do have a sleep disorder that is disruptive, like snoring or restless leg syndrome, then you probably have tested your partner’s patience at night. This can be especially true if you have a sleep disorder known as sleep apnea.   In fact, it might be a good thing if someone were elbowing you at night. The University of Saskatchewan asked 124 patients about having a sleep study to see if their sleeping partner ever elbowed or poked them to stop snoring or wake them up because they had stopped breathing.   It is unsurprising that asking these types of questions can help predict whether someone suffers from sleep apnea. This isn’t particularly shocking because most of us who have sleep apnea have not only been elbowed or punched at night but are usually told the next morning that our snoring, grunting, or gasping for air is ver...

Obstructive sleep apnea might be part of the reason I have been plagued with depression.  In fact, I have also had doctors tell me that they think the lack of sleep certainly could be a significant factor in my being depressed, although it isn’t the only factor by far. An article on the Scientific American website seems to support that idea.   According to the  article , “ People with depression or other mental illnesses often report trouble sleeping, daytime drowsiness and other sleep-related issues. Now a growing body of research is showing that treating sleep problems can dramatically improve psychiatric symptoms in many patients.”   A study conducted at the Cleveland Clinic assessed that women have a greater chance of becoming depressed from sleep apnea than men, who have twice the chance of being depressed, while women’s chances are five to one.    In fact, the article goes on to say that trying to deal with sleep iss...

After a night of unsatisfying rest due to sleep apnea, you will most likely find yourself more than a little groggy.   No matter how much coffee you guzzle, the daily effects of sleep apnea will be with you most of the day, if not all of the day.   Memory loss and being slightly disoriented are 2 symptoms that will make the day less productive. Something else that might be a problem is slurred speech. According to  Speech dysfunction of obstructive sleep apnea. A discriminant analysis of its descriptors - PubMed   makes it challenging to use or control the muscles of the mouth, tongue, larynx, or vocal cords' muscles that make a speech. The muscles may be weak or completely paralyzed, or it may be difficult for the muscles to work together.” Slurred speech is often found in people who have had strokes, face or brain trauma, or even dementia. Cerebral palsy and MS patients often have this disorder as well. Is there a connection between sleep apnea and sl...

There are many reasons for bad breath , such as diet, bacteria, medication, and alcohol, among other things. But did you know that sleep apnea can also cause bad breath ? Bad breath (halitosis) can be very embarrassing and often difficult to get rid of. No matter how much mouthwash you use or how many times you floss each day, your breath still has a distinct odor. You try to get to the root of the problem but can’t understand why you have bad breath. It could be sleep apnea. It is understandable why eating garlic and other foods gives you bad breath. It is also very believable that alcohol, in large quantities, can make your breath reek. But why sleep apnea? If you have sleep apnea and you breathe through your mouth, your throat becomes very dry at night. All that air coming in and all that gasping dries out the throat. Saliva controls the bacteria in the mouth, the same bacteria that can cause bad breath. When saliva production is affected by breathing through the mo...