Sleep Junkie

Archive for the ‘3.0 Medical Complications’ Category

Sleep apnea is not just loud snoring, but the snoring is followed by periods of quiet as the person stops breathing. The stoppage of breathing for the snorer many last from several seconds to a few minutes. It is followed by a gasp of breath as their brain wonders where the air went, and then the snoring and breath cessation cycle starts again.

Even though sleep apnea is a common problem, it is under diagnosed and for all the times a person was awake during the night, they may only remember a couple of occasions. Because of the frequent disruptions in their sleep, people with sleep apnea rarely, if ever, get to the deeper stages of sleep and spend their night in the lighter stage 1 and stage 2 sleep. This is why they may feel exhausted and sleepy during the next day.

Sleep apnea tends to affect more men than women, especially those who are over 40 and are overweight.

Some of the other health issues affected by sleep apnea include:

• hypertension
• heart disease
• stroke
• coronary artery disease
• diabetes
• asthma
• depression

Top 10 tips to treat sleep apnea:

1. avoid alcohol several hours before sleep
2. quit smoking
3. lose any excess weight
4. use a pillow designed to keep your head at an angle that will help keep your airway open
5. avoid sleeping pills
6. try a dental appliance
7. surgery may be required to remove excess tissue
8. sleep on your side
9. check with your doctor about changing any medication you are taking
10. ask your doctor about CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure). It’s a mask that uses air pressure to keep the soft tissues of your throat open

If a partner notices that your snoring often stops and is followed by a gasp of air, you should see your doctor for the latest cures for your sleep apnea.