If you seem to be tired all the time, or find yourself waking up a lot in the middle of the night, it could be because you are showing signs of sleep apnea.

Some other symptoms can include the following:

• Excessively tired during the day – falling asleep doing activities like driving, eating, and talking.
• You wake up from a full nights sleep feeling completely unrefreshed over a period of a week or more
• Have headaches throughout the day. Fact: Over half of people confirmed to have sleep apnea have constant headaches throughout the day.
• Snore loudly. It is reported that almost all people with sleep apnea snore.
• Wake up at night gasping for air or have night time choking spells.

Keep in mind that sleep apnea can be a serious condition, especially in older people. If you think you have this sleep disorder, the first thing you should do is see a doctor and have it confirmed.  If this has just been happening recently, don’t freak out because your mind is probably making it seem worst that it really is.

Some people who develop sleeping problems like sleep apnea develop them because of the way the live.

For instance, it is a fact that obese people can get sleep apnea more than people at a normal weight. Alcohol can also worsen the problem because alcohol can mess with your breathing, on top of the fact that you have a breathing problem already. Another thing the doctor will recommend to you is to work out on a daily basis. I know every dreads hearing the words work out, but its got to be something you do.

Especially when you get older. It’s not something you just do for awhile and stop when it gets better, its just something you do now. Exercising sucks, but it will work wonders on mostly everything in your body.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Daniel_Kooper

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Snoring is an indicator that your airway is not completely open. The sound of a snore is made when the air you breathe in has difficulty pushing past this obstructed area.

For most people who snore, the medical consequences are not severe. But for an estimated 5 out of 100 individuals, it is a sign of obstructive sleep apnea.

In addition to snoring, some other symptoms are excessive daytime sleepiness, restless sleep, high blood pressure, being overweight and waking up gasping for breath. Even if you don’t have high blood pressure during the day, you could have it when you first wake up due to the lack of oxygen you get when you do not breathe properly. If you awaken with headaches, this is a good indicator that your blood pressure is high due to respiratory disturbances during your sleep.

After being evaluated by a sleep specialist, if you are found to have sleep apnea, the best treatment for you is a sleep apnea machine, also known as a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine. This is simply a device that sits on your bedside table and delivers air pressure to you via a mask over your nose and mouth.

A CPAP machine will hold your airway open and allow you to breathe like you should. Using a sleep apnea machine will ensure that your oxygen levels stay where they should while you sleep. It will also help you to achieve a restful nights sleep so that you feel refreshed the next day.

There are serious consequences of leaving sleep apnea untreated. A CPAP machine is the optimum choice to maintain your health and overall well being.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Taryn_Brava

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Mixed sleep disease is usually diagnosed when the patient not only has physical blockage of the airway, but also experiences reduced or erratic brain activity in the area that controls breathing. This can cause treatments that are used to reduce one of the normal types of sleep apnea to be ineffective. Treating the symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea, for instance, may still result in the brain being unable to control breathing properly. The patient, while treated for obstructive sleep disease, is still suffering from central sleep apnea.

Another symptom that regularly shows up in those suffering from mixed sleep disorder is chronic heart failure. Patients who show symptoms of chronic heart failure may experience persistent coughing, a weaker heart rate, and tiredness and shortness of breath, adding to the symptoms of the sleep disorder. While heart failure is also a symptom of severe obstructive sleep disorder as well, it is a symptom that shows up in most cases of mixed sleep disorder.

Mixed sleep disorder can also be induced indirectly by use of opiates. Narcotics such as opiates are often responsible for reduced respiratory activity, therefore leading to cases of central sleep disorder. Those who use opiates are at a higher risk of suffering from mixed sleep disorder, especially if they already exhibit symptoms of obstructive sleep disorder. Once the brain’s activity lessens and the central sleep disorder begins to affect the patient, the obstructive sleep disorder may worsen and the patient may exhibit even stronger symptoms.

When a patient suffers from one form of sleep issue, the symptoms are usually amplified when the other form becomes present. Increased lethargy, deteriorating heart condition, and restless sleep all become much more pronounced. The patient’s airway is not only obstructed by tissue, but the brain fails to attempt to breathe when the obstruction occurs. When this occurs, increased stress is put on the patient, especially in the heart and brain. The added stress on the heart can cause increased heart failure, which can lead to worsening central sleep issue symptoms. The brain’s sleep cycle is also interrupted when the patient is awakened when the issue is not resolved. Because the brain cannot complete a normal sleep cycle, symptoms of sleep deprivation may begin to appear. Concentration may become harder and learning may become more difficult.

Those who suffer from mixed sleep issue suffer from the symptoms of both central and obstructive sleep issue. This can lead to many health problems when left untreated. Luckily, effective treatment of one form often lessens the symptoms of the other. Once the body is brought back into balance, the patient’s health will often begin to improve, and the symptoms of the apnea become less severe as the patient’s body heals from the damage caused by the mixed sleep issue.

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There are three kinds of sleep apneas: obstructive, central and complex. It has been estimated that 84% of sleep apneas are obstructive, 0.4% central, and 15% complex. Obstructive, which is the most common, is caused by the physical block to airflow despite the body’s efforts to breathe. Central sleep apnea has something to do with how the brain signals the body to breath, and the miscommunication interrupts the breathing. Complex sleep apnea is actually the combination of both obstructive and central, which means the two kinds of sleep apneas transition to one another.

The problem with sleep apnea, however, is the person’s inability to recognize that he or she has it, even if the person suddenly wakes up in the middle of the night. Usually, sleep apneas are identified by other people who witnesses the person’s sleeping habits. Some people who suffer from sleep apnea might go on without knowing they have it for years or even decades. Though rarely fatal, sleep apnea causes anxiety, fatigue and sleepiness during the morning.

Asthma, on the other hand, is more recognizable by many since it is largely hereditary and easily diagnosed. Though the two might be entirely different, this does not mean that they are not correlated. According to the University of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, young women who have asthma are twice likely to develop sleep apnea. They noticed that young women with asthma snores a lot while sleeping, and one of the best indicators that a person has sleep apnea is habitual snoring. Many people often disregard snoring in young adults as indicators of sleep apnea, since many have the notion that sleep apnea only affects older people (especially men). In fact, there are many groups of people who are susceptible to sleep apnea, and the researchers in the University of Cincinnati have correlated respiratory complications (due to smoking, asthma or otherwise) with sleep apnea.

Other studies also have found that asthma can cause other sleeping disorders other than sleep apnea. A support of this theory is that many asthmatics have reported sleepiness during daytime, which is an indicator of sleep apnea. However, patients who have both sleep apnea and asthma have found relief from their asthma when they were treated for their sleep apneas. The trouble with this theory is that researches have yet to concretely correlate both sleep apnea and asthma. Though many studies have indicated that there is a connection, until they find a definite link between the two, they will still have yet to find a better way to treat both conditions.

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What is Sleep Apnea
Sleep Apnea is a condition where a person stops breathing for a span of approximately 10 to 20 seconds while asleep. This pattern continues several times throughout the night, usually without the person even knowing it. Adults suffer from this condition much more than children do, with males being more susceptible.

Different Types of Sleep Apnea

There are basically two types of sleep apnea. The most common type is ‘obstructive sleep apnea ‘ (OSA), and the less common type is ‘central sleep apnea’ (CSA). The third not so common type is ‘mixed sleep apnea’ which is basically a combination of OSA and CSA.

OSA is caused by the relaxation and collapsing of the soft tissue at the back of the throat which blocks the passage of air into the lungs.

CSA is a brain related condition and is caused when the brain sends irregular signals to the muscles that control breathing.

Symptoms of Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea symptoms will differ in adults and children. An adult or child suffering from sleep apnea will not remember the apnea attacks on waking up in the morning.

Following are the symptoms of sleep apnea in adults.

– Periods of not breathing (10 to 20 seconds at a stretch) throughout the night
– Loud interrupted snoring
– Waking up with an exhausted feeling
– Unexplained headache upon waking up
– Feeling sleepy throughout the day
– Lethargic feeling throughout the day
– Irritability
– Below average mental functioning
– Poor judgment
– Forgetfulness
– High blood pressure

Following are the symptoms of sleep apnea in children.

– Sleeping longer than normal
– Unexplained sudden behavioral change
– Irritability
– Bed-wetting
– Unexplained headaches upon waking up
– Forceful breathing
– Hyperactive behavior

Sleep Apnea Cures
If you have any symptoms of sleep apnea your physician can get it diagnosed with an overnight sleep test known as polysomnogram.

Depending on the cause and severity of the obstruction, your physician will decide a course from the following sleep apnea treatments.

– Weight loss for obese persons
– Positional therapy
– Dental appliances
– CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure)
– Lifestyle change (avoiding alcohol, tobacco, sedatives and muscle relaxants)
– Surgery

Weight loss is advised for those who have excess body fat. Excess fat in the neck could be the cause of narrowing the airway and causing obstructions. Mild cases of sleep apnea in such persons can be reduced or cured by weight control.

Positional therapy recommends that patients do not sleep on their backs. Due to gravity it is much easier for the muscles to collapse and block the airway. Sleeping on the side is found to reduce sleep apnea.

Dental appliances treat the patient by keeping the mouth and airway open. If your physician recommends this option, make sure you go to a dentist who is experienced in treating sleep apnea patients with dental appliances.

CPAP is pressurized air being constantly blown into the airway to keep it obstruction free. The pressure of air is adjusted according to the patients requirement. This method is widely used and is one of the most effective ways of curing obstructive sleep apnea.

A lifestyle change is advised to those who consume excess alcohol regularly, use tobacco in excess, and are on sedatives, anti-depressants and muscle relaxants. All of these could be the reason, and just staying away from them could cure sleep apnea.

Surgery is usually never advised because of the complications involved. Surgery is an option only when the case is serious and all of the above methods have been tried and have failed to improve the condition.

If you notice one or more of the symptoms of sleep apnea, visit your physician immediately. If diagnosed positively and the condition is mild, it can usually be treated effectively in a short span of time. If delayed, it will make the condition worse, and could possibly require surgery.

Older Men With Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Sleep Apnea Patients Have Greatly Increased Risk Of Severe Car Crashes (May 22, 2007) — People with obstructive sleep apnea have a markedly increased risk of severe motor vehicle crashes involving personal injury.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea Boosts Chance of Cardiac Death
Clinical research from the Mayo Clinic shows that sleep apnea increases your risk of sudden death by heart attack.

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Buy Sona Pillow for Snoring and Mild Sleep Apnea

There are a few types of sleep apnea, off all of these central sleep apnea is one of the rarest kinds that do not affect too many people and in fact, it occurs just because there may be problems receiving and transmitting brain signals which result in periodic stopped breathing while you are sleeping. What’s more, if you happen to have this rare form of sleep apnea, you may also become affected by obstructive sleep apnea that is the more common form of sleep apnea and which, as the name implies, occurs due to blocked or obstructed airways.

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Using A Drug Called Ambien

Certainly, there are many different types of treatment methods available for handling obstructive sleep apnea, though the same cannot be said in the case of central sleep apnea, even in spite of recent advancements in using a sleep drug named Ambien that will surely benefit you in case you use it to treat central sleep apnea. However there is no doubting the fact that, according to evidence gathered as a result of studies made on patients using Ambien to cure central sleep apnea, the effectiveness of Ambien has been proven to be quite good, and this can be seen when considering that the drug helped in reducing sleep apnea episodes from an average of thirty to thirteen per patient.

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However, there is still need to study the long term effects of Ambien as a drug to treat central sleep apnea and thus before considering using it for your central sleep apnea problem, be apprised that Ambien has yet to be fully tested for this use and you should also not use it unless specifically recommended by your doctor. It would also pay to know the difference between central sleep apnea and obstructive sleep apnea and even become aware whether you don’t in fact have a third type of sleep apnea, which is known as mixed sleep apnea that is basically a combination of both types of sleep apnea types.

Also, though the symptoms of both obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea can sometimes be similar, the causes for each kind are more than likely going to be different in each case. As mentioned, central sleep apnea is a very rare type of sleep apnea and it is quite unlike the more common obstructive sleep apnea, and if you have the former, you will surely experience difficulties in brain timing, which when it does not fire the way that it should will result in inadequate oxygen while you are sleeping.

Also, it is common for those suffering from central sleep apnea to wake up numerous times during the night and they will also gasp or choke for breath, and such episodes can occur as many as hundred times in a night thereby robbing the patient of valuable sleep and rest. So, whether you suspect having central sleep apnea or obstructive sleep apnea, you need to consult your doctor and get a treatment program prescribed at the earliest in order to get much needed relief.

Dealing With This Common Sleep Disorder
Two types of sleep apnea have been diagnosed: obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and central sleep apnea.

Sleep Apnea Is Both A Widespread and Potentially Dangerous
There are two totally distinct types of sleep apnea. Central sleep apnea is basically a neurological disorder where breathing is interrupted as a result of signals sent from the brain.

If you would like to know about sleep apnea, it causes and treatments please go to Central Sleep Apnea treatment for central sleep apnea

sleeping problems info
All you need to know about sleeping problems

By fatimah edris

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This scary list of adverse health outcomes demonstrates the significance of diagnosing sleep apnea in a timely manner, in order to initiate treatment t. This last comment is actually the point — fortunately, sleep apnea is a treatable condition. And you might be surprised that there are different options for treatment. With the right guidance from qualified experts, successful treatment is readily attainable.

First of all, we must dispel any myths, which prevent many people affected with sleep apnea from seeking the appropriate medical attention. The biggest myth is that only overweight or obese people get OSA. That is simply not true. In fact, many people who are considered to be at their ideal body weight, based on BMI (Body-Mass Index), are in fact diagnosed with OSA or Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome (UARS). UARS is a form of sleep-related breathing disorder in which a person has frequent arousals from sleep due to respiratory airway collapse or obstruction. Often, the events are not as obvious as seen in OSA, and in many cases, a person affected by UARS may not even snore. However, people with UARS may complain of unrefreshing sleep, frequent nocturnal awakenings, or excessive daytime sleepiness or fatigue. UARS, like OSA, is a treatable medical condition.

So how does one get sleep apnea? Well, most people who have sleep apnea are predisposed very early in life. It is actually the size and shape of the jaw and upper airway that determines whether a person will develop OSA. A narrow jaw and upper airway (i.e., oral cavity and throat) results in less space for air to flow during breathing. When a person sleeps, the soft tissues and muscles of the upper airway relax and collapse, leading to increased airflow resistance and airway obstruction. The airway obstruction is what causes OSA

OSA is simply a repetitive, cyclical pattern in which a person stops breathing or nearly stops breathing for periods of longer than 10 seconds each time. The following is a description of what happens during an episode. As a person sleeps, the upper airway and jaw relax, resulting in collapse of the upper airway (i.e., the back of the throat). The lower jaw often relaxes and drops back a few millimeters when we sleep. Since the tongue base is attached to the lower jaw, the tongue will also drop back a few millimeters further during sleep. This combination of events leads to a very narrow passageway for air to flow through the back of the throat during sleep. Occasionally, the upper airway is so collapsed that little or no air can pass. These episodes are called apneas (complete obstruction with no air movement) or hypopneas (partial obstruction with minimal air movement). When an apnea or hypopnea occurs, it lasts for a period of 10 seconds or more. In some cases, the episodes can last for over a minute! During this time, the blood oxygen saturation starts to drop, because no fresh air or oxygen is being delivered to the lungs. As the blood oxygen saturation drops, the body goes into a fight-or-flight response, resulting in increased heart rate and elevation of blood pressure. In essence, the heart is beating faster in an attempt to bring in more fresh blood and oxygen from the lungs. This sequence of events continues until, ultimately, a person has an arousal from sleep, resulting in a change in body position, a deep breath or gasp, or a brief awakening from sleep for 2-3 seconds (which most people don’t recall). This cycle of events may then repeat itself several times per hour or even hundreds of times per night, depending on the severity of the case. These cyclical arousals not only disrupt and fragment one’s sleep by resulting in a very shallow and unrefreshing sleep, but they also cause repetitive stress on the cardiovascular system with the elevations in heart rate and blood pressure. This repetitive stress causes the heart to work harder. Night after night, this chronic extra stress on the heart is what many scientists believe leads to the long-term adverse cardiovascular events (such as heart attacks, strokes and cardiac arrhythmias) and the impairment of blood pressure and blood sugar control.

Fortunately, as stated before, sleep apnea is a treatable condition. Further, effective treatment of OSA results in reductions in daytime blood pressure. Effective treatment not only reduces the risk of cardiac arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation, but it can also reduce the risk of recurrent episodes of arrhythmias. The incidence of stroke and death is also significantly less in people treated for OSA. As compared to those who remain untreated for OSA, people who are treated have lower levels of blood glucose. Studies have highlighted how closely linked OSA and diabetes are. Therefore, people with OSA and diabetes who undergo treatment for OSA have much better control of their diabetes. Finally, treatment of OSA improves sleep quality and duration, associated with deeper and more refreshing sleep. This improvement in sleep carries on into the daytime, resulting in reduced daytime sleepiness and increased energy levels.

In fact, there is more than one form of treatment available. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recognizes three forms of treatment that have been demonstrated to be effective for sleep apnea. The first of these options is known as CPAP, or Continuous Positive Airway Pressure. CPAP is still the gold standard of treatment for OSA, because it is a very safe and effective form of treatment. It is also generally successful for all degrees of OSA severity, including mild, moderate, severe, and very severe. CPAP is a device weighing less than 10 pounds that sits on your nightstand and filters the air in your room. Once it filters the room air, it blows it out at a higher, fixed pressure through a tube that connects to a mask. The mask, which can come in a multitude of varieties, either sits on your nose, under your nose, or over both your nose and mouth. The device is used during sleep to keep the upper airway stented open, using the higher, fixed air pressure delivered from the machine, through the tube, to your mask. It is not a ventilator, so it does not force you to breathe (although there are some models which do have this feature for very unique cases). However, it does make it easier to breathe, by keeping the upper airway open and preventing its collapse during sleep.

It does take time to get adjusted to using CPAP. Most people become adjusted to CPAP within 2-3 weeks. The real issue is getting used to sleeping with a mask on your nose, or under your nose. Once you get used to this new habit, then treatment with CPAP becomes easy. Generally, most people become comfortable using CPAP within one month, and at that point, they are able to sleep with CPAP for 4 or more hours per night. Research studies have shown that using CPAP for at least 4 hours per night results in associated health benefit. Therefore, it is important to sleep with CPAP for at least 4 hours per night, once the initial adjustment period is over. Further, the more time spent using CPAP during sleep, the more beneficial it is for your health. There are over 1 million people across the United States successfully using CPAP on a regular and continual basis, and if you ask one of them how well they sleep, they will likely tell you how CPAP has dramatically improved their sleep and changed their life for the better.

For people who do not succeed with CPAP or for those who prefer a different option, surgery can be an effective form of treatment. Generally, there is about a 50-70% chance of successful cure of sleep apnea with surgical intervention. This number takes into account all cases, including mild, moderate, severe, and very severe degrees. This statistic also accounts for the varied skills of surgeons who perform these types of procedures. In most cases, surgery usually improves the impairment in sleep-related breathing disorders, and generally, there is a reduction in the severity of OSA after surgery. It is important to discuss your individual situation with the ENT surgeon who will be performing the surgery. The risks and benefits of surgery should be examined prior to moving forward with surgery. Some risks associated with this type of surgery are bleeding, infection, and the risks commonly associated with general anesthesia. Further, it is vital to make certain that the ENT surgeon you choose has a breadth of experience in the type of procedure you plan to undergo. Not all ENT surgeons receive specialized training in sleep apnea surgery, so it is important to make sure that you find someone with extensive training and experience in this area for better results.

So what exactly do they do for surgery? Well, the most common surgical procedure for sleep apnea is called uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP). It basically means removing the uvula that hangs in the back of the throat, along with any excess tissue around the soft palate. At the same time, any residual adenoid or tonsil tissue will be resected, to increase the size of the airway to improve air flow. This type of surgery is quite painful due to the sensitive nerve fibers in that area, so recovery time is usually about 1 week after surgery. Your doctor will provide you with medications for pain during this time. You should then repeat a sleep study 2-3 months after surgery to reassess for any persistent, residual sleep apnea. If the UPPP is not completely successful, then a second phase of surgery may help to resolve the problem. The most common second phase of surgery is called genioglossal advancement (GA) with or without hyoid suspension. This surgery involves making a small window in the bone at the front of the lower jaw, to pull it forward a few millimeters. By fixing this part of the lower jaw forward, it also brings the tongue base forward a few millimeters, thus opening up space in the back of the throat. This procedure can be performed with or without a hyoid suspension, which is a surgery to done to bring the hyoid bone in the throat forward, thereby increasing the space in the upper airway.

Again, these surgical interventions can help to successfully treat OSA, especially in mild to moderate cases. For very severe cases, other more involved surgeries may be the only way to a surgical cure. For individuals who are extremely obese with OSA, gastric bypass surgery or lap-band gastric surgery may be the only realistic surgical option. This type of surgery is considered a major surgery and careful planning and discussion with both your sleep disorders doctor and the surgeon is necessary.

A third option for treating sleep apnea is oral appliance therapy, also known as mandibular advancement splint. These oral appliances look very similar to retainers. They work by holding the lower jaw in a slightly forward position during sleep. This helps to increase the space for air flow in the upper airway, thereby reducing the frequency of respiratory events during sleep. It is important to be aware that oral appliances are only approved to treat snoring and cases of mild-to-moderate sleep apnea. They have not been shown to be successful in treating severe cases of OSA, due to the limitations on forward movement of the lower jaw.

The oral appliances are custom-made by dental labs. Generally, to get an oral appliance made for yourself, you will have to visit a dentist who is familiar with the use of these devices for the treatment of snoring or sleep apnea. You can talk to your sleep disorders doctor to find a dentist with this specialized training in your area.

Oral appliances can sometimes cause dental pain, TMJ pain, or jaw discomfort. These issues can usually be resolved with further adjustments of the device by your dentist. Often 2-3 regular follow-up visits with the dentist can help to prevent problems from developing. However, there are some cases in which an individual is unable to adjust to this form of treatment. Another issue with oral appliance therapy is that health insurance companies, historically, have not covered the cost for this type of treatment. Further, dental insurance has never provided coverage for oral appliance therapy. Nevertheless, with the growing medical evidence for oral appliance therapy, some health insurance companies are beginning to recognize this as a viable medical treatment alternative. Just as with surgery, a follow-up sleep study should be performed 2-3 months after starting treatment with an oral appliance, to ensure adequate treatment of snoring and sleep apnea.

Hopefully this review of obstructive sleep apnea, the significant cardiovascular consequences, and the treatment options will bring more awareness and understanding to this very important health issue. OSA is a treatable condition. Untreated sleep apnea is associated with an increased risk for hypertension (or high blood pressure), heart attacks, strokes, heart failure, cardiac arrhythmias, and diabetes. People with hypertension and untreated sleep apnea are more likely to have higher blood pressures. People with diabetes and untreated sleep apnea are more likely to have higher blood glucose levels. If you or someone you know may have sleep apnea, please consult a sleep disorders specialist with formal training in sleep medicine. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (www.aasmnet.org/) and the American Board of Sleep Medicine (www.absm.org/) are helpful resources for finding a board-certified sleep disorders doctor near you.

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Up to 4% of the population suffers from obstructive sleep apnea. In a previous study, Dr. Mohsenin and his colleagues showed that people with sleep apnea are three times more likely to suffer a stroke or die, compared to people in a [...]

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Obstructive sleep apnea decreases blood flow to the brain, elevates blood pressure within the brain and eventually harms the brain’s ability to modulate these.

Sleep Apnea and Cardiovascular
It is well known that many people with type 2 diabetes (anywhere from 30-50%) suffer from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), but there is also a potential cardiovascular and other health risks associated with the disorder.

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Sleep apnea can be treated in various ways, with surgery and without surgery.

Author: Dr. Raj Kakar, M.D., M.P.H.

Dr. Kakar is a Diplomate of the American Board of Sleep Medicine (D.ABSM) and he is board-certified in both Sleep Medicine and Internal Medicine. He is the medical director for the Dallas Center for Sleep Disorders in Plano, TX.
Resources: Sleep Apnea Treatment – Snoring Treatment – Sleep Disorders

By Bharat Bista

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Obstructive sleep apnea is a lot more common in children than most people realize but present treatments may not be as efficient as we believe.

Sleep apnea is an increasingly common sleep problem which now affects about 18 million people in the US alone. This represents roughly 6.62% of the population which does not take into consideration an estimated additional 2% to 4% of the population who are thought to be suffering from sleep apnea but who have yet to be diagnosed.

Comfortfull 2 Full Face CPAP Mask for Sale.What most people do not know however is that there are also a surprisingly large and growing number of children who suffer from sleep apnea, with estimates revealing that in the region of 2% of all children suffer from sleep apnea.

When it comes to children sleep apnea requires particularly close attention because at this crucial stage of development the condition can result in IQ, memory and learning problems.

In a lot of cases obstructive sleep apnea results to a large degree from being overweight and the first stage in treating the problem is thus to shed some weight. This however might not be as simple as it sounds and frequently does not reduce the problem sufficiently.

The next step for a lot of children is the use of an oral appliance when sleeping. These oral appliances are custom made and fitted by an orthodontist and are designed to keep the lower jaw in a position which makes sure that the throat is kept open while the child is sleeping. Again improvement is not always satisfactory and a lot of children are less than happy wearing them.

The best choice when it comes to treating sleep apnea is the continuous positive airway machine which produces a steady stream of air through a mask which the child wears while sleeping and which keeps the airway open.

An effective therapy called continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) can treat it. Simply blowing air into people’s noses at night gives them new, improved rest and silences their characteristic snoring. This Book Blows: A CPAP Bedside Companion

CPAP machines are extremely successful but, like any treatment, they only produce good results if they are used correctly and here we come up against a particular problem with children. In a recently conducted study several children undergoing CPAP treatment were followed for six months to establish how closely they followed the advice given for using their CPAP machines.

The children were subjected to sleep studies at both the start and end of the study period and both they and their parents were questioned by the researchers about their use of the machines. Additionally, the machines which were used for the evaluation were all fitted with meters to record the use of the machines.

The study discovered that over 75% of the children did not use their machines every night and that even those children who used their machines every night were using them for only about 5 hours each night which was not sufficient to get the full benefit from their use. Possibly most importantly, bearing in mind the fact that many of the children in the study were very young and therefore required supervision to ensure the correct use of their machines, the study discovered that the vast majority of parents overestimated their child’s use of the system by around two hours each night.

At this point, though it is evident that many children are not getting the full benefit of CPAP treatment, it remains unclear exactly why they are failing to use the system properly and further studies are underway to see what improvements can be made for treating childhood sleep apnea.

How to Test Drive New Masks
3. What brand of CPAP mask to try? This depends on you and your preferences. We’ve found that most users of the full face mask go with either Fisher & Paykel or ResMed.

CPAP Breathing Machine
Continuous positive airway pressure or CPAP is a machine availed by persons undergoing a sleep disorder commonly known as sleep apnea.

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Help-Me-To-Sleep.com looks in detail at the latest treatment for sleep apnea and also at how common is obstructive sleep apnea

By Donald Saunders

Technorati Tags: cpap nasal masks, sleep apnea breathing machine, sleep apnea equipment

Restless Nights is a amazing book that helped me Understand Snoring and Sleep Apnea.

Treatment for sleep apnea is surprisingly easy and painless, but many patients often neglect the recommendations of their doctor. This decision is one that can prove disastrous – even deadly. In this article, we’ll discuss the treatments that doctors typically suggest and how they can easily be incorporated into your lifestyle.

There are four basic approaches to apnea treatment, and they can be used in conjunction with each other. The simplest method involves changing the situation which could be causing the condition. The patient is advised to lose weight, quit smoking, avoid alcohol and sedative drugs, keep a consistent sleeping schedule and try to lay only on their side.

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The most common treatment option is using Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) in the upper airway to hold the airway open using support. This treatment is done by wearing a CPAP mask over the nose. Continuously flowing air is pumped through a small flexible plastic hose by the CPAP machine. Studies have indicated that when patients use CPAP, they not only have slept better and were more attentive throughout the day, but there were vast improvements in the size, shape and pumping action of their hearts.

The third apnea treatment option is the use of an oral splint to prevent the jaw and tongue from shifting back and blocking the allowance of air. However, oral devices have not shown to be as effective as CPAP and the appliances can bring great discomfort. The last and most difficult form of remedy is surgery. This kind of procedure involves removal of part of the soft palate that hangs down in the back of the throat, as well as the tonsils if present, and other soft tissue if it seems to be excessive. Surgery is usually reserved for patients with severe sleep apnea.

It is imperative that you find immediate treatment once you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea. It’s also important to follow up with your prescribed treatment faithfully. Wearing a dental splint or a CPAP mask might seem uncomfortable at first, you’ll soon be acclimated to it. A few nights of discomfort will be worth it once you see how a restful night of sleep improves your genera health. People who have undergone sleep apnea treatment have reported better moods, less headaches, a clearer mind, and have enhanced performance at work.

Receiving immediate treatment for this sleep disorder will improve your quality of life. Consult your doctor if you’re having difficulty with your treatment. He can suggest ways to make your care easier or help you to consider other options alternatives. His or her advice will make treating sleep apnea a simple part of your day that won’t want to live without.

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When you exercise on a regular basis, you will feel better and sleep better too. Exercise tires your body and makes it easier for you to fall asleep.

By steve bis

Technorati Tags: central sleep apnea treatment, infant sleep disorders, medication sleep apnea

Although it has been known for some time now that children with sleep apnea often produce poor scores on IQ tests (typically scoring an average of 85 against a score of 101 for children without sleep apnea) what has not been known until recently is that this results from chemical changes within the brain. This means that an otherwise ’smart’ kid may well turn in a mediocre performance as a result of nothing more than a sleep disorder which, in most cases, can be quite easily treated.

In a study conducted at the Hopkin’s Children’s Centre in Baltimore, 31 children between the ages of 6 and 16 (19 of whom had severe sleep apnea) were examined using a special form or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and it was found that those children with sleep apnea showed significant changes in both the hippocampus and right frontal cortex – two areas of the brain associated with learning and higher mental function. The same study also discovered that these children had altered levels of three chemicals within the brain, indicative of brain damage.

This alteration of the brain chemistry brought about by the presence of sleep apnea may or may not be permanent and, at this stage, further studies are required to see whether or not this effect can be reversed. However, even if reversal is possible and the brain chemistry and cognitive function can be returned to normal, children with sleep apnea will suffer a loss in learning as long as they are suffering from untreated sleep apnea and they will certainly not be able to wind back the clock and regain this period of learning.

Parents should of course already be on the lookout for signs of sleep apnea in their children, but this latest study clearly indicates that an early diagnosis and treatment of this sleep disorder could have a very significant affect on a child’s success in life.

The signs of sleep apnea include frequent pauses in breathing during sleep which often result in an arousal from sleep and tossing and turning in bed. Children may also display loud or labored breathing, snoring, coughing, gasping and, occasionally, bedwetting at an age when this phase should normally have passed. Parents may also notice a child sleeping in an odd position, perhaps with their bottom sticking up in the air and their head tilted back in an unconscious effort to force their airway open.

In most cases sleep apnea in children can be treated by the surgical removal of the tonsils and adenoids, or excess tissue from the back of the throat or nose. In addition, a continuous positive airways pressure (CPAP) machine may also be used to provide the child with a flow of air delivered through a mask worn while sleeping to keep the airway open.

Sleep apnea is in itself debilitating for any child and the effects of night after night of inadequate sleep will take their toll on your child. However, when this is combined with an impairment of your child’s IQ, it becomes imperative that you act at the earliest possible opportunity to have this condition diagnosed and treated.

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If your child’s symptoms continue, then consider seeing a sleep specialist. Many times sleep problems in children can be caused by depression or other anxiety disorders.

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A child who does not sleep well during nights is sure to make his parents’ life miserable. Of course, being deprived of your own much-needed sleep. 

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Since sleep problems can lead to stunted growth and daytime sleepiness, which can affect your child’s performance at school, if you suspect your child is having sleep problems, a thorough ENT evaluation would be a good idea.

Pediatric Sleep Disorders
Sleep disorders like insomnia affect children and infants as well as adults. They are also victims of the same irritableness and drowsy feelings that adults.

Help-Me-To-Sleep.com provides extensive information and advice on a whole range of sleep disorders including sleep apnea. In addition, Help Me To Sleep looks at natural ways to provide an insomnia cure for millions of sufferers today.

By Donald Saunders

Technorati Tags: child sleep apnea, childhood sleep apnea, children insomnia