Treating Sleep Apnea With Airway Pressure
Posted on | March 8, 2010 | No Comments
Sleep apnea is a chronic sleeping disorder, common in adults but rare in children. It is characterised by pauses (apneas) or shallow breathing during periods of sleep. Apneas can occur at least 15 times and up to 30 times or more each hour. The disorder is much more prevalent while sleeping rather than when awake, meaning that people are often unaware that they have the condition. Although personal steps can be suggested to combat the disorder, such as losing weight, often recommended treatments involve surgery or using certain devises.
CPAP - The Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) devise is the most commonly used treatment of Sleep apnea. It is also the most successful. This devise is a mask attached to the sleeper’s face, with air being blown through an attached tube. This air works towards preventing the airway closing during sleep, a common occurrence for those with obstructive sleep apnea.
BiPAP – This Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure devise works in a similar way to the CPAP, but provides a higher pressure when inhaling, and when exhaling a lower pressure. This devise is used for individuals who cannot cope with the continuous high pressure of the CPAP. The correct pressure of use for each devise and individual is determined through a sleep study. Many people can find that these devises can be uncomfortable while sleeping, and at times heavy. However, recent steps have improved the weight of the devise.
Three Types of Sleep Apnea Part 2
Posted on | March 1, 2010 | No Comments
Central Sleep Apnea: Common in both premature infants and adults with cerebrovascular or heart disease, this type of Sleep apnea is caused by the sleeper’s brain not signalling the body to breathe. Both premature infants and adults with heart disease will have higher levels of carbon dioxide in the blood, causing the brain to slow the rate of breathing and carbon dioxide levels to drop. After a while the carbon dioxide levels rise again and the body’s breathing rate becomes more rapid, but the brain adjusts slowly to this change and signals for the rapid breathing to increase. This causes the carbon dioxide level to drop, and the body to stop breathing altogether or slow down. Breathing at a normal rate begins again when the carbon dioxide levels rise. This pattern of breathing, known as Cheyne-Stokes breathing, involves cycles of faster breathing leading to apneas and slower breathing. Although particularly dangerous for premature infants, who are monitored for apneas, the disorder is normally outgrown in the development process.
Mixed Sleep Apnea: Individuals with a long-term form of obstructive sleep apnea are occasionally found to develop central sleep apnea. This can be caused by a malfunction of the body’s carbon dioxide feedback systems, caused by heart failure.
Three Types of Sleep Apnea Part 1
Posted on | February 22, 2010 | No Comments
Sleep apnea is a chronic sleep disorder, characterised by pauses, or apneas, in a sleeper’s breathing. These pauses occur at least 15 times an hour, and can occur more than 30 times an hour. Often a person may be unaware that they suffer from the condition; symptoms are much more likely to reported by family members or bed partners than the individual themselves. There are three types of Sleep apnea: obstructive sleep apnea, central sleep apnea, and mixed sleep apnea.
Obstructive Sleep apnea: For those with Obstructive Sleep apnea pauses in breathing are caused by their airway collapsing. This could be caused by a number of factors, such as a long palate or uvula falling backwards and blocking the airway, swollen turbinate filters in the nose, a deviated septum narrowing the air passages, or the throat’s side walls closing in. Attempts to breathe are then unsuccessful, and will cause the airway to pull together more tightly and negative pressure to build up. This breathing through the now tight airway can cause loud snoring. These attempts continue until the blood’s oxygen level decreases to a point that the person wakes up, or comes from deep sleep to a more shallow level. Although waking up like this may be forgotten by morning, the process is disturbing and may cause daytime tiredness. Obstructive Sleep apnea is related to weight, age and smoking.
Sleep Apnea, Home Remedies
Posted on | February 15, 2010 | No Comments
Sleep apnea is a chronic sleep disorder, which causes pauses (apneas) or a much more shallow level in a sleeper’s breathing. Apneas occur at least 15 times an hour, and can occur up to 30 times or more each hour. The disorder is much more prevalent while sleeping, meaning that often a person may not be aware that they have the condition. Symptoms instead are likely to be reported by family members or bed partners instead. Often treatments for the disorder involve surgery, but for those who would prefer self-help remedies of the condition, several steps can be taken, if applicable.
Losing weight – Obstructive Sleep apnea in particular is caused by fat deposits around the neck structure, the tongue and the palate. This means that the airway is restricted and the tongue and palate are more likely to block breathing. Weight loss can work towards preventing these blockages, and will contribute towards opening up the airway.
Regular Sleep - It is advised sufferers should control their sleep, and aim to get 8 hours sleep each night. Sleep apnea is often worse if the sleeper is tired, as can be their snoring.
Sleeping Position - Sleeping on your side is recommended, as is elevating the head. Sleeping on your back should be avoided.
Sleep Apnea in Brief
Posted on | February 8, 2010 | No Comments
Sleep apnea is a chronic sleep disorder characterised by pauses in breathing, or a reduction to shallow breathing, while sleeping. These pauses, or episodes, are known as apneas can last for only a few seconds or for minutes at a time. An apnea is defined as the person stopping breathing for over 10 seconds, or the sleeper taking less than 25% of the normal breathing level. For a sleeper to be defined as having sleep apnea, the episodes should occur at least 15 times an hour. Episodes can occur more than 30 times an hour, following which normal breathing commences once again. These nights experiencing apneas are thought to occur 3 nights a week, or more, and at times can cause the sleeper to awaken. Apneas can also cause the sleeper to move out of deep sleep into lighter sleep. As a result of this change Sleep apnea often causes sleep disruption, and those with the condition can find themselves tired during the day. Although common in adults, it is rare for children to suffer from Sleep apnea. Often a person may be unaware that they suffer from the condition, and it is family or bed partners of the person who tend to highlight the problem.
Sleep Apnea – A Picture of the Symptoms
Posted on | February 1, 2010 | No Comments
Sleep apnea, a chronic sleeping disorder common in adults, is often unnoticed by an individual as episodes of the disorder occur most commonly while the individual is sleeping. Instead it is family members or bed partners of the individual who tend to discover the disorder. Symptoms and warning signs of Sleep apnea include:
Silences of breathing while sleeping - These pauses in breathing, or apneas, occur for at least 10 seconds, and can last as long as minutes. An apnea episode can stop breathing completely, or cause the sleeper to breathe shallowly. Apneas occur at least 15 times an hour, and often more than 30 times.
Gasping or Choking - After pauses in breath, the sleeper may then gasp or choke in a bid to get air back into their lungs.
Suddenly awakening - The sleeper may awaken suddenly, prompted by the brain to restore the balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood system. Although this may be forgotten by the morning, these awakenings can be disturbing to sleep quality.
Tiredness during the day - Sleep apnea can be disrupting to a person’s sleep, often causing them to awaken during the night. Even if not awakening the sleeper, the apneas can cause a disruptive switch from deep sleep into lighter sleep.
Other Sleeping Disorders and Red Herrings Part Two
Posted on | January 25, 2010 | No Comments
Sleep Paralysis – Sleep paralysis is an unusual phenomenon in which an individual wakes half way through their sleep unable to move with a ‘sense of dread’ and unable to move. This is caused by the paralysis that the body engages during dreams to prevent us from acting out our dreams failing to end upon waking and usually occurs when the individual is woken suddenly by a nightmare. This then leaves the sufferer lying fixed in one position for several minutes before they can move and return to sleep.
Insomnia – Insomnia can mean an individual has problems getting to sleep, but can also describe cases where the person has difficult maintaining sleep or the quality of their sleep. This can be caused by all manner of problems including stress which can cause a rush of adrenaline and other chemicals that trigger the ‘fight or flight response’ and so make it hard to sleep. Insomnia can be helped by keeping a diary of thoughts and concerns and by improving the conditions in which the patient sleeps. In some cases medication may be required.
Nocturia – Nocturia is the constant need to go to the toilet during the night, actually a very common problem that disrupts sleep for a lot of patients. This is often a psychosomatic problem though it can also be related to bladder problems. Patients should avoid drinking before bed and particularly diuretics.
Other Sleeping Disorders and Red Herrings Part One
Posted on | January 18, 2010 | No Comments
Sleep apnea is a sleeping disorder that causes the patient to stop breathing during the night. This then disrupts the sleep cycle causing the individual to lose sleep, though often they are unaware that they have woken at all during the night. With this being the case, the only observable symptom for the sufferer themselves is tiredness during the following day. For this reason, self diagnosis can be difficult and it’s easy to let apnea go untreated for many years – particularly if the individual lives alone and so has no one else to notice their behaviour during the night. The best way to identify apnea then could be by process of elimination and by recognising the symptoms of other possible causes; as many other sleep disorders and conditions can cause tiredness and broken sleep.
Depression – Clinical depression has among its symptoms extreme tiredness. The of tiredness experienced should be distinct from that associated with lack of sleep however, feeling more like a lack of energy and a predominance of lethargy rather than a strong desire for sleep. At the same time depressed patients will experience other symptoms of hopelessness, crying, lack of enthusiasm and sex drive and thoughts of suicide.
How Long Can Sleep Apnea Go Untreated Part Two
Posted on | January 11, 2010 | No Comments
This can also lead to problems at work, in relationships and finances. More pressingly such lack of attention can cause accidents, particularly when driving; and being tired when driving has also been said to be as serious as being drunk.
Poor sleep has also been linked to obesity, slow healing of wounds and depression; which themselves can lead to suicide or heart attack. Anything that disrupts sleeping patterns then should be considered a serious problem and should be treated by a professional.
The actual sleep apnea itself can also be a serious threat on its own. As one might expect there is of course a danger associated with cessation of breathing and in very rare cases sufferers can experience sudden death caused by a lack of breathing (this is more common in central sleep apnea where the patient receives no feedback to indicate that they’re not breathing but also in cases where the patient is morbidly obese). In babies this is a more serious concern and has been suggested as one possible cause of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).
In conclusion then, sleep apnea can have many detrimental effects on the life and health of the patient. At the same time it may also prove a potentially lethal for certain groups. It should be treated as soon as possible if only to assess the danger, though can often go long periods of time undetected.
How Long Can Sleep Apnea Go Untreated Part One
Posted on | January 4, 2010 | No Comments
Sleep apnea is a condition that causes patients to stop breathing during the night. This causes individuals to experience broken sleep and to regularly wake throughout the night, though usually they are not conscious of this fact and simply find themselves feeling tired throughout the day.
As patients don’t necessarily recognise their condition it means that they can think of it as more of a nuisance than a serious problem. To what extent this is the case however will depend on the severity of the apnea and on the individual suffering. In some instances it certainly is a cause for alarm, and in all cases patients should see a doctor.
Firstly, extreme tiredness in itself can be a serious problem and can lead to other complications. For example lack of sleep can place stress on the immune system which leaves the sufferer vulnerable to viruses and infections and at greater risk of a heart attack or stroke.
Lack of sleep also has serious effects on the brain and cognitive function. Without adequate sleep an individual will suffer memory loss and difficulty with their attention and may also experience poor judgement when making decisions etc.