Homeopathic Remedies for Apnea
Posted on | December 28, 2009 | No Comments
Homeopathy is a form of alternative medicine which works differently to modern medicine. The central concept behind homeopathic remedies is that a remedy should cause the symptoms observed in the patient were the patient healthy. This then is supposed to help encourage the body to drive out these symptoms. For sleep apnea then the medication used will be known to obstruct the airways or to cause damage to the brain stem (the latter being the cause of central apnea).
Homeopaths will also take into account the other individual factors in each case however and will asses each instance of sleep apnea as unique and as part of the ‘living whole’. In homeopathy, only the symptoms are treated, but characteristics of the individual not related to the illness are often considered ‘symptoms’ in themselves. The exact form of medication used will vary then depending on the person using it.
Homeopathic medicines are then heavily diluted using a process called ‘succussion’. This process often results in not a single molecule of the active ingredient surviving which has lead many to claim that homeopathy is little more than a pseudoscience. Laboratory studies have meanwhile failed to show that homeopathic remedies are any more successful than placebos.
Diagnosing Your Sleep Apnea Part Two
Posted on | December 21, 2009 | No Comments
Sleep apnea can for example be quite dangerous in morbidly obese patients who should seek intervention, probably in the form of CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure). Those suffering from deformaties of the skull or a deviated septum will probably have only a mild form (unless this is the result of an injury). In such cases the individual should decide how severe their condition and whether they want to undergo surgery. For those suffering due to being slightly overweight or from having a large neck, it may be possible to alleviate the symptoms by changing the sleeping position to be more upright, or by lying on one side. From here the patient can then focus on getting exercise and improving their diet to help lose weight.
Central apnea however is much more difficult to treat and generally fairly severe. Treatments such as CPAP are unlikely to prove affective as the problem is not caused by restriction in the airways. Doctors will usually treat such cases with medication, though these have only been shown to be effective to an extent.
While it’s possible for patients to diagnose and prescribe for their own apnea to an extent, it is advisable that they seek the consultation of a medical professional who can advise the best course of action and look for other underlying problems.
Diagnosing Your Sleep Apnea Part One
Posted on | December 14, 2009 | No Comments
Acknowledging that you are suffering from sleep apnea can be difficult as patients are often unaware that they are waking up in the night, only noticing the tiredness that comes as a result. Once that’s done however, it’s important to realise that there are different forms and severities of apnea.
Sleep apnea comes in three forms, and recognising the form you’re suffering from is crucial to be able to correctly treat and ease the condition. Likewise realising the severity of the particular case can help find the most prudent cause of action.
The two main causes of sleep apnea are blockages in the nasal passage or trachea which make breathing difficult (obstructive sleep apnea); and malfunction in the brain that causes the patient to ‘forget’ to breath (central sleep apnea). The third type is simply a combination of these two effects (mixed sleep apnea).
Obstructive apnea describes the vast majority of cases and can be recognised by heavy snoring. Often the cause of obstructive apnea is obesity, though it can also be triggered by sinus problems or other blockages such as a deviated septum. The severity of this form of apnea will most likely be related to the severity of the problem triggering it.
Complex Apnea
Posted on | December 7, 2009 | No Comments
Complex apnea is another term for ‘mixed’ apnea, which describes apnea which is caused by a combination of the two main forms. These forms are ‘obstructive apnea’ – apnea caused by physical blockages in the airways; and ‘central apnea’ – apnea caused by malfunction in the brain that means it ‘forgets’ to breath and doesn’t respond to the fact that there is insufficient oxygen in the blood and too much carbon dioxide. It is also possible in some cases that prolonged cases of obstructive sleep apnea can lead to central apnea.
This combined form of apnea requires treatment on two fronts to address the two issues surrounding the problem. First of all the obstruction will be addressed, usually by advising a diet (obstructions are often caused by large necks in overweight patients) and changing sleeping position possibly using specially designed cushions. In more severe cases that don’t respond to home treatment, patients may require ‘CPAP’ (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) utilising a constant stream of pressurised air to keep the airways open.
To address the issues in the brain however is more complicated and no method has been shown to be completely successful. Some studies have suggested a link between central sleep apnea and iron deficiency making iron a popular supplement.
Clear Airway Apnea
Posted on | November 30, 2009 | No Comments
In obstructive sleep apnea it is a blockage in the airways that causes the patient to stop breathing throughout the night. For such cases then the apnea can be combated by ensuring that the airways remain clear throughout the night of mucus and from the neck itself collapsing around the trachea.
There are several ways to help prevent sinus problems from causing apnea. One is to inhale steam before bed in order to clear the nasal passage. To do so use a bowl of hot water boiled in a kettle and lean your head over it with a towel over. This way the steam will break up and evaporate the sinus and mucus leaving the airways clear.
Another way to clear sinus problems is with a vaporising cream such as Vic. These can be applied to the chest and then use potent fumes to break up mucus and other things blocking the nasal passage in much the same way as the steam. The advantage of this of course is that it can be left over night to prevent the mucus from building up once again. By using the two in combination the patient will stand the best chance of avoiding blockages. Finally a nasal spray can be used as a more immediate solution, and can be kept by the bed for instances where the inhalation and vaporising cream fail.
Best Head Angle for Sleep Apnea
Posted on | November 23, 2009 | No Comments
Not all cases of sleep apnea can benefit from changing position, however in obstructive cases this can be an effective way to improve the condition. By changing the angle of the head while sleeping it’s possible to stretch and relax the muscles in the neck and open up the trachea more. This in turn can combat the cause of the blockage if it’s related to the size of the neck or the neck muscles, and leave the patient able to breath more easily.
There are two main head angles that can be used for the purpose. The first is to try sitting more upright, which takes the force of gravity off the neck to prevent it from closing. By using a cushion or extra pillows it’s possible to remain mostly upright while not disrupting sleep too badly (though it can still be slightly distracting from a peaceful night).
The other head angle is to lie the head on one side rather than lying it back. This way the gravity comes down on the side of the neck where it’s firmer and thicker rather than on the throat itself. While it can be hard to stay on your side, specifically designed t-shirts and hats can make it impossible to lie flat comfortably.
Apnea Positions
Posted on | November 16, 2009 | No Comments
Obstructive sleep apnea describes apnea caused by blockages of the throat and/or nasal passage as opposed to central sleep apnea caused by brain malfunction that leads the patient simple to ‘forget’ to breath). Obstructive sleep apnea accounts for the majority of cases of apnea and means that most instances of the condition can be alleviated by addressing the cause of the blockage.
One way to do this is to apply continuous pressure down the trachea to force it open during sleep. This is the main treatment used by doctors to address apnea and is achieved by the use of a device called ‘CPAP’ or ‘Continuous Positive Airway Pressure’.
It is possible however to mimic the effects of CPAP without the use of a machine. This can be achieved by changing the sleeping position in order to take negative pressure off the throat caused by bodyweight etc.
The two best positions for achieving this effect are to lie on one side (thus changing the angle of the force) or to prop yourself upright using one or more cushions. While the former is probably the least disruptive to normal sleep, the latter presents the biggest difference and so is suitable for more serious cases. Specially designed cushions can be found online and in health stores specifically for this purpose – as can hats and t-shirts that force you to remain on your side. Failing this you can ask a partner to help by changing your position in the night when they notice you’ve rolled over or switched angle.
Losing Weight Part Three
Posted on | November 15, 2009 | No Comments
The last piece of the puzzle obviously (and the most dreaded) is exercise; and really if you want to make an impact to your weight and your sleep apnea then it’s completely essential.
The first and most important way to lose weight through exercise is to get regular CV and aerobic exercise. That means anything that lasts long enough that it uses up the body’s short term stores of ATP and glycogen and so begins burning fat. Great examples of cardiovascular exercise include jogging, swimming, cycling, shadow boxing, swimming, rowing and dancing. If you do any of these for at least thirty minutes three times a week then you should start to notice a marked difference.
As well as CV though you should also be doing resistance work – and this is something that many people trying to lose weight overlook. Contrary to popular belief fat can’t be converted into muscle but you will be able to burn it by working out for extended periods of time, and more to the point once you begin building muscle your body will burn fat simply to maintain it – meaning you’re losing weight while you’re sleeping (which hopefully you’ll be able to do much easier).
Losing Weight Part Two
Posted on | November 14, 2009 | No Comments
This means you should be eating smaller amounts of fats and simple carbs such as sugar and cakes. At the same time you should be eating more fruits, proteins and fibres. This needn’t necessarily involve a large change to your lifestyle and there are many small changes you can make to your diet that are hardly noticeable but will still make a significant impact on your weight.
For example you can cut sugar out of tea or coffee, switch to semi skimmed or low-fat milk, stop spreading butter on your bread, stop cooking with oil, drink less alcohol and when you do make it spirits or wine instead of beer or ale and switch soft drinks for fruit drinks and water. Similarly you should try to replace your unhealthy snacks such as crisps or cakes with something more nutritious (or at least less unhealthy) such as cereal bars, grapes, yogurts or cereals. None of things will be particularly noticeable at the time but combined they will actually represent quite a large cut in calories and fat. Even better by taking the sweet and the oily out of your daily diet you will begin to change your own sweet tooth. You may not think it but eventually you will stop craving Mars bars and start looking forward to fruit.
Losing Weight Part One
Posted on | November 13, 2009 | No Comments
Losing weight is one of the surest ways to help cure sleep apnea while obesity (patients with a BMI of 30 or over) is one of the largest predictors of the condition. This should be just one thing on a long list of reasons to lose weight, but how do you go about it?
First of all it’s important to consider that ‘fad’ diets often don’t work. They trigger a ‘famine’ mode in the body, slowing the metabolism and encouraging food to be stored as fat in case no more comes along. At the same time they deprive the body of important nutrients and it’s important to remember that everything we eat we eat for a reason. Apart from anything else fad diets are simply impractical, hard to stick to and fairly anti-social.
So how do you go about losing weight? Well the secret is to include everything in your diet that you normally would (even fat plays important roles) but to consume it in smaller quantities. One quick trick is simply to never completely clear a plate and refuse to go for seconds. While you shouldn’t be cutting any food group out of your diet entirely however it is important to be eating them in the right quantities and ratios.