is pot useful for sleep apnea and insomnia?
Written by admin on February 18, 2010 – 8:58 pm -I suffer from severe apnea as well as insomnia, I have a cpap which I find difficult to use, I have also went thru the surgery that is supposed to help with apnea but that made it worse. I have tried to use traditional meds like lunesta, but I become immune quickly but in the meantime, I suffer from memory loss and the like.
Tags: apnea, Insomnia, sleep, useful
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All About Sleep Apnea
Written by admin on February 9, 2010 – 1:22 pm -
Do you feel restless, have morning headaches, feel irritated, is forgetful, sweat at night, frequently go to the toilet etc? If yes, then you are probably suffering from sleep apnea.
This is a type of sleep disorder in which the patient suffers from pauses in breathing while asleep. In layman terms, the person while asleep forgets to breathe, which causes restless sleep and consequent problems associated with lack of sleep. Its most serious consequence is to the heart and may lead to congestive heart failure.
Symptoms:
The main symptoms are restless sleep, loud snoring with silent periods in between followed by gasping, morning headaches, forgetfulness, mood changes, anxiety, depression, frequently urinating, sweating at night, bedwetting, increased heart rate etc. However the individual suffering from sleep apnea does not feel difficulty in breathing. A spouse is the best person to indicate whether the individual has breathing problems.
Diagnosis:
A definite diagnosis is obtained by polysomnography. Polysomnography is a multi parametric test for studying sleep. It monitors brain function (EEG), eye function (EOG), muscle function (EMG), heart function (ECG), breathing function etc.
Types:
There are two types of sleep apnea Central sleep apnea and Obstructive sleep apnea. In central sleep apnea, the breathing is paused due to lack of effort. In obstructive sleep apnea the breathing is blocked even though there is an effort to breathe.
People With High Risk:
Sleeping problems affects both children and adults. Obese people, individuals with flabby muscles, increased soft tissue near the airway, heavy face and neck etc are more at risk compared to normal individuals. Children mostly suffer from obstructive sleep apnea and are usually over tired or hyper. Due to this condition the children tend to be thin and not grow properly.
Treatment:
The treatment deals with removing the obstruction from breathing. In children the obstruction is usually due to tonsils or adenoids and are cured by tonsillectomy or adenoidectomy. In adults if the obstruction is due to enlarged lymphoid tissues, then steroids are prescribed to reduce the swelling. Medicines like methylxanthine theophylline and amphetamines are also used in the treatment.
Life style changes are also advised such as avoiding alcohol, medicines like muscle relaxants and sedatives, losing weight, quitting smoking etc. Some times, changing the pillow or changing the direction (sideways, on back, on chest) also helps. Avoiding sleeping on the back is very effective. For this keep a tennis ball in the back pocket of your trouser, this way it will be uncomfortable to sleep on the back and you will unknowingly shift to sleep sideways.
Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is a strong method used when other methods are not working. In this method an oxygen mask with positive air pressure is attached to the patient while sleeping. Many people have found relief from using CPAP. Neurostimulation is under study to treat the disorder from a neurological angle.
Keith George always writes about valuable news and reviews.
Tags: apnea, sleep
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Sleep Apnea and Insomnia is Ruining my Life . . .?
Written by admin on January 22, 2010 – 11:23 am -
I have severe obstructive sleep apnea. And I’ve had two surgeries to try to correct this problem in the past year with little success. I’ve had my upper and lower jaw broken and moved forward, and my tonsils removed all within a year. I’m not overweight and I eat a very healthy diet with almost no caffeine. I’ve had no improvement with the CPAP machine (which in my opinion is always leaking and waking me up) and have tried 4 different masks so far. After my last surgery, while in the hospital recovering I had continued apnea episodes. Plus, having insomnia has got me so sleep deprived I can’t think straight. I’m scared of getting into relationships because of being tired all the time, and I even blame myself for missing out on most of my son’s life due to this. I’m depressed, can’t work anymore and don’t know what to do? My doctor will not prescribe a sleep medicine for me probably due to the apnea. I suggest two things; get another doctor and research the pallete surgery thoroughly. Don’t sleep on your back, but on your sides, train yourself to sleep that way, I have and I have a very mild form of apnea. You should also find a Sleep Center that specializes in this disorder. Also, go to a naturopath to see what natural suppliments can help you sleep that won’t be a problem for the apnea. Good luck, hang in there, and make wise decisions based on your gut and proof that it works. powered by Yahoo Answers
Wow, I would’ve really checked into those surgeries before I did anything. Why a doctor would think breaking your jaw would help is beyond me. I have heard of a pallete surgery that works for some, that makes more sense since your soft pallete has something to do with the problem. Tonsils have nothing to do with it either.
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Fainting, low body tempreture, heart stops/starts, irregular heartbeat, blue fingers and sleep apnea? I am 16?
Written by admin on January 22, 2010 – 11:23 am -
age 10- *. my heart would always race for no reason, like if i was eating or trying to go to bed, i could feel it pounding in my chest, thought nothing of it as i was very active as a kid. age 11: * first started to get palpilations, where i will get an extreme rumbling sensation in my chest, followed by a 2-3 second pause & irregular beat of stopping and starting, can last for up to an hour of irregular rythm every 10-20 beats, thought nothing of it. age 12 * fainting episode. my mom was at the store, and i suddenly felt myself as if i was choking and fell to the floor. i can hardly remember it but i am sure i blacked out. when i woke up i felt very cold and tired, until then this has not happened again. age 13 * sleeping disturbances. when i am sleeping i will be woken up 3-4 times by the sensation of a jolt in my chest, chest pain, night sweating, and feeling suffocated eg. waking up gasping for air age 14: * I now experience sharp chest pains on occasion that makes it hurt for me to breathe, lasts for 10 minutes at most. age 15 * Night sweats and sleeping have gotten much worse. same with the arrythmias. The arrythmias are twice as uncomfortable and occur much more often; often in episodes. I will be in a near-fainting situation whenever this happens age 16 * Around my eyes are getting darker which I didn’t usually have, even though i sleep as much as the average teenager and don’t suffer from insomnia. I usually sleep well. my fingers and feet are always really cold and blue/pink even if I wear mittens/gloves * My usual body tempreture dropped from 36.7 to 35.8 in 5 years 16 1/2 – Present * I’ll wake up gasping for air, as if I’ve been suffocated, confuzed and dizzy, difficult to breathe when I lay on my back, people told me I appear tired or sick, I have a poor appetite and don’t have much motivation to get myself to eat *I’m always tired I am always really pale. I get sick more often than I used to. I am also more sensitive to cold than I usually was. What’s happening? I thought nothing of this as a kid! but now I’m really scared. I overheard my mother talk about my Grandma’s heart murmur and the heart history of our family (my Grandpa has Arterial Fibliration or however its spelled.) And my brother is being suspected of having an irregular heartbeat accompanied by chest pain. (he’s 9.) Could I have a heart problem? My family knows and I am getting checked up about it, but they seem to be ignoring it. I won’t have a heart scan until December, sorry if the detail was a little long but thanks for reading it. Should I wait for my heart scan? powered by Yahoo Answers
I am 16 5”2 and 110 pounds.
blood pressure is 70/110.
get echo and ecg done
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