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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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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What does my dream mean? I was drowning looking up at the light…?
Written by admin on May 10, 2009 – 2:34 pm -Last night I had a very vivid dream that caused me to wake up in a bit of sweat. The dream started with me deep deep in a body of water and when I looked up at the surface all I could see was a small speck of light, which implied I was incredibly deep down. I was holding my breath in the dream as I tried to swim up to the light, but I didn't want to swim too fast b/c of nitrogen bubbles. After a while of swimming upwards I woke up from the intensity of the fear I was feeling. I'm not sure if I was holding my breath in reality. Perhaps I have some issues where I stop breathing while I sleep? Sleep apnea? I've been doing a lot of self help recently. Not sure if that is at all relevant.
This shows you are feeling very anxious about something. It usually links with strong and difficult emotions, that you feel you do not know how to find a way through.
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is anyone on here on their way to menopause or in it? I will be 40 in 5 days and my hormone?
Written by admin on May 10, 2009 – 2:34 pm -
blood tests show that I am now headed for it. I have not had menses for 4 months now and the hot flushes and night sweats were only temp. I suffer from forgetfulness's and more anxiety which people think I am crazy as my mind races a million miles per hour. I take rivotrill at night and if I didn't I would have sleep apnea. My bones are much weaker. oh yea my mother went through menopause at 34. I was told to come back to the docs in 3 months time and he will do another hormone test. and based on that he said he might consider HRT. My hormone tests show I am in menopause now, I guess this could explain why I am not getting anymore menses. I do not feel like I am going to either. I suffer from gut cramps sometimes and have done so for so many weeks now. I heard this can be a symptom of some ladies. anyway ladies are things going to get worse from here? or will I just have the forget fullness and anxiety? Like i said the hot flushes only lasted a few weeks every night in which I had my fan on all night. will HRT strengthen my bones? I suggest this because of the fact that you have posted pretty much the same question over 15 times in the last month or so. I stopped counting at 16 times, but I would guess it is a lot more. I am also curious about the fact that you used different names in some of those posts. Lastly, your religious views can only be described as excessive. My fear is that something has driven you over the top and you need help. In one post, you said you have not had a period in 12 months, in another post, you said it was 4 months. In one post, you said that you were already 40, two months later, you said that you are 5 days short of being 40. In one post, you said you started your periods at age 15, in that same post, you said you started at age 9. You also said that everyone is concerned that you are crazy. Girlfriend, listen to them, you really need to see a mental health professional, now. Please post more information, but NOT in yet another post, so we can advise you properly, but you really need a professional's help. powered by Yahoo Answers
thanks dismahyed my mother said the other night when I said my tests show I am going through this now she said that every women goes through it. your right thank you
Hi dolly net jan will be 12 months with no period so then I an say I am going throiugh menopause post. godess no there is no godess I am a Christain who loves Jesus and The Father who is God who created everything in Heaven and eart6h and sent His Dear Son Jesus to die on the cross for the sins of the world.
No, I am not. I would suggest that you see both a medical doctor and a mental health professional. These are not religious issues, but medical ones.
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