How much do you know about Sleep Apnea?

Did you know that Sleep Apnea is a serious and deadly disease which affects many Americans who aren’t even aware of it? The symptoms include snoring, daytime drowsiness/sleepiness, cessation of breathing during sleep, night sweats, morning headaches, loss of concentration and many others. I have lost two friends in the past two years to Sleep Apnea. Both were diagnosed and refused to use their CPAP machines. I was diagnosed in 2000 and use a CPAP every time I sleep.

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Is Sleep Apnea Ruining Your Life?

While sleep apnea might not sound like a very serious problem it can have very serious effects on your life. Experts agree that in order to function properly, most adults need around seven or eight hours of sleep each night and most of this should be uninterrupted to allow the brain to get into its deep sleep rhythms. If you have sleep apnea, however you’re probably being awakened many times during the night and thus unable to get into a deep sleep.
People with this condition often wake up unrefreshed even though they’ve been in bed for eight hours. Sometimes they might wake up with a headache, sore throat or dry mouth. If you’re not getting the necessary sleep at night or not feeling good when you wake up then chances are you are not performing your best at work and may even be falling asleep at your desk, or worse yet while driving.
Sleep apnea can affect your personal life too. If you’re not getting enough sleep, your probably cranky and not too much fun to be around. Of course, this can have adverse effects on any relationship and also diminishes your enjoyment of life.
So if you have sleep apnea, you’d see why it would be important to get to your doctor in order to have the appropriate diagnosis, wouldn’t you? Then why are so many people suffering with this when there are treatments available? The simple reason is that over 90% of the people with it don’t even know that they have it!
Sleep apnea can be a very subtle problem and because it is happening while you’re asleep, you might not even remember them waking up in the middle of the night. Therefore, you probably want to be aware of some other symptoms that might indicate the need for a trip to the doctor. Here are some things to look out for:
1. Loud snoring (many people that don’t have sleep apnea snore however this may be an indication).

2. Choking or gasping for air during the night.

3. A waking suddenly.

4. Waking up in the morning and feeling like you didn’t get enough sleep.

5. Waking up in the middle of the night in a sweat.

6. Being sleepy during the day for no good reason.

7. Waking up with a dry mouth, headache or sore throat.
Sleep apnea can be caused by a few things, the most common type called obstructive sleep apnea is caused by an obstruction that blocks your breathing. This can be either that you have large adenoids or tonsils, you have a smaller than normal airway due to the shape of your neck, your soft palate is getting in the way of your breathing or your tongue and throat muscles relax too much when you are sleeping.
The two other types are central sleep apnea which is very rare and is the cause of a central nervous system disorder caused by a brain infection, brain tumor, stroke or injury and mixed sleep apnea which is a combination of the other two.
In addition to wreaking havoc on your relationships and your enjoyment of life, sleep apnea can have some pretty serious health problems as well. When you stop breathing during the night not only does it cause sleep deprivation, it also causes oxygen deprivation. These can in turn affect her life in the following ways:
1. Daytime tiredness

2. Emotional imbalance

3. Poor mental function

4. Compromised immune system

5. Low energy

6. Slow reaction time

7. Heart abnormalities

8. High blood pressure and stroke

9. Memory problems

10. Weight gain

11. Sexual dysfunction

12. Depression

13. More apt to falsely driving, thus causing a car accident
If you do have sleep apnea, however, don’t despair! There are quite a few treatments available and you should be able to find something that suit you. Some of the treatments involve lifestyle changes such as losing weight, sleeping on your side and not smoking. Some make use of medications and devices that help open airways. And if nothing else helps, there are some surgeries that can help the problem.

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All About Sleep Apnea

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.

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Fainting, low body tempreture, heart stops/starts, irregular heartbeat, blue fingers and sleep apnea? I am 16?

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?
I am 16 5”2 and 110 pounds.
blood pressure is 70/110.

get echo and ecg done

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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?

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?
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.

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.

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What does my dream mean? I was drowning looking up at the light…?

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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I'm sleepy all the time!!!?

I had the flu last month, and had a fever and sweat a lot at night, etc. Since then, my sleep has not returned to normal. I'm waking up drenched in sweat most mornings, and sometimes several times through the night. When I have to get up for work in the morning, I feel exhausted, not refreshed, as I had before I had the flu. I'm 26. I'm not menopausal. I should have more energy than this. What could this be? Sleep apnea? Any suggestions?

First off Sleep Apnea(1) is the momentary loss of breath while sleeping. This has nothing to do with your condition especially since you are sleeping so it usually takes another person to inform you that you have Sleep Apnea.
Second would be to look at your diet and any other things you are putting into your body; vitamins, drugs, toxicants.
Third would be to go to a doctor(right away since symptoms have been for over a month) and get a professional opinion because this might be the result of a more serious condition.

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Astrology to sleep deprivation?

What are those aspects/positions that rules sleeping?? So i do know that dreams are part of 12th house, but sleep? How can i predict sleeping problems from someones chart, maybe some heavy stuff in 12th house? You know, not sleep til 3 am, waking up 5 times a night, sweating while sleeping, sleeping apnea, turmoil and restlessness instead of sleeping.. These are pretty common problems around the world with certain people.

The Moon and Neptune take rulership over sleep, so an afflicted Moon or Neptune will cause this, or Neptune coming in contact with personal planets. Mercury (mind) and Mars(Head/Face and Physicality) can point to this as well.

Jupiter squares to personal planets, especially Sun and Moon. Bounds of energy, if there is no proper outlet.

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What does my dream mean? I was drowning looking up at the light…?

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.

Underwater

To dream that you are underwater, suggests that you are feeling overcome with emotions and are in need of greater control in your life. You may be in over your head regarding some situation.

To dream that you are breathing underwater, represents a retreat back into the womb. You want to return to a state where you were dependent and free from responsibilities. Perhaps you are feeling helpless, unable to fulfill your own needs and caring for yourself. Alternatively, you may be submerged in your emotions.

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Is this more than just snoring in my three year old?

My daughter has snored since she was 12 months old, she is just about 4 now and I never thought anything of it until recently. About 6 month's ago she started waking up about 5 times a night, sometimes just kind of startling herself awake, sometimes coughing herself awake. She is definitely a mouth breather and always sounds stuffy even when awake, even when she isn't sick. She sweat excessively in her sleep, and at times it sounds like she is gasping for are. She often sleeping in a weird position to, where she will tilt her head back so the neck kind of arches. Is this something anyone has seen before? Possibly sleep apnea or am I just thinking to much into it?

Rather than sleep apnea, I would suspect she has some large adenoids which are partially blocking her airway. I would take her to an ENT (ear, nose, throat) physician who can give you the answer for this problem.

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