Are you always tired? Do others report that you snore? Are you a tad or more overweight? If these are true, you may have sleep apnea.
If these are all true for you, waste no time in having your doctor prescribe a sleep study. If you do have sleep apnea, it can shorten your life. And there is treatment! Those who have sleep apnea hold their breaths many times a night, gasping for air. Sleep apnea means higher risk of cardiovascular disease such as stroke, heart attack, and aneurism.
Here is what happens in sleep apnea: the airway collapses when you breathe in. Fatty tissue lining the airway makes the airway less elastic. So sleep apnea is a condition caused by overweight, generally speaking. Snoring typically accompanies it.
After the airway closes, the oxygen level in the blood drops. Blood pressure shoots up. The sleeper struggles to breathe and begins to wake up. Returning to consciousness, the sleeper opens the airway, and the breath is completed. The sleeper falls back to sleep. The cycle begins again, perhaps many times per minute. Breath cessation for 10 seconds will bring you a diagnosis of sleep apnea.
Your cardiovascular system will wear out from the constantly spiking blood pressure. Your rest will be ruined because of the constant near-waking.
You probably are not aware that you are holding your breath while sleeping. What is obvious to you is the tiredness that comes with it.
The spiking blood pressure many times each night will bring you closer to heart attack or stroke.
There's treatment?
Effective treatment has been available for a couple of decades now. The continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) system supplies air from a fan through a hose to a mask placed over the nose and mouth. Pressure from the fan keeps the airway open as you breathe in. It's not so much pressure that you can't breathe out.
One downside is that the mask can be uncomfortable. But a variety of suppliers offer options now, one of which will probably fit your face.
A further drawback is the fact that you always have to wear the CPAP, even when camping or traveling.
The fan makes a noise, but it's a white noise that may actually help you fall asleep.
Let's stack benefits against drawbacks. Without treatment, you risk early death. With it, you have to wear a mask when you sleep and locate an electric outlet. Which do you choose? - 15784
If these are all true for you, waste no time in having your doctor prescribe a sleep study. If you do have sleep apnea, it can shorten your life. And there is treatment! Those who have sleep apnea hold their breaths many times a night, gasping for air. Sleep apnea means higher risk of cardiovascular disease such as stroke, heart attack, and aneurism.
Here is what happens in sleep apnea: the airway collapses when you breathe in. Fatty tissue lining the airway makes the airway less elastic. So sleep apnea is a condition caused by overweight, generally speaking. Snoring typically accompanies it.
After the airway closes, the oxygen level in the blood drops. Blood pressure shoots up. The sleeper struggles to breathe and begins to wake up. Returning to consciousness, the sleeper opens the airway, and the breath is completed. The sleeper falls back to sleep. The cycle begins again, perhaps many times per minute. Breath cessation for 10 seconds will bring you a diagnosis of sleep apnea.
Your cardiovascular system will wear out from the constantly spiking blood pressure. Your rest will be ruined because of the constant near-waking.
You probably are not aware that you are holding your breath while sleeping. What is obvious to you is the tiredness that comes with it.
The spiking blood pressure many times each night will bring you closer to heart attack or stroke.
There's treatment?
Effective treatment has been available for a couple of decades now. The continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) system supplies air from a fan through a hose to a mask placed over the nose and mouth. Pressure from the fan keeps the airway open as you breathe in. It's not so much pressure that you can't breathe out.
One downside is that the mask can be uncomfortable. But a variety of suppliers offer options now, one of which will probably fit your face.
A further drawback is the fact that you always have to wear the CPAP, even when camping or traveling.
The fan makes a noise, but it's a white noise that may actually help you fall asleep.
Let's stack benefits against drawbacks. Without treatment, you risk early death. With it, you have to wear a mask when you sleep and locate an electric outlet. Which do you choose? - 15784
About the Author:
Writer Susan Harris is happy to tell you all about sleep apnea and its treatment, the CPAP sleep apnea machine. Check out her Web site for plenty of information to help you understand how it works and choose the best one for you.