Deciding if you need sleep apnea treatment depends on many factors. Do you wake up in the middle of the night? Do you feel tired and dragging during the day even though you've had a full night's sleep? Do you snore so bad you keep your bedmate or even your housemates up at night? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may have a serious condition called sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea is simply a disorder that causes you to stop breathing in the middle of the night, sometimes for up to a minute. Eventually, you wake up, begin breathing again, and go back to sleep; often you don't even remember waking up at all.
If you wake up all night long, why is sleep apnea so dangerous? The most obvious reason is that sometimes people don't wake up. If you are in a very deep sleep, your body may not realize what's going on and you'll suffocate to death. This occurrence is similar to SIDs in babies.
The other danger of apnea is sleep deprivation. Humans experience various stages of sleep; each stage rebuilds and rests a different part of the brain or body. If you don't receive the appropriate amount of each stage of sleep, it can cause serious problems. Constant waking up during the night, even if you don't remember it, can reset your sleep cycle. This means you get less of the later stages of sleep, and be sleep deprived even if you're getting a full eight hours of sleep each night. Sleep deprivation, along with physical impairments, can decrease your speech functioning, reasoning skills, and other brain functions. This increases your likelihood for having car accidents and other accidents which could be dangerous.
While you may be able to determine if you have sleep apnea through your partner monitoring your breathing, or by using a tape recorder, the best way to know is to pay a visit to your doctor. If they think your fears are warranted, they will recommend you participate in a sleep study. You will be required to sleep at the study site for a night. There they will attach you to various types of equipment, and monitor your sleep and breathing patterns. Most people find sleep studies annoying and uncomfortable, but they are an important part of proper diagnosis. Symptoms of sleep apnea can be mimicked by other disorders, like restless legs syndrome. Getting diagnosed properly will enable you to receive the proper sleep apnea treatment which will, at the very least make you feel better; and at most, save your life.
Once properly diagnosed, your doctor will recommend treatment depending on the type and severity of your condition. Mild apnea can often be treated by modifying your diet and sleeping habits. You may also be required to sleep with equipment like a specialized pillow or a device for your mouth. In more severe cases, you may require medicine or even surgery. Your doctor may also recommend you try more than one of these treatments to get the best results.
It is important to note that most cases of apnea are easily and effectively treated. Once your apnea is under control you'll likely feel more energized, have improved mental capabilities, become less prone to sickness, and even lose weight. With the proper sleep apnea treatment, you too can enjoy the benefits of a good night's sleep.
Sleep Apnea New Treatment
You've probably already heard of sleep apnea - it's the condition when a person misses a breath (or more) while sleeping. The idea of someone "missing to breathe" seems funny but indeed, there are situations when the physical make-up of the person prevents him or her from breathing normally - especially while he or she is sleeping.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
The common type of sleep apnea is the Obstructive Sleep Apnea. This occurs when the upper part of the airway becomes narrow - as a result of the collapse of the tissues on it. Here's how this happens:
When you sleep, the muscles on your upper airway (near the back of your throat) relax. Dilator muscles, however, are present to keep the air passage open and to help your breathe normally. Interference to this collapse-dilation mechanism causes you to miss your breath - literally, you do not breathe for a matter of seconds.
Significant absence of breathing can be disturbing - not to mention fatal. Thus, sleep apnea treatment procedures are available to help both the sufferers - and the loved ones of these sufferers (if your partner snores loudly because of sleep apnea, would you, as his partner, be able to sleep well?).
CPAP Machine
The Continuous Positive Airflow Pressure (CPAP) machine is by far the most common sleep apnea treatment method. Of course, this is primarily because this is developed for this very purpose.
Sleep specialists use CPAP - and CPAP mask in Toronto or elsewhere - to provide constant air pressure. This keeps the collapse-dilation mechanism of the different sets of throat muscles working. In simpler terms, this sleep apnea treatment procedure prevents your throat muscles from blocking the airway.
However, the CPAP machine is not without limits. Some users report having throat or nose infection. Infection can be in the form of nasal congestion and dry throat. In addition, some patients experience difficulty in exhalation. This can be because of the kind of mask that's being used. As such, many specialists prefer Respironics masks - in Toronto or elsewhere - because this brand is known for quality and cost-effectiveness.
Dental Devices
To address the concerns associated with the use of the CPAP machine as a sleep apnea treatment method, specialists turn to the use of dental devices. Among the common dental appliances are:
a. the Tongue Retaining Device - this holds the tongue in place, thereby keeping the airway open
b. the Mandibular Advancement Device - again, this sleep apnea treatment device aims to keep the airway open by slightly pushing the lower jaw forward and downward.
Perhaps because nothing in this world is perfect, some users still have a few complaints regarding the use of the above-mentioned dental devices as sleep apnea treatment methods. Among the most common concerns are dry lips, excessive salivation and tooth discomfort.
Any form of treatment somehow carries with it a certain "undesirable trait." An antibiotic, for instance, would give you an upset stomach. The same holds true for sleep apnea treatment methods. There will always be pros and cons.
This article, in summary, presents the pros and cons of the most common methods used in treating sleep apnea. Hopefully, it was able to accomplish such purpose.
CPAP Clinic - healthcare at your home
We serve Greater Toronto Area in Canada.
Contact: 1-877-430-CPAP(2727) or info@CPAPClinic.ca
Both Jeff Wilson & Dhaxel Barqs are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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