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Sleep Disorders:
Trouble Sleeping ? |
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Trouble Sleeping ...
Hello, I'm Karin.
Sleep apnea (or sleep apnoea in British English) is a sleep disorder characterized by pauses in breathing during sleep. Each episode, called an apnea , lasts long enough so that one or more breaths are missed, and such episodes occur repeatedly throughout sleep..... |
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With the vast advances in medical science, more and more people are waking up to a condition that used to be shrouded in mystery. This is a condition that effects millions of adults, and if left untreated, can cause severe health problems, personal problems, and even relationship problems. |
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| Sleep Apnea is the name of this condition. This basically means a pause in normal breath of at least ten seconds during sleep. The severity varies, from a few times an hour, to over thirty times an hour. These pauses in breathing can basically be caused by two different things, one is mental, and the other is physical
Physical reasons include blockages to breathing passages, and the sleeping environment. Weight also plays as role, with overweight people experiencing a higher occurrence of sleep apnea. Snoring is a class symptom of this, although many treat it only as nuisance, and not the health problem that it really is.
Some people with sleep apnea have a combination of both types. When obstructive sleep apnea syndrome is severe and longstanding, episodes of central apnea sometimes develop. The exact mechanism of the loss of central respiratory drive during sleep in OSA is unknown but is most commonly related to acid-base and CO2 feedback malfunctions stemming from heart failure. There is a constellation of diseases and symptoms relating to body mass, cardiovascular, respiratory, and occasionally, neurological dysfunction that have a synergistic effect in sleep-disordered breathing. The presence of central sleep apnea without an obstructive component is a common result of chronic opiate use (or abuse) owing to the characteristic respiratory depression caused by large doses of narcotics.
As the psychological reasons are being studied, the implications are the same. Stopping breathing while you are sleeping is dangerous business, and if you don’t take care of it, you put yourself at risk for a variety of health problems.
So how do you know if you have sleep apnea? Common symptoms can include headaches, drowsiness during the day. A good test is to see how sleep you feel after a supposed seven hour or so nights sleep. Many times people with sleep apnea will feel drowsy during the day despite being asleep for eight hours the previous night.
To get proper treatment, a visit to a physician is a must.
To increase your chances, keep a log of all your symptoms, as well as a sleep journal, to jot down any feelings or other information should you wake up during the night. If it is warranted, a sleep study may be performed. This involves sleeping in a “sleep laboratory” where various things will be monitored. You will then be prescribed a treatment regimen which will help you achieve the sleep you need.
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The sleep apnea mask is one of the most important parts of a CPAP machine. Unfortunately though, there is no one size fits all sleep apnea mask. You may have to look for a sleep apnea mask that will especially fit you.
Common Issues. |
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A sleep apnea mask is not the most comfortable thing to wear to bed. Most of us can probably imagine how uncomfortable it would be to go through the entire night with a cold foreign object strapped to the face and attached to a six feet hose that could tangle all over.
Aside from the hose tangling discomfort a sleep apnea mask may also cause facial irritation and strap marks. Your mask may also restrict your movement and may even loosen a bit causing air leaks.
Fit is Important
One important point to consider when choosing a sleep apnea mask is its fit. The fit will depend on both your facial features and preferences.
There are three major kinds of sleep apnea masks. You can pick a nasal mask which will only cover your nose, an oronasal mask which will cover both your nose and mouth and an oral mask which will push air only through your mouth.
To prevent air leaks, make sure that the mask fits snugly over the contours and lines of your face such as the nose bridge.
Make sure too that the straps can be put on securely.
Buying Online
Most people would want to purchase a sleep apnea mask and machine online for security and privacy reasons. Buying online however may result in having a mask that will not fit you properly. An incorrect mask will most certainly result in even worse sleeplessness due to discomfort or air leaks.
You can buy your mask online but make sure that you have the right specifications before you click the buy button.
Ask your doctor for some advice or go scout around in shops and look at different models. Jot down your specifications and check if an online mask will fit your needs.
Special Features
You should try to look for online sites that will offer you greater freedom to choose among a variety of designs or if not, a chance to customize your mask. Some sites may offer personally molded masks that can be molded to the shape of both the nose and the nostrils. A personally molded mask will also allow you to fit the mask according to your mouth and cheek shapes and features.
There are also sleep apnea mask that has added features for comfort. Masks with padded straps and headgear will limit the discomfort and the marks that straps may leave on your face. There are now straps that will also provide a user with a 360 degree freedom of movement. Detachable parts also come in handy for easy storage and cleaning.
Check for Compatibility
Different machine manufacturers may have different compatibility with different masks. You can easily check for compatibility if you are buying in a store. If you want to buy your mask online, make sure to check for compatibility. Manufacturers will almost always make masks that are compatible only with the kind of machine that they are selling.
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If you suffer from frequent headaches, or drowsiness during day, your problem may not be what you think. Millions of people today suffer from something called sleep apnea. This is a condition that robs you of your precious sleep. Many people that have this aren’t even aware of it. |
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Sleep apnea is any time you stop breathing while you are sleeping. There are many underlying causes for this. The more severe a case you have, the more often you’ll stop breathing the night. Obviously this will prohibit you from getting any decent sleep
One problem is that because many people don’t wake up fully, or do so and not remember the next day, they don’t realize they have a problem. The common daytime symptoms, headaches, drowsiness, are often thought to be caused by something else. And of course the problem only gets worse.
If you think you have sleep apnea, it’s important to collect as much evidence and data as possible. You want to make it easy for your doctor to know exactly what’s wrong with you. A great way to do this is to keep a sleep journal, and write down anything you notice whenever you wake up. If you can, record yourself, or having somebody record you while you are sleeping. This can help your doctor tremendously.
With your evidence in hand, you’re ready to visit your doctor. He or she may recommend some simple changes in lifestyle, such as weight loss, or cutting back on alcohol consumption. He or she may recommend laser surgery to reduce snoring. This has become a very easy, simple, and quick procedure. Or if you have a serious enough case, a sleep study may be warranted.
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There is a condition which some say millions of adults suffer from. And many don’t even realize they have this condition. This can cause a host of health problems, and if gone untreated it can get worse and worse. Those that suffer from this condition are likely causing undue stress and anxiety to family and loved |
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The condition I speak of is sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a pausing of normal breathing, for any reason, during sleep. The level of severity ranges from a few pauses per hour, to twenty or even more. Usually the last person to know is the sufferer. The causes of sleep apnea fall under two categories: Mental, and physical
Physical reasons include blockages to breathing passages, and the sleeping environment. Weight also plays as role, with overweight people experiencing a higher occurrence of sleep apnea. Snoring is a class symptom of this, although many treat it only as nuisance, and not the health problem that it really is.
As the psychological reasons are being studied, the implications are the same. Stopping breathing while you are sleeping is dangerous business, and if you don’t take care of it, you put yourself at risk for a variety of health problems.
Common symptoms of sleep apnea are daytime drowsiness. This can happen even though it feels as if you are getting a full eight hours sleep. While you may feel like you have slept for eight hours, the quality of the sleep may be very poor. Other symptoms include headaches, and frequent rising during the night to urinate.
In order to get proper treatment, it would be best to keep a log of your symptoms, as well as any thing you may notice should you wake up in the middle of the night. Keeping a sleep journal can be very helpful in this regard. If your doctor suggests it, a sleep study can be performed, and the result used to find the best cure to get you the sleep you need.
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