CPAP Can Prevent Sleep Apnea And Snoring

Posted by Apnea
Categorized Under: Cures For Sleep Apnea
Dated: 28 Nov 2009
Comments: 0

Did you know that 45% of all adults snore occasionally, and 25% snore almost all the time? Males, overweight people, and older adults are more likely to suffer from problem snoring. Did you know CPAP can prevent sleep apnea (sleep apnoea) and snoring?
When there is an obstruction in the airflow through the passages located at the back of the nose and mouth, you make snoring sounds. It’s only in recent years that medical professionals have discovered the adverse effects of snoring and its association with sleep apnoea.
There are several methods being employed to alleviate snoring and sleep apnea which include UPPP or vulopalatopharyngoplasty, LAUP or Laser Assisted Uvula Palatoplasty, and CPAP or Continuous Positive Airway Pressure are all being used to reduce and eliminate sleep apnoea and snoring.
The most popular sleep apnea used today is CPAP. It works by delivering air into your airway using a special nasal mask. The mask creates enough pressure with the flow of air when you inhale that your airway is kept open. Doctors say that CPAP is the most effective non-surgical treatment that is available to eliminate sleep apnoea and snoring.
It is your otolaryngologist that will decide if the CPAP sleep apnea device is the right treatment for you. If it is, you will need to wear the nasal mask to bed each night. During treatment, don’t be surprised if your otolaryngologist asks you to undertake some lifestyle changes, such as exercising, losing weight, and quitting smoking if you are a smoker.
Before CPAP, the treatment for sleep apnea and snoring was much more invasive requiring a tracheotomy, which creates a temporary opening in your windpipe. Thankfully, that type of invasive treatment is extremely rare. When the CPAP sleep apnea device is used correctly, it has almost a 100% success rate in sleep apnoea and snoring elimination.
CPAP is not a cure, but rather a treatment. When used correctly for long term, CPAP, sleep apnoea device, is able to eliminate surgery for all but the most severe cases.
Is CPAP the right solution for your sleep apnea and snoring? Your otolaryngologist will make the final decision, but if you suffer from severe sleep apnoea and snoring, you will likely be a candidate if you answer yes to these conditions …
* Does your loud snoring disturb your family?
* Are you sleepy during the day?
* Does your snoring wake you up during the night?
* Is your breathing often obstructed at night?
* Are you tired in the morning?
* Do you wake up with headache?
Your otolaryngologist will also take your complete medical history; ask you some questions about your lifestyle and any cardiovascular conditions you might be suffering from. You will also be asked about your current medications.
If you are a suitable sleep apnoea and snoring candidate, you will first have to undergo a CPAP pressure set sleep study before you receive your nasal mask. Once you’ve had your sleep apnea device configured to your breathing, you and your mask will return home.
CPAP solves sleep apnea and snoring for almost everyone that uses this unique sleep apnoea device. Perhaps it’s time to let everyone in the house sleep easy?

CPAP Machine – The Most Common Treatment for Sleep Apnea

Posted by Apnea
Categorized Under: Sleep Apnea
Dated: 13 Nov 2009
Comments: 0

Sleep Apnea is a disorder that commonly affects more than 12 million people in the United States. While the exact cause of remains unclear, what’s known is that the site of obstruction in most patients is the soft palate, including the area at the base of the tongue.
During the day, muscles in the region keep the passage open and clear; but since there’s no bone or cartilage in this area to hold the airway open, when a person with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) falls asleep, the muscles relax and the airway collapses.
Besides interrupting sleep and causing disorientation and “fogginess” during the waking hours, the dangers to overall health are many.
The primary risk factors for OSA are:
Excessive Weight – The accumulation of fat on the sides of the upper airway cause it to become narrow and predisposed to closure when the muscles relax.
Age – Loss of muscle mass is a common consequence of the aging process, leaving the airway narrow and soft. Men have a greater risk for OSA.
Male Hormones – Testosterone can cause structural changes in the upper airway.
Other risk factors include: A receding chin… Enlarged tonsils and adenoids… Use of drugs that affect the Central Nervous System (CNS) such as alcohol, tranquilizers, etc. … Smoking … Chronic nasal congestion… and several syndromes such as hypothyroidism, post-polio syndrome, neuromuscular disorders, Marfan’s syndrome, and Down syndrome, to name a few. Although to date there is no hard data to confirm this theory, it’s also believed that there’s a genetic factor involved.
The signs and symptoms of OSA are many and varied and many are not overtly medical. (For example, non-restorative sleep leads to such things as car accidents, bad moods, memory problems, depression and even impotence.)
Some common signs that you may have OSA are:
Loud Snoring – This is perhaps the most common sign that a person’s airway is obstructed, and the complaint that initially brings many undiagnosed OSA patients to their doctors for help. Not everyone who snores has sleep apnea, but if other signs are present, as well, it’s a distinct possibility.
Excessive Daytime Sleepiness – Some people with OSA fall asleep while reading or watching TV. Others experience powerful urges to doze off even in a stimulating environment, such as while driving or during business meetings – even while having sex!
Unrefreshing Sleep – Many OSA patients complain of waking up feeling as if they had been awake all night (usually, they have been, in fact). Then, if they try to refresh themselves with a nap, they usually feel worse after napping than they did before.
Drowsiness While Driving – Statistics show that many car accidents are caused by drivers either nodding off at the wheel or else being too sleepy to be alert.
Morning Headaches – Frequent, unexplained headaches are a common sign of OSA.
Frequent Nighttime Urination – Getting up to use the bathroom several times a night may be caused by an apneic event.
If your doctor does diagnose OSA, then you’ll be relieved to know that a CPAP sleep apnea machine will give you relief and protection as soon as you start using it.

What are The Sleep Apnea Solutions?

Posted by Apnea
Categorized Under: Sleep Apnea
Dated: 13 Nov 2009
Comments: 0

CPAP is the #1 sleep apnea device on the market, but there are other sleep apnea solutions to consider as complements to the CPAP. The treatment that’s right for you will depend on how severe your snoring and sleep apnea (Sleep Apnoea) are, but we will look at a few different devices that are available.
Let’s start with CPAP devices, which have a success rate of almost 100%. Surgery is the invasive equivalent for keeping the airways open during sleep. CPAP or Continuous Positive Airway Pressure is non-invasive, and all it takes to get this sleep apnoea device working is one sleep test that adjusts the airflow. When it comes to sleep apnea solutions, this remains the top pick.
CPAP devices provide immediate relief in a safe and effective way. These machines are portable air generators that deliver oxygen with a low pressure, and they can use either nasal tubing or a full-face mask. The air pressure pushes the patients tongue forward and opens the throat so that air can flow easily to the lungs.
The CPAP sleep apnea device does have some side effects. Some users have reported headache, dry mouth, and dry nose around the mask edge, dry eyes, gas, and soreness on the nose bridge.
Not all CPAP machines are the same. Some self-adjust while others must be manually adjusted, and some are bi-pressure. You can also get a CPAP machines with a heated dehumidifier.
Your doctor will determine which type of CPAP sleep apnea device is right for your situation. Thankfully, with so many sleep apnoea solutions, it generally takes little time to find the best match. Once your doctor determines the right machine for you, you will be issued a prescription.
Because you will want to build a long-term relationship, it is important that you choose a retailer with whom you are comfortable and who has a knowledgeable staff. Over time you will need to purchase new hoses, masks and other accessories. You will also need to have your machine serviced, and the provider will be trained with the function of these machines. You will want confidence in that person’s skills.
The CPAP sleep apnea device automatically adjusts the pressure as you breath, so if your breathing changes, the machine automatically adjusts to keep your airways open as you sleep. Of all the sleep apnoea solutions, this is far more advanced, thus, costing more. But the extra cost also gives you peace of mind.
The dental sleep apnea device is a choice for those that suffer from a case that does not require a more comprehensive machine. These portable devices are excellent for travel and considered one of the top sleep apnoea solutions on the market. In fact, they are quite effective; often more effective than surgery.
The dental sleep apnea device works by preventing your tongue from falling back into the throat, which is what causes you to temporarily stop breathing. Two arch acrylic devices cover your teeth and attach to each other to hold your lower jaw forward. There are different models available.
Some of the side affects include saliva build up, soreness, permanent alteration of the teeth and sometimes even the jaw. The side effects must be weighed against the benefits on an individual level.
There are many sleep apnoea solutions because one solution does not fit all. If you suffer from sleep apnea, it is important that you and your doctor work together to find the right solution for you.

Sleep Apnea Machine Helps You Sleep Well

Posted by Apnea
Categorized Under: Sleep Apnea
Dated: 13 Nov 2009
Comments: 0

Sleep apnea (or apnoea) is a surprisingly common sleep disorder characterized by a person’s breathing periodically ceasing temporarily during sleep. It can happen dozens or hundreds of times during a night, when weak muscles supporting the back of the throat allow the airway to become blocked.
More rarely what happens is the breathing signal is not sent from the brain to the diaphragm.
It is a treatable condition, with several options open to patients. The simplest and most common treatment is the use of a sleep apnea machine known as a CPAP sleep apnea machine. (CPAP is an abbreviation for Constant Positive Airway Pressure.)
Although not directly life-threatening, sleep apnea is a serious condition which has the potential to significantly affect a sufferer’s quality of life.
In normal human sleeping patterns, a person progresses through five stages of sleep, eventually going into “deep sleep.” Deep sleep is when dreaming and REM (rapid eye movement) occur and when most restorative functions happen. And you return to almost wakefulness approximately every ninety minutes. Thus, people who wake two or three times in a night are probably actually getting good quality sleep.
In cases of sleep apnea, the sufferer effectively falls unconscious in their sleep, immediately before the brain rouses the body in response to the blocked airway. One with this condition without realizing it could be going through a cycle of passing out and waking every few minutes all night long. This affects the quality of sleep in two ways.
First, oxygen deprivation is harmful to the brain at any time and makes it impossible for sleep to be restful.
Second, because the sufferer may be going through a cycle of waking and going back to sleep every few minutes, they have little opportunity for the most restful, deep sleep.
Symptoms can include snoring, a tendency to fall asleep during the day during any idle period, feeling very tired upon waking, possibly in conjunction with a morning headache, and secondary effects from the reduced quality of sleep, such as depression and anxiety, along with the associated symptoms of those conditions.
Diagnosis for sleep apnea used to be complicated, requiring a specialist’s attention, and possibly a night or two in a sleep laboratory. Fortunately, as awareness of this somewhat common condition becomes more widespread, so too have diagnosis and treatment options.
Upon consultation with a physician, you can get a sleep apnea machine that monitors your body’s vital signs during sleep by use of simple apparatus worn on the arm, allowing you to sleep in your own bed.
Because you are probably more comfortable in familiar surroundings, and the monitoring is done in the same environment you normally sleep in, the results obtained from such analysis can be more valuable to your sleep specialist or doctor.
If sleep apnea is diagnosed, there are a number of treatment options available. The most basic, if applicable, is to lose weight, as obesity is a known cause of this condition. Unfortunately, this may only lower the severity of the problem in many patients, and is not the only cause.
In any acute case, further intervention is required. One option is surgery, but again, this will not work for everyone and is an expensive and undesirable option for many people.
This leaves the most common treatment, which is the use of a sleep apnea machine known as a CPAP. A CPAP sleep apnea machine (Constant Positive Airway Pressure) is a device which has a tube worn in the mouth during sleep which provides a slight positive pressure but otherwise, allows the wearer to breathe normally.
This has the effect of keeping the airway open at all times during sleep, making for more restful, better quality sleep, and better quality of life.
There are various models of CPAP machines available. Some offer more advanced features, such as a reduction of pressure while exhaling, so you are not breathing against the flow of air so much.
Also, offered are more advanced monitoring of use, options for upgradeable firmware to keep the device current with the latest technology, and the ability to link the sleep apnea machine to your PC.
Obviously, less expensive, more basic models are available, and can be completely autonomous, requiring little further configuration by the user.

Sleep Apnea Health Problems Can Be Serious

Posted by Apnea
Categorized Under: Sleep Apnea
Dated: 12 Nov 2009
Comments: 0

Efforts to discover what causes sleep apnea have been intense, and although the actual cause may not have been identified, researchers have discovered that sleep apnea (sleep apnoea) health problems can be serious.
There are several major risk factors for heart disease such as obesity, alcohol abuse, and smoking, but you might be surprised to find out that sleep apnea is also a major risk factor. Combine any of these factors, and the risk doubles for serious sleep apnoea health problems. For example, if you are obese and you suffer from sleep apnea, then your risk of heart problems increases.
If your sleep apnea is treated with a device such as CPAP, you reduce or even eliminate your risks. However, if you do not seek treatment when your breathing stops during an apnea attack, the levels of carbon dioxide in your blood increase while the levels of oxygen drop off. This effect causes a variety of chemical and physical events to occur that can increase your risk for heart problems.
Sleep apnoea health problems increase the longer the apnea remains untreated. This problem will decrease the levels of gas nitric oxide in the blood, which is an important substance for heart health. The reduced levels raise the risk of heart problems.
Apnea also increases the angiotensin converting enzyme, which plays a role in congestive heart failure and high blood pressure. High levels of this enzyme exacerbate your sleep apnoea health problems. Other chemical changes involved also increase your risk for heart problems.
There is still much research needed to define just how all of these changes affect the heart and just how serious the impact is to the health of your heart. With treatments available, why take the risk? Why not use a sleep apnea device like CPAP?
Studies have made direct correlations with the following sleep apnoea health problems. If you suffer from sleep apnea, consider these risks if you choose to ignore using one of the sleep apnea device treatments.
High Blood Pressure – Several studies have correlated sleep apnoea with high blood pressure. A study conducted in 2004 for sleep apnea health problems found that the more apnea episodes you had in the first year, the more likely you were to have high blood pressure by the time year four came around.
Blood pressure will have wide fluctuations in response to the apnea episode. These fluctuations might be a result of the sympathetic nervous system sudden surge. It’s these fluctuations, which lead to the blood vessels constricting, and over time, this leads to high blood pressure and the possibility of heart damage.
Effective treatments like the CPAP sleep apnea device allow your airways to remain open, which means your blood pressure will be lowered. Only partial reduction of sleep apnoea does not have the positive effective. It must be a substantial reduction.
Of the many sleep apnea health problems, coronary artery disease and heart attack are the two most serious. Studies have confirmed that the more apnea episodes you have the higher your risk of heart attack, stroke, and coronary artery disease. This is especially true in older adults. Do you still want to ignore treatment such as CPAP?
If you have sleep apnoea, you double your risk for stroke. The worse the episodes, the greater the risk you face. Severe sleep apnoea can triple your risk of stroke. And stroke sufferers with sleep apnea have symptoms that are worse, such as poor speech response, depression, delirium, and difficulty with daily activities. Another good reason to use a sleep apnea device is to reduce your risk of developing sleep apnoea health problems.
37% of all heart failure patience had sleep apnea, and if you have existing congestive heart failure with sleep apnoea, your risk of death goes up.
Other sleep apnoea health problems that have been directly linked to sleep apnea
* Peripheral nerve damage
* Asthma
* Diabetes
* Kidney failure
* Eye disorders
* Liver damage
* Seizures
* Nerve disorders
* High-risk pregnancies
* Headaches
* Irregular menstrual periods
Now that you know just a few of the sleep apnoea health issues are you ready to seek treatment?