Sleep Apnea and Snoring

Author: Gene Medame

Ever been shoved or tugged during a sleep, or made your significant other have to leave the room because you snore too loudly?

If so, don’t just assume that it’s just snoring because you may have Sleep Apnea, which it is commonly mistaken for. Sleep Apnea is a disorder in which there are temporary pauses in breathing during sleep.

These apneas are repeated multiple times throughout the sleep, causing breaths to be missed in long periods of time– lasting anywhere from seconds to a few minutes, and occurring as many as thirty or more times during an hour.

(Sleep Apnea CPAPs, CPAP Masks & More….)

Sleep apnea is a dangerous and sometimes deadly condition that disrupts sleep, often making a deep sleep feel more shallow– thus making those afflicted more tired a restless during a normal day than those without it.

Because Sleep Apnea isn’t a condition checked upon during routine physicals or blood tests, and most importantly, because it occurs during one’s sleep, it can be very difficult to pinpoint. Usually, it’s spotted by family members and/or loved ones who happen to notice gaps in breathing which can sound more like a hibernating bear than the usual good nights sleep.

Sleep apnea affects approximately twelve million adults in the United States. And of those twelve million, close to fifty percent of them are over-weight. It also affects many more men than women. Statistically speaking, men are fifty-percent more likely to get it than women. Minorities, specifically: African-Americans, Hispanics and Pacific Islanders, are far more likely than Caucasians to be affected by Sleep Apnea.

Genetics also play a roll in whether or not a person develops Sleep Apnea. If your parents have it you have a much greater chance of eventually developing it.

Health can also pose a major threat. People who have high blood pressure or who smoke, have a far better risk of developing sleep apnea than say, a healthy individual. As well as it increasing the likelihood of irregular heartbeats or driving or on-the-job accidents.

Because there are no medications on the market to treat sleep apnea, methods such as a life-style change, surgery and mouthpieces have been suggested as the most beneficial treatments. A more accurate description of change includes: a reduction in alcohol consumption (especially nearing ones bedtime), a stoppage in smoking, or sleeping on one’s side instead of the back or stomach. All are effective ways to help treat mild sleep apnea. More serious conditions may result in the use of a breathing device called a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine. Or even more, surgery to repair the airways in ones throat to create a more free-flowing air passage way.

Not unlike Sleep Apnea, snoring usually occurs more often with males and overweight persons. And the older one gets, whether male or female, the more frequent it becomes. And while there have been numerous products and devises developed to help stop or even manage storing, the reality is that there in no way for it to totally be under your control. Simply put, the loud and irritating sounds of snoring happen when passages air in the back of the mouth and nose are obstructed.

And also like Sleep apnea, snoring can deprive the sleeper of normal sleep patterns and a good nights rest, and develop into a more serious problem.

As far as curing snoring, disruptive snorers who snore in any position should seek \medical advice to be assured that sleep apnea isn’t the problem. Treating snoring depends upon if it is deemed a mild condition, or the more serious sleep apnea.

Those who suffer from snoring or sleep apnea can try a few self-help remedies such as:
-Losing weight and adopting a healthy diet.
-Avoiding tranquilizers, such as sleeping pills, before bedtime.
-Avoiding alcohol, heavy meals, and strenuous activity before retiring to bed.
-Try and establish a routine sleep pattern.

Whether one just snores or has the more dangerous Sleep Apnea, it is important to know the symptoms and signs and get it checked out as soon as possible, before either becomes a major problem.

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