Archive for the ‘Sleep Disorders’ Category

March18

Common Sleep Issues

By: Sara

These are some common sleep issues that a lot of people have been known to deal with. There are some of the most common sleep issues such as: Obstructive Sleep Apnea Better known as O.S.A. and Narcolepsy just to name a few. Obstructive Sleep Apnea is mostly known to be caused by having a blockage in the airway. If you have this blockage in your airway it can disrupt your breathing while you sleep. This disturbance in your breathing can cause you or who ever is dealing with this to wake up all through the night causing you to not get any sleep. Most of the people who are dealing with this do not even realize that they are dealing with it. They wake up off and on during the night, then they fall right back asleep not even realizing that they have been doing this all night. So then the next day when you wake up you feel exhausted because, you really didn’t get any sleep at all. If you are dealing with this disruption in breathing can take place with you while you are sleeping, just a few times or up to hundreds of times over the course of a night. Do not feel bad if you think you are one of the one’s who are dealing with this because, there are about eighteen million other people who deal with this or so statistics would say.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Almost up to eighty-two percent of men and ninety-three percent of women with slight to severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea have not been diagnosed and therefore, do not only not know that they have this condition but,they do not get treated for it. There are some people that might be more of a target for dealing with this sleeping issue. Those people would be people who have been known to deal with or have any of the following symptoms: Type 2 diabetes, Congestive heart failure, Stroke, Obesity or High blood pressure . So if you deal with any of these other symptoms you may want to go a head and get checked for this sleeping issue why you are at it. If there is a time where you think you may need surgery you need to ask your physician to examine you for these symptoms because, if you need to be put to sleep for surgery you have to take special precautions.

Narcolepsy

Then there is the sleeping issue of Narcolepsy. Narcolepsy is also a sleeping disorder, this dis-order is a little more on the serious side than the first sleeping issue. Narcolepsy is a sleeping disorder that involves the brain. Narcolepsy occurs in someone when the brain can not normally regulate sleep cycles and being awake. This can cause you to be sleepy during the daytime. It can cause excessive sleepiness that results in episodes of falling asleep suddenly with out notice. Do not feel like you are in a boat by yourself, it is estimated that Narcolepsy affects one in every two thousand Americans. The bad part about this sleeping dis order is the cause of Narcolepsy is not yet known. Sometimes the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks the brain cells involved in regulating the sleep -to -wake pattern cycle. It is believed that Narcolepsy is the result of these cells being damaged or destroyed. So you can see why this could cause such a problem. This is now not only a sleep issue, it is a safety issue. Narcolepsy can threaten safety, as patients may fall asleep while performing your everyday activities.

Symptoms of Narcolepsy

People with Narcolepsy often fall asleep several times a day, while at work or school, or even during a conversation or meal. Just out of no where you could fall asleep unexpectedly.Of course you should always consult your doctor if you think that you might have Narcolepsy. Talk to your doctor about whether you should avoid driving or using heavy machinery while dealing with this sleeping disorder. There are several medicines out there that are recommended that someone with Narcolepsy may try. Your doctor will be able to determine if in fact that you are dealing with Narcolepsy and be able to get you some medicine. Of course you will need to stay under a physicians care to make sure that you get the medicine that you need so, you can get your situation under control. You can eventually get this under better control. It may take a little bit of time to get this under control but, once you do it will put your life back in order.

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June24

Complete Guide To Sleep Apnea Treatments

By: Sara

Complete Guide To Sleep Apnea Treatments

Sleep Apnea is a potentially dangerous disorder because it is a condition when breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep.

There are two main types of sleep apnea. The more common one is obstructive sleep apnea. It occurs when throat muscles relax and your airway narrows or closes preventing you to breath in. The brain, then, wakes you up for a moment to restore breathing. This process might occur between 5 and 30 times every hour during the entire night.

Central sleep apnea is caused when the brain doesn’t send proper signals to the muscles that control breathing.
Complex sleep apnea is the combination of obstructive and central sleep apnea.

Depending on which type of sleep apnea you have and how bad it is, you have many different options to treat it or make it more manageable.
Treatments for sleep apnea fall into several different categories:

There are also home remedies, lifestyle changes and alternative treatments for sleep apnea you can try with the supervision of your doctor.

Treatments For Sleep Apnea

Some machines deliver air pressure, grater than that of the surrounding air through a mask placed over your nose while you sleep. This is called continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), and is just enough to keep your upper airway passages open and prevent you from snoring. It works for moderate or severe sleep apnea, but is somewhat uncomfortable and using it requires adjustment time. Trying on more than one mask and using a humidifier with your CPAP machine could be helpful. Always consult a doctor before you quit using the CPAP machine, since minor adjustments might fix the problem.

There are devices that automatically adjust the air pressure while you sleep and might be better than the CPAP. These are units that supply bilievel positive airway pressure (BiPAP) and provide more pressure when you inhale and less pressure when you exhale.

One recently approved airflow device is Adaptive servo-ventilation (ASV). It learns your normal breathing pattern and saves it into a computer. During sleep the device uses pressure to normalize yout breathing and prevent pauses. ASV may be more successful than CPAP at treating central sleep apnea, but there hasn’t been enough research yet.

Easier to use than a CPAP but less effective are oral appliances. They are designed to keep your throat open by bringing your jaw forward. This sometimes relieves snoring and can treat mild obstructive sleep apnea. Oral devices can usually be supplied by your dentist. There are many different ones and it might take some time until you find the best fit. Always follow up with your dentist at least twice a year to reassess your symptoms and make sure that the fit is still good for you.

People whose tongue is the main source of obstruction when they lye on their back might benefit from tongue-restraining devices (TRDs), which is a suction cup that is gripped with the teeth and sucks the tongue forward.

Surgery For Sleep Apnea

When you have sleep apnea, your air passages are blocked or you have extra tissue around your nose and throat that may be vibrating and causing snoring. The goal of surgery for sleep apnea is to remove the extra tissue. There are several ways to do this:

Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) – Extra tissue is removed from the rear of your mouth and the top of your throat, most likely including the tonsils and adenoids. If, however, there is tissue farther down your throat, it will not be removed during the operation and will continue to cause trouble while you sleep.

Maxillomandibular advancement – It makes obstruction less likely by moving forward the upper and lower part of your jaw from the remainder of your face bones, which enlarges the space behind the tongue and soft palate.

Tracheostomy – this is the most serious procedure, done only when you have life-threatening sleep apnea. A metal or plastic tube is inserted through an opening in your neck, to assist your breathing. The opening is kept covered during the day and uncovered at night.

Laser-assisted ululopalatoplasty and Radiofrequency ablation – these are procedures where your doctor removes tissues in the back of your throat with a laser or radiofrequency energy. They are used to treat snoring but are not recommended as sole treatments for obstructive sleep apnea. Other procedures for reducing snoring are nasal surgery and surgery to remove enlarged tonsils and adenoids.

Lifestyle Changes and Home Remedies For Sleep Apnea

There are many things you can do on your own to manage or treat obstructive sleep apnea and possibly central sleep apnea.

  1. Lose Weight
  2. Quit Smoking
  3. Avoid alcohol and certain medications
  4. Sleep on your side or abdomen
  5. Keep your nasal passages open at night
  6. Treat heart or neuromuscular disorders
  7. Treat allergies and respiratory infections

Alternative Sleep Apnea Treatments

Treating sleep apnea with tea therapy:

A cup of hot tea before bedtime can promote normal and restful sleep. There are several types of tea known for their ability to promote sleepiness:

  • Sleepy Time Tea
  • Chamomile Tea
  • Valerian Tea
  • Hops Tea
  • Catnip Tea

Treating sleep apnea with homeopathy

It is important you consult a homeopathic practitioner before you start any treatment. According to the constitutional type of the person different types of treatments will be recommended. Diet should be closely monitored, eliminating sugar and other allergic foods, since homeopathic practitioners believe sleep apnea is related to a loss of energy.

Treating sleep apnea with yoga

Yoga is appropriate for all ages and can greatly reduce stress and improve the quality of sleep. Their are breathing and relaxation techniques that will relieve your sleep apnea. The special type of yoga that promotes sleep is called Yoga Nidra, which in Sanskrit means Sleep. Yoga uses breathing and visualization techniques to help you relax, and it is recommended you do the exercises every night before sleep.

Treating sleep apnea with acupuncture

In Chinese medicine acupuncture has been used for a long time to treat sleeping disorders. Many techniques have been developed to improve the ease, duration, and quality of sleep. The procedure known as acupressure consists of applying to identified body points related to sleep issues.

A filmmaker and a photographer interested in all things related to green, healthy and sustainable living.

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Sleep apnea is a condition that causes a person to stop breathing for short periods of time during their sleep. The most effective way to treat this condition is with continuous positive airway pressure, also known as CPAP.
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June24

Sleep Walking in Children –simple Steps to Keep Your Child Out of Harm!

By: Sara

Sleep Walking
by i,max

Sleep Walking in Children –simple Steps to Keep Your Child Out of Harm!

Sleep walking is also known as noctambulism or somnambulism. This problem is mostly seen in children who are aged between 4 to 8 years. Mostly this problem of sleep walking appears to run in families. There are lots of chances to obtain this problem for your child if anyone of your family members has this problem.

The factors which cause the problem of sleep walking in children are:

• Fatigue or lack of sleep

• Due to fever or some other illness

• It can also be caused with the usage of certain medications which are not suitable for your child.

• Stress or some psychological problems

• Facing problems in getting uninterrupted or good sleep

• some Emotional problems can also lead to this problem

Sleep walking is not so serious and there is nothing to worry a lot regarding this. Most of the sleep walkers don’t perform this more often. Yeah! Sometimes this can cause some hazardous problems when the child doesn’t realize what he/she is doing such as walking through the opening windows and down stairs.

Sleep walking in not a sign which indicates that the child is physically or emotionally wrong. The child will not cause any type of emotional harm if he/she has this problem. Most of the sleep walkers will go back to their bed on their own. They don’t even remember what happened in the last night.

The most common symptoms which can be observed in the children who have the problem of sleep walking are:

• Opening eyes (half open in some cases) during sleep

• They will have blank look on their face

• They appear awake or sit up during their sleep

• They try to perform some detailed activity when they are in sleep

• Disoriented, confused upon awakening

• Talking among themselves in their sleep

• They will be clumsy, dazed and feel hard to wakeup.

Some other conditions which accompany this problem are:

• Obtaining brief pauses while breathing in their sleep

• Enuresis (it is also known as bed wetting)

• Night terrors

• By sitting up in their bed they will perform some repeated motions like fussing their pajamas or rubbing eyes.

Follow these simple steps to keep your child out of harm:

• Remove breakable or sharp things which are present around the bed of your child.

• Don’t let them to sleep in the bunk beds because there is a chance to fall from that bed when they awake in their sleep.

• In order to prevent stumble remove all the obstacles which are present in your child’s room or in your house

• Install the safety gates near the stair cases and/or outside of your child’s room

• Lock the doors and windows throughout your home

• Don’t scare your child but awakening him/her suddenly in their sleepwalk

• Make your child to feel more relax when they are ready to sleep by playing some relaxation or soft music tapes Visit Sleep Disorders Blog

Neelima Reddy, author of this article writes for SleepDisordersGuide.com. Sleep Disorders Guide blog helps you learn everything you need to know about sleep disorders. Know more about various treatment methods for these sleep disorders such as sleep apnea, snoring, insomnia, etc. Visit: http://www.sleepdisordersguide.com/blog/

Too Funny, Sleepwalking Dog
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March4

Symptoms of Sleep Apnea

By: Sara

sleep apnea diagram image

Sleep apnea is a condition that keeps you from getting enough sleep. You actually stop breathing while you are sleeping. This is only for short periods of time and most people don’t even know this is happening. Sometimes you may have choking or gasping sensations that you don’t even realize. Your sleeping partner may be alarmed by this, but they are the only ones witnessing this (OSA). You may wake up every morning wondering why you don’t feel rested. Sleep apnea is not something that is automatically detected, it takes special sleep studies to find this illness.

Potential Symptoms of Sleep Apnea

Some of the symptoms of sleep apnea or obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are as follows:

  • Extreme sleepiness in the daytime when you know you went to bed early enough.
  • Waking in the morning feeling like you haven’t slept at all. You may forget things and not be able to concentrate.
  • Headaches may be a problem. Approximately 50% of sleep apnea patients report headaches.
  • Leg swelling may be a problem.
  • Possible heartburn.
  • Feeling the urge to urinate in the middle of the night.
  • Pains in the chest and sweating may occur.

Symptoms Others May Observe

Other people in the room with you or your sleeping partner may notice some more characteristics which are:

  • Many silences during the night. This is when you are not breathing. The frequency of this apnea may be between 5-50 episodes a night, depending on how bad your OSA is.
  • Loud snoring is a symptom of sleep apnea, although not all people that snore suffer from sleep apnea.
  • Tossing and turning during sleep.
  • Gasping noises and choking sounds.
  • Sudden, sharp awakening during the night, which often startles the patient and also his room mates.

Some symptoms of OSA in children younger than 5 years of age are the same as adults but the symptoms in children older than 5 include snoring, growing spurts may be somewhat delayed, wetting the bed may be a problem and behavioral problems may exist.

Some of the reasons that people have sleep apnea include being obese, but thin people can have OSA also. Tonsils and adenoids that are very large may contribute to sleep apnea along with nasal congestion and a deviated septum.

Sleep apnea is detrimental to the health because it causes sleep deprivation and oxygen deprivation which can also contribute to depression. Your physician will probably order special tests. If he confirms a sleep apnea diagnosis, he will probably advise you to lose weight, stop smoking and alcohol use, sleep on your side and elevate your head. If none of this provides satisfactory results, the next step would be a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) mask. Many people find these to be very beneficial.

This article is not intended to be used as a medical advice, if you are experiencing any medical problems please consult your physician

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February18

Effects of Sleep Deprivation

By: Sara

man with sleep deprivation

The effects of sleep deprivation can cause many health problems that we aren’t aware of. It can effect your physical and mental health by diminishing your ability to think clearly and handle the stresses of every day life. It can affect our body’s immune system and cause our bodies to be attacked by illness and disease. If the reason for the sleep deprivation is not found, it is hard for doctors to know what exactly to treat.

Symptoms of Sleep Deprivation

The main symptoms of sleep deprivation include some of the following:

  • dizziness and nausea
  • hallucinations
  • irritability
  • memory loss or lapses
  • yawning
  • nystagmus or rapid involuntary eye movements
  • psychosis
  • severe headaches
  • hand tremors
  • increased risk for a number of diseases

Many studies have been performed regarding sleep deprivation showing that the brain’s cognitive functions are greatly affected and sleep deprivation has even been linked to Diabetes, heart diseases, and bipolar disorders.

Knowing Your Limits

If you are suffering from the effects of sleep deprivation and are not under the care of a medical professional, you should not drive because statistics show that at least one in five tragic automobile accidents are related to the fatigue of the driver causing them to take unnecessary risks on the road. If you are driving and you begin to feel drowsy, pull over as soon as you find a safe place and lock your doors and take a nap until you feel rested before you begin driving again. You could always call someone to come and help you if the drowsiness does not go away.

Tips for Getting a Good Night Sleep

If you feel you are just going through a phase in your life causing you to not get enough sleep, the following tips may help you in your quest for getting a good restful night of sleep.

  1. Create your own sleep schedule by going to bed at the same time each night and waking up at the same time each morning using an alarm clock. After awhile this will become automatic and your inner clock will take over.
  2. Make up a relaxing ritual before your scheduled bedtime such as taking a warm relaxing bath or listening to music and avoid any activity that is stimulating.
  3. Redecorate your sleeping area into a quiet and dark place free from interruptions.
  4. Do not use your bedroom for anything except sleep and sex. Eating in bed is not advised and any eating should be done at least three hours before your set bedtime.
  5. Do not smoke or drink alcohol or caffeine close to bed time. Some people believe that alcohol is a relaxant but it can actually disturb your sleep and may even cause nightmares.
  6. Set up a regular exercise program sometime during the day, but always finish your routines at least a few hours before bedtime.
  7. Learn relaxation techniques to help you go to sleep.

Getting a restful nights sleep can help decrease your chances of having a heart attack or even a stroke. Getting from seven to nine hours of sleep each night has been recommended by professionals specializing in sleep disorders so that you won’t suffer the effects of sleep deprivation.

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