An apnea is a pause in breathing. In sleep apnea, these pauses happen during sleep, and can be caused by physical or neurological causes. The breathing gaps can happen 5 (mild) to over 50 (severe) times in an hour.

The most common sign of sleep apnea is snoring. This normally happens when the tongue falling down into the throat causes problem. Other sleep apnea symptoms are:

Restlessness during sleep Frequently waking up Gasping or choking Difficulty sleeping Morning or night migraines General fatigue and sleepiness throughout the day

While this disorder may appear harmless, it does have long-term effects on the sufferers. Because the breathing is impaired during sleep, it can cause problems to the brain. They also tend to feel tired and unfocused even if they appear to have gotten hours of sleep. This is because the quality of their sleep is very poor.

Available Treatments

CPAP, or Continuous Positive Airway Pressure, is one of the most common treatments recommended by doctors. It is a mask fitted over the nose, or the nose and mouth, which provides a steady stream of oxygen. This helps the wearer keep breathing even when there are obstructions in the airway. It is also shown to prevent the airway itself from collapsing.

Some patients tend to complain that the device is hard to wear and causes difficulty sleeping. Others simply say that it is not effective for them. There are CPAP alternatives that are available in the market. Some of these provide a version of the CPAP method with greater variation in the air pressure.

The BiPAP (Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure), also called VPAP (Variable Positive Airway Pressure) has two different settings for air pressure. These correspond to the patient’s every intake and release of breath. More customized is the APAP (Automatic Positive Airway Pressure), wherein the wearer’s every breath is monitored so that the air pressure is changed correspondingly.

Other than these air pressure devices, there are oral and dental devices that prevent the tongue from falling into the throat. These hold the jaw forward to help the airway. These may cause problems with the position of the mouth, so it is advisable to see a doctor to recommend or custom-fit the right one.

Problems with Lifestyle

Simply changing sleeping position can help relieve the sleep apnea symptoms. Elevating the torso, lying on the stomach, or sleeping on the side helps prevent the tongue from falling down the throat and obstructing breathing.

Losing weight and stopping the intake of medicine and alcohol can also significantly reduce the symptoms. Excess stout can block airway while taking substances may make the muscles too relaxed in sleep.

There is more you can do if you are experiencing the symptoms of sleep apnea. Its best to catch this disorder before it can cause serious problems. The website www.ApneaTreatmentGuide.com has more information that can help you.

Sleep apnea is a disorder of breathing during sleep usually accompanied by loud snoring. People with sleep apnea do not get enough oxygen when they sleep and experience brief moments throughout the night where breathing stops. There are two types of sleep apnea; obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common type and is caused by an obstruction in the airway during sleep. Central sleep apnea is caused by a delay in the signal from the brain to breath and is hard to diagnose. In both types of apnea, a person wakes up briefly several times during the night to breathe, usually with no knowledge of doing so. Sleep apnea can be a life-threatening condition if it goes undiagnosed and untreated for a long period of time. The severity of the condition determines how it should be treated.

Mild sleep apnea can be treated with behavioral changes including losing weight and sleeping on your side. But, there are also devices that a person can wear during sleep to help keep the airway open.  Moderate to severe sleep apnea is usually treated a machine called the CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) that blows air into your nose via a nose mask. The continuous air keeps the airway open and unobstructed. A Bi-level PAP(Bi-PAP) machine is used for more severe cases of apnea. The bi-level machine blows air at two different pressures; higher pressure when a person inhales and lower pressure when a person exhales. In cases where CPAP can not help or when a person has a facial deformity that causes sleep apnea, surgical procedures to increase the size of the airway are needed.

Insomnia is another sleep disorder involving difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, waking up too early, and sleep state misperception. At times, life events can cause insomnia but it is usually temporary. This is called transient or small-term insomnia. Chronic insomnia involves sleeping poorly most nights for a month or longer. There are usually a number of factors involved including physical and or mental disorders. Depression is the most common cause of chronic insomnia. But, chronic insomnia may also be due to the misuse of caffeine, alcohol and drugs. Chronic insomnia can also be caused by a disruption in the sleep/wake cycle, like shift work and other nighttime activities. Anxiety about sleep and/or chronic stress are other behaviors that can perpetuate insomnia. Medication and behavioral treatment can help with transient, small term and chronic insomnia.

Transient and small term insomnia may not need to be treated because the episodes only last a small period of time. For example, if insomnia is due to a disruption in the sleep cycle, usually a person’s biological clock will readjust to normal on its own. But, small-acting sleeping pills are available for those that experience impaired performance due to day time sleepiness from insomnia. The first step for treating chronic insomnia is diagnosing and treating the underlying medical or psychological problem causing the sleeplessness. This can be followed by identifying and stopping or reducing behaviors that may worsen insomnia.  Finally, the use of sleeping pills prescribed at the lowest dose for the shortest duration needed can also be beneficial.  Behavioral techniques such as relaxation therapy, sleep restriction therapy and reconditioning are also effective and safe.

Narcolepsy is a chronic sleep condition where a person continues to experience an irresistible need to sleep no matter how much sleep they get. It is mostly a hereditary condition but only prevalent in about 0.3% of the population. Symptoms include, excessive sleepiness, temporary decrease or loss of muscle control (especially when excited), vivid dream-like images when drifting off to sleep or waking up unable to go or talk for a brief time. Symptoms usually start between the ages of 15 and 30 with a peak in the teenage years. There is no cure for narcolepsy, but, behavior and medical therapy can help control symptoms.

The excessive daytime sleepiness is usually treated with a stimulant drug. Muscle weakness and REM sleep symptoms are treated with antidepressants. The medications reduce symptoms but don’t alleviate them and some medications may have side effects. Maintaining a routine sleep schedule, a excellent diet, increased exercise and avoiding exciting situations are lifestyle adjustments that can help reduce excessive daytime sleepiness and muscle weakness. With proper medication and support from friends and family, most individuals with narcolepsy delight in a nearly normal lifestyle.

Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) is a discomfort or prickly/tingly feeling in the legs relieved by moving or stimulation the leg. The most unusual aspect of this condition is that relaxing or lying down tends to activate the symptoms. Therefore, most people with RLS have distress falling asleep or staying asleep. When undiagnosed and untreated RLS can cause daytime fatigue and extreme exhaustion. 80% of persons with RLS also experience periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD). PLMD is associated with involuntary leg twitching or jerking movements occurring every 10 to 60 seconds throughout the night.  The causes of RLS and PLMD are unknown, but, they can be treated.

Mild to moderate cases of RLS can be treated with lifestyle adjustments including reduction of caffeine intake, alcohol consumption, and tobacco. Taking a hot bath, taking vitamin supplements, using a heating pad and maintaining a regular bedtime routine can also relieve some symptoms of RLS. Dopaminergics, benzodiazepines (central nervous system depressants), opioids, and anticonvulsants are the types of drugs that physicians prescribe to treat the disorder since there is no one drug to help everyone with RLS. RLS is a lifelong condition that can be managed but usually gets worse with age.

If you experience lack of sleep, too much sleep, non-breathing spells during sleep, or exhaustion is interfering with your daily life, contact your health care provider for help.

There are generally three types of sleep disorders: lack of enough sleep, sleep disturbance, and too much or excessive sleep. The person suffering from a sleep disorder may have difficulty getting to sleep at night or staying asleep as well as having difficulty staying awake through the day; they may also experience different types of behaviors that prevent them from staying asleep during their normal sleeping hours. One type of sleep disorder, lack of sleep, is also commonly known as insomnia and is what people usually have rather than a more complex sleeping disorder.

Sleep apnea can be life threatening; this problem is usually accompanied by heavy and loud snoring and causes the person to wake up sometimes hundred of times during the night without remembering ever being awake. In the excessive sleep disorder type the most well-known is called narcolepsy. Finding that you need coffee, colas or other caffeine drinks throughout the day to stay alert or awake can also be a hint that sleep disorder treatments need to be investigated.

There are number of sleep disorders that appear in different people and even those with similar sleep disorders often show different symptoms. Many people say they survive nicely on four or five hours of sleep; others say they need nine or even ten hours. The sleep disorder narcolepsy can have complications such as cataplexy and hypnagogic hallucinations; cataplexy is the weakness or complete paralysis of the muscles, and hypnagogic hallucinations are vivid dreams that happen during the stage of sleep between being awake and being asleep.

Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome is a sleep disorder of circadian rhythm, characterized by the inability to wake up and fall asleep at the desired times, but not by the inability to stay asleep. Periodic Limb Movement Disorder (PLMD) is the involuntary movement of arms and/or legs during sleep. Narcolepsy is the sleep disorder of falling asleep spontaneously and unwillingly.

Don’t get into the habit of drinking a glass of wine, hard liquor, or any other alcoholic beverage at bedtime; alcohol is a central nervous system depressant and it will interfere with your REM (rapid eye movement) sleep and cause other problems you might not be aware of. Some health experts suggest that contracting then relaxing all your muscles starting with your toes and proceeding upwards as you lie in bed can help you relax. In bed do try to focus on anything pleasant, long enough to distract you from any worries that are keeping you awake.

Some people say that sleeping with your head facing north helps you fall asleep because your body is better aligned with the earth. Concentrating on some of the insomnia tips you’ve heard in the past may place your mind at rest long enough to allow you to go to sleep. Your pillow may make you feel as though you’re lying uphill or downhill and if it is too hard may press into your head uncomfortably, reducing the chance of your falling asleep.

In some sleep tests they used a flashlight to shine light on the back of the knee and tested the reaction of the brain on the sleeping centers and the light was detected; your body knows when there is a light bright on the back side of your body. Make sure that you don’t have any light on in the bedroom, including the red light on digital clocks, night lights or any other light, even a small flicker; any light at all can stop the production of melatonin which is produced when it starts getting dark enough in your bedroom but may shut down if even the smallest light is glowing. You need to produce melatonin for a excellent nights sleep.

If you lie in bed struggling with the day’s stresses and worries, try some of the insomnia tips you’ve heard over the years such as counting sheep or visualizing a blank screen. Some doctors may offer sleeping medications as a small-term solution along with some insomnia tips, but will seek to find the underlying cause of the sleeplessness and treat the cause instead of the symptom. Among the many insomnia tips provided by doctors and other health professionals, the most vital tip is the ability to get physically relaxed enough to fall asleep.

Finding the solution to your sleeping problems or sleep disorder will be worth the investment in time. Your doctor or sleep specialist may be able to recommend support groups to you. Consider going to a sleep disorder center because they provide the newest research for the many issues that involve any sleep disorder.

The Effects of Apnea

Sleep apnea affects an estimated 12 million Americans, and the majority of sufferers don’t know they have this condition. If you have sleep apnea, you are familiar with the many unpleasant symptoms that can occur, such as fatigue, headaches, frequent snoring, congestion, sleeplessness, and others. In addition to the long list of noticeable problems that can accompany sleep apnea, this condition can also have a negative effect on your general health with links to serious medical problems.

Here are a few of the conditions that have been linked to sleep apnea:

• Cardiovascular disease

• Memory problems

• Weight gain

• Impotency

• High blood pressure

• Narcolepsy

• Mood disorders

• Depression

• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)

• Hyperactivity or ADHD in children

Sleep Study Diagnosis

Since public awareness is gradually increasing regarding sleep apnea, it is much simpler to find help today than even just a few years ago. Now there are many cosmetic dentists who offer sleep apnea diagnosis and treatment. Diagnosis usually starts with a sleep study where the patient is observed during sleep to measure the frequency and severity of halted breathing episodes and to evaluate breathing patterns.

Effective Apnea Treatments

As sleep apnea technology continues to progress, the treatments made available offer sleep apnea sufferers more options than ever. Treatment is a highly personalized process and will vary based on the patient’s needs. Here are a few of the treatment options that may offer relief:

• Continuous Positive Airway Pressure device (CPAP) — CPAP is a mask-like device that patients can wear overnight to help keep the airway clear and encourage normal breathing.

• Behavioral or lifestyle changes — For some, simple changes like losing weight, exercising and altering diet can help alleviate symptoms of apnea.

• Surgery – In cases where more conservative options prove ineffective, surgery can help those who are experiencing breathing problems due to anatomical causes by expanding the airway.

• Sleep habit changes – Sometimes changing sleeping position or location, adding a humidifier, avoiding alcohol and sedatives, and other behavioral changes can help.

• Medications – Certain medications may help patients manage the daytime sleepiness and fatigue symptoms.

• Dental appliances – there are a variety of oral appliances, including the tongue retaining device and mandibular repositioning device, that can be worn to encourage positive airflow and regulated breathing

Talk to an experienced sleep apnea dentist for more information on the treatments available. You can also find out more about sleep apnea causes, diagnosis and treatment by doing your own research: Sleep apnea resources.

Snoring is nothing more than a vibration caused from fatty tissue rubbing against the back of the throat during sleep. It is often the cause of sleep loss, aggravation and inconvenience. Snoring alone, but, is not as perilous as sleep apnea, which occurs when an individual stops breathing completely throughout the night. This is usually caused by a complete airway blockage resulting from tissue in the throat relaxing and cutting off the air supply. The sleep apnea sufferer awakens quickly due to their loss of air, but they may not realize what has happened. Frequent awakening, difficulty breathing or gasping for air and heavy snoring are all common signs of sleep apnea and may require an immediate need for effective snoring and sleep apnea treatments.

There are a variety of snoring and sleep apnea treatments, including changing to sleeping on your side instead of your back, maintaining a healthy diet and exercise program, ridding your home of allergens to help you breathe simpler during the night, elevating your head with an extra pillow at night or the use of doctor recommended apnea treatment devices. Once a patient has been diagnosed with sleep apnea, a more aggressive series of snoring and sleep apnea treatments may be required. If left untreated, sleep apnea can lead to heart disease, a stroke or other serious medical condition. Many apnea sufferers use a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine to help them receive a continual amount of air during the night, which helps to prevent the tissues in their throat from collapsing and blocking their airway causing them to stop breathing completely.

During snoring and sleep apnea treatments, sleepers need to sleep with their mouth closed or they risk losing the effects of the CPAP treatment. The Sleep Genie is a product that is designed to help improve sleep quality and allow the sleeper to rest comfortably with their mouth closed. While not intended to be used as a cure for sleep apnea, it may help to keep the sufferers mouth closed so that they can continue to receive the benefits of the CPAP machine. If the patient suffers from snoring, and not sleep apnea, the Sleep Genie is beneficial in helping to prevent snoring altogether because it is virtually impossible to snore with your mouth closed.

This article is intended for informational purposes only. It should not be used as, or in place of, professional medical advice. Before beginning any treatment for snoring, please consult a doctor for a proper diagnosis and remedy.

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 terrible it is, you have many different options to treat it or make it more manageable.
Treatments for sleep apnea fall into several different categories:

Treatments for sleep apnea with breathing-help devices.

Surgery for sleep apnea in the cases when the condition is life-threatening

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.

Simpler 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 excellent 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, but, there is tissue farther down your throat, it will not be removed during the operation and will continue to cause distress 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 help your breathing. The opening is kept covered during the day and uncovered at night.

Laser-helped 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.

Lose Weight
Quit Smoking
Avoid alcohol and certain medications
Sleep on your side or abdomen
Keep your nasal passages open at night
Treat heart or neuromuscular disorders
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 vital 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.

For more information on treating sleep apnea and a detailed explanation of each sleep apnea treatment, please visit Cure Sleep Apnea Now.