Tag: Snoring

How Dangerous Can Sleep Apnea Get?

posted by under ZQuiet , ,

While not all of us can exactly tell what sleep apnea is, we can’t deny the fact that almost the entire world population can recognize what snoring is even from a relative distance. You may even have vivid memories of old uncles and grandfathers sleeping on the couch or the recliner taking a nap and letting out the awfully loud and annoying snoring sound from your childhood years. Nothing much has changed, actually. Today, a big percentage of the population still suffers from the wrath of sleep apnea and many still remain undiagnosed, despite testing facilities being available. A lot of older people just dismiss it as mere snoring, something that should not raise any alarm bells at all. How mistaken is that? You can actually die in your sleep because of sleep apnea. Although not all snorers have sleep apnea, most patients who have been diagnosed with sleep apnea snore. So to stay on the safe side, better get yourself checked.

If you do have sleep apnea, don’t just dismiss it as a mere nuisance or a discomfort to you and those around you that you just have to live with. It is a serious condition that needs prompt treatment. If you don’t know it yet, people with sleep apnea literally stop breathing in their sleep. Their brain has to make the most difficult and risky decision of choosing between sleep and breathing. That’s how deadly this condition is. To better understand what sleep apnea is, it is a sleep disorder that is characterized by shallow breathing or breathing pauses while you are sleeping. And it happens multiple times throughout your sleep. So imagine the number of times your brain has to decide whether to let you live or just sleep for good each night.

Sleep apnea impacts millions of people in the United States and the city of San Antonio is not immune. 

Brosnan said within the University Health System, “we actually have close to 500 people waiting to be seen in the sleep clinic through referrals within the system.”

Sleep apnea can also impact other aspects of a person’s health if the problem is not treated. The condition can place stress on the patient’s heart and may set them up for a heart attack or stroke. Brosnan says there is also a link between obesity and sleep apnea. The disorder can also impact patients with diabetes. 

“As your body is more stressed as it’s sleeping, your sugar levels can rise. So that can contribute to worsening diabetes,” Brosnan said. 

(Via: https://www.ksat.com/health/snoring/the-dangers-of-sleep-apnea)

Just make sure you are familiar with the symptoms of sleep apnea. It is not just simply snoring. Symptoms like gasping or choking in your sleep, daytime sleepiness, morning headaches, irritability, and learning and memory issues are some of the physical manifestations of sleep apnea. Remember that this is a medical condition, so don’t forget paying your doctor a visit to confirm your suspicions and get treated for it once and for all. Some people die of sleep apnea without them knowing about it and medical practitioners end up blaming another ailment for it when it was sleep apnea that worsened their health to the point of no return.

“I still don’t know if he had a stroke or heart attack but it brought home the point that sleep apnea is deadly,” the author of “Sinus Relief Now,” tells Newsmax Health.

“Sleep apnea and snoring are processes that starve the brain and the heart of oxygen. As a result, they are the number one cause for heart attack and stroke. In addition, they can lead to heart arrthymias, fatigue, depression, sinus problems and problems functioning at school and at work.”

Josephson adds that sleep apnea can also wreak havoc with romantic relationships and is a leading medical cause of separation and divorce.

“Partners are forced to sleep in separate bedrooms because of the snoring and many become frightened when their spouse stops breathing,” he explains. “While sleep apnea is more common in older folks, it affects between 25 to 40 percent of the population including children.”

(Via: https://www.newsmax.com/health/health-news/apnea-sleep-disorder-breathing/2017/12/13/id/831552/)

Imagine if you are an elderly person already riddled with a handful of maladies that make living double harder, plus you also have sleep apnea. It increases your chances of suffering from a deadly heart attack or a stroke since your brain or heart is constantly deprived of oxygen. Not only that, it likewise predisposes you to other medical conditions that can precipitate a medical emergency in the near future. And it is not only your health that suffers because of it. Your romantic relationship is also compromised especially with couples who live together as your spouse will likely have a hard time getting a decent shut-eye each night with your loudly snoring permeating the room throughout the night.

While more often than not, a congenital anomaly is the reason why you have it. Surgery is not the only option to erase sleep apnea in the equation once and for all. However, there are various choices for its treatment. An endoscopy may be ordered first before you are prescribed with CPAP. If CPAP is not your thing and you feel it is too bulky and make sleep more uncomfortable or simply because you don’t like it, don’t feel guilty about it: https://snoringmouthpiecereview.org/why-a-cpap-machine-is-probably-not-for-you/. You can always resort to the more popular and handy alternatives like anti-snoring mouthpieces. https://snoringmouthpiecereview.org/zquiet is an excellent choice and you can sleep soundly at night once more knowing you’ll get another leash in life the next day after a good night’s sleep.

What Is Obstructive Sleep Apnea?

posted by under Good Morning Snore Solution , ,

Sleep is actually a necessity but is becoming more of a luxury these days as numerous things compete for your time and attention. Juggling your multiple responsibilities in and out of the house can be overwhelming at times that you often stretch your day far out into the night to ensure everything’s all taken cared of before your head hits the sack. It’s a sad reality really that you unconsciously give up and sacrifice many of the things that are important in life for the fleeting interests and obligations you busy yourself with in your pursuit of success and happiness.

However, you can also end up tossing and turning at night because of annoying but potentially life-threatening conditions like sleep apnea. There are different types of sleep apnea but the most common type is the obstructive one, a dangerous type of sleep disorder where your breathing constantly stops and start during your slumber. It happens because the muscles in your throat relax now and then that in turn blocks your airway while you are asleep.

Last week, actress Carrie Fisher’s autopsy report contained a surprising detail: The Los Angeles medical examiner listed sleep apnea as a factor in the “Star Wars” actress’ death.

Fisher also had cocaine, methadone, ethanol and opiates in her system.

Sleep apnea is when a person stops breathing while sleeping, for 10 seconds to a minute or longer. This can happen repeatedly during the night, causing blood-oxygen levels to dip and putting a strain on the heart.

Obstructive sleep apnea, the most common type, is caused by the upper throat muscles relaxing, which makes the airway narrow and close. Another type is central sleep apnea, where the brain doesn’t send the right signals to the muscles that control breathing. Complex sleep apnea, the third type, is when a person has both obstructive and central sleep apnea.

(Via: http://edition.cnn.com/2017/06/20/health/sleep-apnea-explainer/index.html)

It shouldn’t really come out as a surprise that people can die from sleep apnea to think that 18 million Americans are now diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea in the US alone albeit of different degrees of severity. Many are getting help. So, don’t take snoring issues lightly because it is your body’s way of telling you something is wrong and you need to act on it right away while you still can.

When you have obstructive sleep apnea, “not only are you likely to wake up with a headache and fall asleep during the day, but you’re also at risk of dying suddenly,” says cardiologist Bruce Wilkoff, MD.

“For most patients, sudden death is not caused by a heart attack, but by abnormal heart rhythms.”

Sleep apnea is diagnosed when you stop breathing for 10 seconds or longer — at least five times an hour — during sleep.

Researchers suspect sleep apnea causes abnormal heart rhythms, which lead to sudden cardiac death, for a number of reasons, says sleep medicine expert Reena Mehra, MD, MS.

“Sleep apnea may lower oxygen levels, activate the fight-or-flight response and change pressure in the chest when the upper airway closes, stressing the heart mechanically,” she explains.

It may increase inflammation and cause unhealthy changes in blood vessels as well.

(Via: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/2017/06/why-sleep-apnea-raises-your-risk-of-sudden-cardiac-death/)

While snoring is the most prominent symptom of sleep apnea, not all snorers are actually diagnosed with the disease. Sleep apnea’s progression can be gradual or not depending on the type of lifestyle you live, so try to get yourself checked as soon as you can if you don’t want to end up with more debilitating conditions that are worsened by sleep apnea and the accompanying lack of sleep you often suffer from. And be considerate of your partner or spouse as well. Even though it’s you taking all the risks, they also end up losing sleep having to put up with your loud snoring.

Traditional treatment often includes the use of a CPAP machine that most patients realize is far uncomfortable to use. Even if it’s the best treatment there is for this condition, it defeats its purpose if patients aren’t willing to use it. Find out for yourself if you think CPAP may or may not be a good fit for you: https://snoringmouthpiecereview.org/why-a-cpap-machine-is-probably-not-for-you. But don’t lose hope yet if you aren’t comfortable in using a CPAP machine yourself because there are handy anti-snoring mouthpieces and mouthguards you can use like this one: https://snoringmouthpiecereview.org/good-morning-snore-solutionx that works better CPAP minus all the hassle. The important thing is to get yourself checked as soon as possible if you value your health and ultimately your life.