Ways to Combat Snoring

Snoring can be a problem that not only affects your sleep but something that can affect your mind and put strain on your personal relationships. Snoring affects up to 50% of the population and has been known to affect 90 million Americans at one point or another. What are the possible things your can do to remedy the situation? No one really wants to sleep next to a person who snores deeply over the course of the night. Exercising and observing how you sleep can make an enormous difference.

Sleeping with a tennis ball for example can play a role in aiding your breathing because sleeping on your side allows for a better flow of air. So with a tennis ball strapped to your back, you will always be forced to readjust your position on your bed. Avoiding alcohol altogether can greatly benefit a person who snores consistently because drinking results in the relaxation of the muscles along the throat area making breathing difficult.

Another thing to look into is the humidity. If you are in a dry room, it makes it easier for snoring and a lot more uncomfortable for the person sleeping beside you. Besides that CPAP, the treatment used for OSA, is a common way to keep from snoring. In a lot of cases snoring is a good indicator of OSA. Which is why if your snoring gets bad, it is important to get checked out by a sleep specialist who can diagnose what you have so you can get the necessary treatment.

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Sleep Apnea can raise risk of cancer studies show

Recently there have been studies that have been conducted proving that there really is a link between cancer and OSA. The study on government workers in Wisconsin showed that people who have severe OSA are almost 5 times more likely to die from cancer than the average person. With sleep apnea currently affecting 28 million Americans and more the world over, it is important that people make their health a priority and have a more in-depth knowledge about the disorder.

Previous tests were conducted in mice. The mice that had tumors were placed in a low oxygen environment. It was found that the mice needed to develop more blood vessels in order to counteract the lowered levels of oxygen. Causing the growth and spread of cancer to be easier. CPAP is one of the most effective treatments for sleep apnea. The positive airway pressure allows for a more regulated sleep with more oxygen making its way to the brain.

Erectile Dysfunction

It was found that having sleep apnea could result in erectile dysfunction. A study was done on mice to see how their sexual activity was affected by the disorder. After a week the male mice that had shown signs of the disorder all had lowered levels of sexual activity. How can a sleeping disorder affect something as distant erectile function?

The cause isn’t due to the lack of testosterone. It is because the interrupted sleep cycles cause less of an enzyme to be developed. The enzyme is responsible for producing nitric oxide, which aids the blood necessary for healthy erections. If you are having problems in that department, you could try CPAP treatment for OSA. For all you know, the reason behind your problem might be as simple as you not getting the right kind of sleep.

Who has sleep apnea?

Many patients who have OSA are undiagnosed. This is mainly because the symptoms that come as a result of the disorder occur during the night. Usually patients find out about themselves having the condition when someone sleeping in the same room notices that they are breathing irregularly.

Although sleep apnea is found to be more common within males, the disorder can affect anyone at anytime. There are many little signs here and that might signal that you have a condition. Daytime drowsiness is a possible effect as a result of the disorder. This is can be very dangerous, as you wouldn’t want to dose off while you are driving. On the other hand, some people are just genetically predisposition towards certain tendencies. In certain cases some patients have enlarged tonsils, which block the passageway of air. Or even in extreme cases where the alignment of the nasal bones causes the flow of air to be more strained.

Even if you are young and healthy there is still a slight chance that you might have the disorder. If you think you are at risk it is important that you undergo a sleep study. A polysomnography or sleep study is a way to thoroughly record certain body functions. This is a sure-fire way to know whether or not you have the disorder.

Stress

Besides eating the right food and getting enough exercise, stress in another factor affecting how a person sleeps. When you are stressed, your muscles tend to tighten up which causes shallow breathing. Stress in my opinion is more mental than physical. Stress may come as a result of the troubles in a person’s life. For example, a stressful work environment can make for some difficult nights. Which is why it is important that you find a way to relieve whatever tension you build up as the weeks go on. As long as you have a few hours a day devoted to relaxation you can reduce stress levels significantly.

Stress might not be directly linked to OSA but many patients who have the breathing disorder also have a lot of stress present in their lives. Anxiety can cause sleeplessness at night. Whatever you experience during the day will manifest itself in some form as the night goes along. Sleeping with a mind at peace and using the CPAP machine is the perfect combination for treating OSA.

Ways of Reducing Snoring

Snoring is one of the most common symptoms for a person with OSA. It can also be a bother if a loud snorer sleeps in the same room as another person. Loud snoring can often lead to sleeplessness for people who prefer to rest in silence. Snoring can often mean that you aren’t breathing properly while you are sleeping.

There are many aspects in your environment that affect whether you snore or not at night. One thing that people tend to forget is that pillowcases can gather allergens and dust that might cause heavy snoring at night. Another thing to take note of is how hydrated you are while you are sleeping. This is because the secretions in the nasal area become stickier when a person does not have enough fluids in his or her system. Thus making breathing more difficult and the patient more susceptible to snoring. People with clogged sinuses also tend to snore and have difficulty breathing. Taking a nice, warm shower is an effective way to clear the nasal passages.

After being diagnosed with Sleep Apnea you might feel overloaded!

After being diagnosed with sleep apnea, patients often find themselves overloaded with information. Patients must learn how to properly use their equipment and how to clean their machines the right way. These more often than not vary with the various private providers out there. However there are certain tips that will help each sleep apnea patient take care of their equipment and get the best treatment possible. Remember that the quality of the air you receive is dependent entirely on how clean your equipment is.

Here are some basic guidelines:

When cleaning your equipment remember to unplug everything because you don’t want any unnecessary accidents

Unplug everything that is attachable (masks, tubing, headgear, etc)

Use a warm, damp cloth and run it over all the open surfaces of the machine

Place all the detachable parts in a basin of warm soap water for about 30 minutes

If there are filters in place in your machine make sure to check with your provider for the proper maintenance procedures

After all that is done replace everything to its proper place

Make sure to clean everything at least once a week in order to ensure that you receive the quality air that you deserve

Energy Drinks

Most things in moderation are actually good for you. Having one or two energy drinks like Red Bull or Rock Star can actually be a good way to jump-start your day. After all it contains vitamin B, amino acids and ginseng. The problem however is that Caffeine is still one of the main ingredients in energy drinks. There’s a reason why its conventional knowledge to not over-indulge in drinking anything that is caffeinated. Energy drinks, soda and coffee all contain sizeable portions of caffeine. And intake should be minimized if not avoided.

Caffeine will give you that rush that you need but the truth is that if taken regularly and often, the stimulant can cause discord in your mental and physical state. Excessive use of caffeine may cause heart failure because of elevated blood pressure and an increased heart rate. At the same time excessive intake of caffeine may play a role in disrupting someone’s sleep pattern. Sometimes this may even cause sleep apnea. It is very important that you put the right things in your body in order to have the best results possible. Instead of waking up and drinking coffee, switch up your daily routine and try drinking tea. Maybe instead of drinking an energy drink try doing something physical over the week so that you develop endurance to help you motor through your daily grind.

Alcohol and OSA

Alcohol is quite often used as a quick way to feel drowsy thus making sleep easier. Although alcohol may shorten the time it takes to fall asleep, it also disrupts the second half of the sleep period. If one drinks consistently before bed the initial effects of drowsiness may begin to wear off. After a night of drinking you wake up the next morning groggy because of a combination of the lack of a good nights sleep and the lingering effects of the alcohol.

The reason why alcohol can be very detrimental to a person with OSA is because alcohol causes the muscles to relax. Which makes the passage of air that much narrower. Making it that much more difficult to breathe at night for a patient with OSA.

If an alcoholic is diagnosed with OSA, many doctors will advise their patients to kick the habit because it has a direct effect on the disorder. Although drinking every now and then won’t really harm you, a lot of alcohol can be very detrimental to your health.

Getting Tested

The reason why there are many undiagnosed cases of OSA is because a lot of the symptoms occur while a person is fast asleep. Patients with OSA snore irregularly throughout the night. Some people may even gasp for air and have protracted pauses in breathing. One way to see whether you have sleep apnea is to have someone observe you while you sleep. Allowing that person to hear your snoring patterns, checking to see whether there are any irregularities in the flux of air.

Another common indicator that someone has OSA is when you suffer from daytime fatigue. No matter how long you sleep for, you wake the next morning completely drained. This can often lead to depression and irritability during the day. This disorder can be very detrimental for adults and children alike. Your memory and concentration can be affected severely because you always feel so tired. Performance in work and school won’t be the same because of fatigue.

Getting tested in a lab would be the best way to know whether you suffer from OSA. But for most people, a lab set-up isn’t the most comfortable thing in itself. Home testing kits can also be used so that the patient can sleep in the familiarity of his if her own room. Time is of the essence when determining whether you have OSA because you wouldn’t want it to turn into something much worse.