Lack of Oxygen

The lack of oxygen caused by sleep apnea is the reason why the disorder can be so fatal. Although more cardiovascular diseases are associated with OSA, it has now been proven that the disorder makes it 5 times more likely for a patient to die of cancer. The Wisconsin sleep cohort study has collected data for 22 years, and has observed 1522 Washington state employees. Using methods such as the Polysomnography to accurately record sleep patterns shown over the course of a night. This is important because up until this study, most tests were run on mice.

Both studies have similar results in that both of them indicate that the lack of oxygen caused by OSA can result in more rapid cancerous growth. Which is why a person with sleep apnea is much more likely to have cancer compared to a normal person. The lack of oxygen results in a build up of blood vessels making it that much easier for carcinogenic substances to grow.

The effects of sleep apnea can vary from loud snoring at night to excessive daytime fatigue. Sleep apnea has been linked to many chronic illnesses. Unfortunately due to the nature of the disorder, many patients remain undiagnosed. With scientific fact indicating that sleep apnea can play a role in inhibiting cancerous growth it is important that sleep apnea be treated early. CPAP is best treatment out there because it guarantees that you get the proper amount of air so that you can get the best sleep possible.

Dronabinol…. What is it?

Obstructive sleep apnea is a condition currently affecting 18 million Americans and potentially can be very fatal. It is no secret that OSA has been linked to many other fatal diseases such as coronary heart disease, stroke, high-blood pressure and type 2 diabetes. Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when breathing ceases repeatedly over the course of a night because there is a blockage in the throat.

As of 2012 there still is no drug treatment available for patients to use. The most widely prescribe treatment is the CPAP machine, which uses pressurized air to keep the airways open while a person is sleeping. Recently a research team from the University of Illinois at Chicago has been given a 5 million dollar grant to see whether a Cannabinoid can reduce sleep apnea and prevent any of the diseases linked to it.

The drug in question is Dronabinol and is marketed under the name Marinol. This is used to treat nausea and vomiting in chemotherapy patients. The drug is also used on AIDS patients to reduce weight loss and increase appetite. This potentially could be a big break through in the field of sleep apnea, because if proven to be effective this could change a lot of patient’s lives.

Curing depression

Depression, anxiety and exhaustion are all the ill effects that come as a result of not being able to sleep properly. Clinical depression can be defined as a mood disorder in which feelings of sadness, loss, anger or frustration are amplified and can affect the way a person lives his or her life. There are many reasons why depression may be caused: a traumatic experience, substance abuse or even certain medications.

Sleeping problems such as sleep apnea may also play a role in causing symptoms of depression. You can only imagine why. Not being able to sleep for so many hours can leave a person feeling drained. When you are tired the chances of a person being more irritable are higher. Patients with depression are five times more likely to suffer from sleep-disordered breathing. Interestingly enough, the standard treatment for OSA has also proven to have results with patients who have obstructive sleep apnea.

Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the soft tissues around the airway collapse and as a result air has difficulty reaching all the way down to the lungs. Sleep apnea is often under diagnosed and people can go on for years without realizing they have a problem. The CPAP machine is the most commonly prescribed treatment for sleep apnea and relies on constant air pressure to keep the throat open and allow air to easily flow in and out of the mouth.

Finding the right CPAP mask

When trying out your CPAP for the first time, it is not uncommon to wake up the next morning with a dry mouth. A dry mouth means that during the night you are only breathing through your mouth. There may also be a leak in your mask causing all the pressurized air to seep out while you are sleeping.

A sleep doctor will tell you that you should sleep with a chinstrap to make sure that you breathe through your nose only. A full-face that covers both the nose and mouth can also be prescribed thereby allowing you to breathe through your mouth. You should also consider using a humidifier because it is effective in relieving many common side effects of the CPAP machine like dry throat and nasal congestion.

Many patients complain about how uncomfortable the straps feel and how they wake up the next night with red marks on their face. If this should happen to you it is self-evident that your mask does not fit properly and you should have refitted so that you feel as comfortable as possible when you sleep. You should go to your sleep doctor and ask him or her to help you find a mask that fits you the right way and is most comfortable to you.

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A dentist’s role in OSA

Many people associate being overweight and having a large neck as the two main reasons why people have obstructive sleep apnea. However, the size and configuration of the tongue, soft palate, tonsils and adenoids can be part of the reason why air is being prevented from entering the lungs.

Dentists play a larger role in treating sleep apnea that most people realize. For example people with sleep apnea tend to clench their jaws and grind their teeth during apneic episodes. This can result in worn out teeth, and dentists are usually the first people to notice the signs and come to the conclusion that it may be related to sleep apnea.

Cagle a member of the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine said, “Most dental issues are not life or death situations, but when we’re helping a person with sleep apnea, that’s definitely helping them to extend their life and quality of life”

To determine whether you have sleep apnea, the most common test that done is the polysomnography, where a person undergoes an overnight study and is monitored to see how often breathing is stopped over the course of a night. Severe cases of sleep apnea can register over 100 instances as the night goes on. The standard treatment for sleep apnea is to use CPAP or continuous positive airway pressure: air is pumped through a mask into the mouth and nose preventing any unwanted collapse of the airways.

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Sleep Apnea in a Nutshell

Have you been feeling drained or tired lately? Have you been sleeping the whole night but find yourself waking up tired the next morning? There is a chance you could have sleep apnea. Even if you have the proper nutrition and exercise regularly you are still susceptible to sleep apnea. The National Sleep Foundation has as many as 18 million Americans with OSA. Over 90% of them probably don’t know that they have it.

Sleep apnea comes as a result of a person airways being blocked while they sleep depriving them of oxygen. Usually symptoms vary from daytime fatigue to loud snoring. Having sleep apnea also puts a person at greater risk of car accident and industrial accidents. Sleep apnea can also branch off into many other severe illnesses like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke. Life expectancy can be severely shortened by as much as 20 years.

There are many factors that can result in sleep apnea. Obesity, enlarged tonsils and chronic allergies can all result in the disorder. The only way to find out whether you have the disorder is to get yourself tested in a sleep lab or in your home. Your sleep will be measured to account for all the apneic episodes that happen over the course of the night. Apneic episodes happen when a person stops breathing for more than 10 seconds.

If you have sleep apnea, the most common treatment is to use continuous positive airway pressure or CPAP.  A mask is used so air can be blown into a person’s throat keeping the airways open. This by far is the most effective treatment around because it allows someone to get the proper sleep while at the same time has relatively no side effects.

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Complications of sleep apnea

If you have sleep apnea and opt not to have treatment the repercussions can be fatal. Heart Diseases, Strokes and Insulin resistance are all part of the many conditions that may come as a result of sleep apnea. Why is that so? How can a simple disorder develop to have such fatal consequences?

The delay or pause in breathing causes oxygen to be withheld and this is known as an apnea. Over a night a patient with sleep apnea can have over 100 apneic events. This puts a heavy strain on the heart because it has to work that much harder to try to pump as much oxygen as it can through the blood. Because the heart has to work harder a patient with sleep apnea usually has very high levels of blood pressure. Also a sleep apnea patient is more susceptible to congestive heart failure, coronary artery diseases, irregular heart beat, stoke and diabetes. Sleep apnea can also be a hazard on the road because fatigue and daytime sleepiness dulls the senses, which increases the risks of getting into a motor vehicle accident. Patients with OSA are 15 times more likely to get into a roadside accident than a normal healthy person.

One of the most effective and common ways of treating sleep apnea is by using the CPAP machine. With no relative side effects, the CPAP machine is the most prescribed form of treatment because of how easy it is to use and how effective it is at enabling patients to breathe at night. Not only does the CPAP machine make you feel fresh and energized it can also save you another trip to the doctor.

Ways to adapting to CPAP treatment

25-50% of all new CPAP users quit using their machines after the first couple weeks. This is due to a number of different reasons. Most people aren’t used to sleeping with a mask while they are in bed. Also some machines tend to make sounds that many patients find bothersome.

When you first try out your CPAP machine, it is important to keep in mind that the more time you spend hooked up to your machine the faster it will be for you to become comfortable with it. When you first buy your mask for your CPAP machine make sure that it fits snuggly on your face and that you are comfortable with what you buy. If you find that air is seeping out during the night, you should replace your mask because you wouldn’t want your mask to leak out all the air. An easy way to prevent mask leaks is to buy customized pillows like the PAPillow because it is customized in such a way that your head is elevated while at the same time there is a clearance for your mask to fit in perfectly.

Find yourself suffering from dry mouth after using the CPAP machine for a night? Maybe you should consider using a humidifier in addition to your CPAP to ensure that your air passageways do not get dried out. Humidification adds moisture to the CPAP air and ensures that you do not suffer from a dry mouth or nasal congestion.

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.