Posted on 21 January 2010. Tags: cure for sleep apnea, obstructive sleep apnea, sleep, sleep apnea, sleep apnea remedies, Sleep Disorders
Yes there is a cure for sleep apnea! The way to achieve it is by restoring regular night breathing patterns and by getting rid of symptoms like heavy snoring. Inculcation of healthy habits like not having alcohol and not smoking should surely top the list. It would also be a good idea to stop taking sleeping pills, if indeed one is dependent upon them to put one to sleep. Excessive weight too is a problem and even a small reduction goes a long way in mitigating the causes of apnea. People suffering from apnea would also be advised to sleep upon their side for that helps keep their throat clear.
Another cure for sleep apnea is continuous positive pressure that is a proactive way of dealing with this problem. This involves wearing a mask above one’s nose through which is air is blown into one’s throat at the exactly the right pressure, which prevent the occurrence of apnea during one’s sleep. In the case of some people whose tonsils or andenoids block the airway, surgery is the way to deal with apnea.
There really is no drug based cure of sleep apnea as such but the oral administration of methylxanthine theophylline can help get rid of it. But it may cause serious side-effects in the shape of insomnia and palpitations. Yet another type of cure is referred to as bi-level which involves using an electronic circuit to regulate one’s breathing. Two types of pressures are used in this process- a higher one at the time of inhalation and a lower one at the time of exhalation.
For mild to moderate obstructive apnea dental devices are excellent cure for sleep apnea. These mainly consist of an appliance that while holding the tongue and jaw forward keeps the palate up thus increases the size of airway enough to prevent apnea from occurring.
A relatively recent development in the cure of sleep apnea has been the auto titrating CPAP machines. These machines are capable of making pressure adjustments throughout the night. They are therefore able to customize the air pressure to exactly what is ideal at a given moment, to the extent of making allowances for the impact of weight gain, medication or sedative on the person being treated through this machine.
Thus we can see there are several types of treatment available for different types of apnea. The first thing to be looked upon of course is whether there are some behavioral and life style changes that one might need to make. Thereupon one can consult with a doctor about which of the various treatments on offer would suit a person the most. The good news is that modern scientific research has made it possible to effectively test and detect with a fair amount of accuracy, as to the kind of apnea that has afflicted a person, and what should be the course of treatment that suits him the best.
Even though there is cure for sleep apnea available, quite a few people prefer not to go through the inconvenience of undergoing one. While this may be their choice, it might not be such a good idea because of several health related consequences; they may also be jeopardizing other people’s lives, if for example they choose to drive a vehicle. It is therefore imperative that information about the cures available for apnea is propagated well.
Posted in Sleep Disorders
Posted on 27 October 2009. Tags: sleep apnea, sleep apnea and snoring, sleep apnea remedies, Sleep Disorders, sleeping disorder
Are you waking up at regular intervals during your sleep just to restore breathing or wake up sweating all over? Do you snore very loudly? Do you feel very tired and sleepy even after a night’s sleep? If you are facing these problems while sleeping, you are suffering from a sleeping disorder known as sleep apnea. In sleep apnea, you stop breathing for a minimum time of 10 seconds, which means you miss out on one or more breaths during sleep. These long pauses or apnea are repeated during your sleep. Sleep apnea remedies are there to cure the condition.
Sleep apnea can be cured with little effort. If you notice or any other person notices the symptoms of sleep apnea – loud snoring, sleepiness the following day, awakenings to resume breathing, tiredness after a night’s sleep, waking up in sweat and frequent silence – then you should immediately consult a physician. The doctor will recommend you to a sleep study center to undergo the sleep study or polysomnogram. You will be completely monitored by the nurses. And according to this examination you will be medicated through sleep apnea remedies.
Treatments of Sleep Apnea
The most commonly recommended treatment for the sleeping disorder is CPAP which stands for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure. CPAP treatment is done through a mask like device which the patient needs to wear while sleeping. The device helps prevent collapse of the airway through the pressurized air. The size of the CPAP unit is equal to a tissue box and it comes with a humidifier to provide comfort to the patients. Little advancement has been made in the CPAP, sleep apnea remedies, considering the comfortable level of the patients:
- Bilevel PAP – It changes from higher to lower air pressures during the expiration process, which makes breathing easier for the patients.
- Auto PAP – It uses an internal control device that adjusts the pressure. Therefore the pressure doesn’t remain fixed at one point.
After these advancements in the mask like device patients are comfortable to use it for their sleep apnea remedies. The device is now much comfortable, lighter and quieter to use. But the main problem with this treatment is that it can only cure obstructive sleep apnea and not complex or mixed and central apnea. Sleeping on one’s side is one effective remedy for central apnea. Another among the sleep apnea remedies is surgery which is a very effective method to cure the ailment. It addresses the various levels of obstructions like those at the:
- Base of tongue
- Facial skeleton
- Throat
- Nasal Passage
Other form of treatment is through medicines which lower the blood pH and improves respiration. Though the use of low doses of oxygen is even a treatment for sleep apnea, it is not recommended for it has its side effects. There is another alternative method named didgeridoo. It helps to reduce sleep apnea and snoring along with day time drowsiness. This works by toning muscles in the upper air passage which reduces the chances of collapsing during sleep.
Posted in Sleep Disorders