Top 3 sleep disorders article 2020
Sleep Apnea Is More Than a Snoring Problem
Sleeping near a person who snores can seriously interrupt sleep. “If only the snoring would stop,” you think. Then it does. Peaceful as it is, that’s not always a healthy sign. Snoring is related to a condition known as sleep apnea.
If you have sleep apnea, your nighttime breathing is interrupted and doesn’t return promptly. Sleep apnea can be a life-threatening condition. The airflow into your body is delayed by more than 10 seconds.
That may not sound like much, but it’s a serious situation. This breathing interruption can happen up to five times in an hour during sleep. If you snore loudly and nightly, you’re at higher risk for sleep apnea than the occasional snorer.
Other signs of sleep apnea are episodes of daytime fatigue and emotional distress or skill deficits when you’re tired. Sleep apnea seems to start most often in middle age and afflicts more men than women.
Risk factors for sleep apnea are:
1. Overweight by more than 120% of your appropriate body weight
2. Large neck girth. That’s determined by using a tape measure. The danger level is 17” or greater for men and 16” or greater for women.
3. Hypertension whether treated or untreated by medication
4. Narrow nasal passages
A medically supervised sleep study is needed to diagnose sleep apnea. A home monitor can be used for children as well as adults to monitor breathing interruptions. You have a number of options for treating sleep apnea.
You can be fitted for a dental appliance, an orthodontic device that you wear at night. Basically this appliance changes the tongue placement so that the airway is clear for breathing.
Losing weight is also important to moderating sleep apnea. Along with losing weight, you need to be in an exercise program. Many people report that their sleep apnea completely disappears once they lose weight and get back to a normal, healthy range.
Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) masks are worn over the nose and mouth to force air into the nasal passages in a continuous flow. This may not be the most comfortable way to sleep, but it has been highly effective and most people get used to the machine and rely on it to deliver a good night’s sleep.
If all else fails, there are surgical procedures such as widening the palate, restructuring nasal cavities or taking out the tonsils to aid in a sleep apnea disorder. Make sure you don’t ignore your snoring and mistake it as something harmless because if it’s sleep apnea, you’re putting your life at risk!
I’m So Tired, So Why Can’t I Get to Sleep?
Toss, turn, yawn, stretch, shift, toss some more – but you just can’t get to sleep. When you prepared for bedtime, you were so tired you thought you might fall asleep brushing your teeth.
But the clock face flashes 1 o’clock in the morning and you’re still not asleep. If this is a regular problem, you may have insomnia. Your sleep problems may be related to other medical conditions.
Breathing problems, back or leg pain, acid reflux, and indigestion can disturb the body in ways that make sleep difficult no matter how tired you are. Emotional problems can also mess with your sleep.
If you’re feeling depressed, anxious, or having obsessive thoughts, your mind just doesn’t shut down enough to allow sleep. If you experience a major loss, during the grieving period, sleep can be complicated.
Lifestyle changes can also cause sleep interruptions. Starting a new job with different hours that you are using can take time to adjust your sleep cycle. Staying up too late while watching television or surfing the Internet doesn’t give your body enough time to wind down from the day for effective sleep.
Constant stress at work or school that you just can’t let go of will definitely make a good night’s sleep elusive. Trying to drown your frustrations in alcohol, caffeine, or smoking will only cause more sleep interruption problems.
If you’re tired of being tired all the time, here’s what you can do to overcome insomnia:
1. Reset your body clock by getting on a reasonable schedule. Don’t try to exhaust yourself with exercise, work, or activity as a way to fall asleep. You already know that it doesn’t work. Write down a schedule that allows an hour to prepare for sleep. Take a warm shower, turn off the TV and electronic communications and turn on some calming music (an instrumental CD, not the radio). Stretch and slide into bed at the time scheduled.
2. Don’t focus on going to sleep, think about relaxation. Visualize a pleasant, satisfying, relaxing place and see yourself in that place.
3. Gradually turn down the lights. This gives your body time to wind down better than going from fully lit room and monitor screen to darkroom.
4. As you are resetting the sleep cycle and find yourself getting tired too early, increase your light exposure. Go outdoors in the sunshine or turn up the light in the room. The body responds to light and dark cues for sleep.
5. Cease any work or stressful activity at least three hours before bedtime. Let go of the frustrations and allow your mind to focus on less intense things.
When insomnia can’t be managed by another means or interferes too much with normal activities, you may need to get prescription medication. Whatever you do, don’t self medicate with over-the-counter sleep aids at night and wake-up pills during the day. That makes the problem worse. Don’t take any sleep medications unless monitored by a physician. You want to cure insomnia not acquire a drug problem.
What Are the Best Sleep Aids on the Market?
Not getting enough sleep can be detrimental on both your mental and physical well being. At the very least, you’ll feel cranky or like you’re in a cloud when you don’t get enough sleep.
At its worst, a loss f sleep can begin impairing your physical health. A lack of sleep has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease, depression, obesity, and even cancer! If you want to stay healthy, you’ll get plenty of rest.
But what if it doesn’t come that easy for you? What if you craw into bed by 8 o’clock and can’t drift off to dreamland until five hours later? That happens to many men and women, and if you’re one of them, you might want to seek out the best sleeping aids on the market, which are:
• Sleep Apnea Masks – if you find you’re snoring and gasping for breath as you stop breathing during the night, asleep apnea mask might be the cure for you. These masks force air through your airways, helping you get a good night’s rest, but also potentially saving your life.
• Sleep Mattresses – it might just be a better mattress that you need. Is yours old or outdated? Is it too firm or not firm enough? You might want to invest in a mattress that can help cradle you into a slumber.
• Sleep Medication – there are a variety of prescribed and over the counter sleeping aids in medicinal form that might help you fall asleep (and stay there) for a full night’s duration. Start with an over the counter version and if that’s not effective, ask your doctor what prescriptions might be available to help you.
• Sleeping Hypnosis Aids – hypnosis is used to treat all sorts of disorders, including insomnia. You’re not put into a trance where you’re out of control, but you do learn how to relax into a state of peace and rest. There are all sorts of do it yourself hypnosis for sleep products on the market if you’d prefer not to see a professional.
• Sleeping Herbal Solutions – there are many herbs that are known to promote rest and relaxation. It may be as simple as having lavender vapors surrounding you as you try to get into a deep sleep.
Getting a good night’s rest is important for you to achieve today. Don’t put this off until your brain is in a cloudlike fog where you’re not thinking clearly enough to make informed decisions about what treatment is best for you – take it into your hands today and test the various methods mentioned above to see what works best for you.
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