Are you always tired? Do others report that you snore? Are you a tad or more overweight? If these are true, you may have sleep apnea.
If these are all true for you, waste no time in having your doctor prescribe a sleep study. If you do have sleep apnea, it can shorten your life. And there is treatment! Those who have sleep apnea hold their breaths many times a night, gasping for air. Sleep apnea means higher risk of cardiovascular disease such as stroke, heart attack, and aneurism.
In sleep apnea, the airway collapses during an intake breath. Fatty tissue lining the airway causes the airway to lose elasticity. At least a bit of excess weight is therefore generally necessary for sleep apnea to occur. Sufferers generally also snore.
The airway closes. The sleeper struggles for breath. The oxygen level in the blood drops. As a result, blood pressure spikes. The sleeper begins to awaken. A semi-conscious effort opens the airway, and the breath is finally allowed in. This cycle can happen several times per minute. If breathing stops for 10 seconds, sleep apnea is diagnosed.
Sleep apnea wears out your cardiovascular system because of the constant cycle of high blood pressure. It also shreds your rest because of the continual near-waking required to keep breathing.
The fact that you are holding your breath may come as a surprise to you. It's the constant tiredness that will be obvious.
The spiking blood pressure many times each night will bring you closer to heart attack or stroke.
There's treatment?
Effective treatment has been available for a couple of decades now. The continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) system supplies air from a fan through a hose to a mask placed over the nose and mouth. Pressure from the fan keeps the airway open as you breathe in. It's not so much pressure that you can't breathe out.
One downside is that the mask can be uncomfortable. But a variety of suppliers offer options now, one of which will probably fit your face.
The CPAP might limit your activities, too, because you always have to wear it, even if you are traveling or camping.
What about fan noise? It's actually a white noise, which may help you fall asleep.
So, do a quick risk analysis. Is the risk of early death worth the inconvenience of wearing a mask and finding an electric outlet whenever you fall asleep?
Posted under Weight Loss
This post was written by Phyllis Wheeler on August 29, 2008
