Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a potentially life threatening breathing disorder that adversely affects the health of more than 12 million people Americans. It is most commonly seen in overweight, middle aged men who have a family history of the condition. Sufferers literally stop breathing repeatedly for periods of 20 seconds or more, often many hundreds of times each night. Each time inhalation ceases, they suddenly and loudly gasp for air to re-oxygenate their body, and the dangerous cycle then continues.

There are three types of sleep apnea: obstructive, central and mixed. The most common type of sleep apnea is the obstructive type (OSA for short). OSA occurs in approximately 2% of women and 4% of men over the age of thirty-five and is caused by a blockage in the airways that usually occurs when the soft tissue in the back of their throat and tongue collapses inwards while they are sleeping. Inhaled air is then forced over this narrowed opening, causing what is commonly known as sleep apnea snoring.

With the rarer central type, the airway is not blocked as it is with the obstructive type. Rather, the brain simply fails to signal your muscles to breathe, so there may not be any snoring. The Mixed type involves a combination of both the obstructive and central versions.

But regardless of the type, the results are the same: a fragmented sleep pattern with very poor quality rest.

Sleep apnea can strike anyone at any age, even in children. If left untreated, it can lead to high blood pressure, stroke, heart attack and other serious cardiovascular diseases, memory problems, mood swings and emotional disorders, obesity and headaches. Probably the most common symptom is feeling exhausted and sleepy throughout the day.

The primary risk factor to developing OSA is excessive weight gain. Other risk factors include family history, enlarged tonsils and adenoids (the main cause of OSA in children), the use of alcohol and sedative drugs, smoking, nasal and sinus congestion and aging.

The great news now is that OSA can be successfully diagnosed and treated, regardless of whether you suffer from severe or mild sleep apnea. However, because of the potentially serious health complications, it is recommended that you first consult with your doctor to determine if you need to use a CPAP breathing machine.

It is important to always be aware that the latest research has shown that you can certainly reduce the contributing factors that may be causing or worsening this worrying medical condition by carefully evaluating your dietary and lifestyle choices.

For more information, visit www.stopmysnoringnow.com. A well researched and clinically proven resource on the correct dietary and lifestyle recommendations to help control your OSA is to be found in an ebook entitled Essential Stop Snoring Secrets by Dr. Rick Donald.