Saturday, November 15, 2008

Do You Fall Asleep During the Day?

By Susan Harris

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 all these are true, don't wait! Sleep apnea could be shortening your life. Have your doctor prescribe a sleep study to find out whether you have sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a condition where you are holding your breath and then gasping for air man times a night. Here's one reason why you shouldn't wait: it will shorten your life. You are at increased risk of stroke, heart attack, and other cardiovascular disease including aneurism. Here's the other reason why you shouldn't wait: there's treatment.

Sleep apnea is caused by the collapse of the airway while breathing in. This condition happens when excess fatty tissue lining the airway causes the airway to lose elasticity. It is a condition generally caused by excess poundage. Snoring usually occurs also.

After the airway closes, the oxygen level in the blood drops. Blood pressure shoots up. The sleeper struggles to breathe and begins to wake up. Returning to consciousness, the sleeper opens the airway, and the breath is completed. The sleeper falls back to sleep. The cycle begins again, perhaps many times per minute. Breath cessation for 10 seconds will bring you a diagnosis of sleep apnea.

Your cardiovascular system will wear out from the constantly spiking blood pressure. Your rest will be ruined because of the constant near-waking.

You probably are not aware that you are holding your breath while sleeping. What is obvious to you is the tiredness that comes with it.

The spiking blood pressure many times each night will bring you closer to heart attack or stroke.

What to do?

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.

The nuisance that most people report about the CPAP is the mask: it can be uncomfortable. However, many suppliers are offering many masks these days. You can shop around.

Another downside is that you have to wear it whenever you lie down to sleep. If you go traveling or camping, you still have to wear it.

What about fan noise? It's actually a white noise, which may help you fall asleep.

Compare risks to drawbacks. Without treatment, you are risking cardiovascular disease and early death. With it, you must adjust your habits to include wearing a mask to sleep and finding an electric outlet wherever you are. Do you choose test and treatment? - 16755

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