Sleep apnea is a condition in which a sleeper stops breathing for more than ten seconds several dozen to a few hundred times a night. This sleep disorder is an increasingly common problem for adults trying to find restful sleep. In obstructive sleep apnea, the most common form of oxygen sleep apnea, the airway is partially to fully blocked during the night leaving the sleeper struggling for air, which will arouse them from a deep sleep and can even fully awake them.
If you suffer from sleep apnea, it is may be hard for you to stay asleep through the night. You may wake up still feeling tired and with a sore throat and dry mouth. Your partner may be complaining about your loud snoring. Your partner might also have noticed that you stop breathing during the night, even though you don’t remember or know about these episodes. Sleep apnea leads to daytime sleepiness, which can make you more prone to accidents. Aside from potential accidents and tiredness, long-term sleep apnea can put you at risk of other severe medical conditions like cardiovascular disease, stroke, high blood pressure, arrhythmia, and diabetes1.
The risk factors for sleep apnea include if you overweight or obese, if your throat muscles and tongue relax excessively, if your tonsils and adenoids are larger than normal, or if the bones in your head and neck are disproportionate to the size of the mouth and throat. Talk to your doctor, if you think you might be suffering from sleep apnea. To know for sure, you may have to sleep one night in a special sleep lab, where your breathing and brain activity during your sleep will be monitored.
Are there any sleep apnea remedies? If you have sleep apnea, there are options for you. While enlarged tonsils might need to be removed surgically, there are also ways to deal with sleep apnea that don’t involve surgery. Certain dental devices, similar to the mouth guards that are worn by athletes, can align your jaw to allow more air through the nasal passages and throat. The disadvantage of these devices is that they are uncomfortable to wear and can leave you with a sore jaw in the morning.
A very common sleep apnea remedy is the use of oxygen CPAP or CPAP machines. CPAP stands for continuous positive airway pressure. A CPAP system is basically a very quiet air compressor that blows air into the nasal passages and throat, keeping the airway open through the night. Breathing CPAP machines can be obtained with three different kinds of sleep apnea masks or CPAP masks. The first CPAP mask option is a CPAP full face mask for people who tend to breathe through the mouth, as it covers both nose and mouth. Another CPAP mask option is a less bulky CPAP nasal mask that only covers the nose. Finally, the last CPAP mask option is for people who feel claustrophobic wearing a mask. These types of CPAP masks are called CPAP pillows, which are inserted into the nose holes. Using pillows sleep apnea devices provide a bit more freedom of movement while in bed. Since CPAP nasal pillows can be irritating, they should not be used by people with sensitive nasal passages.
Other CPAP options for treating sleep apnea and sleep disorders include BiPAP machines, iDPAP machines, and VPAP machines. A BiPAP machine provides two different pressures. Higher amounts of pressure are applied when the patient is inhaling, while lower pressure is used when they exhale. Both the CPAP and BiPAP machines do well for treating mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea; however, the BiPAP machines are better for severe obstructive sleep apnea.
VPAP machines are also better for severe obstructive sleep apnea. A VPAP machines provides variable pressures matching the high and low pressures cycles so that you do not fall out-of-sync with the sleep apnea machine. With an iDPAP Machine, the breathing machine slowly ramps up to a prescribed pressure, allows patients to comfortably get to sleep and most importantly–stay asleep.
Another important therapy CPAP option is available to help combat the irritation some experience using sleep apnea therapy for extended periods. This option employs a heated humidifier CPAP machine. This oxygen sleep apnea device generates moisture through heat. This process reduces dryness and irritation to lungs and breathing passages due to lack of moisture. These CPAP humidifiers or humidified CPAP systems have provided relief for many sleep apnea patients. Several CPAP machines can be adapted with CPAP humidifier chambers.
CPAP machines and CPAP supplies can be purchased from Vitality Medical at the following link: Vitality Medical CPAP .CPAP medical supplies on this site are at discounted prices and many items at this CPAP store are at wholesale pricing. This online CPAP store provides Discount CPAP Machines, including travel CPAP machines. Some of the best selling sleep disorder machines include the Respironics CPAP machines (the low cost Respironics SleepEasy Sleep Therapy System up to the top of the line Respironics BiPAP Encore Pro), Fisher & Paykel SleepStyle CPAP System, EVO Everest CPAP System, Invacare Polaris Heated Humidifier CPAP, and the ResMed HumidAire 3i Heated Humidifier CPAP Machine. On this medical supplies web site is also a host of useful information about how to stop sleep apnea problems, sleep apnea cures and information about the different options for CPAP machines.
You do not need to suffer through daytime sleepiness or constant fatigue any longer nor worry about your health. Give your partner rest from your snoring, by talking to your doctor about sleep apnea. Both your health and your partners’ night time peace are worth it.
Resources
Wikipedia – Sleep Apnea
Posted in CPAP, Medical Supplies, Sleep Apnea
Tagged BiPAP breathing machine, BiPAP machine, BiPAP machines, Breathing CPAP, CPAP full face mask, CPAP humidifier, CPAP machines, Cpap Mask, CPAP masks, CPAP nasal mask, CPAP pillow, CPAP store, CPAP supplies, CPAP systems, Device sleep apnea, Heated humidifier CPAP, Oxygen CPAP, Oxygen sleep apnea, Pillows sleep apnea, Respironics BiPAP machine, Respironics CPAP machine, Respironics CPAP masks, Sleep Apnea, Sleep apnea BiPAP machine, Sleep apnea cures, Sleep apnea masks, Sleep apnea remedies, Sleep apnea remedy CPAP medical supplies, sleep disorders, Stop sleep apnea, Therapy CPAP, Travel CPAP
Wake Up to the Hazards of Sleep Apnea
Sometimes snoring is just snoring. Sometimes snoring is the side effect of a much serious condition commonly known as sleep apnea. At Vitality Medical we’ve seen a significant rise in the use of CPAP machines. But when local radio station KSL A.M. 1160 came to ask us about it, we figured it was time to blog about it. (you can listen to the interview by clicking here)
Your doctor is the only one who can diagnose sleep apnea but if you are constantly fatigued despite regular sleep, you may want to meet with the doc and discuss it. Other side effects of sleep apnea are morning headaches, restless sleep, and sleepiness during the daytime. Even if a person gets regular uninterrupted sleep, they could still suffer from sleep apnea. Left untreated, sleep apnea can lead to high blood pressure, stroke, heart attack, or premature death. In The Journal of Neuroscience Letters [June 2008] researchers revealed that people with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) show tissue loss in brain regions that help store memory, linking OSA with memory loss. One medical investigator hypothesized that repeated drops in oxygen lead to the brain injury
Former NFL football great Reggie White was known to suffer from aleep apnea, may have contributed to his death. If apnea can take down a Hall of Fame defensive end like White, it should not be ignored.
What is Apnea?
Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder characterized by pauses in breathing during sleep. Each pause is called an apnea. Each apnea lasts long enough so that one or more breaths are missed. When this occurs repeatedly throughout sleep, you have sleep apnea.
There are two types of sleep apnea which are determined by the cause of the apnea.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is the most common category of sleep-disordered breathing, according to Wikipedia. Muscles relax during sleep and since the throat is composed of soft collapsible walls, without the muscles doing their work the throat collapses and breathing is cut off.
Central Sleep Apnea (CSA) is less common. With CSA the brain doesn’t signal a normal breathing pattern to the body. Blood levels of carbon dioxide, and the neurological feedback mechanism that monitors it does not react quickly enough to maintain an even respiratory rate, with the entire system cycling between apnea and hyperpnea, even during wakefulness.
What is the Treatment?
Anyone who believes they may be suffering from sleep apnea should confer with their doctor. One of the most common treatment options for the condition of obstructive sleep apnea is a CPAP machine. CPAP stands for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure.
CPAP treatment consists of three parts: the CPAP Compressor, oxygen tubing and a special CPAP mask. The CPAP machine is essentially a quiet air compressor that continually forces air thorough the tubing to the mask. The continuous air pressure forces the airway to remain open, which allows for normal breathing for the entire night.
The CPAP machine delivers a steady stream of compressed air via a hose to the mask. This keeps the airway open with air pressure so that unobstructed breathing becomes possible. Because a side benefit is a marked reduction of the extremely loud snoring that sometimes accompanies sleep apnea.
Fisher & Paykel FlexiFit 405 Nasal CPAP Mask
The CPAP mask is different from other Oxygen Masks. Typically, a CPAP mask is a noise only mask. Although these masks may appear awkward, they have gone a long way toward helping people with OSA get the rest they need.
Whether you suffer from the symptoms of Sleep Apnea or are concerned about a family who suffers, remember at Vitality Medical we are committed to providing you the medical equipment that your doctor prescribes—at a great value!
For 8 years, at Vitality Medical, we have delivered on our promise to sell top quality medical supplies at some of the best prices on the Web.
