What is Sleep Apnea?

 

About 60% of people who regularly snore also have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in which the soft tissues in the throat, including the tongue, collapse and are sucked against the back of the throat. This blocks the upper airway and air flow stops, or is greatly reduced. When the oxygen level in the brain becomes low enough, the sleeper partially awakens, the obstruction in the throat clears and the flow of air starts again, usually with a gasp. Most people are not aware this is occurring. This cycle of apnea – obstruction and breathing – can occur many times per hour during sleep and stops people getting into the deeper stages of sleep which are important for feeling refreshed and not tired. People with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) have low blood oxygen levels and the apnea can lead to elevated blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and excessive daytime sleepiness as well as having a great impact on quality of life. Older, obese men are at higher risk, although as many as 40% of people with obstructive sleep apnea are not obese. Nasal obstruction, a large tongue, a narrow airway and certain shapes of the palate and jaw also increases the risk of sleep apnea. A large neck or collar size is strongly associated with sleep apnea. Ingestion of alcohol or sedatives before sleep may worsen episodes of apnea.

 

Sleep Apnea Symptoms

 

It is important to emphasize that often the person who has obstructive sleep apnea does not remember the episodes of apnea during the night. The predominant symptoms are usually associated with excessive daytime sleepiness due to poor quality sleep during the night. Sometimes family members, especially spouses, witness the periods of apnea.

 

Symptoms that may be observed can include Loud snoring, Periods of not breathing (apnea), Awakening not rested in the morning, Abnormal daytime sleepiness, including falling asleep at inappropriate times, Morning headaches, Recent weight gain, Limited attention, Memory loss, Poor judgment, Personality changes and Lethargy.

If your partner shows any of the above symptoms you should encourage them to have a full assessment. Proper treatment will provide a significant improvement in your partner’s health and wellbeing and will no doubt improve your night’s sleep too.

 

Sleep Apnea Treatment

 

The good news is that sleep apnea and upper airway resistance syndrome can be treated easily and effectively with either a dental sleep appliance or a CPAP machine. Fortunately the problems relating to sleep apnea can be reversed quickly and effectively with proper treatment. Don’t wait to fall asleep at the wheel before seeking treatment.

 

Sleepwise Clinic is the only sleep apnea clinic in Melbourne, Australia that can easily identifies the sleep apnea symptoms, provides services and new treatment solutions for sleep apnea in Melbourne, Australia at the best possible prices. Sleepwise provides a complete range of new generation dental sleep appliances. SleepWise Clinic is comprised of dentists working in association with sleep specialists to provide state-of-the-art services for the management of snoring and sleep apnea. If you want to go for the best treatment for sleep apnea in Melbourne, visit the site http://www.sleepwise.com.au.

    When a person has a snoring person, then they are not conventionally actually the 'victim' in the situation. While it is they who has the problem, it is not however them who has to deal with the biggest problem. Rather the problem is for the person who they sleep with – which usually means their partner – as they will have to try and sleep while they listen to their partner snore and often they will find this impossible. To this end many couples end up actually separating when they sleep so that they have different rooms or at least different beds. This is of course a real shame as sleeping in the same bed is highly romantic and intimate and one of the highlights of being in a loving relationship.

    So how do you go about sleeping with a snorer? Well of course you should point them in the direction of stop snoring tips, and you should try to encourage them to use anything they have been given by the doctor or any tips they have read. For instance they might have a CPAP machine – AKA a continuous positive airway pressure machine, and in that case you should encourage them to use it. A snoring guard can also help by changing the shape of their mouth and so the acoustics. Likewise there are other stop snoring tips you can encourage, and these will include things like sleeping on a larger pile of pillows, or making sure that they clear their sinuses before they go to sleep.

    However you can also do some things yourself to sleep better with a snorer. For instance you should look into using ear plugs or other things to block the sound of the snoring so that you can ignore it and better get on with your sleep as a result. Likewise though you should also learn to just not think about the snoring. If snoring is regular then you can actually imagine it to be a fairly pleasant sound. This is what we call 'cognitive restructuring' which means in essence changing the way you think, and thereby changing your perception of an event and thus changing the impact it has on you. Learn to think that snoring is soothing, and to stop fixating on it, and suddenly it will be less likely to keep you awake.

    Instead of focusing on the snoring then, you should instead deign not to let it bother you and instead try focusing on something else like the ticking of a clock. Understand the value of just lying down and resting and realize that even if you aren't asleep that you will be recovering and making your body feel better. This way of thinking is far preferable to focusing on the fact you aren't asleep and then getting stressed and pent up which will only keep you awake longer.

    You can also have other noises in the background to help. For instance listen to quiet classical music and this will help to mask the sound of the snoring. And lastly – don't be afraid to shake the person gently to get them to stop.

At some point in life, people tend to suffer difficulty in sleeping. This can be due to several factors. A sleep clinic is a specialist medical facility that helps to diagnose and treat a range of problems and conditions that relate to sleeping. Sleep clinic can give way for you to go on with your life in the healthiest way as you can sleep sound and comfortable. Sleep is one of the best ways for you to regain your strength after a tiring day. With this type of clinic, they can help you to formulate the best sleep regimen that you can use in order to help you achieve control in sleeping. As a result, it will help you to have the best level of health in every possible way.

 

Those who suffer from sleep deprivation or sleep disorders may want to be extra vigilant in determining the direction to the clinic. You do not want to waste your day driving all over the highways trying to find your way through a half dazed state of mind. It is best to get the phone number of the clinic and ask the secretary for detailed direction to the center. You can even schedule an appointment so that they will be expecting you when you arrive. Finding a good sleep clinic is really not that hard but just takes a little careful planning and a few hours to schedule an appointment and drive to the clinic. You may be surprised to discover that your problem was more serious than you had first imagined and that there is a lot that you have not been doing to get yourself the correct amount of sleep.

 

Nowadays, a number of people suffer from some kind of sleep disorder. There are actually hundreds of ways to improve your sleep but the first thing that is needed is to raise more awareness. A sleep clinic has all the facilities and equipment necessary for testing and verifying your specific sleeping problem. Through exhaustive tests and by studying your overall sleeping patterns, specialists can properly diagnose and treat any disorders that you may have.

 

The next step is to locate the sleep clinic. The internet is one of the best ways to find a sleep clinic or sleep center. Many people forget to search on the internet these days because the web is still such a new phenomenon. They are all still stuck in the bad habit of using the phone book. However, if you search sleep clinic through Internet, you all get hundreds of options.

 

SleepWise Clinic is the only sleep clinic in Melbourne, Australia which specialises in providing solutions to stop snoring and overcoming sleep apnea. Sleepwise provides a complete range of new generation dental sleep appliances. SleepWise Clinic is comprised of dentists working in association with sleep specialists to provide state-of-the-art services for the management of snoring and sleep apnea. If you want to go for the best treatment for snoring and sleep apnea in Melbourne, visit the site http://www.sleepwise.com.au.

The tendency to shun bad news is common. When someone complains of the distress experienced due to obstructive sleep apnea, somewhere deep down in our minds, we feel that such illnesses are not going to knock on our doors. We shut our eyes and ears to the extent that we do not bother to know what the illness is all about, what the signs are and most importantly, how they treat such a condition.

What is the condition?

Sleep apnea is clearly the worst type of sleep disorder that happens when snoring is neglected for a long time. The airways narrow causing major breathing distress. There are recurrent pauses in breathing during sleep; here a single pause may last for about 10 seconds or more. Depending on the severity of the condition, a patient may experience 5 to 30 such pauses in one hour, repeated several time during the night.

Of the three types of the condition, obstructive is most common. In fact 70% of all patients diagnosed with this condition invariably suffer from this type. It happens with the complete collapse and blockage of the upper respiratory tract.

Are you at risk?

According to official statistics, more men than women who are touching 50, obese and loud and persistent snorers are high risk individuals to be affected by the condition. In fact, the severity of the condition is directly proportional to the degree of obesity. Close to half of all patients suffering from heart problems are potential victims and nearly 60% of them end up suffering a stroke too.

Sleep apnea symptoms: what are they?

Though common, this disorder usually remains undiagnosed since the typical features show up during sleep. Usually the bed partner receives the alarm signals and calls for help. Some of the signs that get noticed during the initial stages include:

- Loud and persistent snoring that does not get cured with traditional snoring solutions.

- Choking and gasping during sleep.

- Pauses between snoring; the patient seems to have stopped breathing during these phases.

- Sleep marked by repeated choking and gasps for air.

The patient ultimately notices these features:

- Excessive sleepiness during the day. This is a critical differentiator because this symptom clearly indicates the onset of the condition as ordinary snoring does not interfere with daytime alertness to this extent.

- Rapid and irrational weight gain

- Sore throat and dry mouth in the morning

- Morning headaches

- Drowsiness, irritability and mood disorders like depression

- Problems with focusing

- Daytime fatigue, depression, irritability, etc.

Avoiding misdiagnosis

This disorder tends to get misdiagnosed due to the presence of some overlapping signs. For example, daytime sleepiness is one of the leading narcolepsy symptoms and also present in hypersomnia.

However certain factors are important differentiators. The age of onset for apnea is around 50 years; whereas other disorders set in earlier. What about other identifying signals? Narcolepsy is symbolized by sudden sleep attacks - unique to this disorder only.

Sleep apnea treatment - how do doctors choose therapy?

Therapeutic strategies depend entirely on the severity of the condition. If the condition is mild, doctors first try to provide relief from snoring by changing some lifestyle habits like quitting alcohol, changing sleeping posture, raising pillow height, etc. Use of specially designed sleep apnea pillows is also popular. For restoration of pause-free breathing, CPAP therapy is effective.

However, if the condition is severe, surgery for is the last hope for treating obstructive sleep apnea. Some common surgeries are genioglossus advancement; mandibular myotomy, tracheotomy, uvulo-palato-pharyngoplasty (UPPP), laser assisted uvuloplasty (LAUP), hyoid suspension; maxillomandibular surgery; and bariatric surgery.