Sleep Apnea

Written by John Taylor

Sleep Apnea Treatment Options Suffers of sleep apnea face nights of sleep that does not satisfy them. Although you may feel as if you are getting enough hours of sleep, you wake up tired, unable to focus and you feel as if you didn't sleep at all. These are classic signs of sleep apnea, an illness in which the breathing passages in your neck are temporary blocked due to the excessive tissue in the region. The good news is that there is sleep apnea treatment that can help you get a good night's sleep. The classic symptoms of sleep apnea include loud snoring, constant fatigue, and the feeling of not sleeping well. Most people never realize they are being jarred awake throughout their night of sleep. This is because the brain only wakes the body slightly enough to adjust to the blocked airway and then you are able to go back to sleep. The problem is that people will wake up like this dozens, if not hundreds of times per night, depending on the extent of their illness. This results in the brain never going through all the stages of sleep and getting the rest it needs. The most common cause for sleep apnea is being overweight. Individuals who are overweight with extra skin and tissue around the neck region are prime targets for developing this illness. Anyone that is overweight can develop this condition. The illness is serious and can lead to a number of life threatening conditions including heart conditions that develop due to the lack of oxygen getting to the heart. Ultimately, you need to find a treatment that will work for you. To find a treatment, talk to your doctor first about your symptoms. They may require a sleep study to examine how you sleep and if you are waking during the night. Once they know for sure this is what you are suffering from, they'll prescribe several things, in most cases.   First, doctors will tell you that you need to lose weight. Weight loss is perhaps the most important factor since getting rid of the excess weight around the neck region will improve the condition significantly.  This is usually done through careful exercise and a healthy diet. Most people will need to lose weight to see any improvement. Another treatment option doctors have is the CPAP machine.  This machine pushes air into the passage ways as you sleep, keeping them open for breathing. A mask is worn over the face and the air pressure is just enough to keep the breathing airways open. Although the machine is designed to be comfortable, some do find it to be a challenge.  Yet, as soon as you sleep one night with the mask on, chances are you will find it to be the best thing for you. That's because the quality of sleep you'll get using the CPAP machines is much better than you've gotten. Most people can find relief from their sleep apnea if they get it diagnosed and treated sooner rather than later. Don't avoid getting the help you need.

 

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