Posts Tagged ‘sleep apnea’

Easy Methods To Recognize Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Tuesday, February 1st, 2011

    Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is a complicated condition seen as a fatigue which can not be resolved treated by merely improving bed rest. The fatigue is usually worsened by physical or mental actions resulting to CFS. Anyone who suffers from this kind of disorder couldn’t do the things which he is capable of doing particularly in his work. An individual could be informed they have CFS if they have serious chronic fatigue for about 6 months as well as have four more indications of this
condition.

    The following ought to be the most commonly seen syndromes of CFS:
•    Stomach pain
•    Alcohol intolerance
•    Bloated tummy
•    Heart problems
•    Chronic coughing
•    Diarrhea
•    Dizziness
•    Dry eyes or mouth
•    Earaches
•    Irregular heart beat
•    Jaw pain
•    Morning stiffness
•    Nausea or vomiting
•    Night sweats
•    Major depression
•    Easily annoyed
•    Anxiousness
•    Panic attacks
•    Shortness of breath
•    Skin sensations
•    Tingling sensations
•    Losing weight

There are also several medical conditions that show very similar symptoms to CFS and so it is usually hard to identify if whether it be CFS. The signs and symptoms may be the cause of severe sleep apnea, narcolepsy and hypothyroidism. Major depression, chronic mononucleosis, bipolar affective disorders, schizophrenia,
cancers, eating disorders, autoimmune disease, obesity, irresponsible drinking, hormonal disorders and subacute infections have very similar signs or symptoms as well to CFS. It can also be normal to find out the signs or symptoms to the body reactions of patients from
recommended medications.

The most wonderful thing to do could be to continually give much more attention on your own health. Select a good diet, and constantly have a regular check-up. Take some of your time performing exercises or perhaps simply take a walk for a couple minutes. During saturdays and sundays, you can even spend some time jogging around the park or go walking with your pet dog.

 

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Central Sleep Apnea Must be Taken Seriously

Wednesday, September 16th, 2009

You may already know that the term sleep apnea refers to any cessation of breathing during sleep; apnea means a loss of breath and so sleep apnea is when a person stops breathing when asleep. However one of the most dangerous forms of this condition is central sleep apnea, where the body fails to signal the lungs to inhale on a regular basis. Oxygen isn’t getting in to the body as it should if a person isn’t inhaling properly and regularly. This regular cycle of oxygen is so important that the body can and does force itself to breathe even if you consciously try to hold your breath. Central sleep apnea musn’t be ignored.

During periods of central sleep apnea, the heart will respond to this lack of oxygen intake by increasing the heart rate, causing stress and strain to the heart muscles. When you exercise you heart rate speeds up which is good for you but this is not the same. An increased heart rate during exercise is always accompanied by breathing oxygen in and carbon dioxide out, but not so with central sleep apnea! This unnatural increase of the heart rate can damage the heart itself as it’s working harder but without nourishing oxygen to help out.

It is thought that seizures can be caused by central sleep apnea. This is caused by the sudden drop in blood oxygen levels, and this occurs whether the person has a seizure disorder or not. Other problems that can arise due to central sleep apnea can include heart attacks and angina. Also, If breathing is very irregular there can be a build up of toxic carbon dioxide in the bloodstream.

As with central sleep apnea, all forms of sleep apnea should be addressed as quickly and effectively as possible. Obese people need to bring their weight down. A snore pillow can keep the head from falling back and the tongue from blocking the throat and airway. Having a humidifier in the bedroom is good for keeping the sinuses clear. In severe cases, especially when dealing with central sleep apnea, a CPAP machine can keep oxygen pumping into the body at regular intervals. This is not something that you should bury your head in the sand about - you have to address the issue!

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Why Worry About Sleep Apnea?

Saturday, March 28th, 2009

Have you heard of the condition called sleep apnea?  Has your doctor told you that you have this condition?  If so you need to address it immediately as it is very dangerous and in extreme cases can even be deadly.

The term “apnea” refers to a cessation of breathing.  Swimmers practice static apnea, meaning holding their breath for longer periods of time.  If you have sleap apnea, you stop breathing while you sleep.  Usually this is just for a few moments; the body has many safeguards in place to protect it from such problems.  If a person with sleep apnea stops breathing during the night the body will typically trigger reactions to get it breathing again.  But usually this involves actually waking up if even for a few seconds so breathing can be started.  The sufferer may not even realize that he or she is waking up during the night and so when they get up the next day and are still very tired, they don’t understand why that is.  In reality those who have extreme cases of sleap apnea may wake up several times during the night which means they never get the quality, deep sleep that they need and that’s important for their overall health.  So they go through their day feeling fatigued and rundown and not realizing why. This lack of quality sleep is related to many health problems, including daytime drowsiness, headaches, mood swings and irritability, and a buildup of toxins in the blood.  Because the body actually stops breathing, even momentarily, sleep apnea can also cause brain damage because the brain is not supposed to go without oxygen for any length of time, even those few moment.~Sleep apnea can also cause brain damage because the brain is not supposed to go without oxygen for any length of time, even those few moment,because the body actually stops breathing, even momentarily.  In some cases a patient has not been able to wake up in order to get themselves breathing again and this has resulted in death.

You may dismiss sleap apnea as a mere annoyance but in reality it’s a very serious condition and one that should be addressed as soon as possible.  A doctor can perform a physical exam and give recommendations for treating your own case of sleep apnea and in some cases a CPAP machine might be recommended to keep oxygen coming into the body on a regular basis.It may be time to do something about an obesity problem if it is this that is causing your condition. It could be that you just need to shift some excess weight.

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Sleep Apnea Carries With It Various Other Serious Health Problems

Wednesday, February 25th, 2009

An Examination Of Some Of The Serious Health Problems Which Can Be Associated With Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that has to be taken seriously and is a disorder that is not going to disappear on its own with time. Sleep apnea is in fact classed as a “progressive disease” which means that just like cancer, diabetes and heart disease it worsens over time. There is a lot of debate amongst medical professionals over the effect which sleep apnea has on other medical problems. Having said this, there is a clear link between sleep apnea and several physical conditions including hypertension, heart failure, diabetes, heart attack, pulmonary hypertension, kidney failure and stroke.

Researchers are looking more and more into why these conditions are linked to problems erupting in the upper airways of people suffering from sleep apnea. It is well known of course that being overweight, smoking and abusing alcohol contribute to sleep apnea and lead to a greater probability of developing high blood pressure and heart disease. However it is not clear why a lot of people who do not have any of these elements in their lifestyle still have sleep apnea.

When there is a cessation of breathing during a sleep apnea episode the blood has increased carbon dioxide levels and lower oxygen levels. Consequently, several physical and chemical changes takes place in the body which then raises the possibility of other problems arising in the body.

In sleep apnea sufferers who are overweight doctors have discovered high levels of immune factors called tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin 6 (IL-6). High levels of both of these factors can lead to serious inflammation that can result in cell damage, especially within the arteries. In one study it was demonstrated that people with raised levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha had excessive tiredness, shortness of breath and weak heart pumping. It has to be said however that at this point no clear causal relationship between obstructive sleep apnea and heart disease has been scientifically established.

A number of studies have been conducted to look at sleep apnea and hypertension and a link has been established between the two. For example, a study performed in 2000 looked at patients for four years and reported that the more sleep apnea episodes they experienced in the first year the greater the possibility of developing high blood pressure by the third or fourth year. Even amongst those people who snored or experienced only mild sleep apnea there was a weak but nevertheless higher than usual link with hypertension.

Previously the connection between hypertension and sleep apnea was thought to be strongly linked to obesity. But recent studies point to the fact hypertension is seen especially in people who have sleep apnea no matter what their weight is.

Blood pressure affects sleep apnea because it rises and falls enormously during repeated sleep apnea episodes. These changes are also related to changes by way of sudden surges which occur within the sympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system controls involuntary muscle movements and particularly those which occur the heart and blood vessels. It is strongly believed that as time passes these variations might play an important part in the development of permanent long term high blood pressure.

Help-Me-To-Sleep.com provides comprehensive information about a wide range of sleep disorders including insomnia, restless leg syndrome, narcolepsy, shift work sleep disorder jet lag and sleep apnea

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