Imagine being semi-roused from sleep, gasping for air, adrenaline pumping through your body. Now imagine this happening 80 to 90 times per hour! While I rarely ever came fully awake, this was how I “slept” until a few months ago. I have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) a chronic condition in which the airway becomes blocked or restricted during sleep, causing the body to partially wake itself in order to resume breathing (American Academy of Sleep Medicine 3). Of course, this constant wake-sleep cycle does not lend itself to restful sleep, and left me tired no matter how long I slept. My life has changed now that my OSA has been diagnosed. Now when I go to bed I strap on a mask similar to those worn by fighter pilots. This mask is part of the treatment that allows me to get a proper night’s rest, like most ordinary people. Instead of OSA running and ruining my life, I have asserted control over OSA and my life; much a pilot commands his airplane.
I have always snored – it runs in my family. You could hear my maternal grandmother through two closed doors. While not quite that loud, my snoring often caused anyone sharing a room with me, including my first wife, to wear earplugs in order to sleep. I am one of the 5% of the population for whom obnoxious snoring is a symptom of OSA (American Academy of Sleep Medicine 3). Snoring occurs when the muscles of the throat relax, allowing the airway to partially collapse, restricting the flow of air. For me this restriction is so severe that it interferes with my ability to breathe.
Obesity is another risk factor for OSA that I have. Overweight individuals have more fatty tissues in the neck, which compound restriction of the airway (American Academy of Sleep Medicine 4). My OSA symptoms were re...
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Sleep is one of our basic needs to survive and to function in day to day operations, but not everyone needs the same amount of sleep. Some people can survive on very little sleep, i.e. five hours a night, and some people need a lot of sleep, to the extend that they are sleeping up to 10 to sometimes 15 hours a night (Nature, 2005). According to Wilson (2005) the general rule states that most people need from seven to eight hours of sleep. The deprivation of sleep in our society in continually increasing with the demands in society increasing work loads, the myth that a few hours of sleep is only necessary to function properly and that sleep is sometimes considered as killing time (Nature, 2005). Sometimes sleep deprivation is also caused by other situations like sleep disorders, i.e. sleep apnea, chronic insomnia or medical conditions such as stress (Wilson, 2005).
Nocturnal polysomnography involves using equipment that monitors the heart, lung and brain activity, breathing patterns, movement of arm and leg, and blood oxygen levels while you sleep. A doctor may also provide a simplified test that can be used at home. These tests involve measuring heart rate, blood oxygen, and breathing patterns. The test results will show drops in oxygen levels during apneas. Individuals with obstructive sleep apnea may be referred you to an ear, nose and throat specialist to determine if there is a blockage in the nose or throat. For milder cases, a doctor may recommend lifestyle changes, such as losing weight or quitting
Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder which causes frequent pauses in the breathing process during the sleep.
Sleeping is something that is an essential part of human nature and is a must in order for one to be a functional human being. Sleep is an idea that is accompanied by many wives’ tales, including the idea that one needs seven to eight hours of sleep each night and alcohol helps one fall asleep and sleep more soundly. One myth about sleep is that during sleep, one is in a state of nothingness. In truth, however, it has been discovered that during sleep the brain is active, variations in heartbeat and breathing occur, and the eyes and ears are active throughout the time of sleep. These activities during a person’s sleep are important because they help that person be more aware, awake, and alert during sleep.
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Sleep disorders are an underestimated public health concern considering that fifty to seventy million Americans are affected. Technological advances in the field of sleep have facilitated various theories to explain the need for and the purpose of sleep. Scientist have uncovered many types of sleep disorders such as insomnia, sleep apnea, and narcolepsy. Sleep disorders affect men ,women, children, the elderly, and the obese in different ways. Factors such as the number of children and the effects of menopause have been studied to determine their effects on sleep. Various treatments have been utilized ranging from non-pharmacologic to pharmacologic methods. Scientist have pinpointed areas of the brain that are involved in sleep deprivation and hormones that ultimately affect sleep.
Sleep Apnea (cessation of air flow at the mouth for greater than 10 seconds) can
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“Twelve Simple Tips to Improve Your Sleep.” (2009, Dec. 18). The Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Healthy