Archive for the ‘Sleep Problems’ Category
About Obstructive Sleep Apnea
WHAT IS IT?
It is a disease recently identified and that affects the ability of breathing during sleep.
People with apnea are grunts chronic that stop breathing for brief periods on multiple occasions while sleeping.
When the language is sucked completely against the merits of the throat, the air was lid and your breathing stops. When this happens, the stronger concerned the grunts to breathe, more tight becomes the stamp in the throat. The obstruction of the airway do not bring until the level of oxygen in the brain diminishes enough to wake the sleeping. The language then returns to a more normal and the sealing of the airway is interrupted, usually with sound of suffocation or choking.
How does the obstructive apnea?
The obstructive apnea is a serious disorder and chronic, there is no cure, but can be controlled. As a result of the lack of air the affected person wakes wholly or partially several times in the course of the night, also affects the night’S rest. It is very important its early diagnosis and proper treatment.
Causes
The snoring is caused by an air close. This happens because the air travels more quickly by a thin tube by one wide. This air passing quickly cause that the soft tissues of the throat (tonsils, soft palate and uvula) vibrate. Is this vibration that produces the noise of snoring.
The snoring is a phenomenon companion that can contribute to aggravate the sleep apnea, but in no case produces it. The snoring itself can be harmless, however can be transformed into, or be a symptom of obstructive sleep apnea.
Recently it has shown that 34 per cent of the people snore, 19% do official or almost daily. The apnea is presented in the 9 percent of men and 4 per cent of women, being more frequent as the age. The snoring usual (more than 4 times per week) is the first indicator of a disorder. This problem becomes more common in people over 45 years.
Symptoms
* Snoring habitually
* Excessive daytime sleepiness.
* Headaches in the morning.
* Difficulty getting up in the morning.
* Lack of concentration and memory.
* Low performance at work.
* Loss or decreased sexual interest.
* Throat dry upon awakening.
If you presents some of these symptoms, consult your doctor or an otolaryngologist to guide properly.
RISK FACTORS
The sleep apnea causes problems in the blood circulation, in particular the brain. By not receive the brain enough oxygen during the apnea, -in pauses in breathing for 10 seconds and up to two minutes, presents a low in the performance physical and intellectual affected, and if the condition persists, it produces then, the loss of core functions such as the concentration reaching into oblivion.
As is compounded this evil, it causes a brain damage intermittent that may be complicated and have serious consequences. However, properly controlled this condition, can be avoided.The experts in the field, they say that this syndrome is a relatively common and more noticeable in people who are overweight.
According to the Magazine Jama, of the Medical Association of the United States, sleep apnea is related to the arterial hypertension (high blood pressure) in the people of middle age and advanced. Studies such as those made in the School of Public Health of the John Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, determined that those who suffer from sleep apnea, with more than 30 breaks per hour of sleep, have two times more likely to present hypertension that people without problems in their breathing.
In the opinion of the scientists, is very important the connection between the hypertension and apnea due to high blood pressure can lead to very serious consequences for health, as is the case of a heart attack, cerebral hemorrhage, arritmas, congestive heart disease, myocardial infarction or brain. If you can, avoid stress and the bad food, since they are the main causes of this evil.
Treatment
The snoring soft and occasional and symptoms of the sleep apnea may be relieved with the following recommendations.
* Lose weight surplus.
* Practice some exercise regularly.
* Avoid alcohol, food and heavy drugs that produce dream, at least three hours before sleep.
In the case of symptoms are more severe and the measures already exposed not solve the problem, other treatment options include the following:
* Nose Surgery, jaw, language or throat.
* A system of Pressure Continuous Positive Nasal, in which an appliance air compressor and a nasal mask are used to force the opening of the air and thus help breathing during sleep.
* Intraoral cameras. This system has proved an effective means to treat the snoring and apnea in many patients.
What is a device intraoral?
It is a small plastic device similar to a retainer ortodoncia or to a saves sport. Is placed in the mouth to bedtime to prevent the soft tissues of language and throat is collapsing and obstructs the airway. A dentist with the special training in the therapy apparatus intraoral, can design, build and adjust the device to resolve situations and conditions individual patients.
The apparatus intraoral operate in three ways: as prostheses for advancing the jaw forward, to maintain tongue slightly outside and to lift the soft palate lax. A good apparatus can reduce by more than 90 per cent snoring and therefore significantly alleviate symptoms of the obstructive sleep apnea. If you snore strong every night and in any position, should seek help in a center of sleep disorders.
PROGNOSIS
Through a test called Polysomnography, which records simultaneously brain waves, the variations in temperature, levels of oxygen in the blood, eye movements, the activity of the muscles of the chin, legs, the movements of the chest and abdomen, the flow of air nasal, snoring and the pace of breathing while the patient sleep. In this study is an assessment of the 84 alterations that might suffer the dream.