Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is condition where your airways close off and breathing is disrupted or stops several times during sleep. In mild cases, breathing disruptions could occur five times in one hour while in more severe cases, these disruptions could occur up to fifty times in an hour.

A key sleep apnea symptom for adults is excessive sleepiness during the day. This is not just your typical sleepiness because of staying up late. You know you have excessive sleepiness when you fall asleep in inappropriate times of the day such as while talking, eating, or even driving. This could have severe consequences, as you may get into motor vehicle accidents or poor performance at school or work. This is just but one of many sleep apnea symptoms.

Another warning sign for sleep apnea is loud snoring. A snore so loud that it wakes up the person sleeping beside you is a major sign of sleep apnea. If you wake up during the night gasping for air and choking, it may very well be sleep apnea. One of the many sleep apnea symptoms is waking up at night with a dry mouth. Mouth open sleeping is just as bad as nasal sleeping for apnea.

In severe cases of sleep apnea, some frequently wake up at night to urinate. Ironically, the apnea puts pressure on the heart which causes hormonal changes in the body and that makes the body urinate more.

Restless legs, reflux and a whole host of other ailments are precipitated by apnea. Resltessness leads to more waking, more eating and more weight, which in turn makes the apnea worse Other symptoms would be waking up in the morning still feeling tired and usually having headaches. And with lack of sleep comes sleep deprivation problems like memory impairment and mental fogginess. However, these sleep apnea symptoms alone are not good indicators of sleep apnea since they may very well be associated with other medical conditions.

A growing number of sufferers of apnea are seeking help. And the condition is not limited to seniors or adults. Sleep apnea symptoms in children vary depending on their age. For children below 5 years, sleep apnea symptoms would be snoring a lot, breathing through the mouth, restlessness, and waking up a lot during the night. Symptoms for children who are 5 years and older include snoring, bed-wetting, poor performance in school, short attention span, and in some cases, growing slower than most kids their age.

If you experience these symptoms, or have a child or a relative that does, try out some home treatments. Better yet, consult a physician if you think you have sleep apnea. Get it treated fast, and get back to sleep.

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If you are told you have mild sleep apnea it can usually be treated with sleep position alterations and diet. Remember, sleep apnea is a serious illness and should be treated as such so don't try and treat yourself LIfestyle changes and home treatments like changing sleep position are great, but they should complement whatever the doctor recommends.

Losing weight, difficult though it is, is probably the best initial approach to treating sleep apnea. Most people with apnea are overweight, but just being overweight doesn't always guarantee getting it The throat is like a hose, and if the fat that makes up the neck gets thicker, it constricts the flow. Losing weight effectively reduces the occurrence of breathing disruptions. If you sleep on your side, sleep apnea episodes may be lessened. You may want to put a pillow behind you while sleeping on your side to avoid lying on your back. You may frequently change sleeping positions to promote regular breathing. Back sleepers hate developing apnea, because they can't be back sleepers anymore unless they tolerate the CPAP well. According to most experts, it can take 6 months of habit to become a side sleeper, and you may need more cushion under your side. First line of cure are diet and position, but they are by no means a magic pill

Moderate to severe sleep apnea will probably see you getting fitted for a CPAP or BIPAP, but you could go the aggressive route and try to get fit. And you might want to dramatically reduce your alcohol intake, it has been linked to narrowed airways. It's a natural and more holistic approach to treating apnea, but it takes work.And quit smoking because it's bad all around, and it swells your upper throat which will cause you to breathe badly. Taking in sedatives or sleeping pills, and other pills used for allergies and depression may also worsen symptoms of sleep apnea.

Stop smoking, drink less, lose weight and try a new sleep position are all things you can start doing now for your apnea.

Sleep Apnea is historically best treated by CPAP or continuous airway pressure-basically an air splint to keep your throat open. In CPAP, a machine is used to increase air pressure in the throat, keeping the airways open so that they won’t collapse and breathing won’t be disrupted. The hard part is that you have to sleep with a mask and tubing that are very uncomfortable and hard to get used to-the mask can cover either the nose or full face. The most commonly used mask is the one that covers the nose only.

We've all heard about a deviated septum, but did you know it can exacerbate apnea? A deviated septum means that the cartilage and bone that is dividing the nostrils aren’t aligned properly. A deviated septum can be corrected with nasal surgery. There is a procedure called Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty or UPPP where a soft tissue at the back of the throat is removed to broaden the airway. Another surgery called Mandibular maxillar advancement surgery is an option where the surgeon corrects the jaw to open the airway. By its very nature, urgery is a more permanent sleep apnea treatment.

When choosing a sleep apnea treatment , it is important that you know the severity of your condition. You have to take precautionary measures and may even need to make drastic lifestyle changes to improve your condition. Always consult a physician first, since apnea can go undetected and can be deadly.

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