Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Want To Sleep With Your Spouse Again? Stop Snoring

By Kate Thomas

Although the topic of snoring is frequently met with laughs. It is really no laughing matter, especially to the bedmate of the snorer. As a matter of fact, snoring can acutally be a sign of a much more serious health problem known as sleep apnea. All snoring of course, is not the same. Not all who snore suffer from sleep apnea. There are different types of snoring.

If you've tried weight loss and quit smoking and drinking alcohol without results. Or, have changed the position in which you sleep and it still doesn't help, then you may want to check with your doctor to rule out sleep apnea.

If you have sleep apnea you can literally stop breathing many times throughout the night during your sleep. In many cases, the interruptions can occur hundreds of times during the night and last over a minute.

This condition can be fatal, so its important that you confer with your physician if you suspect that your snoring is more than a modest annoyance. You should also feel that your sleep is far less productive and feel tired throughout the day if you suffer from sleep apnea.

The good news is there are many treatments available for those who experience sleep apnea that do not include surgery. More than likely before resorting to surgical procedures that may or may not be necessary, your physician will want to try the less invasive methods available to properly treat your your case of sleep apnea.

The first step your doctor is likely to take is to identify the specific apnea that plagues your sleep. There are three different types of sleep apnea: obstructive, central, and mixed. Obstructive is the one you will hear the most about, since its the most common one.

Once your particular apnea is discovered, you and your physician will work out a treatment plan in order to correct or minimize your apnea. Common treatments for obstructive sleep apnea include behavioral changes such as diet and exercise, medications such as nasal sprays with steroids, thyroid replacement therapy medications, and weight loss medications, dental appliances and Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machines, which are devices that deliver constant air pressure through a facemask in order to keep the airways open.

When used alone or in conjunction with other treatment options, these devices and treatment options while not one size fits all, can be highly effective. For those with sleep apnea, physical fitness tends to be a big problem.

The cycle is brutal with the result of the apnea being a lack of energy that would be needed in order to burn off the required calories to achieve weight loss. Talk to your physician if youre overweight and suffering from sleep apnea. He or she may be able to prescribe medication for weight loss that will assist with both. The worst thing you can do for sleep apnea is to do nothing. - 23802

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