Stop Snoring Exercises

Sleep apnea is perhaps the commonest of all sleep disorders and affects almost eighteen million people in the United States. A sleeping disorder characterized by broken breathing while sleeping, sleep apnea is also undoubtedly the most dangerous of sleep disorders as it starves the brain of essential oxygen and occasionally proves fatal.

There are two quite distinct forms of sleep apnea. Central sleep apnea is in essence a neurological disorder where the breathing is interrupted as a result of signals sent from the brain. Obstructive sleep apnea by contrast is in effect a mechanical problem where the windpipe is obstructed either by too much tissue or as a result of the abnormal collapse or relaxation of muscle tissue around the windpipe. In either case however the results are essentially the same with recurrent interruptions to normal breathing that deprive the brain of oxygen and put the sufferer at greater risk from such things as high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke.

Regrettably, diagnosing sleep apnea can be difficult as snoring, which is one of its commonest symptoms and frequently leads to sleep apnea being referred to as the snoring disease, is also present as a symptom of several medical conditions. Snoring is certainly generally present in cases of sleep apnea because the brain responds to a drop in oxygen by waking the sufferer sufficiently to restart breathing and this often causes snoring.

This repeated awakening during the night also results in a poor quality of sleep and it is fairly common for sufferers to wake up in the morning feeling more tired than when they went to bed. This also results in a feeling of exhaustion during the course of the day and a great wish to sleep.

However, tiredness resulting from poor quality sleep is only one part of the picture and various other symptoms will normally be present including headaches in the morning, a lack of memory and a problem in maintaining concentration.

Left untreated the increasing tiredness resulting from sleep apnea can produce serious psychological problems beginning with tetchiness and progressing to depression with clear changes in behavior and mood.

Both obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea can be treated and, provided the condition is diagnosed early enough, this treatment can often be quite simple. For instance, mild cases of obstructive sleep apnea caused by nasal congestion can commonly be treated with nothing more than decongestants. In the same way, a lot of cases of sleep apnea that are not particularly serious may be treated with a mask that is worn while sleeping and that provides a constant pressure of air in order to keep the airway open. Finally, in the most serious cases of sleep apnea surgery might be necessary and can be extremely effective, although it can also lead to various complications and needs to be approached with caution.

Probably the most important thing to bear in mind with sleep apnea is that because it carries with it the potentially fatal risk of respiratory failure sufferers ought not to be tempted to use sleeping pills or to take other types of sleep enhancers without the approval of a doctor.

Natural sleep remedies undoubtedly provide an effective complement to prescribed medication and herbs which are intended to improve the quality and duration of sleep can be helpful in the management of the excessive daytime sleepiness usually brought on by sleep apnea. Similarly, things like chromatherapy, aromatherapy and meditation and guided relaxation can help to reduce the insomnia and anxiety which go along with sleep apnea.