An estimated 22 million Americans suffer from Sleep Apnea.
as well. Even children are not immune. Children with enlarged tonsils are prone to developing obstructive sleep apnea. Watch a short video from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute on what happens during sleep apnea.
Structural narrowing of the pharynx plays a critical role in most, if not all cases of obstructive sleep apnea (John Remmers. M.D. – the Harvard-trained physician who coined the term “Obstructive Sleep Apnea“). Dr. Remmers believes that this is due to the upper and lower jaws being recessed in the face, usually as a consequence of childhood mouth breathing and/or teeth removal with orthodontic ‘correction’.
During sleep the soft tissues around the throat and soft palate relax and collapse, further narrowing the airway. This means your breathing either stops (apnea), or there is a reduction in airflow (hypopnea) with accompanying fluctuations in blood oxygen levels throughout the night.
If you have OSA then you may require an orthodontic consultation to assess for structural narrowing of the pharynx. This may then require correction in order to get permanent relief of OSA. The use of CPAP and intra-oral devices are not cures for the structural and physiological problems causing OSA but they will prevent nightly apnea episodes in most cases, you might also benefit from using a CPAP Pillow. If you are already using a CPAP device, you will find this article about CPAP Cleaner very useful.
The risks sleep apnea poses to long term health and longevity are too great to ignore.
Chronic hyperventilation, or Hyperventilation Syndrome, is so commonly misdiagnosed, it has been referred to as a silent epidemic. An estimated 5-10% of us are chronic over-breathers, so breathing problems are certainly not rare, but getting help for them is often difficult because of a lack of recognition.
Symptoms of chronic hyperventilation include air hunger or a feeling of being unable to take a deep breath; frequent sighing or yawning; tingling in the hands or around the mouth; dizziness and confusion; a racing heart often with chest pain; poor exercise tolerance and muscle fatigue; disturbed sleep.
The symptoms described are not peculiar to chronic hyperventilation and they can mimic other issues such as heart problems. This is perhaps why people with these symptoms can go from doctor to doctor searching for answers. Hyperventilation Syndrome was referred to by Dr. Claude Lum, a British chest physician who specialized in this area, as “fat file syndrome” because by the time sufferers reached his door their case files were inches thick.
The symptoms of chronic hyperventilation are worrisome and warrant thorough investigation, but these usually turn out to be normal and the sufferer is left wondering what is wrong with them. Doctors often tell their patients it is an anxiety problem, treatable with anti-anxiety medication. This might numb the symptoms for awhile but it does little to treat the underlying mechanism that is causing the problem.
Symptoms can arise at any age, (the twenties and thirties being the most common) and they usually come and go but get worse over time.
Treatment for chronic hyperventilation involves learning breathing strategies aimed at reducing the volume of air breathed. With effective breathing re-training and stress management, symptoms should cease or rarely occur. However, clinics that specialize in treating breathing disorders are scarce and consequently we get inquiries from people all over the world who are looking for help.
A CPAP pillow might just be the solution for those sleepless nights, are you waking up tired and sleepy, perhaps low in energy? this buying guide will help you choose the best CPAP pillow for you. If you also have CPAP equipement that needs cleaning, I strognly recommend that you read our in-depth article on CPAP Cleaner.
CPAP Cleaner. Keep Your CPAP Equipment Clean As New.
CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) equipment requires careful maintenance and cleaning so that you can enjoy the most benefits and to minimize the growth of infection-causing bacteria.