Are You Tired All the Time? Sleep Poorly?

Are you plagued by tiredness? Do others say you snore? Are you at least slightly overweight? If so, you could have sleep apnea.

If all these are true, don’t wait! Sleep apnea could be shortening your life. Have your doctor prescribe a sleep study to find out whether you have sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a condition where you are holding your breath and then gasping for air man times a night. Here’s one reason why you shouldn’t wait: it will shorten your life. You are at increased risk of stroke, heart attack, and other cardiovascular disease including aneurism. Here’s the other reason why you shouldn’t wait: there’s treatment.

Sleep apnea is caused by the collapse of the airway while breathing in. This condition happens when excess fatty tissue lining the airway causes the airway to lose elasticity. It is a condition generally caused by excess poundage. Snoring usually occurs also.

After the airway closes, the oxygen level in the blood drops. Blood pressure shoots up. The sleeper struggles to breathe and begins to wake up. Returning to consciousness, the sleeper opens the airway, and the breath is completed. The sleeper falls back to sleep. The cycle begins again, perhaps many times per minute. Breath cessation for 10 seconds will bring you a diagnosis of sleep apnea.

Your cardiovascular system will wear out from the constantly spiking blood pressure. Your rest will be ruined because of the constant near-waking.

The fact that you are holding your breath may come as a surprise to you. It’s the constant tiredness that will be obvious.

The spiking blood pressure many times each night will bring you closer to heart attack or stroke.

There’s treatment?

Effective treatment has been available for a couple of decades now. The continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) system supplies air from a fan through a hose to a mask placed over the nose and mouth. Pressure from the fan keeps the airway open as you breathe in. It’s not so much pressure that you can’t breathe out.

Well, nothing’s perfect, and some people report their masks are not comfortable. But there are plenty of options on the market.

A further drawback is the fact that you always have to wear the CPAP, even when camping or traveling.

The fan makes a noise, but it’s a white noise that may actually help you fall asleep.

Let’s stack benefits against drawbacks. Without treatment, you risk early death. With it, you have to wear a mask when you sleep and locate an electric outlet. Which do you choose?

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