Radio Shows | Sleep Apnea | mp3 … wma … wav

I’m waking up tired and I’m just not sleeping well. So I think I’m going to get tested for sleep apnea.

That’s a good idea because sleep apnea can lead to health problems. Sleep apnea literally means sleep without breath.In fact some people stop breathing hundreds of times a night and do so for more than a minute!

Try holding your breath for that long.

There are three types of apnea – obstructive, central and a combination of these two.

Obstructive apnea occurs when soft tissue in the throat literally collapses during sleep closing the airway. Central apnea is a central nervous system issue where the brain fails to “signal” muscles involved in breathing. Mixed apnea is a combination of these two forms. With all three the brain has to raise consciousness to stimulate breathing and that leads to poor quality sleep.

Of the nearly 12 million Americans suffering from these diseases – nearly all have obstructive sleep apnea. Unfortunately many people are undiagnosed and don’t realize it can lead to high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, memory and weight problems, impotency and headaches.

While the most common risk factors are being male, over 40 and overweight – obstructive sleep apnea can affect everyone including children. You can find out if you have it by spending a night at a sleep lab where everything from breathing, brain activity and muscle movements are measured.

The most common treatment is having patients sleep with a machine called continuous positive airway pressure or CPAP.

It comes with a mask you wear over your mouth and/or nose and the air pressure provided prevents the upper airway from collapsing. This keeps the person breathing while they sleep which generally solves the problem.

But the machine can take some getting used to.

Manufacturers are constantly developing more comfortable masks since most patients must use one for life.