SLEEP Apnea?

I think I have sleep apnea, I tought it was my heart but they’ve gave me a full work up and my heart is fine. I’m so sleepy during the day I can’t fuction, is there anything I can do to stay awake during the day, I sleep some through the night but not sure if its a deep sleep. I need help staying awake during the day on my job.

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Just about everyone has had trouble sleeping at sometime or other and in the absence of proper sleep, functioning the next day can be difficult at best. There are many benefits of deep sleep and some may even surprise you. Deep sleep is also called REM sleep or Rapid Eye Movement. It occurs about three to five times during a night of good, restful sleep. This phase of deep sleep is quite interesting and it might be just what you think it is. An eye mask or sleeping mask will help encourage deeper sleep which is one of the most vital mechanisms for personal health and wellbeing.

Eye masks and sleeping masks function by covering the light receptors within the eyes giving the signal that darkness has begun which results in a change from the body producing the hormone serotonin to producing melatonin. Sleep comes about with a reduction in the body’s temperature and a rise in the production of melatonin. In addition to supporting sleep, melatonin also fortifies the body’s defence mechanisms and so reduces the chance of health issues.

What Is Deep Sleep?

Deep sleep or REM sleep is the fifth cycle of sleep and it’s one of the most important. While most people associate REM sleep with dreaming, that is not the only thing that happens. Your body also sorts through different memories, emotions, and stress. Your blood pressure and heart rate can increase. You may breathe a little heavier and your fingers and toes may twitch. It might sound as if your body is not resting but the opposite is actually true.

The Benefits of Deep Sleep

Deep sleep helps our minds to process our memories, stress, and emotions much more easily and can help our brains process new skills and information. It also boosts our mood when we are awake and can help improve our overall health. With the right amount of deep sleep, you will have more energy during your day and not feel so drained in the afternoon. Deep sleep benefits also include younger looking skin, increased vitality, and an improved mental state. In addition, research studies have shown that three deep sleep or REM cycles each night can help improve memory and other cognitive functions.

Deep sleep may help improve some medical conditions as well. For example, the symptoms of depression and anxiety can be reduced with regular, deep sleep. You will find that your body is less susceptible to illness and you are able to fight off infections more easily when you get enough recuperative REM sleep. Your body will produce more white blood cells when you are sleeping. Your body also increases protein production and decreases the breakdown of proteins. This is why the body is able to repair itself better when you are in deep sleep. In teenagers and children, the growth hormone is released as they sleep.

How to Increase Your Deep Sleep Cycles

The longer you sleep, the longer your deep sleep cycles. The first REM cycle occurs about an hour to an hour and a half after you fall asleep and only last about two to ten minutes. As you continue to sleep, the REM cycles increase in length and this appears to be when you get the most benefits of deep sleep.

There are ways that you can increase the number and length of your deep sleep cycles. For starters, turn your television off in your bedroom. If you feel you must have some sort of noise, then consider investing in a white noise machine. You should have a bedtime routine that doesn’t involve using the computer, drinking caffeinated beverages, or balancing your chequebook. Slimming down, getting some moderate workout and modifying medicines can also help to alleviate many of the obstacles to a really good night sleep. Sleeping in a cool room helps encourage deep sleep and an eye mask is a great addition. Eye masks help block out the light in the room, sometimes even the smallest sliver of light can affect your sleep.

The body is always in need of sleep so as to replenish the energy reserves, get over a workout or illness and be able to regulate its metabolic process. Even small quantities of light maybe enough to have a detrimental effect on your sleep and could lead to sleep deprivation. If you’re having sleep problems, you should try an eye mask or sleeping mask to block out any light and so enhance your sleep pattern. You’ll be surprised at just how rejuvenated you feel in the morning.

Click to improve your sleep and lifestyle today with an eye mask or sleeping mask.

Technorati Tags: , , , , , ,

Just about everyone has had trouble sleeping at sometime or other and in the absence of proper sleep, functioning the next day can be difficult at best. There are many benefits of deep sleep and some may even surprise you. Deep sleep is also called REM sleep or Rapid Eye Movement. It occurs about three to five times during a night of good, restful sleep. This phase of deep sleep is quite interesting and it might be just what you think it is. An eye mask or sleeping mask will help encourage deeper sleep which is one of the most vital mechanisms for personal health and wellbeing.

Eye masks and sleeping masks function by covering the light receptors within the eyes giving the signal that darkness has begun which results in a change from the body producing the hormone serotonin to producing melatonin. Sleep comes about with a reduction in the body’s temperature and a rise in the production of melatonin. In addition to supporting sleep, melatonin also fortifies the body’s defence mechanisms and so reduces the chance of health issues.

What Is Deep Sleep?

Deep sleep or REM sleep is the fifth cycle of sleep and it’s one of the most important. While most people associate REM sleep with dreaming, that is not the only thing that happens. Your body also sorts through different memories, emotions, and stress. Your blood pressure and heart rate can increase. You may breathe a little heavier and your fingers and toes may twitch. It might sound as if your body is not resting but the opposite is actually true.

The Benefits of Deep Sleep

Deep sleep helps our minds to process our memories, stress, and emotions much more easily and can help our brains process new skills and information. It also boosts our mood when we are awake and can help improve our overall health. With the right amount of deep sleep, you will have more energy during your day and not feel so drained in the afternoon. Deep sleep benefits also include younger looking skin, increased vitality, and an improved mental state. In addition, research studies have shown that three deep sleep or REM cycles each night can help improve memory and other cognitive functions.

Deep sleep may help improve some medical conditions as well. For example, the symptoms of depression and anxiety can be reduced with regular, deep sleep. You will find that your body is less susceptible to illness and you are able to fight off infections more easily when you get enough recuperative REM sleep. Your body will produce more white blood cells when you are sleeping. Your body also increases protein production and decreases the breakdown of proteins. This is why the body is able to repair itself better when you are in deep sleep. In teenagers and children, the growth hormone is released as they sleep.

How to Increase Your Deep Sleep Cycles

The longer you sleep, the longer your deep sleep cycles. The first REM cycle occurs about an hour to an hour and a half after you fall asleep and only last about two to ten minutes. As you continue to sleep, the REM cycles increase in length and this appears to be when you get the most benefits of deep sleep.

There are ways that you can increase the number and length of your deep sleep cycles. For starters, turn your television off in your bedroom. If you feel you must have some sort of noise, then consider investing in a white noise machine. You should have a bedtime routine that doesn’t involve using the computer, drinking caffeinated beverages, or balancing your chequebook. Slimming down, getting some moderate workout and modifying medicines can also help to alleviate many of the obstacles to a really good night sleep. Sleeping in a cool room helps encourage deep sleep and an eye mask is a great addition. Eye masks help block out the light in the room, sometimes even the smallest sliver of light can affect your sleep.

The body is always in need of sleep so as to replenish the energy reserves, get over a workout or illness and be able to regulate its metabolic process. Even small quantities of light maybe enough to have a detrimental effect on your sleep and could lead to sleep deprivation. If you’re having sleep problems, you should try an eye mask or sleeping mask to block out any light and so enhance your sleep pattern. You’ll be surprised at just how rejuvenated you feel in the morning.

Click to improve your sleep and lifestyle today with an eye mask or sleeping mask.

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Our 18-month old male goldenlabradoodle was diagnosed with narcolepsy/cataplexy on October 7, 2010. He has periods where he collapses into a deep sleep – mostly while eating or while going for a walk. We are second-guessing the diagnosis, however, and wonder what other conditions might cause Duke to collapse into a cataplexic state other than narcolepsy.

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SLEEP Apnea?

I think I have sleep apnea, I tought it was my heart but they’ve gave me a full work up and my heart is fine. I’m so sleepy during the day I can’t fuction, is there anything I can do to stay awake during the day, I sleep some through the night but not sure if its a deep sleep. I need help staying awake during the day on my job.

Technorati Tags: , , ,

Sleep Apnea: A Common Disorder

Sleep apnea is a common disorder that is characterized by very shallow breathing while sleeping. The most common type of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea.

When sleep is upset throughout the night the next day can be one of fatigue and sleepiness. A person with sleep apnea does not get restful sleep because:

?Brief episodes of increased airway resistance and breathing pauses occur many times throughout the night

?You may experience many brief drops in the oxygen levels in your blood

?Poor sleep quality occurs because you move out of deep sleep and into light sleep several times during the night.

Loud snoring is often a characteristic common to people who have sleep apnea. Not everyone who snores has sleep apnea and there are people with sleep apnea that do not know they snore.

Sleep apnea happen more often in people who are overweight, however thin people can also have the condition. The majority of people with sleep apnea do not know they have it, and they do not know they are having problems breathing while they are asleep. A family member and/or bed partner may notice the signs of sleep apnea first.

An increase in the chance of having blood pressure which can lead to heart attack or stroke is one of the consequences of untreated sleep apnea. Sleep apnea left untreated can also increase the risk of diabetes and the risk for work-related accidents and driving accidents.

There is an estimation of over 12 million American who have obstructive sleep apnea. More than half of these people are overweight and most of them “snore” heavily. Sleep apnea is more common in men, and is more common in African Americans, Hispanics, and Pacific Islanders than in Caucasians. It tends to run in families as well. It can also occur in children. If your child snores, you should discuss it with your doctor or health care provider.

Common signs and symptoms of sleep apnea include:

?Loud snoring

?Choking or gasping during sleep

?Fighting sleepiness during the day (even at work or while driving)

?Morning headaches

?Memory or learning problems

?Feeling irritable

?Not being able to concentrate on your work

?Mood swings or personality changes

?Feelings of depression

?Dry throat upon awakening

?Frequent urination at night

Treatment of sleep apnea:

The goal of treatment is to restore regular nighttime breathing and relieve symptoms such as very loud snoring and daytime sleepiness. Appropriate treatment will also help the associated problems of high blood pressure and reduce risk for heart attack and stroke.

Tips of self-help for sleep apnea include:

?Avoid alcohol, smoking and or medicines that can make you sleepy.

?Lose weight if you are overweight

?Try sleeping on your side instead of your back.

One of the most common treatments for sleep apnea is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). This treatment is wearing a mask over your nose during sleep.

If you snore, treating sleep apnea may help stop snoring, however, this does not mean you no longer have sleep apnea or that you should stop using CPAP. If CPAP is stopped or not used correctly, sleep apnea will return.

Possible side effects of CPAP include:

?Dry or stuffy nose

?Irritation of the skin on your face

?Bloating of your stomach

?Sore eyes

?Headaches

For people who have side effects working with sleep medicine specialists and technicians can help reduce the side effects. Some things that can be done include:

?Use a nasal spray to relieve a dry, stuffy, or runny nose

?Adjust the CPAP settings

?Adjust the size/fit of the mask

?Add moisture to the air as it flows through the mask

?Use a CPAP machine that can automatically adjust the amount of air pressure to the level that is required to keep the airway open

?Use a CPAP machine that will start with low air pressure and slowly increase the air pressure as you fall asleep.

People with severe sleep apnea symptoms usually feel better once they begin treatment with CPAP. It is important to follow-up with your doctor and to discuss any side effects with your doctor.

Other sleep apnea treatments include:

?Mouthpiece (oral appliance) for people with mild sleep apnea

?Surgery: The type of surgery depends upon the cause of the sleep apnea.

Types of surgery include:

?Surgery to remove tonsils and adenoids if they block the airway, this is especially helpful for children

?Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty

?Laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty

?Tracheostomy

?Rebuilding the lower jaw

?Surgery on the nose

?Surgery to treat obesity.

Source: The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute

Disclaimer: *This article is not meant to diagnose, treat or cure any kind of a health problem. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Always consult with your health care provider about any kind of a health problem and especially before beginning any kind of an exercise routine.

This article is FREE to publish with the resource box. Article written 4-2007.



By: Connie Limon

About the Author:
Connie Limon, Trilogy Field Representative. Visit http://nutritionandhealthhub.com and sign up for a weekly nutrition and health tip. The article collection is available as FREE reprints for your newsletters, websites or blog. Visit http://www.healthylife27.com to purchase an array of superior quality, safe and effective products inspired by nature, informed by science and created to improve the health of people, pets and the planet.

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SLEEP Apnea?

Chris S asked:


I think I have sleep apnea, I tought it was my heart but they’ve gave me a full work up and my heart is fine. I’m so sleepy during the day I can’t fuction, is there anything I can do to stay awake during the day, I sleep some through the night but not sure if its a deep sleep. I need help staying awake during the day on my job.

Technorati Tags: , ,