...he most common form of sleep apnea is “Obstructive Sleep Apnea”, a condition where the airways are blocked, causing breathing to be briefly interrupted multiple times during the night. Up until relatively recently, the standard of care for sleep apnea has been the CPAP machine, where air pressure is applied through a nasal mask. In 2006 the American Academy of Sleep Medicine included oral appliances as a first line of therapy for mild to moderate Obstructive Sleep Apnea and studies have repeatedly validated their efficacy. In Oral Appliance Therapy, an oral appliance is placed in the mouth and worn much like a mouth guard. It acts to keep your airways open. Oral appliances are also used to control snoring. Who provides Oral Appliance Therapy?...
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...What Is Sleep Apnea? Sleep apnea (AP-ne-ah) is a common disorder in which you have one or more pauses in breathing or shallow breaths while you sleep. Breathing pauses can last from a few seconds to minutes. They may occur 30 times or more an hour. Typically, normal breathing then starts again, sometimes with a loud snort or choking sound. Sleep apnea usually is a chronic (ongoing) condition that disrupts your sleep. When your breathing pauses or becomes shallow, you’ll often move out of deep sleep and into light sleep. As a result, the quality of your sleep is poor, which makes you tired during the day. Sleep apnea is a leading cause of excessive daytime sleepiness. Overview Sleep apnea often goes undiagnosed. Doctors usually can't detect the condition during routine office visits. Also, no blood test can help diagnose the condition. Most people who have sleep apnea don't know they have it because it only occurs during sleep. A family member or bed partner might be the first to notice signs of sleep apnea. The most common type of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea. In this condition, the airway collapses or becomes blocked during sleep. This causes shallow breathing or breathing pauses. When you try to breathe, any air that squeezes past the blockage can cause loud snoring. Obstructive sleep apnea is more common in people who are overweight, but it can affect anyone. For example, small children who have enlarged tonsil tissues in their throats may...
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...Obstructive Sleep Apnea For many people, a night’s sleep consisting of tossing, turning, and snoring is relatively normal, and most think nothing of it. But for some people, it is more severe than just restless sleep, it actually is a potentially life threatening disease called Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Someone who is suffering from OSA has blocked airways while sleeping, and they actually stop breathing during their sleep. Being aware of what Obstructive Sleep Apnea is, knowing the signs and symptoms to look for, learning who is more susceptible to this disease, acknowledging how it would be diagnosed, being aware of its precursors, and understanding the available treatments, are all things that should be assessed and should be taken seriously....
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...What are the differences between sleep apnea and Insomnia? How do we treat us the two? How has the FDA halted the treatment of sleep apnea? Researchers have long wanted to know the answers to these questions and they have them. There are key differences between Insomnia and Sleep apnea. Along with appropriate pharmacologic treatments, Doctors have discovered plenty of ways to help with the disorders. The research is there and can teach one all about it if they so choose to find it. The research available has been very helpful in writing many essays on the topic of both disorders and many have found them very helpful in writing their own essays. First of all what is Sleep Apnea? Obstructive sleep apnea affects up to four percent of middle aged adults the common complaints that come with are snoring, daytime sleepiness and disrupted sleep {Victor LD, Am Fam Physician, 1999, Nov 15;60(8):2279-86. National Stroke Foundation, 2005, www.stroke.org.} Apnea is the Greek word for without breath. Sleep apnea causes you to stop breathing for at least 10 seconds while you are sleeping, many times throughout the night. Sleep apnea however does not cause many problems with you breathing throughout the day. The risk factors for sleep apnea are age usually between 40 and 60 is the highest risk. Ethnicity with African-American, Pacific Islanders and Hispanic being the highest risk. Smoking drinking and some medical conditions such as diabetes also put you at a higher risk {Victor...
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...Rafael Pelayo of the Stanford Sleep Medicine Center, says that snoring can begin at any age, but it does occur more often as you get older. Earlier this month, he sleep specialist sat down with The Huffington Post to give some insight on what causes snoring, as well as why it gets worse as the years go by. In particular, snoring is caused by your throat muscles relaxing and narrowing while you are sleeping, with the loud sound being the result of you trying to breathe through the tinier space. Here’s what else you need to know: Why is your snoring getting worse? Weight gain, specifically around your neck, contributes to narrowing your throat—as well as decreased muscle tone, menopause and other hormonal changes. What are your treatment options?...
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...S.R is a 69-year old man who presents to the clinic because his “wife complains that his snoring is difficult to live with.” 1. As the clinic nurse, what routine information would you want to obtain from S.R.? * How long has this issue been occurring? * Do you take any medications? * How do you sleep at night? * Describe your normal daily routine and sleeping routine? (Time you go to sleep; how long you sleep average every night) * What is your diet consisting of? * Do you have any breathing difficulty throughout the daytime? CASE STUDY PROGRESS After interviewing S.R., you note the following: S.R. is under considerable stress. He owns his own business. The stress of overseeing his employees, meeting deadlines, and carrying out negotiations has led to poor sleep habits. He sleeps 3 to 4 hours per night. He keeps himself going by drinking 2 quarts of coffee and smoking three to four packs of cigarettes per day. He has gained 50 lbs. over the past year, leading to a current weight of 280lbs. He complains of difficulty staying awake, wakes up with irritable most of the time and reports difficulty concentrating and learning new things. He has been involved in three auto accidents in the past year. S.R.’s vital signs are BP of 164/90, pulse of 92 beats/min, 18 breaths/min with SaO2 90% on room air. His examination is normal, except for multiple bruises over the right ribcage. You inquire about the bruises, and S.R. reports that his wife jabs him with her...
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...have sleep apnea? These questions can help you and your physician figure out if you should be tested for sleep apnea. Click onShow Score to get the total and see what it means. 1. Do you snore more than three nights a week? | [ ] ( ) Yes (2 points) [ ] ( ) No | 2. Is your snoring loud (can it be heard through a door or wall)? | [ ] ( ) Yes (2 points) [ ] ( ) No | 3. Has anyone ever told you that you briefly stop breathing or gasp when you are asleep? | [ ] ( ) Never [ ] ( ) Occasionally (3 points) [ ] ( ) Frequently (5 points) | 4. What is your collar size? | Men: ( ) Less than 17 inches ( ) 17 inches or greater (5 points)Women:( ) Less than 16 inches ( ) 16 inches or greater (5 points) | 5. Have you had high blood pressure, or are you being treated for it? | ( ) Yes (2 points) [ ]( ) No | 6. Do you ever doze or fall asleep during the day when you are not busy or active? | ( ) Yes (2 points) [ ] ( ) No | 7. Do you ever doze or fall asleep during the day when you are driving or stopped at a light? | ( ) Yes (2 points) [ ]( ) No | Interpreting the score: * 0 to 5: Low probability of sleep apnea. You’re sleep problems are more likely to be caused by something other than sleep apnea. Consult your doctor for a diagnosis. * 6 to 8: It's uncertain whether you have sleep apnea. You and your doctor should decide the next step based on other pieces of your medical history. * 9 +: You may have sleep apnea. You...
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...Winningham’s Critical Thinking Cases in Nursing: Case Study 20: “Obstructive Sleep Apnea” Directions: * Answer the following questions and statements. * Each question is assigned a point value. * Submit the completed worksheet to the Dropbox no later than Day 7 of Unit 3. * Your instructor will post the grade for this Assignment in the Gradebook no later than Day 7 of Unit 4. Scenario: S.R. is a 69-year-old man who presents to the clinic because his “wife complains that his snoring is difficult to live with.” 1. As the clinic nurse, what routine information would you want to obtain from S.R.? (2 points) I would want to obtain a smoking history (if any). I would want to know about their sleep: the hours of sleep obtained per night, if they are waking frequently through the night, their posture during sleep. Information I would want to obtain would also include if they wake up feeling tired, if they awake frequently during the night, if they fall asleep during the day, if they awake with a headache, and if they are irritable or angry in the morning. I would want to assess vital signs (to include oxygen saturation level), history of recent illness/respiratory infection, any changes in weight, trouble breathing through the nose, stressors, and difficulty concentrating. I would also ask the wife how loudly he snores and if she notices a pause in his breathing. CASE STUDY PROGRESS After interviewing S.R., you note the following: * S.R. is...
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...Sleep Apnea, the Silent Killer Sleep is just as necessary as food and water is to humans. It is important for recharging the body’s internal functioning systems, as well as to recover from the everyday stress of the waking world. However, there are over 12 million Americans out there suffering from a silent disease that is preventing them from achieving quality sleep rest, and that is because they have an untreated sleep disorder called obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). This disorder is characterized by marked repetitive episodes of breathing cessation ten seconds or longer, that occurs during at night while a person sleeps. During this time, their oxygen saturation drops, resulting in hypoxemia. These disturbances during sleep over time may affect...
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...restless night sleep. We have tossed and turned and woke up the next morning feeling tired and restless. You may ask yourself if this means that you have a sleeping disorder. What kinds of sleeping disorders exist and what causes them. Some of us have heard terms like, insomnia, narcolepsy, sleep apnea, nightmares, and night terror, but how do these sleep disorders effect an individual? To understand some sleep disorders we must first understand the cycle of sleep. Most of us believe that sleep is what occurs at night when we close our eyes. This is true, but sleep is actually 5 different patterns or stages of activity in the brain. When we first lay down and close our eyes, this is the beginning of stage one sleep. In this stage you are no longer completely aware of your external environment. A slight noise or light touch could wake you. You become relaxed, your breathing becomes regular, and you have disconnected thoughts. After about 10 minutes you enter stage two of sleep. Stage two is a transitional stage, just like stage one, but on an EEG (electroencephalogram), which measures the electrical output of the brain, the brain activity is different. This stage takes a louder noise or heavier touch to wake a person from sleep. It is also at this stage when sudden jerks in your arms or legs cause you to wake suddenly. Stage one and two together usually last about thirty minutes and then you enter stage three sleep. Stage three and four are considered deep sleep. These stages...
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...to use modafinil effectively. I suffered from obstructive sleep apnea because of which I felt sleepy at work. I could not concentrate on what I was supposed to do. I work at a call center and that requires me to work in shifts. My work schedule had aggravated my problem of sleep apnea. I did not get enough sleep at night and because of that I felt drowsy during the day time. I checked out different health websites and found out a solution Modafinil. I started with 100 mg Modafinil back then. After 3 days I increased the dosage to 200 mg. I placed an order for Modafinil from online pharmacy store. Firstly I ordered 100 mg and later I purchased Modafinil 200 mg. It proved to be a life changing treatment for me. I no longer felt sleepy during the day. I also consulted my doctor for the other problems I had because of sleep apnea. Do not be indifferent to sleep apnea. If you are turning obese, have difficulty in breathing at awkward hours of night, snoring problems or unwanted daytime sleepiness, it suggests that you have sleep apnea....
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...Sleep Disorders and the MInd Related: Sleep Disorders, insomnia, sleep apnea, More Tags> 2 Florence Cardinal 1355 Monday, May 17, 2010 View All of Florence Cardinal's Posts You may not think of sleep disorders as a mental problem, but nothing can mess up the mind like a few sleepless nights. The fact is, not nearly enough is known about what goes on in our minds when we are asleep. Where do dreams come from? How about nightmares? Let's look at a few sleep disorders. Perhaps the most common is insomnia. Lying awake hour after hour, night after night. That sort of behavior can lead to all sorts of problems. Many times the problem is either stress or depression. Of course, the more sleep we lose, the more stress and depression dominate our lives. If the problem goes on long enough, it can lead to a fear of going to bed because sleep is so elusive. Sleep apnea is not only a destroyer of sleep; it's a destroyer of life. Imagine waking up in the night gasping for breath. Imagine this happening hundreds of times a night. The problem is, most of the time victims of sleep apnea don't come fully awake, but it's enough to cause broken sleep and sleep deprivation. Narcolepsy causes hallucinations. You see things that aren't there. If that's not enough to boggle the mind, narcoleptics also suffer from cataplexy. They're unable to express any strong emotion - fear, grief, anger, even laughter without falling to the floor, their muscles no longer under their control...
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...concept of sleep. Sleep is necessary for not only humans but to all the creatures. Animals, bugs, and all the creatures need to sleep In order to better function. Sleep does not only allow us to rest, sleep is a biological need that help creatures maintain a healthy, balanced life. Half of the human’s life is being asleep because humans sleep at least seven hours a day. Some people sleep for eight hours; some people sleep for 12 hours; basically, it depends on the age. Babes sleep somewhere from sixteen to twenty hours a day which is really a lot compared to teenagers and adults. Sleep is also a psychological need. A lot of people go through a lot of stress during their daily life. Sleep allow us to calm down and wake up with a less stressed mood. Also, sleep allow our body to heal whatever injuries one’s have. It...
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...delicious and easiest foods to prepare are the ones that are not so good for our well-being. Childhood obesity is formally defined as weighing at least 20% above the weight corresponding to the ideal weight for children of a specific height, gender, and age. 20%-40% over the ideal weight is considered mildly obese, 40%-100% over is considered moderately obese, and 100% over is considered severely obese. Some scientists classify children as overweight if their body fat is at least 25% for males and 30% for females (“So What Is Childhood Obesity?” 2010). Simply put, childhood obesity is consuming unhealthy foods and drinks without exercise to burn it off. None the less, it is extremely detrimental to today’s youth. Childhood obesity can have both physical and psychological effects. The physical effects are similar to those seen in obese adults. Some of the physical effects of childhood obesity include type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and sleep apnea. Some of the psychological effects include low self-esteem and social discrimination. Ironically, obesity is among the easiest medical conditions to recognize but most difficult to treat. (Schoenstadt, 2010) Adolescents who are overweight are also likely to be obese as adults. This increases their risk...
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...irregular heartbeat. Lastly I will discuss sleep apnea which deals with your breathing while sleeping. To begin with, I am going to talk about MERS. The middle east respiratory syndrome corona virus (MERS) is a Beta corona virus. MERS is closes to resembling Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) but doesn't spread as easy. SARS affected around 8,000 people around the world in 2013. MERS was found in the Middle East in the year 2012. It had come back last year in May but it was identified in Asia. There were about 160 who caught this respiratory infection and the reported death toll was 25. If patients traveled to the areas where this was found the Center for Disease Control (CDC) is urging doctors to check for the virus. Without close contact it is hard to catch this virus says experts. Further more, the common symptoms found when patients have MERS are fever, cough, and shortness of breath (SOB). The doctors can treat symptoms, but the doctors do not have a vaccine because this virus does not currently have a cure. This is even more serious for those who already have problems with their immune system. If leaving in or visiting an area infected by MERS wash hands often, avoid the sick, help your children with washing their hands thoroughly, and wear a mask if dealing with people affected by MERS. My next topic, discusses about atrial fibrillation (AFIB) which is a type of irregular heartbeat. Roughly this affects 2 million Americans, what happens is the electrical system that...
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