Sleep Apnea

Do you wake up feeling tired in the morning? Do you find yourself getting sleepy in the middle of the day? If so, you’re not alone. Many of us go through this type of thing from time to time and we usually don’t even give it a second thought. Why should we? After all, we all tend to lead very busy lives. Life gets to be so hectic sometimes that while juggling everything that we have to do we often end up sacrificing sleep. If you experience the odd morning like this, it may not feel great to pull yourself out of bed, and the rest of the day may not be easy, but it’s not necessarily cause for concern. On the other hand, if it’s happening regularly, you may be suffering from sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea is both a cause and a symptom of being overweight. The weight gain occurs due to the fact that sleep apnea wakes you up several times during the night, resulting in the interruption of Rapid Eye Movement (REM) dream sleep that is needed for your body to properly repair itself. As well, it should be noted that part of the body's nighttime maintenance routine includes the release of leptin and ghrelin hormones, which regulate weight loss or gain, as well as your appetite. With sleep apnea your body is not able to regulate these hormones in an effective manner, which leads to weight gain.

If you find yourself recognizing these signs of sleep apnea and are noticing they are occurring regularly, you may be suffering from this condition, which if left untreated could cause significant weight gain and, in extreme cases, could also become potentially life threatening.

There are two main types of sleep apnea. Central sleep apnea occurs in about 10% of patients - the brain fails to force the muscles that are used during breathing to actually respond. As a result, carbon dioxide increases in the blood stream and oxygen decreases to very low levels forcing you to wake up to breathe. This process gets repeated many times throughout the course of the night. The other type of sleep apnea is called obstructive sleep apnea (may be combined with central sleep apnea) and occurs in 90% of patients. In the case of obstructive sleep apnea, what happens is that your tongue, tonsils, uvula or even the fat tissue in your neck blocks your airway and the result is that you snore, or that the airflow is stopped.

Treatment for sleep apnea usually involves the use of cpap machines. The person has to wear a cpap mask at night that blows a prescribed level of air pressure through the nose and/or mouth to keep the airway open and clear. Oftentimes users complain the masks are cumbersome and unpleasant to wear, and that their partners are kept awake by the noise of the cpap machine at night.

A longer-term solution to resolving sleep apnea is to lose the excess weight that could be contributing to the condition to begin with. Slimband offers a real solution for those suffering with their weight. To learn more about how Slimband can help cure your sleep apnea and help you get a full night of restful sleep, please complete the Find Out More form to the right of this page to schedule a consultation with a physician.