The article looks at causes and possible natural remedies for sleep apnea.
Every evening Jerry and I meet for a friendly game of chess.
One week a few months back, I noticed he was a bit downcast and seemed lost in some thought.
When I gently queried he let me know that he had visited the doctor that day and was referred to a throat specialist who diagnosed him as suffering from sleep apnea.
Seems, the doctor recommended some sort of positive air intake thingamajig that was supposed to make him breath easier and rid him of the effects of sleep apnea.
I asked Jerry if there were any other options to this device.
He said he had no idea.
I thought about it a while.
In fact, the more I thought about it the more curious I got so I decided I would do some research on Jerry's behalf and find out what I could about this sleep apnea, its effects and possible remedies that did not include being strapped to some foul contraption just so he could get a good night's sleep.
But what exactly is sleep apnea? Seems, sleep apnea is when the breathing stops for periods ranging from a few seconds to a couple of minutes.
This does not happen when the person is awake - it only happens when the person is sleeping and therefore, not in his or her full senses.
When we sleep, our brain controls our breathing, dreams etc.
It sends signals to our body telling it when to inhale and exhale.
In one form of sleep apnea, it seems that sometimes these "signals" get lost.
Whoa! Yup, my research tells me it happens and when it does, the body either does not inhale or does not exhale until it gets the signals again.
In another form of sleep deprivation, there is an obstruction in the wind pipe and this leads to air not passing through until the wind pipe opens up again.
People who suffer from this kind of sleep apnea typically include those who suffer from sever cold including tonsillitis, throat inflammation or are obese or smoke or sleep in an environment that is excessively dry.
Treatment for sleep apnea When I asked Jerry which type of sleep symptoms the doctor had diagnosed him with, he said "obstructive".
Now Jerry is nice and robust in a healthy sort of way.
Technically I guess you could say he was a bit obese.
Each evening when we met he would come over with a packet of French fries or fish and chips that he would pick up at the local drive in.
Depending on what we preferred, I would supply either soda or beer.
If being over weight was causing the sleep apnea, I told Jerry the problem could be solved by simply getting rid of the excess weight and making some adjustments to the food intake viz.
give up French fries, fish and chips, soda and cold beer.
My suggestion brightened him up like a light bulb and we decided to make the changes immediately.
We junked the food and cleared the table of the soda.
Instead my wife brewed us a nice pot of herbal tea.
We also reduced our time together so Jerry could get time to visit the local gym.
With the reduction in weight, not only does Jerry look better now, the latest test at the hospital says his sleep deprivation is less acute that it was earlier.
I guess another few months and he would be totally rid of it.
Now isn't all this worth a good night's sleep?
Every evening Jerry and I meet for a friendly game of chess.
One week a few months back, I noticed he was a bit downcast and seemed lost in some thought.
When I gently queried he let me know that he had visited the doctor that day and was referred to a throat specialist who diagnosed him as suffering from sleep apnea.
Seems, the doctor recommended some sort of positive air intake thingamajig that was supposed to make him breath easier and rid him of the effects of sleep apnea.
I asked Jerry if there were any other options to this device.
He said he had no idea.
I thought about it a while.
In fact, the more I thought about it the more curious I got so I decided I would do some research on Jerry's behalf and find out what I could about this sleep apnea, its effects and possible remedies that did not include being strapped to some foul contraption just so he could get a good night's sleep.
But what exactly is sleep apnea? Seems, sleep apnea is when the breathing stops for periods ranging from a few seconds to a couple of minutes.
This does not happen when the person is awake - it only happens when the person is sleeping and therefore, not in his or her full senses.
When we sleep, our brain controls our breathing, dreams etc.
It sends signals to our body telling it when to inhale and exhale.
In one form of sleep apnea, it seems that sometimes these "signals" get lost.
Whoa! Yup, my research tells me it happens and when it does, the body either does not inhale or does not exhale until it gets the signals again.
In another form of sleep deprivation, there is an obstruction in the wind pipe and this leads to air not passing through until the wind pipe opens up again.
People who suffer from this kind of sleep apnea typically include those who suffer from sever cold including tonsillitis, throat inflammation or are obese or smoke or sleep in an environment that is excessively dry.
Treatment for sleep apnea When I asked Jerry which type of sleep symptoms the doctor had diagnosed him with, he said "obstructive".
Now Jerry is nice and robust in a healthy sort of way.
Technically I guess you could say he was a bit obese.
Each evening when we met he would come over with a packet of French fries or fish and chips that he would pick up at the local drive in.
Depending on what we preferred, I would supply either soda or beer.
If being over weight was causing the sleep apnea, I told Jerry the problem could be solved by simply getting rid of the excess weight and making some adjustments to the food intake viz.
give up French fries, fish and chips, soda and cold beer.
My suggestion brightened him up like a light bulb and we decided to make the changes immediately.
We junked the food and cleared the table of the soda.
Instead my wife brewed us a nice pot of herbal tea.
We also reduced our time together so Jerry could get time to visit the local gym.
With the reduction in weight, not only does Jerry look better now, the latest test at the hospital says his sleep deprivation is less acute that it was earlier.
I guess another few months and he would be totally rid of it.
Now isn't all this worth a good night's sleep?