Treat Your Sleep Apnea to Save Money

Previous studies have connected sleep apnea with everything from heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, dementia, glaucoma, and a variety of other serious illnesses.

It has also been found to be responsible for many accidents, including on the road.

But what has saving money got to do with all this?

A new study by an American research, published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, actually reveals how treating sleep apnea can save you money.

Researchers collected records of 1,098 patients who had been diagnosed with moderate to severe sleep apnea and who had also used positive airway pressure (PAP) treatments to alleviate their condition.

When investigating these participant’s adherence to the treatment, they found that 60 percent of them used it for at least 70 percent of the nights for more than four hours. On average, they used it for 5.3 hours.

They counted their participant’s number of overall acute care visits, emergency department visits, inpatient visits and stays, and the associated costs. Scheduled medical procedures like chemotherapy and other expected surgeries were excluded.

The strongest association was between PAP use and inpatient visits. For every one hour per night increase in PAP use, the participants experienced an eight percent decrease in inpatient visits.

For every one hour participants used PAP per night, they reduced their overall acute care visits by four percent. Those who used it for four hours a night cut inpatient visits by 38 percent and acute care visits by 26.

Moral of the story?

Those that adhered to the treatment were likely to have fewer (if any) medical visits, be it emergency or non-emergency ones, thus they had less to pay and ultimately reduced their healthcare costs.

Treat Your Sleep Apnea

But there is an even more powerful way to naturally cure your sleep apnea. Discover how these simple exercises can alleviate sleep apnea symptoms and even cure it as quickly as today…

What Causes Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea can be much more serious condition than simple snoring. In a patient with sleep apnea, breathing is interrupted while he sleeps. This results in poor sleep quality, severe snoring, and daytime drowsiness. Thankfully, unlike many sleep disorders, doctors have been able to determine what causes sleep apnea.

Determine what causes sleep apnea

Types

The most common type of apnea is obstructive sleep apnea. This occurs when the muscles which are supporting the soft tissue of the throat relax. This results in a narrowing or even closing of the airway; not enoug

h air can get through this reduced airway into the lungs.

With a reduced airflow into the lungs, less oxygen can get to the bloodstream and therefore less oxygen gets to the brain. Reduced oxygen to the brain can lead to injury and even death, so the brain’s protective mechanisms kick in to cause a brief period of wakefulness.

However, this is not the cause of apnea in all patients. Some people suffer from central sleep apnea, although this is less common than the previously described obstructive type. In central sleep apnea, the brain fails to send consistent signals to the muscles controlling breathing.

Diagnosis

Patients who suspect they have apnea should start by keeping a sleep journal. In this journal, a patient records the time he went to bed, how many hours he slept, how many times he woke during the night, and how refreshed he feels in the morning. Family members can contribute to the journal by reporting whether or not the patient was snoring or making any other unusual breathing sounds.

Another way to record potential symptoms is by videotaping the patient sleeping. This will easily reveal if the patient is waking during the night, even if the patient is not aware of it. It will also reveal sleeping positions and breathing sounds.

Treatments

Obstructive apnea is common in children. This is usually due to the child’s tonsils or adenoids blocking the throat during sleep. Removing these glands usually corrects the issue with minor lasting effects.

Another common group that suffer from apnea is overweight adults. Losing weight is the most effective method for treating the problem. Losing around 10% of one’s body weight usually produces drastic results. However, this is of course easier said than done for most people.

Quitting smoking will also help. Smoking cigarettes increases fluid retention in the upper airways, making obstruction more likely. It also contributes to irritation and inflammation of the throat tissues.

Sleep aids and alcohol should also be avoided. These chemicals relax the muscles, including those in the throat, which makes it more likely that sleep apnea will occur. If a patient with apnea is having trouble falling asleep, other methods to help provide restful sleep should be tried before turning to pharmaceutical sleep aids.

Sleep apnea is among the most common of sleeping disorders. Many patients don’t even realize they have it. Understanding the causes is the first step in diagnosing and dealing with the problem.

The Real Cause and Cure of Sleep Apnea

Cause and Cure of Sleep Apnea

If you suffer from sleep apnea, you’ve probably heard or read that weight loss is one of the best remedies.

Sleep Apnea Completely Cured

However, until now, researchers could never explain why, which led us to question how credible their words were.

Now finally a new study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine reveals the real reason weight loss helps with sleep apnea.

It also highlights how you can replicate those results without even losing weight.

Commonsense suggests that weight loss leads to a reduction in fat inside the upper airway and that this is the reason why sleep apnea sufferers who lose weight suddenly start breathing more easily while they are asleep.

But while this is certainly true, this new study shows that it is not the chief reason for the improvement in nighttime breathing.

They asked 67 obese people with suspected sleep apnea to undergo a sleep study and upper airway and abdominal MRI scans before and after a weight loss program so they could compare their sleep with their upper airway and abdominal tissue.

Some participants underwent weight loss surgery while others were placed on strict diet and exercise programs. On average, they lost 10 percent of their body weight.

Predictably, the sleep studies revealed that the subject’s nighttime breathing improved. Their apnea-hypopnea index scores, which measures how many times breathing stops in an hour during one sleep session improved by an average of 30.7 percent.

Their scans revealed that a large reduction in the pterygoid explained some of this breathing improvement as a result of the weight loss. The pterygoid is a jaw muscle that controls chewing.

But the star contributor to the improved breathing was something unexpected: a reduction in tongue fat.

30 percent of the improvement in their subject’s breathing was caused by a reduction in tongue fat.

Now Sleeping Without The Noises That Used To Scare Myself

Interestingly, our stop snoring and sleep apnea exercises tackle exactly these two main causes of snoring and sleep apnea – the jaw and tongue. But our exercises work without any weight loss and only take 3 minutes a day. Learn the exercises here…

Is There A Cure For Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a serious condition that can be fatal if not treated properly. It is a sleep disorder in which improper pauses in breathing during sleep disrupts a person’s daily functioning. Finding the right cure for sleep apnea can be crucial in improving and even saving lives. Fortunately many therapeutic and surgical methods are available to treat this condition.

We will discuss the treatment for three different kinds of sleep apnea: 

Central (CSA) Obstructive (OSA) and Mixed or Complex Sleep Apnea.

Cure For Sleep Apnea

CSA is marked by a lowered respiratory effort that leads to an interruption in breathing. OSA is caused by an actual, physical obstruction in the respiratory canals, even when there is proper respiratory effort. Complex or Mixed Sleep Apnea is a combination of the two.

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is a machine that provides a mask to wear during sleep so that air pressure can be delivered properly to the sufferers’ air passageway. It is the most commonly used solution for treating apnea, mainly for its reliability, however, some people dislike the discomfort of having to wear a mask during sleep. A similar therapeutic device is the bi-level positive airway pressure (BPAP). Unlike CPAP that delivers a continuous flow of air pressure, BPAP delivers the pressure only when necessary.

Expiratory positive airway pressure (EPAP) has been recently approved by FDA. It is a small disposable device placed over the nose to allow free air flow. Another recently approved therapeutic method is called Adaptive sero-ventilation; ASV is a sophisticated airflow device that responds to the specific breathing pattern of each individual user by using computer technology.

There are some oral appliances, besides the nasal appliances mentioned that are easier to use. These devices protract the jaw to open the air passageway in the throat. Other supplemental oxygen therapies can also be delivered in a variety of ways to the lungs.

Surgery is usually the last resort cure for apnea. If therapeutic apnea treatments are ineffective, surgery can be performed to remove tissues and organs around the throat to create more breathing room. This procedure is known as. uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP).

Another surgical method is called maxillomandibular advancement, in which the jaw is protracted forward to create more space in the air passageway.

Severe, potentially fatal apnea during the sleep cycle calls for a more drastic measure. Tracheostomy is a highly invasive procedure in which an opening is created in the neck to insert a metal tube for airflow to enter.

Non-surgical therapeutic methods may be the best solution for apnea with milder symptoms. A few changes in lifestyle, such as changing diet or smoking cessation just might do the trick.

Many people suffer from mild to serious sleep apnea. Therapeutic machines and devices are available and are widely used and effective means of treating this condition. If all lifestyle changes and therapies fail, surgery may be necessary cure for sleep apnea. Surgery is used as last resort method and can be invasive but necessary, because the breath is life.

How To Stop Snoring

Snoring can be a very difficult condition to cope with, both for the snorer and for anyone who is trying to sleep in the same room. Fortunately, there are some effective remedies that you can use to control your snoring. We have gathered some of the best tips to help you to stop snoring. Before long, you will be getting a good, quiet night’s sleep.

One common thing that will cause you to snore is sleeping on your back. Changing the position in which you sleep can give fast relief from snoring. Sleeping on your side can reduce or even eliminate snoring entirely.

If you have trouble sleeping on your side, buying a body pillow can help. These large pillows will support you while you sleep so that you do not roll back onto your back. Another solution is to attach a tennis ball to the neck of your pajamas to prevent yourself from rolling over.

Being overweight or obese can also contribute to snoring. Losing weight may not give relief from snoring as quickly, but it can be a long-term solution. This is particularly true if you began to snore only after you put on extra weight.

Drinking alcohol can exacerbate your snoring, particularly if you tend to drink in the evening before you go to bed. Alcohol is a muscle relaxant that can cause the muscles of your throat to sag while you sleep. This makes it more likely that you will snore at night. Reducing the amount that you drink, or giving up alcohol entirely, can help reduce snoring.

Snoring like a pig who can't sleep?

Good sleep habits will also make you snore less. If you do not get as much sleep as you need or if you go to sleep at a different time every night, you will be more likely to snore. Try to establish a regular sleep routine that relaxes you before you go to bed. Go to bed at the same time each night, and avoid watching TV or using the computer for at least half an hour before you turn in for the night.

Keeping your nasal passages open at night can help prevent snoring. Nasal congestion, whether from a cold or from allergies makes snoring more likely. Taking a hot shower in the evening can open your nasal passages and reduce your snoring. Wearing nasal strips at night can also help keep your nasal passages open.

Replacing your pillows on a regular basis can also be the best way to control your snoring. Pillows that are not washed or changed regularly accumulate dust mites and other allergens. These can irritate your nose and make you more likely to snore during your sleep.

If you snore, getting a good night’s sleep can be difficult for both you and your partner. However, the good news is that help is available. Once you know the best way to stop snoring, you and your loved ones will be able to sleep more peacefully at night.