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Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder characterized by frequent pauses in breathing during sleep. Three types of sleep apnea exist: central, obstructive and mixed. Obstructive is the most common, resulting from over-relaxation of throat muscles, causing the windpipe to collapse and block the airway. Treatments for sleep apnea range from simple lifestyle changes to surgery. One of the most common non-invasive treatments is the sleep apnea pillow.
A sleep apnea pillow is a pillow that is designed for snorers, since snoring is one of the most common indicators of sleep apnea. Sleep apnea pillows are designed to support the neck, to prevent patients from rolling onto their backs (where snoring and sleep apnea can worsen), to cradle the head, to elongate the neck and keep the tongue from blocking the airway, and to assist side sleepers by relieving pressure on shoulders and arms.
Several different manufacturers claim their sleep apnea pillows achieve the above objectives, but SONA pillow is the only sleep apnea pillow approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an over-the counter treatment.
The SONA sleep apnea pillow at first looks rather odd. A two-layered triangle instead of a solid rectangle, this sleep apnea pillow resembles a padded boomerang more than a pillow. The angular design, though, is what makes this pillow helpful in treating sleep apnea. The shape is intended to maintain sleep in the side position. Two inclined surfaces make up the primary sleeping surface, with a flatter lower surface in the center.
Each lower part of the triangle of the sleep apnea pillow has a training arm sling. To properly use the pillow lie on either side, extend your arm in the open space under the pillow. Your arm should be kept extended while sleeping and the head should be maintained on the same side as the extended hand.
Initially, you may use the training arm sling to maintain this position by placing the arm in the space between the pillow and the sling. For additional sleep compliance, you can use a body pillow to hug over, or to put between the legs to help maintain the side sleeping position. Using the sleep apnea pillow in this manner allows the jaw to be pulled forward, preventing the tongue from falling backward and obstructing the throat.
Certain portions of the populations are not candidates for the SONA sleep apnea pillow. People with severe sleep apnea do not benefit from using the SONA sleep apnea pillow as a solo therapy. Obese individuals with a body mass index (BMI) of over 30 will not get the snoring relief obtained by thinner members of the population.
The SONA sleep apnea pillow, like all pillows, undergoes normal wear and tear, and should be periodically fluffed. The makers of SONA pillow also recommend replacing the sleep apnea pillow annually.
Before purchasing the SONA sleep apnea pillow, or any sleep apnea pillow, consult your physician.
SONA Pillow is a registered trademark of Sleep Devices, Inc.
Do you suffer from sleep apnea? Our site focuses on sleep apnea treatments and symptoms for sufferers of sleep apnea.
by T. D. Houser
Sleep Apnea Pillow
Sleep Apnea SurgeryRead Sleep Apnea Side Effects much more
Sleep Apnea Side Effects
Sleep ApneaIf sleep apnea side effects were not so serious, many people would be happy to go to sleep. But it's not so easy to sleep when you know that you have a real problem with sleep apnea.
As time passes, sleep apnea (SA) becomes more serious and dangerous to your life. All aspects of your life will be affected, including quality of life and psychological problems.
If you have SA, you will start with a very bad sleep, with nights struggling to breathe and noisy snoring that will make your partner to wonder about you and your future together.
You will have negative changes in personality, a poor work performance and a continuous decrease of quality of life.
And this is only the beginning...
Let's suppose that you avoid to treat sleep apnea for a period of time. What will happen to you?
Well, at first you will be affected by serious health problems, such as:
* heart arrhythmia, or abnormal heart rhythm
This problem is very common at patients with SA. Your heart may have long pauses between beats, even 2 or 3 seconds long, or extra beats.
Arrhythmia, which appear during sleep, is a risk of sudden death. If you didn't know this, now you have a reason to be afraid to sleep.
The good news is that when you start CPAP therapy, this problem will disappear.
* There is a strong correlation between sleep apnea and obesity. Obesity is known to have an influence on sleep disordered breathing, and to affect sleep quality.
* low blood oxygen level is another one of the typical SA side effects responsible for worsening your health.
Your blood oxygen level will decrease during the night. With each apnea episode, your blood oxygen will drop to an abnormal level and affect your cells. The most affected organ of your body will be the brain.
That's why you may have memory loss, strange judgments, loss of balance and loss of proper coordination of movements. You'll be surprised to find simple work tasks to be too difficult to do.
* high blood pressure symptoms appear as effects of your low blood oxygen level. If this symptoms continue to appear, the risk of stroke will increase to an alarming level.
* SA and congestive heart failure are often found together, especially if you have central SA.
This side effect of SA results from delivery of low blood oxygen level to the body tissues.
* Scientists have found that sleep deprivation from SA disorder may be an important risk factor in the development of diabetes.
* car accidents are very common at drivers with SA.
The main reason is drowsy driving, which results from excessive daytime sleepiness.
* Can sleep apnea cause death?
Knowing all SA side effects, you will now wonder if sleep apnea is deadly. And I think you already know the answer, isn't it?
Unfortunately, there is more side effects of SA:
Your quality of life will be seriously affected.
SA and depression is a tough combination. The risk of depression rises when you see your work performance is affected or your bed partner announces to leave you.
Psychological problems, like irritability, anger, loss of memory and confusion will slowly destroy your mental health.
Enough with bad news!
I want to remember that all this health problems can disappear if you use a proper treatment of SA.
The CPAP therapy can help eliminate many of these SA side effects, even from the first days of use!
Learn more about Sleep Apnea by Thiery Remy at Sleep-Apnea-Guide.com.
Read Sleep Apnea Remedies - 2 Alternative Treatments For Sleep Apnea much more
Sleep apnea remedies are covering a wide range. Here you will find one that is best for you. Besides the conventional sleep apnea remedies there are also alternative treatments. In this article we will present two ideas. You should take time to explore and decide, together with your doctor, which one you should choose.
1. An alternative treatment for apnea is homeopathy. Based on the fundamental principle of this alternative medicine, taking minute quantities from substances that in greater quantities produce the same effects as the disease can cure that disease.
The homeopathic remedies, which come in the form of very diluted solutions, aim to stimulate the body's natural reaction to illness. One such homeopathic sleep apnea remedy is made of snake venom in a diluted solution and is used for extroverted persons. Its name is Lachesis and is primarily used to treat to treat circulatory disorders and blood diseases.
Another homeopathic remedy is the essence of Vervain or essence of lavender, which may help those suffering from apnea to relax, and thus enjoy a deeper sleep.
If you are tensed during the day, then this might prevent you later on, during the night, to have a good sleep. For such cases a cup of sambucus or elderberry tea drank a few hours before bed can be helpful. It acts as an expectorant, clearing breathing passages.
2. Another alternative treatment is the use of herbal sleep apnea remedies, which approaches this disease from a holistic point of view and in a natural, non-invasive way. Herbs, nature's pharmacy, have been from ancient times for all types of illnesses.
This method of treating the SAS is based on the consideration that the cause of sleep apnea is the interrupted nervous communication between the brain and the diaphragm.
The problem is not the sagging soft palate or the rapid inhalation that sucks the soft palate into the airway. According to this approach, the problem is the reduced capacity of the brain to send a signal to the diaphragm to produce a breath with sufficient amplitude. If the breathing is sufficiently deep, then the apnea sufferer would not make a rapid inhalation, suck the soft palate into the airway and snort, disturbing his sleep.
Based on that, it is recommended Lobelia as a respiratory stimulant, which increases the depth of respiration sufficiently to prevent the drop in blood oxygen due to the muscular inhibition.
Thyme is another herb recommended because of its effect on the pleural activity. To these are added chamomile and cramp bark to relax the muscles of the neck. So, this compound acts in two ways: to increase the level of nervous signal to the diaphragm and to relax the neck muscles.
There are other sleep apnea remedies that you can use, some more conventional, others more of a novelty. The best remedy depends on the severity of the disease and on other personal factors, each case being different. It is worth studying all the options.
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