Understanding Sleepapnia & What's Next

Although the exact root cause of sleepapnia still remains to be firmly confirmed by medical experts, the basic anatomical reason why a person finds it difficult to breath during sleep is because a person’s airway is somehow obstructed. Obstructive sleepapnia (OSA) is a serious matter that should be looked into. Sleepapnia is not just a mere sleeping disorder. It can possibly lead to chronic diseases, heart attacks and diabetes.

There are various methods of how to treat sleepapnia The basic treatment is to have a drastic change in lifestyle, also coined as behavioral therapy. To cope with sleepapnia, one should steer clear of alcoholic drinks. CNS depressants should also be strongly avoided, especially during bedtime. Do not eat heavy meals before dozing off. Follow a strict diet of healthy and nutritious foods.

Some cases of sleepapnia may be associated with obesity. If you were underweight, it would be a good idea to undergo a weight reduction program. Exercise should always be a daily habit. Sleeping posture is also important.

CPAP or continuous positive airway pressure therapy is one of the most popular treatments for sleepapnia. The idea of this procedure is to add just enough pressure to blow air to your nasal passage in order to remove any obstructions that may be the cause of your sleepapnia. The pressure also prevents you throat tissues to collapse while you are sleeping, thus results to a more relaxed sleep.

One of the most common devices used for OSA is a sleepapnia machine or simply, the CPAP machine. This device can effectively reduce the symptoms of OSA including snoring, rapid eye movement, and difficulty in sleeping.

Before you can acquire a CPAP machine, you need to get proper prescription from your doctor. First, your doctor would let you undergo a sleep study where your activity during sleep is monitored, including your heart rate and breathing. According to the results of the sleep study, your doctor may then recommend that you use a CPAP machine with a specific amount of air pressure.

Depending on your doctor's advice, you are likely to use your sleepapnia machine every night, from the moment you close your eyes until the time you wake up. But a lot of people find this difficult to do. They find their nasal masks to be quite uncomfortable and remove them just after a few hours of use.

In time, you would get comfortable with the device. It's just a matter of getting accustomed to it. What you can do is to find a relaxing sleeping position with your CPAP mask on. In time, you would get used to the device in your nose. Most patients can adapt to the new environment in just 7 to 14 days.

CPAP and behavioral therapy works hand in hand. Your sleepapnia machine can only do you good if you change your lifestyle. Your sleeping habits should also change. Make it a regular habit to have a schedule of your sleeping time and stick to it.



Visit the homepage to watch sleepapnia video's, talk about sleepapnia with other sufferers in the chat forums and to find out a lot more about sleep, snoring, OSA and CPAP in general.

P.S. The official British spelling is "sleep apnoea" whilst in the US they write "sleep apnea"!