| You could be suffering from sleep apnea and not | | | | or surgery. |
| even know it - since it happens only when you're | | | | These changes typically include losing weight (rapid |
| sleep. And if you live alone, it is even harder to | | | | weight gain can be an associated symptom of sleep |
| detect.. | | | | apnea), sleeping in a different position such as one |
| The symptoms of sleep apnea | | | | side and not on your back. |
| While there may be no visible symptoms of sleep | | | | What to do about sleep apnea |
| apnea, feeling tired an worn out all day and falling | | | | Here are five other natural treatments you might try |
| asleep during the day are good indicators. This is | | | | for your sleep apnea: |
| because sleep apnea iliterally robs you of sleep as it | | | | 1. Minimize your use of alcohol, antihistamines, or |
| can cause you to stop breathing -- as many as 50 or | | | | tranquilizers. |
| a 100 times during the night. And these interruptions | | | | 2. Develop regular sleep habits, and especially make |
| take their toll. | | | | sure you get enough sleep at night. |
| Diagnosing sleep apnea | | | | 3. Gargle with salt water to shrink your tonsils |
| If you do feel tired and fatigued all day, you | | | | 4. Don't smoke or expose yourself to other irritants |
| absolutely should see a doctor. He or she will do a | | | | (such as dust or perfumes). |
| physical exam and take a medical history. This history | | | | 5. Try eliminating mucus-producing foods (such as |
| typically ncludes asking you and your family questions | | | | dairy and bananas) for two weeks. Then begin eating |
| about how you sleep and how you function during | | | | themn again and see if you notice any differences. |
| the day. You doctor will most likely check your | | | | Two other semi-natural treatments |
| mouth, nose, and throat for extra or large tissues. | | | | What are the treatments if you have moderate or |
| such as your tonsils, uvula, and soft palate. | | | | severe sleep apnea? |
| Your doctor may also order a sleep test. This test is | | | | There are two treatments available that do not |
| often done in a sleep center or sleep laboratory, | | | | require surgery. |
| which may be part of a hospital. You will probably | | | | First, doctors often prescribe a Continuous Positive |
| stay overnight., although sleep studies can sometimes | | | | Airway Pressure (C-PAP) machine. This machine |
| done in the home. The most common sleep recording | | | | literally blows air into your nose via a tube and mask, |
| used to find out if you have sleep apnea is called a | | | | the aim being to keep the airway open by maintaining |
| polysomnogram or PSG. | | | | a constant level of air pressure. |
| If you suffer from sleep apnea, would you consider it | | | | Second, for really severe sleep apnea there is |
| to be a mild case? In other words, do you stop | | | | another machine called the Bi Level machine(Bi-PAP). |
| breathing for just a few seconds at a time - for a | | | | This sleep apnea machine does the same job but |
| few times during the night? | | | | with two different pressures of air that help the |
| In this case, your doctor will most likly recommend | | | | body breath in and out properly. |
| behavioral changes, rather than any serious medicine | | | | |