Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is an extremely common sleeping disorder. According to the National Sleep Institutes, sleep apnea affects at least twelve million Americans. First diagnosed in 1965, sleep apnea is a disorder that negatively affects one’s breathing during sleep.

Unfortunately, it is a relatively unknown disorder and is often left undiagnosed. Consequently, many people who have sleep apnea do not even know that there is a serious cause to their discomfort. Some common symptoms of sleep apnea are:

• Breathing stops during sleep for as long as a minute
• Loss of quality sleep
• Sleepiness during the day
• Sexual dysfunction
• Falling asleep during work, class, or while driving
• Depression

As with any medical disorder, there are certain types of people who are at greater risk of suffering from sleep apnea. Some of these types of people are:

• Men
• Young African Americans
• People who are overweight
• People with an abnormality in their nose or throat
• People with high blood pressure
• People over the age of forty

If you have sleep apnea, it is very important to treat it. Those with sleep apnea are at greater risk of getting into car accidents due to drowsiness. Also, with results like depression and obesity, it becomes necessary to treat sleep apnea just to have decent quality of life.

There are several different ways to treat sleep apnea. If it is serious enough, it can be surgically treated. There are a few different surgical procedures that can open up the airways, but they all have side effects. Oftentimes it is necessary to have a few surgeries to correct the problem. Another treatment is continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP. For this treatment, a CPAP mask is worn during sleep. The mask provides continuous air pressure and prevents the throat from collapsing.

A third treatment for sleep apnea is the use of memory foam pillows. Memory foam pillows, like the Better Sleep Pillow, provide optimal spinal alignment. This alignment keeps the airways open and breathing constant. Also, these pillows are designed for side sleeping, which many people find comfortable. If you have sleep apnea, a memory foam pillow is a good start to treatment because of its comfort and ease of use.