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Berkeley Wellness Alerts
August 3, 2010 | Comments: 2
When Snoring Is More Than an Annoyance
Snoring is usually a minor affair, except for those who have to listen to it. But heavy snoring can be a symptom of sleep apnea, thought to affect at least 10% of adults, mostly men.
Sleep apnea can keep you from getting a restful night’s sleep. What happens is that you stop breathing (for anywhere from 10 seconds to more than a minute), then emit a choking, explosive sound as you struggle to recover—a pattern that may be repeated hundreds of times a night. Besides causing fatigue, daytime drowsiness, and headaches, sleep apnea has been linked to heart attacks, strokes, hypertension, diabetes, and depression.
If you think you have sleep apnea, it makes sense to get help. Being overweight is not only a risk factor for sleep apnea, but also makes it more likely that you’ll develop medical problems as a result. Sleeping pills of all kinds may promote sleep apnea, too. Your doctor may refer you to an ear, nose, and throat specialist or to a sleep disorders center (see below), the most reliable place to have sleep apnea diagnosed.
Fortunately, there are effective treatments for sleep apnea, including practical steps like losing weight and limiting alcohol. Or you may be fitted for an air pump, called CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure), which is attached to a mask or nasal tube and can maintain a reliable flow of air while you sleep. Custom-made mouth devices that pull the tongue and jaw forward may also help.
Checking into a sleep center
Sleep disorders centers, usually attached to hospitals, can be found in most states. Physicians and technicians in these centers have the training and equipment to diagnose a wide range of sleep problems, including sleep apnea. You may be required to stay overnight so that your sleep patterns can be observed and recorded. Alternatively, you may be able to perform sleep apnea testing at home, after being evaluated by a doctor who is board-certified in sleep medicine. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine accredits centers; its website can help you locate the nearest accredited center.
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Sorry, my English is not very good, but I will give an advice to those people who are snoring. My speciality is the "acid-basic-balance" as you can see on my website www.azidosetherapie-online.de
When somebody suffers with snoring or with apnoea he has to change immediately his lifestyle and his nutrition. He must eat more vegetables and less proteins and less light carbohydrates (especially gluten). Our body organism constantly produces acids: - during muscles activities - during digestion activities - while producing energy - during disintegration and building of body cells.
A healthy organism immediately discharges the resultant acids or may store them temporarily in buffer zones in the case that the organs are temporarily overloaded. The acids may as well be stored for a period in the connective tissues and then be neutralized and discharged at night during sleep.
The produced acids are not always completely eliminated from the organism during rest. The process can be disturbed by any of the following: one-sided, protein-rich, unhealthy or wrong nutritions unhealthy, stressful way of life too little basic/ ph-displacement acquired or inherited diseases supplements in food or drinking water poisons in dwellings, clothing and environment air pollution, radio activity electro-smog geological smog geological interference field unhealthy working conditions lack of activity medications disharmony
In September I will make a trip from Europe to San Francisco where my daughter is living. I would like to get translated one of my German books into English together with her. Maybe we could arrange a meeting in SFO or are all members of your editorial staff living and working in New York?
Best regards Doris Wroblewski Aljezur/Portugal www.azidosetherapie-online.de
Posted by: doris351 | August 8, 2010 12:22 PM
We have seen no evidence that an acid-reducing diet will help for snoring or sleep apnea. High-acid diets are being blamed for nearly every chronic disorder these days, with little or no convincing research to support these claims. We have discussed this in the Wellness Letter. -- The Editors
Posted by: michaelg | August 10, 2010 11:52 AM