Sleep apnea robs you of proper rest, denies you oxygen to your brain and to your metabolic system; don't serttle for less than you need and what you're worth

I've interspersed in this commercial article what I know from experience.  I'd thoroly check out both kinds of devices mentioned, and also the new plastic product designed by a dentist that you put in your mouth to reset your jaw overnite.  I saw that one on TV, and again I'm suspicious of the claims made.  Your case of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may be too severe for either the mid-price device pictured, or the cheap-price device you place in your mouth.  Check them all out, doing a sleep over in a sleep clinic strapped to censors that measure your condition and tape you overnite.  It will also record how many times a nite your feet kick involuntarily.   If you need the more expensive kind that I have been using for years, find the money for a well-made product.  Mine was made in Germany.  In any case, it's nice to have a good sleep after hours at the computer blogging the news on the 7/24 news cycle.

-- Albert Gedraitis




How life works - a commercial enterprise (Jan7,2k13)

A new solution that stops your snoring 

and lets you sleep

If you’re like most Americans you probably don’t get eight hours sleep each night.

But, if you also constantly feel exhausted, experience headaches for no obvious reason or have high blood pressure, you could have a more serious problem.

That’s because these can all be the result of snoring—which is, in turn, the most common symptom of a potentially serious health problem—obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). [I have severe OSA. AG]

While most people think of snoring as a minor annoyance, research shows it can be hazardous to your health.  That’s because for over 18 million Americans it’s related to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). People who suffer from OSA repeatedly and unknowingly stop breathing during the night due to a complete or partial obstruction of their airway [without my device, I wake up 500 times a nite].  It occurs when the jaw, throat, and tongue muscles relax, blocking the airway used to breathe.  The resulting lack of oxygen can last for a minute or longer, and occur hundreds of times each night.  [Lack of oxygen from OSA means less oxygen for metabolism, and adds up in what is called a "sleep deficit' that can go on, over a lifetime -- somehow further deficit must be prevented, and make-up sleep shoud occur when the hours are cut short -- by swing shifts, anxiety, stress, and other sleep-deficit producing conditions of life. AG]

Thankfully, most people wake when a complete or partial obstruction occurs, but it can leave you feeling completely exhausted.  OSA has also been linked to a host of health problems including:

• Acid reflux
• Frequent nighttime urination
• Memory loss
• Stroke
• Depression
• Diabetes
• Heart attack

People over 35 are at higher risk.

OSA can be expensive to diagnose and treat, and is not always covered by insurance.  A sleep clinic will require an overnight visit (up to $5,000). [This is a preposterous figure -- unless you are moving into a luxury swuite in some hotel-like swanky clinic; the figure is intended to scare people into buying this debvice.]  Doctors then analyze the data and prescribe one of several treatments.  These may require you to wear uncomfortable CPAP devices [there is some necessary adjustment to make, and a CPAP machine is not the answer for everyone -- I've used a CPAP -- continous pressure air pump for 20 years and I love it -- AG] that force air through your nose and mouth while you sleep to keep your airways open, and may even include painful surgery.  [A CPAP machine doesn't require painful surgery, and has nothing to do with surgery; but if you need surgery, get it!]

Fortunately, there is now a comfortable, far less costly and invasive treatment option available.  [I think the copy writer meant "noninvasive option.] A recent case study published by Eastern Virginia Medical School's Division of Sleep Medicine in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine concludes that wearing a simple chinstrap while you sleep can be [but is not necessarily] an effective treatment for OSA.

The chin strap, which is now available from a company called MySnoringSolution, works by supporting the lower jaw and tongue, preventing obstruction of the airway.  It’s made from a high-tech, lightweight, and super-comfortable material.  Thousands of people have used the MySnoringSolution chinstrap to help relieve their snoring symptoms, and they report better sleeping, and better health overall because of it.