In the most common type, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), the airway blocks off when the tongue and/or other soft tissues in the throat relax and the individual simply stops breathing, sometimes for several minutes. As a result, most people suffering from sleep apnea are not aware of their condition. At some point the body arouses just enough to resume breathing and disrupt sleep, but usually not enough to awaken the individual. The Basics Apnea is the medical term for “stopping breathing.” Sleep apnea is the temporary cessation of breathing during sleep, for intervals of 10 seconds up to minutes in length, depriving the body of oxygen. And very few of them have the slightest idea what sleep apnea is, much less that it may be affecting their lives in profound ways. The most recent studies predict that between 50 and 60 million Americans are “at high risk” for having sleep apnea. Truth be told, sleep apnea may well be the most significant, costly, easily treated, and least understood public health issue facing our nation. Perhaps in the light of a metaphor such as the one of being assaulted by our own sleep disorder, people would take more care of their sleep. That is, patients who have these symptoms don't always have their sleep apnea corrected. According to Ralph Downey III, PhD, of the Sleep Disorders Center at Loma Linda University Medical Center in Loma Linda, California, “The body, in essence, is being assaulted by the damage done from intermittent lack of oxygen to the heart, brain and other important organ systems, and yet such an assault goes unreported. In the case of sleep apnea, the airway blocks off and breathing will stop for up to several minutes-but the victim has no idea it's even happening. If an intruder tried to suffocate you with a pillow hundreds of times a night, you’d call the police. NOBODY IS AS SMART AS EVERYBODY! To email me, send a private message to Mile High Sleeper at View my complete profile I appreciate what they are giving back to the CPAP community through their website forum, as well as their fair prices. The online CPAP equipment store created. I’m not sure I could have done it without them. I wrote up my own experience and advice from the collective wisdom of experienced CPAP users on. Not everyone has that time or wants to struggle needlessly. It took me months of reading hundreds of posts to gather the information I needed while suffering through equipment struggles. A kind sleep lab technician with OSA told me about a web site he had heard about from another patient, The rest is history. Why This Came to Be: I didn’t have the information I needed for successful CPAP treatment when I needed it. For those with OSA, family, friends, physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, sleep technicians. IF I ONLY KNEW THEN WHAT I KNOW NOW! Blog Purpose: To help you with your CPAP therapy for Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). About Me Name: Mile High Sleeper Gal Location: United States
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