Unsatisfied with standard medical sleep apnea treatments which treat symptoms rather than curing the condition at hand, more and more people are searching for alternative cures for the condition. While everyone knows those with sleep apnea snore quite heavily, snoring alone is not enough for a sleep apnea diagnosis. So, how do you determine if you or someone you love just has this condition?
Only a medical doctor can do the actual diagnosis, but there are some common symptoms which you can use to determine whether you need to see a doctor for an official diagnosis.
One very common symptom of sleep apnea is a pause in breathing during the night. It sounds as if the person is snoring along quite happily, then it's as if they hold their breath for a moment then continue snoring. During these moments a loved one might hope they have stopped snoring and they can finally fall asleep, but it is actually just a moment where the sleep apnea sufferer has stopped breathing momentarily.
Another big symptom is a choking sound in the midst of the snoring. It sounds much like they are gasping for air, and in fact the body is desperately fighting to breathe normally. The choking noises are often accompanied by moments of pause where breathing has stopped. Profuse sweating during the night is another common sign of sleep apnea.
It can be quite scary to sleep next to someone who has sleep apnea once you realize what the loud noises they are making actually mean. The question of when the choking sound will lead to death or when the pause in snoring will lead to them never breathing again is always in the back of your mind.
While this may lead to the loss of sleep for others sleeping in the same bed as someone with sleep apnea, there are some very real side effects of the condition for the sufferer as well. Most will wake up feeling as if they have not rested at all, despite being asleep for adequate amounts of time for normal restoration. This is because the body is not able to rest and recharge properly when it is continually fighting for each next breath and trying to deal with snoring all night long.
Many sufferers will routinely deal with headaches in the morning and general lack of concentration. They may be irritable and have a lot of problems getting through the day mentally. Medically, they may be dealing with high blood pressure and regular heartburn.
It is also common for those with this condition to be morbidly obese, which is a main cause of sleep apnea. For these sufferers, snoring and other sleep disorders are a side effect of their weight and they are likely suffering other physical consequences as well. Weight loss could be a good cure for sleep apnea in many people, but it isn't a cure-all for everyone.
More and more people are now searching for alternative cures for sleep apnea, and they are finding that some alternative treatments are actually delivering more satisfactory results than just being put on a CPAP machine or taking medication to stay awake during the day. If you notice any of these sleep apnea symptoms in someone you love or are suffering with the side effects of the condition yourself, seeking out better sleep apnea treatments should be considered.
