Entry bubble Don’t Let a Sleep Problem Disturb Your Winter Slumber

By: Jake | December 24, 2007 | Category: Health

A few weeks ago I thought it was a given that I wouldn’t sleep well tonight. It’s not because I thought Santa would wake me (he stopped coming to my house years ago), but because I was having trouble sleeping every night. What I didn’t know was that I was being plagued by a mild sleep disorder.

The last time I was in the doctor’s office sick, I mentioned that I had trouble sleeping. My doctor suggested I see a sleep specialist because the symptoms I described, waking up multiple times at night, feeling unrested when I woke up and lethargy, were symptoms of sleep apnea.

According to the National Library of Medicine, sleep apnea is a condition where one has episodes of stopped breathing during sleep. Sleep apnea can be a serious sleeping disorder because complications can include pulmonary hypertension and stroke. Symptoms include lethargy, loud snoring and waking up out of breath. Causes include obesity and blocked breathing passages.

When I went to the sleep specialist he checked my neck and throat to see if there were any blockages in my airways and he recommended a sleep test. Last week I got the results of my sleep test. The doctor said I do have sleep apnea, but it’s very mild and most likely caused by my sinuses, which act up continuously because of my allergies.

There are a number of treatments for sleep apnea. The most severe cases require surgery or a CPAP machine that opens breathing passages during sleep by pushing air through them. In my case my doctor suggested I take an antihistamine tablet before I go to bed and to not drink fluids two hours before bedtime.

So far this treatment has worked and tonight I should have no problem taking a long winter nap.

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