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Many jokes are made about snoring.  But the truth of the matter, snoring could be a very serious health issue, such as sleep apnea.  Many differnt types of snoring exist, all people who snore do not always suffer from sleep apnea.

If you’ve tried lifestyle changes such as losing weight and quitting or reducing smoking and alcohol consumption in addition to changing your sleeping position – all without results, then you may want to consult with a physician to rule out sleep apnea.

Lets describe sleep apnea.  It is a condition whereby you literally stop breathing many times while you are sleeping at nigh.  Many times the interruption in your sleep can last over a minute and thes interruptions can occur hundreds of times while you are sleeping each night.

If you think that this can’t be fatal, you are wrong.  That is why it is important to consult with your doctor if you are not sure your snoring is more than just a little noise at any time you are asleep.  Also if you are not resting good when you sleep or you wake up tired and are constantly tired all day, you could be suffering from sleep apnea.

Don’t be too alarmed if you discover that your snoring is actually a sleep apnea problem.  Be encouraged that there are many treatments that are available that do not involve surgery.  The lest invasive methods will probably to used by your doctor.  Surgery is not your only option.

The first step is to allow your doctor to test you and identify the specific apnea that bothers your sleep.  Three different types of sleep apnea exist:Obstructive, central, and mixed.  The most common one is obstructive.  This is the one that you will hear more about

Once your doctor identifies your particular apnea, he will create a treatment plan that will correct or reduce your apnea. There many common treatments for obstructive sleep apnea, such as behavioral changes.   You know change your diet and exercise. Medications such as nasal sprays with steriods, breathe right strips, theyroid replacement therapy and weight loss medications, dental appliances and a CPAP machine.  CPAP stands for Continous postitive Airway Pressure, a device that delivers constant air pressure through a facemask to keep your airways open while sleeping.

While these devices and treatment options are not one size fits all, they can be highly effective when used either alone or in conjunction with other treatment options. Physical fitness tends to be a big problem for those with sleep apnea.

Energy is required in order to burn off the necessary calories to achieve weight loss which is one of the probles with having sleep apnea.  You don’t have the energy so now you are in a catch22.  You must consult your physician about being overweight and suffer from sleep apnea.  Your physician should be able to prescribe medication to assist you with losing weight and your sleep apnea.  The worst thing you can do is ignore sleep apnea.

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