Problems — Page 2

If you find yourself snoring obnoxiously, tossing and turning restlessly during sleep and then waking up with a headache, then it might be time to be tested for a sleep disorder known as sleep apnea. This sleeping disorder often goes undiagnosed, but it can have an immense impact on your general health as with all sleep disorders. Treatment for sleep apnea is shockingly simple and painless, but many patients often neglect the advice of their doctor. That determination is one that can prove dangerous – even deadly. In this article, we’ll talk about the treatments that doctors normally recommend and how they can simply be incorporated into your lifestyle.

There are four basic approaches to apnea treatment, and they can be used conjunctively with one another. The simplest method involves changing the circumstances which may be causing the condition. The patient is advised to lose weight, quit smoking, avoid alcohol and sedative drugs, keep a regular sleeping schedule and try to sleep only on their side. The most common treatment option is using Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) in the upper airway to support and hold the airway open. This treatment is done by wearing a CPAP mask over the nose. The mask provides a supply of continuously flowing air via a flexible plastic hose from a CPAP machine. Studies have proven that when patients use CPAP, they not only have slept better and were more attentive during the day, but there were significant improvements in the size, shape and pumping action of their hearts.

The third apnea treatment requires the use of a dental splint to prevent the tongue and jaw from moving back and blocking the allowance of air. However, oral devices have not proved to be as effective as CPAP and the appliances can be uncomfortable. The last and most extreme form of remedy is a surgical procedure. This surgery involves removal of part of the soft palate that hangs down in the back of the throat, as well as the tonsils if present, and other soft tissue if it is felt to be excessive. Only severe sleep apnea cases are normally treated this way.

Once you’ve been diagnosed with sleep apnea, it’s imperative that you pursue treatment immediately. It’s also important to follow up with your prescribed treatment faithfully. While wearing a dental splint or a CPAP mask might feel uncomfortable at first, you’ll soon be acclimated to it. A few nights of discomfort will be a fair trade off once you see how a restful night of sleep improves your overall health. People who have undergone sleep apnea treatment have reported better moods, fewer headaches, a clearer mind, and improved performance at work.

Receiving immediate treatment for this sleep disorder will better your quality of life. Consult your doctor if you’re having difficulty with your treatment. He can suggest ways to make your care easier or help you to consider other options alternatives. His or her advice will make treating sleep apnea a simple portion of your day that won’t want to go without.

To find additional information on sleeping disorders visit www.sleepingdisorderfacts.com

– Joe Rodgers

Back in 1950 and 60 years most people do not rate of diabetes as a major problem. At that time, all the focus was on how to deal with more diseases such as polio and tuberculosis. If diabetes was thought, it is more under the cup sugar in your coffee, rather than as a serious threat to your sight or your life.

That’s all changed. It is no exaggeration to say that diabetes has now reached epidemic levels in most of the Western world. According to the American Diabetes Association there are more than 20 million diabetics in the USA alone, with a staggering one third undiagnosed. It is also underway to get much worse with another 41 million Americans are already showing signs pre-diabetics.

Diabetes is a disease that mostly affects blood vessels and in its extreme forms can lead to serious heart disease, stroke and kidney damage. It is obvious that these life-threatening diabetic vascular diseases deserve priority attention, but at the top of the list critical for diabetics is the risk of serious eye diseases and vision loss.

Vision is one of our most critical and, in this “need for speed” information age, over 70% of our sensory information passes through our eyes. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, diabetics are 25 times more likely to lose vision than those who are not diabetic. With diabetes already the leading cause of blindness in the USA, it is not surprising that eye care professionals are devastating foresee an increase in the loss of vision that the epidemic of diabetes is growing alarmingly.

Newly diagnosed diabetics have often nothing more than minor vision changes that regulate when blood sugar levels improve with treatment. From the outset it is easy to believe everything is fine. After a few years, however, still high blood sugar can gradually damage the blood vessels in the back of the eye in the retina. This causes a problem called diabetic retinopathy and the more you have diabetes the more likely you are to have retinopathy. The risk increases again when it is poor glycemic control. More than 70% of diabetics develop some changes to their eyes in 15 years of diagnosis.

The retinopathy is classified as non-proliferation or proliferative. Non-proliferation retinopathy is the benign form, the retina where small blood vessels break and leak. It May be some slight swelling the retina, but it rarely requires treatment unless it causes blurred central vision or straight lines appear distorted.

Proliferative retinopathy is the less frequent but more serious when new blood vessels grow abnormally in the retina. If these vessels scar or purge they can potentially lead to serious vision loss, including blindness. Launch of laser treatment can seal leaking vessels and slow the progression of diabetic retinopathy, but can not reverse the loss of existing vision.

For the moment there is no “magic pill” to eliminate the risk of eye damage diabetics, but you can do two important things to help prevent more serious complications. Poor blood sugar is a leading cause of severe diabetic retinopathy. The critical first step is making sure to stabilize and control your blood sugar with a healthy diet and regular exercise. The second step is to make sure you have a diabetic an eye examination. An experienced professional eye care can pick up subtle changes diabetic eye long before you notice a change in vision and, more importantly, sufficient time to do some good.

If you or your family is affected by the increase sign of diabetes: take action now to reduce your risk of vision loss. Do not be a victim!

Want to find out about gestational diabetes symptoms and diabetes facts? Get tips from Diagnosing Diabetes.

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Diabetes And Vision Problems