What is Sleep Apnea

What is Sleep Apnea?

Sleep Apnea is a common disorder in which an individual has one or more pauses in breathing or shallow breaths while sleeping. Breathing pauses can last from a few seconds to minutes. Often, they occur 5 to30 times or more an hour. Typically, normal breathing then starts again, sometimes with a loud snort or choking sound.

Sleep Apnea usually is a chronic (ongoing) condition that disrupts your sleep. You often move out of deep sleep and into light sleep when your breathing pauses or becomes shallow. This results in poor sleep quality that makes you tired during the day. It is one of the leading causes of excessive daytime sleepiness.

It can be tough to identify Sleep Apnea on your own as the symptoms only occur when you’re asleep. So, you can overcome this difficulty by asking your bed partner to observe your sleep habits or recording yourself during sleep.

Common Signs and Symptoms of Sleep Apnea

• Morning headaches
• Waking up with a dry mouth or sore throat
• Night-time awakenings
• Forgetfulness and difficulty to concentrate

Signs and Symptoms of Sleep Apnea

• Loud and chronic snoring
• Long pauses in breathing
• Choking, snoring, or gasping during sleep

何謂睡眠呼吸暂停症？

Sleep Apnea或稱睡眠呼吸暂停症或睡眠窒息症，是一种睡眠时候呼吸停止的睡眠障碍。男性的发病率比女性高2至8倍，平均20个成年人则有一人患上；老年人病发率则为10%。另外，肥胖、扁桃腺过大、鼻骨移位、酗酒、吸烟及服用安眠药的人士较易患上睡眠呼吸暂停症。

欲確定自己是否患上睡眠呼吸暫停是蠻艱難的，由於症狀只發生正當你睡著。 所以，你可以尋求你配偶或伴侶的協助，觀察你的睡眠習慣，或許錄製自己睡眠的過程 。  

常見的睡眠呼吸暂停症跡象和症狀

• 早上醒來頭痛
• 早上醒來口乾或喉嚨痛
• 夜間覺醒
• 健忘和集中困難

   

主要的睡眠呼吸暂停症跡象和症狀   

• 響亮和慢性的鼾聲
• 比較長的睡眠呼吸暫停 
• 窒息，打鼾或睡眠喘息

Sleeping Positions during Pregnancy

Often women wonder if it is cool to sleep on their tummy during pregnancy. Frankly, it isn’t the case – sleeping on the belly and on the back are not ideal positions during your pregnancy months.

Finding a comfortable sleeping position is one of the reasons why women become sleep deprived in the later part of their pregnancies. It is a sacrifice indeed to give up your favourite sleeping positions. So, one good tip is to get accustomed to sleeping on the sides long before your belly balloons up.

Having said that – be prepared to lose some sleep. Getting used to the new positions will take some getting used to. As mentioned earlier, better to make this change early on instead of waiting till the time when sleeping in your favourite position becomes just impossible. It’s tiring by the way!

Some good positions are suggested here:

1.     Side-lying positions with lots of pillows for additional support and comfort are ideal.

2.     Lie on your left side (instead of right) so that baby receives its nutrients uninterruptedly.

3.     Cross one leg over the other with a pillow is best for both mother and baby. This position optimizes blood flow to the placenta and ensures smooth functioning of kidneys.

Sleeping Positions Reveal Personalities

Wonder if anyone intends to explore somebody’s true personality, let’s take a tour on the studies completed by Professor Chris Idzikowski – the Director of the UK Sleep Assessment and Advisory Service. The studies of 1,000 people identified a total of six common sleeping positions, and found that each is linked to a particular personality type.

# The Foetus (41%): Those who curl up in the foetus position are described as tough on the outside but sensitive at heart. They may be shy when they first meet somebody, but soon relax. More than twice as many women as men tend to adopt this position.

# Log (15%): Lying on your side with both arms down by your side. These sleepers are easy going, social people who like being part of the in-crowd, and who are trusting of strangers. However, they may be gullible.

# The Yearner (13%): People who sleep on their side with both arms out in front are said to have an open nature, but can be suspicious, cynical. They are slow to make up their minds, but once they have taken a decision, they are unlikely ever to change it.

# Soldier (8%): Lying on your back with both arms pinned to your sides. People who sleep in this position are generally quiet and reserved. They don't like a fuss, but set themselves and others high standards.

# Freefall (7%): Lying on your front with your hands around the pillow, and your head turned to one side. Often gregarious and brash people, but can be nervy and thin-skinned underneath, and don't like criticism, or extreme situations.

# Starfish (5%): Lying on your back with both arms up around the pillow. These sleepers make good friends because they are always ready to listen to others, and offer help when needed. They generally don't like to be the centre of attention.

About Dr Chris Idzikowski

Dr Chris Idzikowski is currently Director of the Edinburgh Sleep Centre but continues his role with the Sleep Assessment and Advisory Service. His previous appointments include Visiting Professor, University of Surrey, Deputy Head of the Human Psychopharmacology Research Unit at the Robens Institute of Health and Safety, University of Surrey and Head of Clinical Pharmacology at the Janssen Research Foundation. He started researching into sleep more than 20 years ago when he worked at Prof Ian Oswald's sleep laboratory at Edinburgh University's Department of Psychiatry before researching into fear and anxiety with the Medical Research Council in Cambridge.

Courtesy of Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleeping_positions