Long-term Sleep Apnea Symptoms

http://sleepapnearevealed.net/sleep-apnea-symptoms-to-watch

Sleep Disorders

There are several sleep disorders, the most common includes:

• Bruxism, which is involuntarily grinding or clenching of the teeth while sleeping.
• Delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS) is the inability to awaken and fall asleep at socially acceptable times but no problem with sleep maintenance, a disorder of circadian rhythms. Other such disorders are advanced sleep phase syndrome (ASPS) and Non-24-hour sleep-wake syndrome (Non-24), both much less common than DSPS.
• Hypopnea syndrome is an abnormally shallow breathing or slow respiratory rate while sleeping.
• Narcolepsy is the condition of falling asleep spontaneously and unwillingly at inappropriate times.
• Night terror, Pavor nocturnus, sleep terror disorder are variations of abrupt awakening from sleep with behavior consistent with terror.
• Parasomnias include a variety of disruptive sleep-related events.
• Periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD) is the sudden involuntary movement of arms and/or legs during sleep, for example kicking the legs. Also known as nocturnal myoclonus. See also Hypnic jerk, which is not a disorder.
• Rapid eye movement behavior disorder (RBD) involves acting out violent or dramatic dreams while in REM sleep.
• Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is the irresistible urge to move legs. RLS sufferers often also have PLMD.
• Shift work sleep disorder (SWSD), a situational circadian rhythm sleep disorder
• Obstructive sleep apnea, involves an obstruction of the airway during sleep, causing lack of sufficient deep sleep; often accompanied by snoring. Central sleep apnea is less common.
• Sleep paralysis is characterized by temporary paralysis of the body shortly before or after sleep. Sleep paralysis may be accompanied by visual, auditory or tactile hallucinations. Not a disorder unless severe.
• Sleepwalking or somnambulism is engaging in activities that are normally associated with wakefulness (such as eating or dressing), which may include walking, without the conscious knowledge of the subject.

American Academy of Sleep Medicine

The following is from an on-line article from the AASM:
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) reminds all Americans of another deterrent to cardiovascular disease: a good night’s sleep.
According to Lawrence Epstein, MD, AASM past president, medical director of Sleep HealthCenters and instructor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, treating sleep disorders and getting an adequate amount of sleep are pillars of good cardiovascular health.
“Sleep apnea is a known risk factor for the development of hypertension, heart disease and stroke,” said Epstein. “Also, chronic sleep deprivation has been shown to change metabolic function in a way that promotes weight gain and diabetes, two risk factors for heart disease.”
Dr. Epstein’s remarks support recent studies that link sleep apnea to cardiovascular disease.
A study showed that daytime sleepiness brought on by obstructive sleep apnea  may subtly impair cardiac function. Patients with OSA commonly complain of daytime sleepiness because of the fact that OSA causes your body to stop breathing during sleep the night before and can disturb your sleep numerous times. Further, data from the “Sleep Heart Health Study” show that people with sleep apnea have a 45 percent greater risk for hypertension, a major predictor for cardiovascular disease, than people without the sleep disorder.
Ralph Downey III, PhD, of the Sleep Disorders Center at Loma Linda University Medical Center says he is amazed at the high percentage of patients who have both sleep apnea and cardiovascular disease. Research has built a compelling case that those with sleep-disordered breathing are at increased risk for hypertension, said Downey, adding that there is also a well-established connection between sleep apnea and heart failure.
“It makes not only scientific sense that such a relationship exists, but common sense as well,” said Downey. “If someone were to suffocate you with a pillow several hundred times a night, you would call the police. In the case of patients with sleep apnea, the airway blocks off due to obstruction and they stop breathing for 10 seconds to a minute, which is repeated hundreds of times in a night. The body, in essence, is being assaulted by the damage done from intermittent lack of oxygen to the heart, brain and other important organ systems, and yet such an assault goes unreported. That is, patients who have these symptoms don't always have their sleep apnea corrected. Perhaps in the light of a metaphor such as the one of being assaulted by our own sleep disorder, people would take more care of their sleep. Their hearts will thank them.”
Dennis H. Nicholson, MD, medical director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center notes that a good night’s sleep is critical to maintaining good health.

"As a nation, we are sick because we don't sleep."

"As a nation, we are sick because we don't sleep."  Bent Formby, PhD

Where you sleep less than you were created to, melatonin { a GREAT antioxidant } isn't the only hormone affected. There are at least 10 hormones related to appetite, fertility, mental and cardiac health suffer from the effects of not allowing our body a full nights sleep. When we don't sleep in sync with season variations (living in too much artifical light in the winter and not heading to bed when the sun goes down) we alter our natural balance.

Let's look at some of those out-of-balance hormones:
Prolactin is a survival hormone that controls appetite and affect leptin which controls our carb cravings. We only secrete porlactin after we fall asleep. So if we are cutting our nights short, our bodies is still producing prolactin (remember hormones have to run a cycle during the night) which  suppresses leptin and makes us crave carbs upon waking in the morning.

Stress increases cortisol levels causes high levels of serotonin.  Serotonin is convereted to melotonin when we sleep. If we don't sleep enough to let our bodies convert all the serotonin to melotonin we end up with elevated levels of serotonin still upon waking.  High levels of serotonin during the day lead to depression.

Insulin is produced only when your body senses sugar, from eating carbohydrates, or stress, from too much cortisol from being in the light too long every day.  We have too much carbohydrate and too much stress in our lives, thus we have high levels of insulin. "Excess insulin makes you fat by causing fat to enter fat cells, your brain to tell you that you are hungry, and your liver to make fat from extra calories. It causes strokes and heart attacks by causing clots, raising triglycerides and lowering the good HDL cholesterol. Insulin promotes oxidation that converts the bad LDL cholesterol to oxidized LDL that forms plaques in arteries. High levels of insulin cause your kidneys to retain salt and raise blood pressure." states Gabe Mirkin, M.D.

In order to control our appetite for carbs and loose weight, we must raise our leptin levels and bring our insulin levels down, WE MUST GET MORE SLEEP!

Less sleep =  less melatonin (antioxidant) and less leptin (carb craving supressor) and more insulin
More sleep = serotonin used up to make melatonin (antioxidant)  and more leptin to curb carb cravings and lower levels of insulin

Sleep apnea sufferes, why are we overweight? Part of it is we haven't been really sleeping for possibly years!  Get your CPAP, stick with your treatment!  This is essential to hormone balance and everything they regulate in your body is absolutely dependent on a good-nights-sleep.

Internal Clock

Our Carcadian Rhythm changes over a person's lifetime due to hormones, stress, aging process, ect.  It is very important to a Sleep Apnea sufferer to work at keeping the "internal clock" ticking away and sleeping well while we have our designated sleep hours.
Things that help us to keep our internal clocks set:

• Light - the rising and setting of the sun and the affect the light we see helps to trigger proper hormones needed to combat stress and metabolize carbohydrates
• Time Cues- looking at the clock we note the passage of time and eat and sleep according to that clock
• Melatonin - this hormone is released in the evening after the sun goes down to induce drowsiness that triggers a whole cascade of hormone pathways that affect stress management and carbohydrate metabolism

Keep consistent evening routines and be aware of how much sleep your body needs in the summer vs the winter.  This efforts will help your Carcadian Rhythm and be a benefit to those suffering from Sleep Apnea.

Getting Help for Your Poor Sleep

In order for you to determine is a sleep disorder is cause for concern, you must see your doctor! Your doctor will ask sleep questions and may have you keep a sleep log. You may be asked to log your feelings, fatigue, sleepiness, snoring or if you notice you stop breathing (or your partner notices).There are over 80 distinct sleep disorders! That's why visiting with your doctor and perhaps doing a sleep study is necessary to determine if your poor sleep is due to Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). Sleep apnea is the most common sleep disorder with 25% of men and 10% women having it to some degree. Occasional apnea is normal in mature adults. It becomes a health concern when it is repetitive. Sleep apnea can occur in normal weight adults and even children!! OSA -is characterized by repetitive episode of complete (apnea) or partial (hypoapnea) upper airway obstruction during sleep. A few signs are snoring, gasping for breath during sleep, and excess daytime sleepiness. You may wake up often during the night due to snoring, acid reflux, leg/arm jerking, or the need to go to the bathroom. In the morning you may experience dry mouth and headache. ( I suffered terribly from dry mouth and headache. Every single day I woke up with a pounding headache....this doesn't make for a very cheerful morning at the breakfast table!) Above information compiled from "Getting a Good Night's Sleep - A Cleavland Clinic Guide" by Dr. Nancy Foldvary-Schafe, DO