Archive for the ‘Snoring / Sleep Apnea’ Category

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Snoring, Sleep Apnea and Depression

Monday, February 1st, 2010

I know I do quite a bit of bragging about the positive feedback I consistently receive from clients concerning my programs. It’s gratifying to see positive results and know that lives are being changed.

Along with that, of course, are personal stories, telling me just how much one or more health issues can affect one’s well being. That means both physical and mental well being.

I recently came across an email from a woman telling me that she tried my Stop Snoring program as a last result before divorce. Eh? She had been suffering from sleep apnea with snoring as a side effect for years.

During sleep apnea, the airway is obstructed and one literally stops breathing several times per night. Some people with serious sleep apnea actually stop breathing over 100 times per night.

She had purchased several over the counter remedies, only to be disappointed. It wasn’t until a yearly physical that her high blood pressure, likely as a result of years of sleep apnea and snoring, was diagnosed.

Added to that was an unsympathetic husband who shared her bed and was routinely awoken by the sound of her either snoring loud enough to hear her from the next room or of her gasping for breath after not breathing for several seconds (another side effect of sleep apnea).

Of course one can be sympathetic to this husband who’s mental and physical health were likely affected, as he wasn’t getting a full night’s sleep each night.

His final solution was to tape her as she slept, snored and gasped and then to play the tape suddenly, unannounced while they were entertaining guests one night. Quite understandably, she was mortified. Quite understandably as well, she was depressed.

Of course the depression had started years before. Along with snoring and high blood pressure, weight gain was an added side effect. When one doesn’t get enough sleep, the body will get its energy anywhere it can, and that usually means food.

What this client didn’t realize is that along with snoring, high blood pressure, insomnia and weight gain, depression and personality changes are also side effects of sleep apnea.

So there were two people sharing a marriage and a bed who for different reasons, weren’t sleeping well at night and whos personalities and moods were definitely the result. My client with her depression and her husband with his passive aggressive disorder.

I suppose her obvious solution was to control the one thing she could – a bad marriage. Before she did this, however, she purchased my program and was pleasantly surprised to see immediate, positive results.

Eventually, her snoring, high blood pressure, weight gain and sleep apnea all disappeared. This, along with recent positive feedback and support from her husband helped her through her depression and spurred her to write to me.

I highly recommend that anyone suffering from mild sleep apnea or snoring try my Stop Snoring program. The program is all natural and best yet, it works!

EL331002

Posted in Snoring / Sleep Apnea | No Comments »

How Does My Illness Affect My Ability to Take in Oxygen?

Monday, November 16th, 2009

It’s again timely that I write about side effects of illnesses such as cold, influenza (flu) and sinus infection which cause the body not to be able to take in oxygen properly.

How many of you become “mouth breathers” due to the fact that your nasal passages are blocked? Many don’t always realize there are problems because of the way we adapt to this.

If we can’t breathe in normally through the nose, we compensate by breathing in and out through the mouth. Yes, oxygen is still being delivered but not in the proper way.

Each nostril has five cranial nerves delivering signals from different parts of the brain, which the mouth does not. They are responsible for warming, filtering, moisturizing, dehumidifying, air and also for smelling.

The nostrils are also smaller, obviously, than the mouth. The lungs take in oxygen both in the inhale and exhale. When we breathe in and out through our noses, it allows the air coming in and out to slow down and allows the lungs to capture the oxygen and properly deliver it to the blood, which in turn properly delivers oxygen to the organs and other tissues.

Breathing in and out through the nose also maintains proper balance between carbon dioxide and oxygen. When mouth breathing, carbon dioxide is lost to quickly, resulting in poor oxygen absorption.

Over time, mouth breathing can result in chronic halitosis (bad breath), not to mention more serious health risks such as asthma, snoring and sleep apnea, which can then lead to hypertension (high blood pressure).

There are those who suffer from chronic sinus conditions or deviated septum, which forces them to always breathe through their mouths. For others, chronic illness affecting the nasal passages changes their breathing habits and they become accustomed to mouth breathing.

Many don’t realize that even when awake, they aren’t properly taking in oxygen, let alone when they sleep. Most people, unless told by their sleeping partner, aren’t even aware that they snore or stop breathing during sleep (sleep apnea).

For many short term illnesses, there are of course, medications to help alleviate the problem but all medications have potentially serious side effects, even over the counter medications. This is especially true if one is already taking medications heart conditions such as hypertension.

If you have been told that you snore or have mild sleep apnea, I highly encourage you to try my Stop Snoring program. The all natural breathing exercises are effective – especially for those who have developed bad breathing habits due to recurring sinus infections, etc.

EL331002

Posted in Genera Natural Health, Snoring / Sleep Apnea | No Comments »

Erectile Dysfunction – Your Sleep Apnea and/or Snoring Could be the Culprit

Friday, September 25th, 2009

I recently read a snippet which stated that over one third of men who snore experience no sex life.

One might assume that with a person who snores, this simply means that their sleeping partner is in another room, leaving little to no chance for a sexual relationship.

This, however, is not the only or even the biggest reason. Would it surprise anyone to learn that between sixty and eighty percent of those who suffer from sleep apnea experience erectile dysfunction (ED) – the inability to achieve or maintain an erection.

The percentage increases, the worse one’s sleep apnea is. Why is this? A couple of theories abound.

The soundest theory is that when one suffers from sleep apnea, an obstruction that occurs when soft tissue in the back of the throat collapses and in turn blocks the airway during sleep, vital oxygen necessary to health is not properly delivered by the blood.

This in turn can lead to all sorts of health problems including stroke, kidney disease and hypertension (which can eventually lead to heart disease).

For the purposes of ED causes, hypertension would be the culprit. In fact, the most common cause of ED is hypertension (high blood pressure).

Another theory is that if one suffers from even mild sleep apnea, he stops breathing several times per night which, in turn, interrupts REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. It is thought that REM state erections are actually necessary to produce healthy conscious erections.

Snoring can also be an issue. While one doesn’t necessarily stop breathing when one snores (if you can be heard in the next room, you likely have sleep apnea), breathing is still restricted and this in turn leads to less oxygen delivery to the body.

Risk factors for suffering ED due to sleep apnea include: being overweight, over age forty and alcohol or other drug abuse which can depress respiration.

Regardless of your reason for ED, I highly recommend my Erectile Dysfunction program. It’s all natural and most importantly, it works! If you know snoring or mild sleep apnea are a problem for you, I also encourage you to try my Stop Snoring program.

EL331002

Posted in Erectile Dysfunction, Snoring / Sleep Apnea | No Comments »

Oxygen – Its Importance for Good Health

Friday, September 11th, 2009

“That which does not kill us, makes us stronger.” That’s a great quote when wanting to lend support to someone after a negative experience. It is however, especially in my line of work, mis-leading. I believe it would be more accurate to say, “That which does not kill us right away, can still kill us in little ways, every day.”

Yes for those how know my personality, that’s a bit dark. The point I’m stressing today is that just because one hasn’t suffered a major trauma such as head injury, near drowning, stroke or heart attack, it doesn’t mean one’s body is immune to oxygen deprivation.

It’s generally accepted for each minute the brain goes without oxygen, there is a 10% increase damage caused. After 3-5 minutes however, one’s chances of survival are greatly diminished.

It also depends on the type of injury. Someone who’s drowning is still getting some blood to the brain as compared to someone in a choke hold that is getting no blood and therefore, NO oxygen to the brain. In a situation like that, death could occur within seconds.

What isn’t generally accepted is that other factors occur, many of them environmental, which cause the body to deliver reduced and/or polluted oxygen to the brain and body. When this happens, the effect may not be immediate or even noticed at first, if at all.

An excellent example of this would be heart disease. Known as the “silent killer,” damage to the heart can occur for years before it is made known, via chest pains, heart attack, etc. Keep in mind that the organs work together and when one of the major organs fails to operate at a proper level, all of the organs can suffer.

If high blood pressure has caused the heart to enlarge, this has in turn, affected the muscle and it is more than likely that the heart isn’t pumping blood properly to the other organs, including the brain.

Another example could be sleep apnea. While moderate to severe apnea can definitely cause high blood pressure and other negative health issues, even mild sleep apnea or snoring can cause extreme tiredness and overeating – due to the fact that the body will try to get it’s “energy” from somewhere.

Over time, this weight increase on its own can lead to heart disease, diabetes, and other health issues, not to mention the psychological issues associated.

Pollution is another example but a little scarier to me because barring any congenital or genetic health disorders, this is the one arena I feel I have the least control. While we may disagree to what extent our earth is being polluted, I don’t think anyone will disagree that pollution is occurring.

To my point above, the sun doesn’t have to be blocked and the earth’s population dwelling underground such as in certain sci-fi movies for there to be a very real adverse affect to our health caused by pollution.

Studies now abound that more cancers, viral infections and other diseases are occurring and not just due to population increase. This pollution affects the oxygen molecules being delivered to our brain and other vital organs.

Before you decide that we are fated to ill health, I want you to consider my programs. They are all natural, safe and most importantly, these breathing and relaxation exercises work! I have had great success with the following programs which are aimed at delivering vital oxygen to the brain and body: High Blood Pressure, Alzheimers (coming soon!),Weight Loss Breeze, Migraine and Headache Relief, Vertigo and Dizziness and Stop Snoring.

EL331002

Posted in Genera Natural Health, High Blood Pressure, Migraine / Headaches, Sleep Disorders, Snoring / Sleep Apnea, Vertigo / Dizziness, Weight Loss | No Comments »

Sleep Apnea and Erectile Dysfunction – What is the Link?

Monday, August 24th, 2009

I love receiving feedback about my programs and how they’ve helped. I would have to say that the bulk of my feedback comes from women. Not just women my programs have helped but oftentimes the wife or partner of a man I’ve helped.

While I do still receive feedback from men, the lower ratio does perk my interest even more so – especially when it comes to such a sensitive subject like erectile dysfunction.

As so often happens, clients will try my programs and will find that other areas of their lives improve. This happens to be the case with my Stop Snoring program.

I highly recommend my program for anyone who suffers from snoring or mild sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea is one of the most common forms of sleep disorders. Sufferers actually stop or “pause” their breathing when sleeping, up to two or three breaths. This can happen up to 100 times per night in some severe cases.

When the person eventually does take a breath, a loud snore is heard. More than just aggravating to whomever is lying next to you; chemicals which are released to control breathing get interrupted.

This can manifest itself in different ways, from feeling tired during the day, to being unable to achieve or maintain an erection. This is known as erectile dysfunction, or ED.

This was the case with my client. He and his wife had resigned themselves to the fact that this was just a “change of life” for the husband. Prescription pills worked but the side effects were intolerable.

And so, a major component of their healthy relationship, sex, was eliminated. This lack of intimacy they had known so regularly for so many years had a definite and negative effect on other areas of their relationship.

My client’s wife took to what he called “nagging,” him in all areas of his life. In one of these “nag” sessions his loud snoring was brought up. While it’s rare, and I don’t recommend it as a way to live your life, the husband purchased my program out of spite.

Not expecting it to work but rather wanting to show that he tried to fix the problem and it didn’t work, he tried my program. Guess what? It worked! The easy to do jaw, throat and tongue exercises helped open up the breathing passages, eliminated his snoring and got him the rest and oxygen he so desperately needed.

A “side effect” of his getting more oxygen to all parts of his body was the return to “normal” sexual activity.

I couldn’t have been more pleased to hear from this client! While his ED was a humiliating and painful thing to go through, one has to admit that it’s hard to overlook. Think for a moment about all of the organs affected by lack of oxygen and the deadly but most of the time silent damage that can be done, which can lead to kidney failure or even heart attack and stroke.

If you are suffering from any of the above conditions, I highly encourage you to try my Stop Snoring program or my Erection Mastery program!

EL331002

Posted in Erectile Dysfunction, Sleep Disorders, Snoring / Sleep Apnea | No Comments »

Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome – So That’s Why I’m so Tired!

Monday, July 20th, 2009

“I have fibromyalgia,” my friend casually mentioned, over lunch some time back. I knew that she had been suffering from daytime sleepiness and more recently, overt fatigue, dizziness and snoring.

I was actually relieved to know that her doctor had diagnosed her, given the medical community’s difficulty accepting fibromyalgia (a disease characterized by excessive fatigue, overall chronic pain, pain when pressure is applied to the body, joint stiffness or pain, sleep disorders and sometimes difficulty swallowing) as a real medical condition.

What I soon came to realize is that my friend never made it to see the doctor. Rather, she “Googled” her symptoms and decided upon fibromyalgia. While her sleepiness, fatigue and snoring could be considered symptoms, I stated that this was NOT a sound diagnosis.

“But you’re the one who doesn’t like doctors.” This led to a discussion which I feel it necessary to share. I have a great respect for those who study hard and dedicate their lives to both saving and enriching the lives of other people, namely, doctors.

What I don’t agree with is hearing only a few symptoms, providing little to no testing and then prescribing medication to alleviate a condition the patient may or may not actually be suffering from.

I do, however, want to state that doctors are necessary and that rather than decide to forgo them altogether and self-diagnose, one should demand to have one’s symptoms taken seriously and to follow up with the doctor if medication doesn’t work or the side effects of that medication are as bad or worse than the actual condition for which it’s being treated.

This leads me back to my friend. Upon hearing my advice to actually visit her doctor (especially since she was suffering from none of the usual symptoms of pain that fibromyalgia sufferers tend to report), she was sent for further sleep studies and eventually diagnosed with Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome, or UARS.

Like sleep apnea, with UARS, sufferers have their airways restricted when sleeping. This is generally because the airway is already smaller than usual and when sleeping, it relaxes to a point that air is restricted, usually causing (but not always) snoring.

Unlike obstructive sleep apnea, the airway doesn’t completely close so the sufferer doesn’t stop breathing completely. Also unlike sleep apnea, the main cause for concern in UARS is actually low blood pressure, not high blood pressure. This condition tends to affect premenopausal and menopausal women more than others.

This is still of concern to one’s overall health because if one’s blood pressure is too low, it does not provide enough pressure to force the blood through the veins and arteries and onto the organs and permanent organ damage can result.

If you are suffering from UARS, I highly recommend both my High Blood Pressure program and my Stop Snoring program. My High Blood Pressure program is designed to help sufferers of low blood pressure because it’s designed to regulate blood pressure. My friend was able to go from using a CPAP machine every night to only using my all natural programs. I believe this can help you as well!

EL331002

Posted in High Blood Pressure, Sleep Disorders, Snoring / Sleep Apnea | No Comments »

Alzheimer’s, Sleep Disorders and Migraines

Monday, July 13th, 2009

Any migraine sufferer knows that this is a painful almost crazy making condition. When a person experiences a headache, the veins and cells all around the brain swell up. They push on the nerves around them which actually cause the pain.

Recent studies have shown that after people begin to experience headaches and migraine, their brain demands and gets many times the amount of oxygen from the blood delivered to it. The brain has been starved for oxygen and tries to get an adequate supply.

Research also indicates that migraines leave behind damage to the brain in the form of lesions. A particular type of lesion is commonly found in people who have Alzheimer’s.

In addition to Alzheimer’s being linked to migraines, there are also numerous studies reflecting links between Alzheimer’s and sleep apnea.

This makes a great deal of sense that so many conditions either coexist or even feed each other. I’ve published articles explaining the links between migraines and sleep disorders. Both of these conditions are worsened (or possibly created) due to a lack of oxygen in the brain. Alzheimer’s too is linked to an oxygen starved brain.

In the case of sleep disorders, Alzheimer’s is also known to contribute to restless sleep which in turn makes the disorder even worse.

The encouraging news though is that researchers have found that people who obtain treatment for sleep apnea, also find some relief for Alzheimer’s symptoms especially when some form of oxygen therapy is used (such as a CPAP machine.)

Cognition is improved as is memory. This is important as these are aspects seriously affected with Alzheimer’s.

Additionally, better sleep contributes to lessened migraines and symptoms as well. Therefore, acknowledging the link between all of these conditions and most importantly seeking treatment can make a huge difference in a person’s physical and emotional well being.

I am proud to share that I will be releasing my all natural Alzheimer’s Program in the near future. I also encourage you to check out my very effective Stop Snoring and Headache and Migraine Programs. All are focused on increasing the oxygen supply, but with easy to use exercises that require no special tools or equipment.

EL331001

Posted in Alzheimer's, Migraine / Headaches, Snoring / Sleep Apnea | No Comments »

Menopause – What Health Issues Accompany this Life Change?

Monday, June 29th, 2009

Every day we are reminded that we are getting older. Whether it’s your doctor suddenly ordering tests after the age of 35 that you had deemed for, “old people” or your body itself suddenly not acting the way it did just a couple of years ago.

It’s a fact of life that we all age and it should be accepted. What I believe shouldn’t be accepted is that there is nothing to be done about it and we should get used to being in pain or discomfort.

One common theme I consistently see when reading client feedback about my program concerns menopause. This is the time in a woman’s life when her menstrual cycle ends.

While at one time in our history, this did mark the beginning of the end of the lifecycle of women, this is no longer true today. With advancements in diet, medicine and technology, women now spend over a third of their life in the post-menopausal stage.

Common health ailments actually tend to start in the perimenopausal stage which can last between 5-10 years before menopause (defined by not having a menstrual cycle in over a year).

During this time and into menopause, women typically experience the following symptoms at least temporarily: Hormone changes affecting mood, hot flashes, fatigue, headache, and anxiety and depression, although women in this age group are no more likely to suffer long term depression than young adult women.

For some, though, other more serious medical conditions can arise. Migraine headache is one example of typical menopausal symptoms gone awry.

Studies have shown that migraines can start during the perimenopausal phase and are usually worse if the sufferer has experienced migraines in the past. Taking hormone replacements like estrogen has proven to be a migraine trigger.

Vertigo is another disorder reported in some perimenopausal and menopausal women. Sudden dizziness or feeling like you or objects in the room are spinning when they are in fact not.

Occasionally, women suffer from a combination of these two conditions known as migraine associated vertigo (MAV). This is dizziness which accompanies the migraine.

Another health concern for women at this stage in life is weight gain. While yes, our metabolism and physical activity tend to decline as we age, studies have shown that it is during menopause that many women gain weight when they never did before.

Given that weight gain can affect one’s health in so many ways, this is important. Overweight people tend to have more fat in the throat and neck area which compresses the airways and can lead to snoring and sleep apnea. Left untreated, this can lead to an enlarged heart, high blood pressure and other heart diseases which one is already at risk for if she is overweight.

Smoking and drinking to excess are two other bad habits that tend to increase during menopause. These on their own can lead to heart disease and stroke, let alone when combined with weight gain.

No matter what the reason if you find yourself suffering from headache or migraine headache, vertigo, MAV, weight gain, snoring, mild sleep apnea or high blood pressure, I highly encourage you to try one or more of my all natural programs. You can find links to each of them on the right hand side of my blog.
EL331002

Posted in Genera Natural Health, High Blood Pressure, Migraine / Headaches, Snoring / Sleep Apnea, Vertigo / Dizziness, Weight Loss | No Comments »

Snoring and Sleep Apnea – What is the Link to Weight Gain?

Friday, June 26th, 2009

“I want my wife to sleep with me again.” This was a recent subject line from a client. Upon reading the email, however, this man’s dilemma was snoring related, not an interpersonal relationship issue.

This man had been relegated to the guest room for the past several months due to the fact that his snoring (a rough snorting sound when inhaling caused by the vibrating of the soft palate and the uvula) had escalated to mild sleep apnea due to his recent weight gain.

What started as a twenty pound increase due to a recent change in professions, where he was suddenly sedentary for much of the day, had grown to a fifty pound weight gain and an increase in snoring.

He wanted to know if his weight gain had caused the sleep apnea (a decrease or complete cessation of breathing several times during the night) or if his snoring and sleep apnea had caused the weight gain.

We’re back to the “chicken versus the egg” scenario. While being overweight or obese is one of the main risk factors for developing snoring and sleep apnea, these conditions can lead to an increase in weight.

As in my client’s case, his initial twenty pound weight gain added fat to the throat and neck area, which led to his airway being partially obstructed and the start of his snoring.

He was in turn, tired all of the time and the thought of exercise when so tired seemed impossible, hence, the additional weight gain.

Side effects of snoring include headache, daytime tiredness and a lack of energy. As with my client, this led to daytime naps (longer than ten to twenty minutes), eating to replace his energy (due to an increase in hormones which increase appetite and a decrease in hormones which decrease appetite) and a few beers at night in order to “get tired.”

Before long, he had gained an additional thirty pounds, bringing his overall weight gain to fifty pounds. This led to the development of mild to severe sleep apnea. While men over the age of forty are more likely to suffer from sleep apnea, it can affect anyone.

Most people who suffer from sleep apnea also snore but not everyone. Your doctor can order a sleep study to determine if you suffer from mild to severe sleep apnea.

Contributing factors to snoring and sleep apnea include the aforementioned weight factor but also includes alcohol consumption, certain muscle relaxation medicines, jaw anatomy, and body position when sleeping (sleeping on one’s side can reduce or eliminate snoring for some).

Snoring and sleep apnea are more than just an annoying sleep habit. The added stress to the heart for those who snore and especially those with sleep apnea can lead to high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke and recent evidence indicates an imbalance in insulin.

Treatments include sleeping on one’s side, elevating one’s head (for mild snoring), breathing machines to keep the airway open like a CPAP and surgery for severe sleep apnea. Weight loss, however, is still the best thing to ensure immediate improvement.

If you suffer from snoring and/or mild sleep apnea, I highly recommend both my all natural Stop Snoring program and my Weight Loss Breeze program. It’s easy to do (especially if you feel you have little to no energy to invest initially) and best of all, it works!

EL331002

Posted in Snoring / Sleep Apnea, Weight Loss | No Comments »

Sleep Disorders and Irritable Bowel Syndrome – What’s the Connection?

Monday, June 22nd, 2009

I know I’ve said it before but feedback from my customers is what makes my programs the success they’ve become. Honest communication about how my program has helped or what could help even more has become the cornerstone of my business.

Recent feedback from a client really got me to thinking. She wrote to me telling me that she tried my Stop Snoring program to treat her snoring/mild sleep apnea. It worked, which is of no surprise to me but then she told me that her irritable bowel syndrome had cleared up as well.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is actually a collective term describing disorders that affect the gastro-intestinal tract. While some foods can trigger symptoms (diarrhea, constipation, severe abdominal pain, bloating, and changes in bowel function and feces color), stress and anxiety are thought to be the real culprits.

It does in turn, make sense that many of my programs including my Stop Snoring program would work, since in turn, they contain breathing and relaxation exercises, but I was really more interested in what the relationship is between sleep disorders and IBS.

Many people with IBS report sleep disorders like snoring and sleep apnea, especially women (more women suffer from IBS than men or at least more women seek treatment than men for IBS).

In fact, recent studies suggest that over 50% of IBS sufferers also have a sleeping disorder.

Many report that their IBS wakes them from a sudden sleep or that due to their IBS they don’t sleep well through the night.

While the exact cause of IBS isn’t known, research indicates that it is likely sleep interruption that brings about IBS symptoms – not the other way around.

One recent sleep study of IBS patients and control patients reported no differences in the amount of time dedicated to sleep or the REM (rapid eye movement) cycles.

The study did find, however, that for those suffering from sleep interruptions during REM state (sleep apnea can cause the patient to stop breathing over 100 times per night), morning IBS symptoms ensued.

This leads researchers to believe that it is actually the brain not getting the proper rest and oxygen that can lead to all sorts of body ailments, including IBS.

If you suffer from sleep disorders such as snoring and/or mild sleep apnea and you suffer from IBS as well, please consider that the two are very likely related. I also encourage you to try my all natural Stop Snoring program. It’s easy to get started and you will see results immediately.

EL331002

Posted in Sleep Disorders, Snoring / Sleep Apnea | No Comments »

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