HealingDeva.com

[Terri R.]

For the past 5 years or so, I've experienced times (like this morning) when I will suddenly wake up gasping for air and choking. I'm not talking about coughing... I mean gasping-for-air choking! And let me tell ya... it's a darn scary thing! Every time I've had this happen I would be dreaming about choking, so for the longest time I thought my dreams where actually manifesting... until this morning. That's when I FINALLY decided to try and figure out why the heck this keeps happening to me. And, in addition to the choking, there are times when I'll wake up, slightly lift my head, and will feel extremely dizzy. The strange thing about that is that it seems as if the dizziness itself is what wakes me up, since I will never be fully awake when this happens.

So this morning I did some research and was amazed (and somewhat delighted -- one of those "NOW I know what's happening to me!" things) when I discovered that I may indeed have Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). So, as it turns out, I'm going through the classic "dream incorporation" thing... when some outside stimulous becomes part of your dream story-line. In my case, my choking is becoming part of my dream.

What Are The Signs and Symptoms of Sleep Apnea?

The most common signs of sleep apnea are:

* Loud snoring (mostly common in men)
* Choking or gasping during sleep (my AH HA! moment)
* Fighting sleepiness during the day (I'm always tired, tired, tired!!)

Others signs of sleep apnea may include:

*Morning headaches
*Memory or learning problems (I'm having a difficult time with a couple of classes I've been taking... can't seem to memorize info that I need to memorize)
* Feeling irritable (as of late, yep... very irritable.)
* Not being able to concentrate on your work.
* Mood swings or personality changes, perhaps feeling depressed (I've been becoming increasingly more depressed, but I've been chalking that up to a couple of personal matters going on in my life right now.)
* Dry throat upon awaking
* Frequent urination at night.

Another thing I learned while researching Sleep Apnea. According to what I've been reading, this problem can be life-threatening and needs to be treated. OSA can lead to heart attack, the development or worsening of high blood pressure, especially around the lungs (pulmonary arterial hypertension), irregular heartbeat (cardiac arrhythmias) or slowed heart rate (bradycardia), and increase in red blood cells in the blood (polycythemia)

What Causes Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea happens when enough air cannot move into your lungs while you are sleeping.

When you are awake and normally during sleep, your throat muscles keep your throat open and air flows into your lungs. However, in obstructive sleep apnea, the throat briefly collapses, causing pauses in your breathing. With pauses in breathing, your oxygen level in your blood may drop. This happens when:

Your throat muscles and tongue relax more than is normal.

Your tonsils and adenoids are large.

You are overweight. The extra soft tissue in your throat makes it harder to keep the throat area open.

Deviated Nasal Septum

The shape of your head and neck (bony structure) results in somewhat smaller airway size in the mouth and throat area.

With the throat frequently fully or partly blocked during sleep, enough air cannot flow into your lungs, even though efforts to breathe continue. Your breathing may become hard and noisy and may even stop for short periods of time (apneas).

Central apnea is a rare type of sleep apnea that happens when the area of your brain that controls your breathing doesn't send the correct signals to the breathing muscles. There is then no effort to breathe at all for brief periods. Snoring does not typically occur in central apnea.

Sleep apnea is more common in men. One out of 25 middle-aged men and 1 out of 50 middle-aged women have sleep apnea that causes them to be very sleepy during the day.

Here's some useful links:
http://www.sleepapnea.org
http://www.sleepapnea.org

Terri

[Terri R.]

An analysis of data from a study of more than 120,000 women that began 25 years ago finds that lack of sleep can increase the risk of heart disease.7 The incidence of heart disease during the study increased as the amount of nightly sleep decreased from eight hours. Five hours of sleep or less produced a 45-percent increase; for six hours, the risk was 18 percent above normal, and seven hours produced a 9-percent increase. Interestingly, nine hours or more of sleep increased the incidence of heart disease by about 38 percent. There are no popular explanations for these findings at this time.

Archives of Internal Medicine 2003; 163:205-209.

[Terri R.]

The Pillar Procedure is a simple, effective, first-line treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and socially disruptive snoring. Known by the medical term “palatal restoration,” the procedure only takes a single, brief visit to the physician’s office. After first numbing the area with a local anesthetic, your physician embeds three tiny inserts in your soft palate using a specially designed delivery tool. The inserts cause a stiffening effect in the palate tissue to prevent vibration (snoring) and obstruction (OSA) of the airway during sleep.

Website with all of the information:
http://www.pillarprocedure.com/apnea.asp

[Bobin]

In sleep apnea, in some cases, the airway becomes obstructed. The question is why the airway becomes obstructed. If the obstruction is due to biomechanical misalignment of the neck, it follows that correction of the misalignment would correct the condition.

The cervical curve, according to one method of analysis, should be a 17 centimeter arc when measured at the tubrical of the atlas and the anterior-inferior margin of C7 (Pierce). Other methods (Harrison) employ different points and measurement methods, but the net result is the same. The angles between each vertebra should follow set norms. This curve is termed a "normal lordotic curve".

But it doesnt stop there. Further research reveals that the motion of one vertebra with respect to another (termed a "motor segment") also follows normal patterns. These are published in various orthopedic textbooks, and the AMA's Guide to Permanent Physical Impairment.

Deviations from normal lordosis are particularily at problem because the trachea, the esophagus and other soft tissue of the neck are distorted as well. If the vertebra of the neck deviate from the normal lordosis thus being out of it's normal anatomical position, the trachea is now compressed and moved from its intended position. The esophagus, likewise, is compressed. This can be demonstrated quiet confidently by a neutral lateral X-Ray, as the air space of the trachea often presents with a sharp deviation from the normal gental curve. Focal points of airway restriction are often seen.

The diaphragm is controlled by nerves which stem from the 3rd, 4th and 5th cervical vertebra. Pressure on the nerves in this area of the spine could definately affect respiration.

The vertebral artery travels up the cervical spine through small holes in the sides of the cervical vertebra (see picture http://www.surgery.usc.edu/divisions/vas/graphics/carotidvertebralartery.jpg ). If the vertebra are moved from their normal position, compression of the artery to some degree results. Osteopaths would adjust the neck to increase blood flow. Chiropractors adjust the neck to restore nerve flow. Interesting to note the the "rotary break" and "modified rotary break" chiropractic adjustments are actually "borrowed" from osteopathy. It's the same adjustment, with the dual result of increasing blood flow and restoring nerve flow. Decreased blood flow to the brain can easily result in dizziness, vertigo, loss of balance, etc. When one "passes out", it is almost invariably as a result of a lack of blood flow to the brain.

Most chiropractic techniques employ methods to correct correct lateral, rotational, and anterior/posterior translation of a vertebra. Very few techniques employ methods to analyze and reconstruct the skeletal structure to "anatomical normal". The Pierce and Pierce-Stillwagon methods employ accurate analysis methodology and offer specific corrections for a broad scope of biomechanical deviations. Dr. Don Harrison's Chiropractic Biophysics techinque likewise employs techniques to restore biomechanical normality.

Bobin

[Terri R.]

Wouldn't the neck adjustments that I usually have done automatically correct the problem?

[Bobin]

Nope. A film is needed to make a proper evaluation. The film is also needed to determine the proper correction.

[Terri R.]

Thanks, Bobin... I just made an appt. for Saturday morning, for my usual adjustment. I'm WAY over due for one anyway. I'll ask her about getting adjustments done specifically for the sleep apnea. I woke up at least a dozen times last night.