Sunday, August 26, 2012

Sleep apnea and bad breath

There are many reasons for bad breath such as diet, bacteria, medication and alcohol among other things. But did you know that sleep apnea can also cause bad breath.


Bad breath (halitosis) can be very embarrassing and often times difficult to get rid of. No matter how much mouth wash you use or how many times that you floss each day your breath still has a distinct odor about it. You try to get to the root of the problem but you just can’t understand why you have bad breath.

Maybe it is sleep apnea.

It is understandable why eating garlic and other food gives you bad breath. And it very believable that alcohol, in large quantities, can make your breath reek. But why sleep apnea? If you have sleep apnea and you breathe through your mouth your throat becomes very dry at night. All that air coming in and all that gasping dries out the throat.

What happens is that saliva controls the bacteria in the mouth, the same bacteria that can cause bad breath. When saliva production is affected by breathing through the mouth, the bacteria survives and creates the bad breath.

Of course if you fix the sleep apnea with the cpap or surgery then you won’t be able to blame your bad breath on sleep apnea.

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Sunday, August 19, 2012

Sleep disorders like sleep apnea are big business


Everybody know that the cost of health care over the years has sky rocketed.  Being sick, especially having a disorder or illness can be very expensive.  And that is certainly true when it comes to sleep disorders like sleep apnea.  Some thirty years ago health issues like sleep disorders didn’t seem to get much attention but now a more health conscious society understands the importance of getting a good night’s sleep.  One of the most expensive and growing sleep disorders is sleep apnea.

Why sleep apnea?

Why has sleep apnea become such a leading problem among the general population, young and old. As we have talked about before one of the most common connections of sleep apnea is the air blockage of the throat and what often causes that is fatty tissue which in turn comes about because of being overweight.  There are other factors involved such as the shape of the face and the size of the tongue but being overweight is definitely the main reason. Ironically losing weight will certainly reduce the amount of apnea that you suffer with but it may not fix it completely.

Sleep apnea equals big business!

According to MEDpagetoday the US is the largest market for sleep apnea products followed by  Europe and Asia. And the whole global market is expected to worth a little under 20 billion by 2017. That is pretty big business!

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Sunday, August 12, 2012

New drug may help children with sleep apnea


While most folks consider sleep apnea an adult problem children can also have it as well.  The complications that can occur to children with obstructive sleep apnea can also be just as harmful, such as diabetes, behavioral problems and learning issues.  According to webmd dotcomNew research in the September 2012 issue of Pediatrics suggests an allergy and asthma drug -- montelukast (Singulair, which just went generic) -- may lessen symptoms in children with non-severe apnea and potentially allow them to skip the surgery.”

Another complication with sleep apnea for children is that they are more likely to have other sleep disorder such as night terrors, bedwetting, and snoring. Even infants can have sleep apnea as well

As it is so important to get yourself checked out for sleep apnea, it is just as important to have your child tested as well. The testing for children is pretty much the same as with adults with the best being tested in an overnight study at a sleep clinic. Being hooked up to wires and then trying to sleep is difficult but it is necessary.

Hopefully this new medication will allow some children to bypass the usual cures such as the CPAP machines or even surgery.

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