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Bad sleep 'dramatically' alters body

bbc.co.uk

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Re: Bad sleep 'dramatically' alters body

#61

Post by npsimons »

michaelbuckbee wrote: post #49
jacques_chester wrote: post #9

Here's a little PSA: If you have: * High blood pressure * Depressive or angry episodes * Wake up tired no matter how long you've slept * Loud snoring Take a sleep study. You may have obstructive sleep apnea. I got it badly enough that sleeping for 14-15 hours daily did nothing for me. I didn't realise it at the time but I was on track to die, tired, at about 50. Today I sleep with a little CPAP machine that keeps my…

All extremely good advice, but the whole process of getting a CPAP machine drives me bonkers (at least in the US). A CPAP machine is a couple hundred dollars [1] (certainly less than a thousand) and everyone I've ever spoken to about one has either instantly, the first night of using one had a tremendous dramatic improvement in their sleep or it was sort of 'meh'. Given the costs and extremely minor risks (we're talk…

Agree with most everything, but when I bought a CPAP machine many years ago, I don't recall needing a prescription (I could be forgetting). I was deemed "borderline" by my sleep study, so my insurance wouldn't pay for it. I went ahead and bought a portable one online for a couple hundred, and it worked like a charm. Funny thing is the place I bought it from sent me the "nurse's manual" with instructions on setting pressure and "under no circumstances let the patient see this manual" :) I've since lost some weight and had septoplasty (to treat chronic sinus infections) and don't need it, so I donated it to my brother-in-law. If your doctor won't prescribe it, you might need to find a new one. Sleep really is one of those three pillars of health.

Re: Bad sleep 'dramatically' alters body

#62

Post by felipe »

willholloway wrote: post #31
jacques_chester wrote: post #9

Here's a little PSA: If you have: * High blood pressure * Depressive or angry episodes * Wake up tired no matter how long you've slept * Loud snoring Take a sleep study. You may have obstructive sleep apnea. I got it badly enough that sleeping for 14-15 hours daily did nothing for me. I didn't realise it at the time but I was on track to die, tired, at about 50. Today I sleep with a little CPAP machine that keeps my…

A pulse oximeter can also be worn overnight to check for oxygen desaturation during the night from pauses in breathing. Polysomnography (sleep test) is the gold standard, but O2 saturation is a good indicator as well. An oximeter isn't a bad thing to own and can be had cheaply from Amazon. Sleep apnea can emerge with as little as 10% weight gain, acid reflux or allergies. If you really care about your sleep, heart an…

This is great advice, thanks. On that subject, I use CPAP since 2008 but I occasionally did not use it for intervals up to a week (for example, when I traveled I would not bring the CPAP with me). It turns out I had an episode of atrial fibrilation (the heart beats with a weird rhythm) due to a few factors together, but the major one being the lack of CPAP usage. It was scary and I spent the night at the hospital. The doctor explained me that this condition can be caused by low levels of O2 while sleeping, which is caused by apnea.

Re: Bad sleep 'dramatically' alters body

#63

Post by felipe »

jacques_chester wrote: post #9

Here's a little PSA: If you have: * High blood pressure * Depressive or angry episodes * Wake up tired no matter how long you've slept * Loud snoring Take a sleep study. You may have obstructive sleep apnea. I got it badly enough that sleeping for 14-15 hours daily did nothing for me. I didn't realise it at the time but I was on track to die, tired, at about 50. Today I sleep with a little CPAP machine that keeps my…

I have high-grade apnea and I use a CPAP for years (and yes, it changed my life for the better!). Just last week I started an acupuncture treatment in which the doctor applies very small electric shocks to a muscle that pulls the tongue a little, for 30 minutes. I was explained this is a bit like physiotherapy, but for the tongue and mouth. I did my first session last week and I already felt some improvement. I have 4 more sessions to go.

I cannot stop using the CPAP because my apnea index is pretty high, but it might work for someone with a mild level.

Note that even though I mentioned acupuncture, this is not a "new age" or alternative-style treatment. In my country (Brazil) acupuncture is actually regulated by the Health Ministry, and this treatment is accepted by the local medical community.

Re: Bad sleep 'dramatically' alters body

#65

Post by conroe64 »

eCa wrote: post #44
droidist2 wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Good point. They always say that about Presidents, they age like 20 years in 8 years.

Obama 2004 (43 yo): http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/worldnews/9... Obama 2011 (50 yo): http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/worldnews/9... Not much hair color left..

If that happened to me, I'd bow out of a second term.

Re: Bad sleep 'dramatically' alters body

#66

Post by plaguuuuuu »

glaugh wrote: post #32
jfb wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Good stuff. My dad had apnea so bad he had to have his nose and sinuses redrilled. I'm looking forward to the study.

Not saying this is a cure-all for everyone, but it's a good first thing to try: My dad was diagnosed with sleep apnea. He was tired during the day and got bad migraines. They recommended a fancy apparatus but he instead sewed a golf ball into a small pocket on the back of his pjs. Like most folks, he only snored and suffocated himself when asleep on his back. So this way when he rolled from his side onto his back he…

lol! going to try this

Re: Bad sleep 'dramatically' alters body

#68

Post by KMag »

liber8 wrote: post #58
username111 wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well that is a time where a lot of people lose their hair color.

People lose their hair color due (primarily) to a lack of catalase, which normally removes hydrogen peroxide. It is now thought that much of this work is done during sleep. So, assuming this theory is true, a lack of sleep (an effect every president has mentioned) does cause people to go gray.

That makes sense. Several of my friends in college developed grey patches in their hair that went away shortly after graduation.

Re: Bad sleep 'dramatically' alters body

#69

Post by lee »

jacques_chester wrote: post #9

Here's a little PSA: If you have: * High blood pressure * Depressive or angry episodes * Wake up tired no matter how long you've slept * Loud snoring Take a sleep study. You may have obstructive sleep apnea. I got it badly enough that sleeping for 14-15 hours daily did nothing for me. I didn't realise it at the time but I was on track to die, tired, at about 50. Today I sleep with a little CPAP machine that keeps my…

Me too! I started using a CPAP machine about 2 years ago. It felt as though I instantly gained 10 IQ points overnight. I could focus deeply for longer. I felt better. And I didn't need to nap anymore. All for a few hundred bucks.

Re: Bad sleep 'dramatically' alters body

#70

Post by jacques_chester »

patrickk wrote: post #19
jacques_chester wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wish you all the best.

If I got diagnosed with sleep apnea, it would be the best news I've gotten in years - it would be like winning the lottery, as I could put a name to the root of the problem, and take steps to deal with it. I want to do my own startup, and solving my sleep issues could easily be the difference between doing it and not. So thanks again, it means a lot.

I can absolutely relate to that. True names are power and all that jazz.
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