Sleep apnea: Take a deep breath
"WHEN you have insomnia," muses the sleep-deprived protagonist played by Edward Norton in the film "Fight Club", "you’re never really asleep, and you’re never really awake." The same is true of sleep apnea, a lesser-known but equally disturbing disorder whose symptoms include low breathing and abnormally long pauses between breaths, which often lead to broken sleep. This is bad for two reasons: inhaling tiny gasps of air means that the bloodstream is constantly starved of oxygen. At the same time, the body retains more carbon dioxide than is considered healthy. Daytime grogginess and impaired alertness ensue. The bigger issue is stress on the heart. Severe apnea sufferers are also substantially more likely to have heart disease and heart attacks at a younger age.
Sufferers are typically prescribed a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device. This works like a vacuum cleaner in blower mode.
A company called Ventus Medical is bringing a new solution to the market. Read more here>>>>>