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Answer by Hrēodbēorð
Sleep apnea is the frequent interruption or shallowness of breathing during sleep, each incident lasting as long as 10-20 seconds and occurring as many as hundreds of times. Major symptoms are loud, chronic snoring; gasping, snorting or choking during sleep; unusual pauses in breathing; sleepiness during the day regardless of time spent in bed. Less serious symptoms are dry mouth or sore throat; morning headaches; insomnia; frequent bathroom visits during the night; being out of breath upon awakening; difficulty concentrating; irritability or depression. As a result you don’t get the uninterrupted deep sleep necessary for good health, mental and physical. Diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease and weight gain are the serious effects of sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a serious condition, but the easiest ways to deal with it are to sleep on your side or prop your head up six-seven inches. Consult your doctor if you suspect you have any major symptoms.

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Obstructive sleep apnea

Central sleep apnea

Mixed sleep apnea.

Obstructive sleep apnea is essentially the most acute and prevalent kind of apnea. Typically overweight males who are around 35 to 50 years old, generally has an undersized mouth, a restricted airway opening near the back of the throat, and a large nose or tongue usually have problems with this sleeping condition. When sleeping, the soft taste muscles, the uvula and the tongue muscles unwind and droop, jamming the air passage as a result of this it has the tendency to collapse. As inhalation is obstructed, the torso muscles and the diaphragm struggle till the obstruction is eventually removed, which causes the sufferer to snore. When inhalation is obstructed, the oxygen level in the blood fall, compelling the heart’s muscles to labor vigorously. This causes the blood pressure to increase and an uneven heartbeat takes place. Some individuals utilize a sleep apnea mouthpiece to help in reducing their symptoms. Sleep apnea mouthpieces work by keeping the airway free of obstruction whilst you sleep.

Central sleep apnea occurs infrequently. In this sort of apnea, though the air passage will remain open and clear, the torso muscles and diaphragm momentarily stops operating. The falling oxygen level in the bloodstream triggers the brain to awaken the patient who gasps for breath. Because the air passage will remain open and clear, it stops the sufferer from snoring very loudly.  Central sleep apnea is ordinarily found in grown-up adults above 60 years old.

Numerous individuals encounter a prolonged phase of obstructive sleep apnea combined with a fleeting phase of central sleep apnea. This type of symptom is referred to as mixed sleep apnea.

A Medical doctor consultation is advised in case of any of these sleep syndromes.

The Freditor describes snoring caused by sleep apnea, how he has it, what the cures are and how to avoid it.
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Sleep apnea, a condition that affects many people without them knowing it, can be caused by many different reasons such as overweight, smoking or problems in the respiratory tract, such as a deviated septum. Unfortunately most of the cases of sleep apnea go on without ever discovering the cause behind it.  The only clear thing is that the snoring is so loud that it will affect the person who suffers from it as well as the person sharing the room or bed.  It will affect not only your health but also your relationship with that person, as he or she may decide to move out of the bedroom in order to get a proper rest!  For these reasons it is important to get the right sleep apnea treatment as soon as possible. 

Some people will find that the traditional ways of sleep apnea treatment will not work well for them.  Many people do not like to wear the CPAP mask during night and/or is too expensive for them.  For this reason they will search for alternatives and a different sleep apnea treatment which is less intrusive and at the same time less expensive.  At the moment there are several different devices that are designed to help people suffering from sleep apnea, making their nights more restful without the loud snoring they have as a consequence of this condition.  The good thing about these devices is that you don’t need a doctor’s prescription in order to get one. Also, they are affordable and comfortable to use, so they won’t affect either your bank account or your sleep at night. 

A sleep apnea treatment that targets to correct the way of breathing probably is the best approach you should have in order to tackle this problem.  This is the way CPAP machines work but, as this is most of the times not affordable for people, an alternative device would be your best option.  A device that can cure your sleep apnea without costing you a fortune and most importantly, let you sleep comfortably at night is the one you need for your successful treatment.  Therefore, do your research and look for the sleep apnea treatment that suits you best according to your means and your needs.  Remember that not only you will enjoy a good night sleep once you get rid of the sleep apnea, but also the person who sleeps next to you!

Also, will this place any restrictions on my pilot certificate?

Here is a crap load of background about me:

At one point I had done everything the doctor told me, including eliminating food from my diet that aggravates the condition, loosing weight until I was within the “healthy” parameters for my age/height/fitness, altered my sleep angle, and was on Nexium, Previcid, and Gaviscon. All of these actions helped the condition, but did not eliminate the symptoms. In fact, the symptoms were still so bad, that I gave up on the treatments.

I have been suffering from G.E.R.D. for my entire life, as I was born with a hiatus hernia. I also have hyperhydrochlorhydria, which aggravates the gastroesophageal reflux disease, as well as causing Gastritis and similar symptoms in the lower GI tract.

As well as the common symptoms of G.E.R.D., I have also been diagnosed with chronic bronchitis as a child, and then later diagnosed with asthma as an adult. (it is believed that G.E.R.D. can cause asthma)

The spasms in my stomach as well as the acid levels have been much higher lately due to some increased stress. These increases have led to Laryngopharyngeal reflux, which seems to be causing sleep apnea like symptoms.

Once I can aford health insurance, I’ll happily go through the same process where the physician and specialists tell me to change my diet, lose weight, take drugs, so on and so forth. Eventually, i will have exhausted all the non-surgical options, and I’ll probably opt for the surgery.
RE: Sandy

Acutally, yes, I do have discomfort in my ears, as well as (gag) a lot of wax!

I’ve actually had fifteen reoccuring ear infections, as well as some vertigo and swimmer’s ear. According to Wikipedia, this can be connected to the GERD and LPRD
I forgot to mention that I have the “lump” sensation associated with LPRD, as well as throat pain. I decided to add these details as others had commented that they have these symptoms. Although it is not relavent to my question, I feel these added details may help shed some light on their conditions.

Check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gastroesophageal_reflux_disease for GERD info, annd look for the links for LRPD and asthma

Lately, I’ve also been having problems with sleeping. In the middle of my sleep, I will bolt upright in bed, gasping for air, and trying to swallow. My heart will be racing, as I desperatly try to restart my breathing, which takes about 10-15 scary seconds. I was thinking that maybe this could be sleep apnea. But I do not have snoring problems, I am not overweight, do not have asthma, do not smoke, I’m female, and only 21 years old. I don’t seem to be a very good candidate.

But I’ve read that one way to fix sleep apnea is by getting a device to push the jaw slightly forward. Could my poor jaw alignment be causing me to have sleep amnea problems?

PS-My doctor put me on stratera, and I don’t have ADD or ADHD. Anyone else tried this?