Get enough oxygen always – for better health !

Here we add info about solutions to get good restful deep sleep and improve oxygen levels.

Maybe you want to read more about it?  We do understand that a person suffering from sleep apnea (also written apnoea) battle with fatigue and sleepiness. You are welcome to contact us to get information verbally if you prefer.

Effect of obstructed breathing

Obstructive sleep apnea causes interruption of breathing due to relaxed tissue blocking the airway. This causes a drop in the body’s oxygen levels. Our goal is to help our clients: “Breathe better – get enough oxygen – always” .

Oxygen requirements for good health

The body’s systems cannot function properly without enough oxygen. Continued high oxygen levels in the blood is needed to lower risks of many adverse health effects.

When oxygen levels fall due to sleep apnea, a “help” signal reaches your brain. You then leave deep sleep until you are awake enough to start breathing again. When close to awake muscles tighten enough to open airway. The problem is by then your restful sleep has been interrupted. It is important to get enough oxygen always – whilst sleeping and awake.

Why good deep sleep matters

Lack of deep sleep is associated with lot of negative effects and increased health risks. Not enough deep sleep negatively affects long term memory. Lack of proper rest is followed by sleepiness, fatique, headache etc. The higher risk of dangerous accidents next day is obvious. Apnea with its associated frequent drop in oxygen levels is associated with many health risks. These include depression, heart and blood circulation effects, diabetes, damaged immune response and many more. As with insomnia it is much more difficult to loose weight and there is a tendency towards obesity.

Positive Airway Pressure solution

Positive Airway Pressure (PAP) can immediately start to prevent apnea and snoring! Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) keeps the airway open even while muscles are relaxed during deep sleep. Using a CPAP, APAP or BiPAP machine can improve quality of life and the ability to act with energy and improved motivation right from the start. To stop snoring can be the best gift you can give your partner and save relations!

Help for damaged lungs

For persons with damaged lungs due to COPD or Covid, the ability to absorb enough oxygen is lower. Such conditions do not only require prevention of apnea during sleeping. It may also require additional oxygen even whilst awake to maintain more healthy blood oxygen levels. Oxygen concentrators provide extra oxygen uninterrupted without cylinders that must be frequently refilled at high cost and inconvenient time or when oxygen might not be accessible or in short supply. The article “A review of therapies for the overlap syndrome of obstructive sleep apnea and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease” contains in depth info about the combined effect of COPD and apnea.

There is no doubt that sleep apnea needs to be treated to prevent adverse health effects. At Wikipedia these effects are summarised in the following categories:

• Neurocognitive consequences like long term memory problems
• Behavioral consequences associated with for example sleepiness and lack of motivation as well as problems at work.
• Physiological and metabolic consequences . These include cardiovascular morbidities, diabetes, hypertension, coronary artery disease and stroke.
• Psychological consequences like mood disorders, depression, anxiety, inability to overcome trauma and several more.
• Other consequences including occupational problems, vehicle and other accidents, difficulties in social functioning and general low quality of life. These are consequences of fragmented sleep, lack of good deep sleep followed by excessive sleepiness. Untreated apnea patients also often complain about pain disorders such as headache or fibromyalgia,

Contact us for more information about how CPAP / APAP / BiPAP and Oxygen Concentrators can help you improve your quality of life. Please contact us by phone / Whatsapp / Telegram +27 83 637 3470 or email berien@berien.designeraman.com or complete the form available at this website. General sleep disorders can be successfully addressed. It is worthwhile! If you need help with identifying causes of and advice on solutions for insomnia due to other causes than apnea, you can talk to Jan-Daniel Uys at Arkel Sleep Health Clinic or your doctor.

Effects of lack of good sleep are extensively discussed in academic literature – just a few examples about fatigue, heart problems, immune system effects and others are discussed in literature referenced below. :

1. Taheri S, Lin L, Austin D, Young T, Mignot E. Short Sleep Duration Is Associated with Reduced Leptin, Elevated Ghrelin, and Increased Body Mass Index. PLos Med 2004;4(3):e62.
2. Besedovsky L, Lange T, Born J. Sleep and immune function. Pflugers Arch Eur J Physiol 2012;463:121-137.
3. Savard J, Laroche L, Simard S, Ivers H, Morin CM. Chronic Insomnia and Immune Functioning. Psychosomat Med 2013;65:211-221.

4. Irwin M, Mcclintick J, Costlow C, Fortner M, White J, Gillin JC. Partial night sleep deprivation reduces natural killer and cellular immune responses in humans. FASEB J 1996;10:643-653.
5. Hoevenaar-Blom MP, Spijkerman AMW, van den Berg JF, Verschuren WMM. Sleep Duration and Sleep Quality in Relation to 12-Year Cardiovascular Disease Incidence: The MORGEN Study. Sleep 2011;34(11):1487-1492.
6. Laugsand LE, Strand LB, Platou C, Vatten LJ, Janszky I. Insomnia and the risk of incident heart failure: a population study. Eur Heart J 2013. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/eht019
7. Bansil P, Kuklina EV, Merritt RK, Yoon PK. Associations Between Sleep Disorders, Sleep Duration, Quality of Sleep, and Hypertension: Results From the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2005 to 2008. J Clin Hypertens 2011;13:739-743. 

8. Patel SR, Hu FB. Short sleep duration and weight gain: a systematic review. Obesity 2008;16(3):643-653.