Sleep apnea is a common breathing condition that can range from mild to moderate to severe. It’s also a progressive disorder, which means that it gets worse with time.

Approximately twelve to twenty million people in the United States suffer from sleep apnea. Adult sleep apnea is as common across the globe as is adult onset diabetes. More men suffer from it than women. In addition, it’s more common in those who are overweight and have a tendency toward loud, habitual snoring. According to The National Commission on Sleep Disorders Research, approximately 38,000 individuals die annually as a result of cardiovascular problems relating in one way or another to sleep apnea.

What Is Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder differentiated by pauses in breathing during sleep. These pauses can cover anywhere from ten to sixty seconds at a time. In more serious cases, the breathing lapses can be even longer. These pauses or “apnea events” can occur as often as three hundred to four hundred times per night. Some people wake up during these episodes while others do not.

What Are The Different Types of Sleep Apnea?

There are three types of sleep apnea - obstructive, central and mixed. Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common, afflicting nine out of ten individuals who suffer from the disorder. In the case of obstructive sleep apena, an obstruction is blocking the trachea (or wind pipe) from allowing air in and out of the lungs. Other causes of the obstruction include the possibility of too much fatty tissue in the area of the throat or that the throat muscles are too relaxed. The second type, central sleep apnea, results from the brain having crossed signals about normal breathing patterns. In this case “the muscles you use to breathe don’t get the ‘go-ahead’ signal from the brain. Either the brain doesn’t send the signal, or the signal gets interrupted.” This form is extremely rare. The third and final type, mixed sleep apnea, is a combination of the other two, though it generally has more in common with obstructive sleep apnea.

How Do I Know For Sure If I Have Sleep Apnea?

There are a number of initial symptoms that should alert you to the possibility of sleep apnea. These include loud snoring, cessation of breathing during the night, and extreme tiredness during the day. If you exhibit any of these symptoms, your doctor can send you for a special sleep-recording test known as a polysomnography which can diagnosis the disorder.

Is Sleep Apnea Dangerous And/Or Life Threatening?

If left untreated sleep apnea can lead to more serious health problems such as high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke. The chances of having a car accident or a work-related accident are also increased for those suffering from sleep apnea.

Is There Anything That Can Be Done To Improve My Sleep Apnea?

Initially, making lifestyle changes can go a long way in preventing sleep apnea from growing worse. These changes can include losing weight, quitting smoking, limiting your use of alcohol four hours before bedtime, not using sleeping pills or sedatives, and sleeping on your side instead of on your back.

It seems like everywhere I travel I continue to hear the five diabetes myths. The myths are circulating from one generation to the next. Everyone seems to believe these folklores. I have decided to take all of the mystery out of these myths and give you what actually works with the new technology today.

1. Sugar causes diabetes. How many times have you heard this one? I lost track of how many times someone has either asked me or made a statement of this. This is a myth, and the truth is, consuming a lot of sugar does not cause diabetes. Someone did not get diabetes by becoming a cookie monster. Type 1 diabetes is a result of autoimmune damage to the insulin-secreting beta cells of the pancreas. The insulin secretion is not enough or completely absent. Therefore, the hormone insulin is injected or administered via pump. Type 2 diabetes is a result of a metabolic syndrome. People with Type 2 produce their own insulin but are unable to utilize it properly. It most often affects men, women and children who are overweight. This no longer is “adult-onset diabetes.” Children are getting Type 2 diabetes at an alarming rate.

2. If you do have diabetes, you cannot have any sugar, it must be sugar-free. This is a myth, and the truth is our bodies not only recognize sugar, but they know how to use it. For me, personally, wheat raises my blood sugar more than white sugar. If you do want a safe sugar substitute, I would recommend vegetable glycerin.

3. I can no longer have too many carbohydrates. This is another myth. It is not how much carbohydrate, but what type that makes the difference. Actually, some foods that are low on the glycemic index get in the way of good insulin function. Some foods can lower one individual’s blood sugar but increase another’s. Are you eating beneficial foods or avoids?

4. Exercise always lowers blood sugar. This myth has been around for a long time. However, if the body does not have enough insulin for proper glucose utilization, exercise will raise your blood sugar. If your blood sugar is over 200mg/dL before exercising, the exercise will only make your blood sugar go higher. When the body is conditioned and there is enough insulin, the blood sugars will lower. Physical exercise is one of the important aspects to living as if you do not have diabetes.

5. You can no longer live a “normal” life after being diagnosed with diabetes. This myth is one of the strangest ones. I believe that once you bury Type 1 or 2 diabetes you can live a happy and healthy normal life. My life has been better than normal! Nick Jonas is a 14-year-old living a normal life after being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in November 2005. Nick is a member of the Jonas Brothers Band. He has said, “At first, I was worried that diabetes would keep me from performing and doing everything a teenager likes to do, but my career is really ramping up.” Way to go Nick! Best wishes for a great life!

About the author: Julie Wanner Rossetti is the author of Diabetes Can Be Sweet … Once You BURY It, and President of Diabetes Done Right, where she specializes as a diabetes consultant. Visit Diabetes Done Right

Sleep apnea is a common breathing condition that can range from mild to moderate to severe. It’s also a progressive disorder, which means that it gets worse with time.

Approximately twelve to twenty million people in the United States suffer from sleep apnea. Adult sleep apnea is as common across the globe as is adult onset diabetes. More men suffer from it than women. In addition, it’s more common in those who are overweight and have a tendency toward loud, habitual snoring. According to The National Commission on Sleep Disorders Research, approximately 38,000 individuals die annually as a result of cardiovascular problems relating in one way or another to sleep apnea.

What Is Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder differentiated by pauses in breathing during sleep. These pauses can cover anywhere from ten to sixty seconds at a time. In more serious cases, the breathing lapses can be even longer. These pauses or “apnea events” can occur as often as three hundred to four hundred times per night. Some people wake up during these episodes while others do not.

What Are The Different Types of Sleep Apnea?

There are three types of sleep apnea - obstructive, central and mixed. Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common, afflicting nine out of ten individuals who suffer from the disorder. In the case of obstructive sleep apena, an obstruction is blocking the trachea (or wind pipe) from allowing air in and out of the lungs. Other causes of the obstruction include the possibility of too much fatty tissue in the area of the throat or that the throat muscles are too relaxed. The second type, central sleep apnea, results from the brain having crossed signals about normal breathing patterns. In this case “the muscles you use to breathe don’t get the ‘go-ahead’ signal from the brain. Either the brain doesn’t send the signal, or the signal gets interrupted.” This form is extremely rare. The third and final type, mixed sleep apnea, is a combination of the other two, though it generally has more in common with obstructive sleep apnea.

How Do I Know For Sure If I Have Sleep Apnea?

There are a number of initial symptoms that should alert you to the possibility of sleep apnea. These include loud snoring, cessation of breathing during the night, and extreme tiredness during the day. If you exhibit any of these symptoms, your doctor can send you for a special sleep-recording test known as a polysomnography which can diagnosis the disorder.

Is Sleep Apnea Dangerous And/Or Life Threatening?

If left untreated sleep apnea can lead to more serious health problems such as high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke. The chances of having a car accident or a work-related accident are also increased for those suffering from sleep apnea.

Is There Anything That Can Be Done To Improve My Sleep Apnea?

Initially, making lifestyle changes can go a long way in preventing sleep apnea from growing worse. These changes can include losing weight, quitting smoking, limiting your use of alcohol four hours before bedtime, not using sleeping pills or sedatives, and sleeping on your side instead of on your back.

It seems like everywhere I travel I continue to hear the five diabetes myths. The myths are circulating from one generation to the next. Everyone seems to believe these folklores. I have decided to take all of the mystery out of these myths and give you what actually works with the new technology today.

1. Sugar causes diabetes. How many times have you heard this one? I lost track of how many times someone has either asked me or made a statement of this. This is a myth, and the truth is, consuming a lot of sugar does not cause diabetes. Someone did not get diabetes by becoming a cookie monster. Type 1 diabetes is a result of autoimmune damage to the insulin-secreting beta cells of the pancreas. The insulin secretion is not enough or completely absent. Therefore, the hormone insulin is injected or administered via pump. Type 2 diabetes is a result of a metabolic syndrome. People with Type 2 produce their own insulin but are unable to utilize it properly. It most often affects men, women and children who are overweight. This no longer is “adult-onset diabetes.” Children are getting Type 2 diabetes at an alarming rate.

2. If you do have diabetes, you cannot have any sugar, it must be sugar-free. This is a myth, and the truth is our bodies not only recognize sugar, but they know how to use it. For me, personally, wheat raises my blood sugar more than white sugar. If you do want a safe sugar substitute, I would recommend vegetable glycerin.

3. I can no longer have too many carbohydrates. This is another myth. It is not how much carbohydrate, but what type that makes the difference. Actually, some foods that are low on the glycemic index get in the way of good insulin function. Some foods can lower one individual’s blood sugar but increase another’s. Are you eating beneficial foods or avoid them?

4. Exercise always lowers blood sugar. This myth has been around for a long time. However, if the body does not have enough insulin for proper glucose utilization, exercise will raise your blood sugar. If your blood sugar is over 200mg/dL before exercising, the exercise will only make your blood sugar go higher. When the body is conditioned and there is enough insulin, the blood sugars will lower. Physical exercise is one of the important aspects to living as if you do not have diabetes.

5. You can no longer live a “normal” life after being diagnosed with diabetes. This myth is one of the strangest ones. I believe that once you bury Type 1 or 2 diabetes you can live a happy and healthy normal life. My life has been better than normal! Nick Jonas is a 14-year-old living a normal life after being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in November 2005. Nick is a member of the Jonas Brothers Band. He has said, “At first, I was worried that diabetes would keep me from performing and doing everything a teenager likes to do, but my career is really ramping up.” Way to go Nick! Best wishes for a great life!

About the author: Julie Wanner Rossetti is the author of Diabetes Can Be Sweet … Once You BURY It, and President of Diabetes Done Right, where she specializes as a diabetes consultant. Visit Diabetes Done Right

It seems like everywhere I travel I continue to hear the five diabetes myths. The myths are circulating from one generation to the next. Everyone seems to believe these folklores. I have decided to take all of the mystery out of these myths and give you what actually works with the new technology today.

1. Sugar causes diabetes. How many times have you heard this one? I lost track of how many times someone has either asked me or made a statement of this. This is a myth, and the truth is, consuming a lot of sugar does not cause diabetes. Someone did not get diabetes by becoming a cookie monster. Type 1 diabetes is a result of autoimmune damage to the insulin-secreting beta cells of the pancreas. The insulin secretion is not enough or completely absent. Therefore, the hormone insulin is injected or administered via pump. Type 2 diabetes is a result of a metabolic syndrome. People with Type 2 produce their own insulin but are unable to utilize it properly. It most often affects men, women and children who are overweight. This no longer is “adult-onset diabetes.” Children are getting Type 2 diabetes at an alarming rate.

2. If you do have diabetes, you cannot have any sugar, it must be sugar-free. This is a myth, and the truth is our bodies not only recognize sugar, but they know how to use it. For me, personally, wheat raises my blood sugar more than white sugar. If you do want a safe sugar substitute, I would recommend vegetable glycerin.

3. I can no longer have too many carbohydrates. This is another myth. It is not how much carbohydrate, but what type that makes the difference. Actually, some foods that are low on the glycemic index get in the way of good insulin function. Some foods can lower one individual’s blood sugar but increase another’s. Are you eating beneficial foods or avoid them?

4. Exercise always lowers blood sugar. This myth has been around for a long time. However, if the body does not have enough insulin for proper glucose utilization, exercise will raise your blood sugar. If your blood sugar is over 200mg/dL before exercising, the exercise will only make your blood sugar go higher. When the body is conditioned and there is enough insulin, the blood sugars will lower. Physical exercise is one of the important aspects to living as if you do not have diabetes.

5. You can no longer live a “normal” life after being diagnosed with diabetes. This myth is one of the strangest ones. I believe that once you bury Type 1 or 2 diabetes you can live a happy and healthy normal life. My life has been better than normal! Nick Jonas is a 14-year-old living a normal life after being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in November 2005. Nick is a member of the Jonas Brothers Band. He has said, “At first, I was worried that diabetes would keep me from performing and doing everything a teenager likes to do, but my career is really ramping up.” Way to go Nick! Best wishes for a great life!

About the author: Julie Wanner Rossetti is the author of Diabetes Can Be Sweet … Once You BURY It, and President of Diabetes Done Right, where she specializes as a diabetes consultant. Visit Diabetes Done Right

Being On A Diet With Diabetes

Very few people realize the profound effect that weight has on diabetes. Even instances of gestational diabetes are much greater in patients that are overweight than in those that are not. Type 2, or adult onset diabetes is more commonly found in overweight people than those that are within their ‘ideal’ weight ranges. In fact, almost 90% of those with Type 2 diabetes are overweight. If you are suffering from Type 2 diabetes, the best gift you could possibly give yourself just might be the gift of getting your weight under control. Among those that suffer from Type 2 diabetes almost 40% have high blood pressure, which is another condition that is believed to be exacerbated by excess weight. Being overweight might also lead to a condition known as insulin resistance in which the body no longer responds to the insulin that is needed to assist the body in using sugar and glucose as fuel on a cellular level. There are some things you can do to help yourself out if you have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes or labeled at risk for this devastating condition. First of all, take off the pounds. I know this is much easier said than done. Dieting is never easy and rarely fun for the average person. However, if you do not begin to take drastic steps toward procuring the best possible health for yourself you may not be able to enjoy the quality of life you had planned for your golden years. Let your condition be your motivation and make plans to enjoy watching your grandchildren and great grandchildren graduate college. Fight it standing up. Don’t sit down and let Diabetes control you. Stand up and take control of your body back. This is a fight to the finish and if you let it, diabetes will be your end. If you fight it standing up, lose the weight, get out there and exercise, listen to the doctor’s orders and follow them. Find the strength within you to battle this disease head on. You’ll be amazed at what happens when you decide to stand up and fight for your health. Get active. Find activities that you enjoy and get out there and do them. Don’t make those activities passive activities either. Even if it’s just going out to play shuffleboard everyday get out there and play. Enjoy your time in the sun. Pick flowers with the little ones. Take up golf. Do whatever it takes to get up and moving each and every day in order to remember why you want to live forever in the first place. Watch what you eat. Garbage in, garbage out, right? You have strict dietary requirements once you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes. This means that you absolutely must follow your dietary restrictions. Learn to live within those limits in order to live and enjoy life to the fullest you can. The amazing thing is that there are all kinds of foods available that are friendly to those with diabetes that weren’t around just a few short years ago. It is quite possible to live and eat quite nicely with diabetes if you stick to your plan. The most important thing about dieting with diabetes is that you never lose sight of how crucial it is to do so.

Having Risk Of Diabetes

Psychological and emotional stress among mothers may trickle down to their kids and increase their children’s risk of having diabetes. Mothers who experienced a stressful event such as divorce, domestic violence, mental tension and work pressure have an increased risk of developing diabetes. Parents who are often stressed out or are having problems is the number one stressor among children. Without the parent’s knowledge, children may get stressed, raising level of cortisol-also called the “stress hormone”. Cortisol is found adjacent to the kidneys and is released in response to either physical or psychological stress. It breaks down muscle protein into its component amino acid which then circulates the bloodstream. These amino acids are used by the liver in the manufacture of glucose for energy increasing blood sugar level and at the same time lowering the use of glucose as fuel. The excess and deficiency of cortisol in the body may trigger some system disorders such as autoimmunity damaging the insulin-producing beta cells thus resulting in insulin deficiency. Children with diabetes who experience frequent episode of severe low blood sugar or hypoglycemia particularly at an early age may have reduced long-term memory performance than diabetic children who experience severe hypoglycemia at a later age. A diabetic children’s spatial memory performance may be greatly affected by episodes of extreme low blood sugar. Hypoglycemia is an abnormally low level of glucose in the blood or low blood sugar. Anti-diabetic medicines that are taken orally by the mouth are effective as insulin injection in controlling symptoms of diabetes. The number of people with diabetes continues to rise while their ages at the time of diagnosis drop. Type 2 diabetes, which used to be called adult - onset diabetes, is now striking children, due largely to the obesity epidemic. Overweight and obese kids that present identifying symptoms like darkness around neck and armpits area are those who frequently get urinary tract infection (UTI). Diabetes if not properly managed can lead to many complications such as amputation and damage to key organs of the body like the eyes, kidney and the heart. It takes every ounce of restraints and discipline on the part of the patient to be able to follow the rigid diet and medication regimen required for the management of disease. Having diabetes requires careful examination of ones sugar level. Besides watching for sign of high blood sugar, they also have to be aware of warning signs of blood sugar or hypoglycemia. Using blood glucose meter, a person who has diabetes can tell his/her sugar level is low. Normal fasting blood sugar is 70 to 100 mg/dl.

The statistics for childhood obesity doesn’t look good. Twenty-five percent of all white children in America are overweight. Thirty-three percent of African America and Hispanic children are overweight. More doctors are seeing adult onset diabetes in overweight children. I grew up as a thin child. My sister was chubby. To be honest, I ate more then she did. I definately tried to get my hands on junk when I could (candy was not in our budget). Fat did not catch up with me until my late twenties. By then my horrible habits reaked havoc on my body. What upsets me is when parents put their overweight child on a diet while they are eating a bag of potatoe chips in front of them. I also see this with husbands and wives. How does anyone expect a child to resist the bag of cookies in the pantry? I don’t believe in putting children on a diet. I believe the whole family should adopt a healthy and active lifestyle. It really gets to me when I see adults giving kids junk food all the time. They think just because their children are thin, it is fine. Thin people have heart disease and diabetes. Parents set their children up for a healthy lifestyle failure when the majority of the food they eat is process, full of sugar and very little nutrition. Del-Metri Williams, MBA NC CTLC Weight Management Coach www.smartweightloss4u.com WWW.NODIETINGZONE.COM

Why Women Need Strength Training

Woman tend to shy away from weight and resistance training, especially heavy lifting. They prefer to do light weights with lots of reps or long slow cardio. Many think lifting heavy weights will bulk them up which is not possible because women lack the male hormone testosterone. The also feel long slow cardio will take body fat off faster when moderate to heavy weight training is far more metabolic.
Here are several reasons women should perform resistance training:

1)You will get stronger without putting on a lot of lean muscle mass. Some lean muscle is desirable as it improves your appearance and raises your metabolic rate. You will not, however, bulk up. The strength you gain will make everyday activities much easier.

2)You will lose bodyfat. Weight training is the fastest way to lose fat. Gains in lean muscle mass mean increases in metabolic rate and calorie burning 24 hours a day.

3)You will decrease your risk of osteoporosis. Research has shown that weight training can increase bone mineral density just like weight bearing exercise. Add some dietary calcium and you have a good program for not developing osteoporosis.

4)You will improve your mood. Weight training has been shown to improve both depression and anxiety. It also raises self esteem and gives you a sense of accomplishment.

5)You will reduce your risk of diabetes. Resistance training improves how the body processes sugar which can reduce the incidence of diabetes. Adult-onset diabetes is growing and research indicates that weight training can increase glucose tolerance.

6)You will reduce your risk of heart disease. Improving cardiovascular fitness has always been a part of the aerobics domain. No longer! Research has shown that resistance training can improve heart health in many ways. These include improvements in cholesterol profiles, lowering blood pressure and reducing coronary artery disease.

7)You will reduce your risk of injury, back pain and arthritis. Building stronger muscles also builds stronger connective tissue between the joints. Strengthening the lower back is also a very successful method to reduce low back pain.
You will improve your recreational and sports performance. Weight training improves overall athletic ability. Your exercise performance will increase dramatically if you weight train

Over the last decade, researchers have made strong arguments for the participation of women of all ages in resistance training. Still, the number of women who actually heed this advice is lower than expected. Now that you know all the benefits, grab yourself a personal trainer if needed, and start pumping iron for optimal health.

Diabetes Basics

Diabetes is a major cause of mortality in America.

What is Diabetes? Diabetes is a disease that occurs when your body either doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t use its own insulin as well as it should. This causes sugar to build up in your blood. Types of Diabetes, Risk Factors, PercentageThere are two major types of diabetes: Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1 diabetes (formerly known as “childhood”, “juvenile” or “insulin-dependent” diabetes) usually occurs during childhood or adolescence when the pancreas cannot produce insulin. Risk factors for Type 1 diabetes include autoimmune, genetic, and environmental factors. Type 1 diabetes accounts for about 5 to 10 percent of diagnosed diabetes in the United States. A person who has Type 1 diabetes must take insulin daily to live. Type 2 diabetes (formerly known as “non­insulin-dependent” or “adult-onset” diabetes) usually occurs in people older than 40, who are overweight and do not exercise. Risk factors for Type 2 diabetes include increasing age (40+), obesity, family history of diabetes, prior history of gestational diabetes and physical inactivity. About 90 to 95 percent of people with diabetes have Type 2 diabetes. Symptoms of DiabetesSymptoms of diabetes include frequent urination, excessive thirst, fatigue and nausea, unusual weight loss, dry itchy skin, sores or bruises that heal slowly, blurry vision that changes from day to day and tingling or numbness in hands or feet. If you are regularly experiencing 1 or more of these symptoms, call your family doctor right away.