The body ABSOLUTELY needs Sleep
Over time obstructive sleep apnea leads to extensive sleepiness while awake, and such health problems as high blood pressure, heart attacks or even strokes. The brain may be irreparably damaged: it's just not possible for it to recover from years of depleted oxygen for several hours a day. The partial obstructions to breathing that occur with intermittent "crescendo" snoring may also be harmful.
Why is it difficult to breathe when we're asleep? There's no single reason. As we breathe in, we reduce the pressure in our lungs to suck in air from the outside. When we're asleep, we're more relaxed, so this reduction of pressure also tends to pull in or vibrate the airway, causing snoring.
If there are other influences that make the airway smaller or less rigid, the airway can be pulled in enough to impede or even stop the flow of air, as in apnoea (which, incidentally, is Greek for "want of breath").
The airway may be naturally narrow, or made smaller by extra body weight, nasal congestion, a large uvula (the dangly bit at the back of your mouth), prominent tonsils or a receding jaw. The things that make the airway less rigid include increasing age, tiredness and alcohol consumption. It's been said that more than three quarters of the breathing problems in sleep that we're so concerned about today are caused by obesity.
Two other things make snoring and apnoea worse. One is sleeping on your back, which makes breathing hard er because your gut presses against your diaphragm. The second is REMS, or Rapid Eye Movement Sleep. In REM sleep, many of our muscles are paralyzed. These include the rib muscles and some of the muscles around the airway, which means that you breathe with just your diaphragm, and the airway is floppier.
There are several sleep disorders that are each found in between 2 and 6 per cent of the population. Periodic limb movement disorder is repetitive twitching of the limbs (usually the legs), which occurs every ten to 40 seconds or so during periods of the night. While not dangerous in themselves, these movements disrupt sleep for both the mover and their partner. Again, there is no single cause but the problem is intensified by caffeine, sleep deprivation, anaemia and kidney problems.
Restless legs syndrome is a disorder that sufferers describe in a myriad ways but which is obvious to anyone who has experienced it. It is a restless, itchy, burning feeling in the legs which is relieved only by movement and which tends to occur when the victim is tired and nearly ready to go to sleep. One patient described it as though "my skin had been taken off, and sand glued to my bare flesh". Sufferers are generally unaware that there are several medicines for this problem. The disorder is more severe in people who have kidney conditions or blood problems such as anemia, who suffer from sleep deprivation, or who have a high caffeine consumption.
Woosnam ready to take on the world
Ian Woosnam will walk onto the first tee for the 116th Open Championship at Muirfield today convinced that he is four rounds away from completing a lifetime's ambition.
'Since I first watched the game on the television when I was 10 I have been motivated by the thought of winning the Open,' he said. 'It's the best championship in the world. The best golfers play in it. They all want to win it. If I do, then I
will consider myself the best golfer in the world today.'
Woosnam, oozing with confidence, has the credentials to support his challenge. He has won four tournaments this year, three of them in Europe, and he is leading the Order of Merit with Pounds 156,000. He has certainly won the hearts of the public.
Ronnie Vannan, of Coral Racing, said: 'It's absolutely phenomenal the amount of money which has been gambled on Ian. I think that across the board he would cost the bookmakers more than Pounds 1 million. He is by far our biggest loser and I have never known a British player to be supported so strongly for the Open.'
'I'm certain in my mind that I can handle the pressure,' Woosnam added. 'I've been under pressure for the last couple of months at the top of the order of Merit and it hasn't bothered me.'
Yet five years ago Woosnam, the farmer's son from the Border country, was recognizable only for being at 5ft 4 1/2in in the shortest player on the tour. He is still that but the days when he had to sleep in the back of a van in the golf club car-park to save money are a thing of the past. He has signed a new deal which starts this week to wear clothes made by the Italian company, Tacchini, which I understand to be worth Pounds 250,000 to him over the next three years. Learn a lot more helpful information on alteril when you check on sleepsilproducciones.com.
Woosnam's odds have shortened in one months from 66-1 to 14-1, which is in complete contrast to Paul Azinger, the leading money-winner on the US Tour this year with nearly Dollars 587,000 (about Pounds 362,000) who remains an outsider.
Azinger is unperturbed. 'I really like this course,' he said. 'It will suit my game because I hit the ball pretty low. It's the first time I've seen a links and
much will depend upon how I can adjust to chipping around the greens.'
Most American observers believe that Azinger will be a strong contender, especially if the wind continues not to blow. Lee Trevino said: 'He hits a lot of
bump-and-run shots. He has a good short game and he is an awfully good putter. If the weather remains calm then there will be a lot of the younger American golfers licking their chops. I want it to blow. If it does then I have an excellent chance of winning.'
Trevino completed his own preparation alongside Jack Nicklaus, defending champion Greg Norman, and Tom Watson. Nicklaus, who won at Muirhead in 1966, saidL 'Lee won here in 1972 and it is a good course for him. I still believe he can win anything he wants. I marvel at him. I've never seen anybody who can consistently hit the ball as straight as he can. He never shut up talking out there today and he never missed a shot!'
Nicklaus believes that for the first time this year he is striking the ball with sufficient authority to win. 'I love this golf course,' he said. 'I'm certainly a contender and Tom Watson is right there again. But for me Seve Ballesteros and Greg Norman are the two players to beat every time they tee up.'
Woosnam's remarkable season has served to deflect the attention from Sandy Lyle. It is, perhaps, timely, as he is struggling to find his form. It has been a difficult year for Lyle, with his separation from his wife, Christine. He has revealed that the marriage did not survive the pressures which winning the Open in 1985 brought. 'I have paid a very high price for success.' he said.
Lyle, however, does not believe there is any pressure on him to win the Open. He believes, too, that he has cured, on the eve of the Championship, a fault in his take-away. 'I got a photographer to take a motorized picture of my swing,' he said. 'I compared them with some other pictures I had taken a while ago and I spotted the problem. I am feeling happier now with my swing.'
You can also visit us for more detailed information at http://sleepsilproducciones.com.
'Since I first watched the game on the television when I was 10 I have been motivated by the thought of winning the Open,' he said. 'It's the best championship in the world. The best golfers play in it. They all want to win it. If I do, then I
will consider myself the best golfer in the world today.'
Woosnam, oozing with confidence, has the credentials to support his challenge. He has won four tournaments this year, three of them in Europe, and he is leading the Order of Merit with Pounds 156,000. He has certainly won the hearts of the public.
Ronnie Vannan, of Coral Racing, said: 'It's absolutely phenomenal the amount of money which has been gambled on Ian. I think that across the board he would cost the bookmakers more than Pounds 1 million. He is by far our biggest loser and I have never known a British player to be supported so strongly for the Open.'
'I'm certain in my mind that I can handle the pressure,' Woosnam added. 'I've been under pressure for the last couple of months at the top of the order of Merit and it hasn't bothered me.'
Yet five years ago Woosnam, the farmer's son from the Border country, was recognizable only for being at 5ft 4 1/2in in the shortest player on the tour. He is still that but the days when he had to sleep in the back of a van in the golf club car-park to save money are a thing of the past. He has signed a new deal which starts this week to wear clothes made by the Italian company, Tacchini, which I understand to be worth Pounds 250,000 to him over the next three years. Learn a lot more helpful information on alteril when you check on sleepsilproducciones.com.
Woosnam's odds have shortened in one months from 66-1 to 14-1, which is in complete contrast to Paul Azinger, the leading money-winner on the US Tour this year with nearly Dollars 587,000 (about Pounds 362,000) who remains an outsider.
Azinger is unperturbed. 'I really like this course,' he said. 'It will suit my game because I hit the ball pretty low. It's the first time I've seen a links and
much will depend upon how I can adjust to chipping around the greens.'
Most American observers believe that Azinger will be a strong contender, especially if the wind continues not to blow. Lee Trevino said: 'He hits a lot of
bump-and-run shots. He has a good short game and he is an awfully good putter. If the weather remains calm then there will be a lot of the younger American golfers licking their chops. I want it to blow. If it does then I have an excellent chance of winning.'
Trevino completed his own preparation alongside Jack Nicklaus, defending champion Greg Norman, and Tom Watson. Nicklaus, who won at Muirhead in 1966, saidL 'Lee won here in 1972 and it is a good course for him. I still believe he can win anything he wants. I marvel at him. I've never seen anybody who can consistently hit the ball as straight as he can. He never shut up talking out there today and he never missed a shot!'
Nicklaus believes that for the first time this year he is striking the ball with sufficient authority to win. 'I love this golf course,' he said. 'I'm certainly a contender and Tom Watson is right there again. But for me Seve Ballesteros and Greg Norman are the two players to beat every time they tee up.'
Woosnam's remarkable season has served to deflect the attention from Sandy Lyle. It is, perhaps, timely, as he is struggling to find his form. It has been a difficult year for Lyle, with his separation from his wife, Christine. He has revealed that the marriage did not survive the pressures which winning the Open in 1985 brought. 'I have paid a very high price for success.' he said.
Lyle, however, does not believe there is any pressure on him to win the Open. He believes, too, that he has cured, on the eve of the Championship, a fault in his take-away. 'I got a photographer to take a motorized picture of my swing,' he said. 'I compared them with some other pictures I had taken a while ago and I spotted the problem. I am feeling happier now with my swing.'
You can also visit us for more detailed information at http://sleepsilproducciones.com.