An estimated of 10 percent or more children snore for more than 1 night. Snoring results from the obstruction of breath when the air makes its way through the mouth. The air passage of the throat through which the air goes in and out causes the tissue to vibrate causing snore. The sound of the snore totally depends on the amount of air passing through the mouth and the frequency at which the throat is vibrating. Children above the age of three years tend to snore when they are deep in sleep.

Primary and secondary snoring:
Children who are otherwise healthy should not have a snoring problem unless there is some health disorder. However, if loud snoring is observed in otherwise a perfectly healthy kid, seeking medical help is a wise thing to do. In general, primary snoring is defined as a condition which is not associated with other sleep-related disorders such as lung disorder, OASS, inability to sleep for a longer duration etc.

Other possibilities:
It is estimated that close to three percent of the children suffers from breathing problem while sleeping. OSAS is a condition which is characterised by pauses in breathing and gasps along with loud snores. There could be instances where a kids  muscle relaxes way too much obstructing the air to pass through. The body and the brain are both alerted at this stage. As soon as the brain sends a signal, the body wakes up. Thus, most kids suffering from this disorder are not able to sleep well and tend to feel tired throughout the day.

Common causes of sleep apnea:
Sleep apena is a major cause of snoring. It can be caused because of allergies, obesity, GERD etc. In children sleep, apnea can also be caused by tonsil. Since the tonsil size of children less than 7 years of age tends to be bigger than adult individuals, it causes snoring related problem. Swollen tonsils not only obstruct air but creates other health related problems as well.

Symptoms of sleep apnea during the day and night:

Loud snore
Snorts, gasps, pauses during sleep
Heavy sweat during sleep
Social and behavioural problems
Failure to get up in the morning
A nasal voice
Easily irritated, cranky and aggressive
Relief measure:
The first thing a that a doctor does is a physical exam followed by observing the symptoms of a kid. Primary snorting can be addressed by physical exercise, counselling and breathing exercise. Problems related to apnea are addressed through medicine, counselling, and exercise. Certain dietary restrictions also needed to be followed during this time. However, apena is completely treatable within a certain time frame.

Mouth Breathing - What Can Cause It?

Blood pressure is one of the vital life signs in medicine, which, along with other vitals is widely used to assess the overall health of the patient. High blood pressure is very dangerous as normally it has no symptoms or signs and can fluctuate almost instantly. But, it could be managed. High blood pressure is said to be of higher than 120 (systolic) and 80 (diastolic).

A nap in a day might help in lowering blood pressure. According to certain research findings, people who sleep in the daytime had regular blood pressure as compared to people who do not sleep or do not have a short nap. Napping can effectively help lowering blood pressure. It helps the blood to control stress hormones and also helps the nervous system to keep a person healthy.

Daytime napping surely helps in boosting energy levels and efficiency throughout the day. Blood pressure increases after a nap caused by the body s normal circadian rhythm (for influencing and regulating sleep-wake pattern for a healthy cycle in a day). At the time of the morning, the body releases hormones such as noradrenaline and adrenaline. If the blood pressure increases too high, it could cause harmful effects. Blood pressure is usually lower at night while a person is sleeping. The blood pressure begins to increase a few hours before a person wakes up. The blood pressure continues to increase during the day, normally extreme in the mid of the afternoon. The blood pressure starts dropping again in the evening and late afternoon. Sleep helps the blood to regulate stress hormones.

Napping, since it helps in lowering blood pressure, definitely helps in reducing the risk of Sleeping for about seven to eight hours in the night might play a vital role in the prevention of high blood pressure. New research suggests that an afternoon nap is as productive as consuming a pill for lowering the blood pressure. Scientists have found that the people who take a midday nap are more likely to drop their blood pressure as compared to adults who don t take a midday nap and stay awake. Napping, since it helps in lowering blood pressure, definitely helps in reducing the risk of cardiovascular events like a stroke or a heart attack. It is as effective as other lifestyle changes, according to credible researches in medicine. It is interesting to note that napping, even when it reduces the blood pressure by 2 mm Hg only, reduces the risk of cardiovascular events by 10%.

Napping is a sort of shortcut and an effective method for lowering the blood pressure and could also be easily adopted and does not cost anything. Short midday sleep is important for our well-being. And, we can utilize this simple information very effectively for its potential health-related benefits simply by managing our daily schedule.

Napping & Low Blood Pressure - How Can Former Help Latter?

The term 'chest pain  is a very common term and is usually used in day to day life. Basically, chest pain refers to the pain that may generate in your chest, shoulder and can travel to your ribs, jaws and towards your arms. The feeling of the pain can be sharp or dull, depending on the severity of your condition and cause.

There can be several reasons behind chest pain. You need to conduct a few tests to examine the real cause of the chest pain. It is always advised by health experts to take the symptoms of chest pain very seriously in order to avoid any serious problem in the future. Most of the severe and life-threatening diseases behind chest pain involve lung and heart problems. People having serious heart problems often feel discomfort, followed by pain in their chest area.

Symptoms
Chest pain which is related to any heart disease such as heart attack usually has symptoms like:

Feeling of fullness and tightness in the chest region
Vomiting
Nausea
Burning or crushing pain, which travels from the chest to jaw, hands and back region.
Weakness
Breathing problem
Usually, it is very tough to distinguish whether the pain is associated with a heart problem or not. But generally chest pains which are not related to heart problems involves symptoms like

Sensation in your mouth
Problem in swallowing food
Pain that worsens when you cough
Burning sensation in your chest
Common causes of chest pain

Angina: Angina is a medical condition described as a feeling of discomfort or pain in the chest region. This situation occurs when your heart muscles don't receive blood, which contains rich oxygen. Angina is a symptom of Coronary Heart Disease (CHD). The pain can take place in your shoulder, jaw, neck and arms also.
Lung problems: People with lung disorders can encounter various types of chest pains. But some common causes are:
Pleurisy: It is a type of medical condition, which occurs due to inflammation of the lining of chest and lungs. Due to this, you feel a sharp pain at the time of breathing, coughing or sneezing.
Pneumonia: It is a type of lung infection, which causes chest pain.
Pneumothorax: It is a type of lung disorder, which occurs when a portion of your chest gets collapsed.
Asthma: It is a type of condition, which occurs due to shortness of breath and causes chest pain while coughing, sneezing and breathing.
Gastrointestinal problem: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is also a common reason for chest pain such as burning sensation in your heart.
Other causes of chest pain: There are several other reasons of chest pain such as muscle strain, ribs injury, shingles, anxiety and panic attacks. It is always important to visit a physician whenever you encounter any of such chest pain symptoms.

How Chest Pain Related to Heart Problems?


Foods that help High Blood Pressure

Our lifestyles are such that low and high blood pressures are common phenomena, people in their 20s and 30s are also diagnosed with unstable blood pressure. While lifestyle could be changed to a certain extent, there are adjustments which can be done to maintain good health. 
Foods that help cure high blood pressure problems are. 

1. Beans - White beans have calcium, magnesium and potassium in large quantities. These are important for someone with high blood pressure. This superfood can be included in side dishes, soups as well as entrées. Ensure that there is minimal salt added.

2. Yogurt - Fat free yogurt contains calcium in extremely high quantity along with magnesium and potassium. Making this the main-ingredient of breakfast, salad dressings, entrées and sauces is an excellent idea.

3. Fish - Tilapia fish is easily available all year-round and provides a good 8% of your daily potassium and magnesium needs.

4. Potassium And Magnesium Foods - Peaches, red bell pepper, broccoli, sweet potato and bananas contain calcium, magnesium and potassium which is needed by those suffering from high blood pressure.

5. Quinoa Seeds - The newest diet sensation food, quinoa contains 4.5% of potassium, 1.5% of calcium and 15% of magnesium from your daily need.
If you would like to consult with me privately, please click on 'Consult'.

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 Got High Blood Pressure? Eat These 5 Foods!

Peripheral vascular disease (PVD) is a circulation issue that affects the veins and blood vessels outside of the brain and heart. PVD commonly strikes the veins that supply blood to the arms, legs, and organs situated beneath the stomach. These are the veins that are located away from the heart. They are known as peripheral vessels.

In PVD, the width of the veins get limited. Narrowing is normally created by arteriosclerosis. Arteriosclerosis is a condition where plaque develops inside a vessel. It is additionally called 'solidifying of the arteries'. Plaque acts towards reducing the amount of blood and oxygen that is supplied to the arms and legs. As the plaque development advances, clumps may develop, which may further affect the vessel.

There are two main types of PVDs:

    Functional PVD: This doesn't include physical issues in the veins. It causes accidental side effects. Typically,these fits happen suddenly.
    Organic PVD: This includes changes in the vein structure. This sort of PVD causes irritation, tissue harm, and blockages.

The most well-known reasons for functional PVDs are as follows:

    Emotional stress
    Smoking
    Cold temperatures
    Operating Vibrating machinery

The common causes of such natural PVDs are given below:

    Smoking
    High circulatory strain
    Diabetes
    High cholesterol

The symptoms include the following:

    Cramps
    Achiness
    Fatigue
    Burning

Diagnosis:

PVD can be diagnosed using interventional radiology (IR).

IRis a sub-claim of radiology that gives an image-guided diagnosis, and if required, includes treatment of the organs as well.It has developed as a first-line treatment in the administration of PVD.

Advantages:

IR medications are for the most part less demanding for patients than surgery, since they include no surgical cut.They are less painful and have shorter stays at the hospital. By and large, the patients are discharged on the same day the procedure is done. This mainly includes angioplasty and stenting. The procedure is as follows:

    Utilising imaging for direction, the interventional radiologist puts a catheter through the femoral artery in the crotch to the blocked vein in the legs.
    At that point, the interventional radiologist expands a balloon to open the vein that is blocked.
    Sometimes it is opened with a tiny metallic cylinder called astent.
    This is a treatment that does not require surgery; only a scratch in the skin the extent of a pencil tip.

Alternative measure:

Angioplasty and stenting have totally replaced invasive surgical methods. Early trials have proven IR to be as successful as surgery for some blood vessel and artery impairments. Earlier, extensive clinical experience demonstrated that stenting and angioplasty are favoured as first-line treatments for more procedures all through the body .

Doctors as well as patients who have been through the same, believe that IR is much better for PVD than invasive surgery, since it reduces the risk of infection.

Diagnosing Peripheral Vascular Diseases With Interventional Radiology

High blood pressure is a condition which occurs when the pressure of the blood flow through the arteries increases, resulting in intense pressure. Hypertension occurs when the systolic pressure (pressure at which the heart pumps blood) and the diastolic pressure (pressure at which the heart relaxes) is more than 140 and 90 respectively.

Symptoms of high blood pressure are: 

1. Shortness of breath

If you have high blood pressure, then you may experience regular shortness of breath.

2. Headaches

You may experience headaches on a regular basis.

3. Weakness of the heart muscles

Hypertension results in a weak heart which may not be able to pump blood properly.

4. Narrowing of blood vessels

Narrowing of blood vessels may lead to other complications such as failure of the kidneys, heart, and brain.

5. Vision problems

It may lead to vision problems as blood vessels in the eye may be affected.

The various causes of blood pressure are: 

1. Tobacco
If you smoke on a regular basis, you put yourself at an increased risk of getting affected by blood pressure.

2. Lifestyle
Not exercising regularly, eating a sodium-rich diet are all factors which can increase the chances of hypertension.

3. Age
The chances of getting affected by hypertension increase as you age.

4. Weight
Being excessively obese also increases your risk of getting affected by hypertension.

5. Diabetes
Being diabetic makes you more prone to getting affected by diabetes.

6. Hyperthyroidism
If you have an overactive thyroid gland, then it may result in hypertension.

Hypertension may result in various health complications in the body such as:

1. Aneurysm

This is a disorder of the blood vessels which causes the blood vessels to bulge and weaken.

2. Heart attack

High blood pressure causes the arteries to harden and thicken which may lead to a heart attack.

3. Metabolic syndrome

This syndrome refers to a group of complications such as high bad cholesterol levels and insulin levels in the body.

4. Impaired brain functioning
It may also impair your ability to learn and impact your cognitive skills.

Hypertension and High Blood Pressure

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