Sleep apnea is a potentially dangerous sleep disorder in which you stop and start breathing frequently while you are sleeping. Symptoms of sleep apnea often include loud snoring and fatigue even if you sleep uninterrupted through the night. Obesity and age are the common risk factors of sleep apnea.

The most common type of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea, in which the throat muscles contract and relax while you are asleep. The other type of sleep apnea, called central sleep apnea, usually occurs in people who have been diagnosed with brain tumors, infections or heart failure, or have had a stroke.

Treatment of sleep apnea includes:

CPAP: The Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) device is generally recommended in the treatment of sleep apnea. CPAP is a breathing machine that stops your airways from getting blocked when you are sleeping. The CPAP device is normally the size of a tissue box. It comes with a mask that you put over your mouth and nose. The machine attached to the mask pumps a continuous flow of air that keeps your airways clear as you sleep.
BPAP: The Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure (BPAP) device is used as an alternative to the CPAP device, if you find it hard to adjust to the CPAP. If you have a weak pattern of breathing, the BPAP can be helpful.
ASV: The Adaptive Servo-ventilation (ASV) device is used to treat both central and obstructive sleep apnea.
Treatment for other medical conditions: Sometimes sleep apnea can be caused by underlying health conditions. Problems such as rhinitis (nasal passage inflammation) and hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid gland) can cause sleep apnea. In such cases, your doctor needs to diagnose these conditions first before treating your sleep apnea.
Lifestyle changes: Excessive weight sometimes can cause sleep apnea; so losing excessive weight should be a priority. Also, alcohol and tobacco can contribute to your symptoms, so try avoiding those.
Medication: Usually, doctors do not prescribe any medicine, since sedatives and sleeping pills actually worsen sleep apnea. But, in case of sleep apnea in children, doctors typically suggest intra nasal corticosteroid medicine to treat the symptoms.
Surgery: Surgeries to increase the size of your airway or to remove your adenoids, tonsils or extra tissues in the rear of your throat or your nose can prove helpful.

Sleep Apnea - 7 Ways it Can Be Treated!

Trigeminal neuralgia is specified by the condition of a chronic pain that influences the trigeminal nerve. This nerve transfers sensation from one s face to his/her brain. If a person is suffering from trigeminal neuralgia, then a gentle stimulation of face (sourced from brushing teeth or applying makeup) might generate a fright of agonizing pain. The affected person might experience short and mild attacks initially. However, the trigeminal neuralgia might progress and generate more-frequently and longer attack of severely critical pain. Women get affected by this situation more than men get and it is more prominently occur in individuals older than 50 years.

Trigeminal neuralgia does not mandatorily mean that you need to experience a lifelong pain. Various types of treatment alternatives are available and so doctors can usually handle the particular condition effectively by taking help of injections, medications or surgery. Various types of triggers might cause the pain regarding trigeminal neuralgia, such as eating, drinking, shaving, brushing teeth, touching face, smiling, washing face etc.

Symptoms

The symptoms of trigeminal neuralgia might comprise of one or more patterns and some of these are described below:

Sequences of serious, jolting or shooting pain that might generate as an electric shock
Spontaneous pain attacks or attacks stimulated by different activities like face touching, speaking, chewing, or brushing teeth. Pain attacks last from a few moments to some minutes.
It is not a comprehensive list because Trigeminal neuralgia hosts various other symptoms as well. If a person feels facial pain, specifically recurring or prolonged pain or if the person does not get relief through the utilization over-the-counter pain relievers, then that person must consult a doctor.
How does Radiofrequency Ablation treat Trigeminal Neuralgia?

Trigeminal Neuralgia is a chronic and painful condition that involves the trigeminal nerve. There are two separate trigeminal nerves on both sides of the face, which carry the sensations like pain from the face to the body. Each nerve has three branches- forehand, midface and chin and trigeminal neuralgia can cause intense pain in any of these areas.

Causes-

This occurs when the trigeminal nerve functioning is disrupted. When the blood vessel/artery and the trigeminal nerve at the base of your brain come in contact, it puts pressure on the nerves and causes pain.
It also occurs as a result of ageing or multiple sclerosis
A disorder that damages the myelin sheath protecting the nerves can trigger pain
Sometimes pain occurs from tumors, which compresses the trigeminal nerves
Surgical strokes, facial trauma or strokes can also be the root cause of excruciating pain
Triggers-

Shaving
Touching your face
Eating and drinking
Putting on makeup
Brushing
Washing your face
Symptoms-

The pain can be mild and for a shorter duration or it can happen frequently for longer durations. Some experience the pain in cycles where it can come and go for days or even for weeks. Gradually the intensity of the pain lessens.

Cure by Radio-frequency Ablation

The treatment of trigeminal neuralgia is often a challenging process in clinical practice. When medicines do not prove as effective, surgery is the desired option.

Procedure-

After applying local anaesthesia, the Pain Specialist carefully inserts a needle through the corner of your mouth to reach the trigeminal nerve
The doctors then wake up the patient after stimulating the nerves and ask them to feel the stimulation at the same place where they undergo pain. This confirms their targeted location
Once you fall asleep again, the Pain Specialist uses radiofrequency heat to injure the nerve enough to create numbness and removes the pain
How Effective is Radio-frequency Ablation?

The pain is cured almost in 98% of the patients. 50% of patients report a recurrence of pain after about two years. Hence the procedure can be repeated in the same patient if necessary.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult a specialist & get answers to your questions!

Trigeminal Neuralgia And Radio-Frequency Ablation - What Causes It?

Sleep is known to most as a period of rest and relaxation, but there are multiple disorders which are associated with sleep too. Hypersomnolence or hypersomnia is one of the most common sleep disorders. This is characterised by excessive daytime sleepiness and prolonged periods of sleep at night. They wake up fresh in the morning, but can easily go back to sleep any time of the day without feeling strained or tired. There is again no freshness associated upon waking up. Funny as it may sound, they can doze off even during a meal or in the middle of a conversation.

Causes: This condition is most common in men and in the early adolescent days.

There is no underlying cause that has been identified, though there is a genetic predisposition.
People with history of head trauma are more affected
People with anxiety, depression, bipolar disorders, epilepsy, and other mental disorders are also more likely to be affected
People with sleep apnea often are hypersomnolence
Restless legs syndrome, narcolepsy
Neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson s and Alzheimer s tend to sleep more.
Symptoms:

Sleeping for longer hours at night time
Excessively sleepy during daytime
Able to doze off anytime during the day
Inappropriate and involuntary sleeping pattern
Having difficulty getting out of bed after waking up, even after prolonged sleep
Feeling of disorientation
Feeling agitated, anxious, lethargic, and irritated
Impaired cognition and memory
All these lead to extreme state of drowsiness
Increased tendency for hallucinations
Reduced appetite and even weight loss in some people
There is restlessness, reduced pace of thinking and speaking
Overall reduced energy levels
Social interactions are affected including work life, social functions, etc.
Diagnostic criteria:

If a person happens to sleep more at night or falls asleep during the day easily for more than 3 times a week, it is usually concerning.
The added feature of no tiring physical activity can also lead to suspicion
In acute cases, these symptoms are present for at least a month and in chronic cases, it could be seen for up to 3 months
It cannot be explained by lack of sleep on a regular basis
One or more of the above conditions could be present, which can help in making the diagnosis
Treatment:
Most cases of hypersomnia would need treatment only to improve their energy levels and improve the quality of life. Very often, treating the underlying condition can lead to improvement of hypersomnia. The tired, lethargic, restless feeling affects the overall performance of a person, leaving them with a lowered self-esteem. Brain stimulating drugs like amphetamines are used to improve daytime alertness and also reduce sleepy feeling during the day.


Hypersomnolence - How It Can Be Managed?

The relationship between intelligence and brain size, both among people and between various species, has never been precisely well defined. People often believe that their outstanding psychological capacities must mean that they are superior to all animals as far as brain size is concerned. However, it is not true since whales and elephants have much bigger brains than humans and humans have the same brain-to-body mass proportion as mice do.

Here are a number of ways by which the brain size can be determined:

Encephalization remainder: Since it would be against human instinct to admit loss and defeat, researchers have created a measure to determine the brain size called the encephalization remainder. It is the proportion of actual brain mass with respect to the anticipated cerebrum mass for the animal s size (based on the suspicion that bigger animals require somewhat less brain matter with respect to their size, compared to little animals). By this metric, human beings prove to be the best, with an EQ of 7.5 outperforming the dolphin's 5.3 and the mouse's 0.5.
IQ testing: Without a solitary and evident method for measuring intelligence, some improved tests like IQ (Intelligence Quotient) are by and large acknowledged as a moderately decent working device. IQ estimations are not without issues, and there is a great deal of criticism about their significance. IQ testing uses government sanctioned tests, for example, the WAIS III (Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale). The normal IQ is somewhere around 90 and 110. The scores beneath the normal may demonstrate changing degrees of pathology, for example, marginal intellectual function, or mental hindrance of different severity. Over the normal range is regularly connected with knowledge, splendour, talent, or genius. However, as with computers of a few eras, size and intellect do not precisely relate. Present day portable computers weighing around one or two kilogrammes can store more data and perform a greater number of assignments than supercomputers from the 1980s that used to possess expansive structures. This is a contrast amongst quantity and quality. Numerous scientists now hold the view that it is not the whole brain, which is bigger in a human with a higher IQ, yet rather certain zones that are denser and might be bigger. A fascinating late revelation is that these ranges can be expanded in size and enhanced in usefulness during the course of our life.
NeuroplasticityIt refers to the dynamic procedure of repair and maintenance that our brains are continually experiencing. We are conceived with around hundred billion neurones, yet lose around two hundred thousand a day to a procedure called pruning. As we develop and grow, pathways in the brain that are not required are detached, and the neurones pass on. However, in a compensatory procedure, new neurones are delivered and more detailed associations are built up between neurones that are more dynamic. This is the procedure of de-cluttering, in which our brains develop to work at most extreme effectiveness. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a Neurologist.

Brain Size - How It Is Related With Intelligence?

Cerebral Palsy is a disorder related to the posture, movement or muscle tone, mostly due to immature development of the brain in a baby. This condition usually crops up, when the baby is already in the womb. The symptoms may surface when the baby is in its infancy or even later. Irregularities in the reflexes, posture, walking style, etc should ring a bell for the parents. Kids suffering from cerebral palsy may also suffer from muscle imbalance of the eye muscles, leading to problems focusing on an object. The range of motions becomes limited as well. There could be conditions such as deafness, epilepsy, impaired brain function and blindness associated with this disease. 

Whom to consult for cerebral palsy in kids? 
A kid suffering from Cerebral Palsy might have to work with a medical team for a very long time. Parents might need the help of a paediatrician, orthopaedic surgeon, paediatric neurologist, physical therapist, speech-language pathologist, mental health specialist, developmental therapist, recreation therapist and special education teacher. 

Treatments that are available for Cerebral Palsy in kids Medication: 

Medications: Medications are often used to improve the functional abilities of a kid. Certain spasticity related complications, treatment of pain, and other symptoms of Cerebral Palsy can be treated with medications. It is important to discuss with the doctor, the side-effects involved in taking the medication. There are two types of medications- for isolated spasticity and for generalized spasticity. In case of Isolated spasticity, doctors recommend Botox injections every 4-6 months to stabilize one muscle group. If the whole body is affected due to cerebral palsy, doctors recommend medications such as baclofen, diazepam and dantrolene to relax the contracted and stiff muscles. 

Therapies: While there are many therapy treatment, three types of therapies are the most important for treating a child suffering from cerebral palsy. They are physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech& language therapy. Physical therapy is necessary for the flexibility, mobility and motor development of the child. Occupational therapy helps a kid imbibe alternative strategies to participate in daily activities. From teaching a child to walk with a cane to help them operate a wheelchair, physical therapy makes a child self-sufficient as much as possible. Speech and language therapy helps child s ability to communicate either verbally or with sign-language. 

Surgery: Surgery may be necessary to loosen the muscles, correct abnormalities of the bone etc. An orthopaedic surgery is necessary in cases where a kid was born with several deformities. The correction can decrease pain and increase mobility. In severe cases when the normal treatments do not help, doctors cut the tendon of spastic muscle. It helps to relieve the pain and relax the muscle.

Cerebral Palsy In Kids - Treatments That Can Help!

Injuries are very common, especially head injuries are one of the leading causes of death and disability in adults. As per surveys conducted, 1.7 million people suffer from head injuries every year and this estimation is increasing day by day.

There are several types of head injuries from mild as a cut, bruise, bump, contusion to severe ones caused due to a concussion, fractured skull bone, deep cut, internal bleeding, brain damage, etc.

A head injury is a comprehensive term which consists of an array of injuries that damage the skull, scalp, brain, and blood vessels and tissues in the head. It is generally referred to as a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and brain injury, depending upon the type and extent of trauma.

Causes of Head Injury-

A head injury can occur due to many reasons. Some common causes of these head injuries are:

Vehicle accidents

Domestic violence

Street fights

Fall from height

Child abuse

Subdural hematomas

Brain hemorrhages

Symptoms of Head Injury-

A head injury is followed by various symptoms depending upon the intensity of the injury. Here is a list of all the possible symptoms of brain injuries:

Nausea and vomiting.

Fatigue or sleepiness.

Extreme headache.

Confusion.

Loss of muscle control or paralysis in the part of the body controlled by the part of the brain that is affected.

Coma.

Dilation of the pupils and related visual problems; Blurred vision, photosensitivity, blindness, loss of muscle control in the eyes.

Cerebrospinal fluids might come out of the ears and nose, sometimes accompanied by blood.

Problem breathing.

Low pulse rate.

Increase in blood pressure.

Difficulty in swallowing.

Loss of hearing.

Problems in cognitive functions.

Numbness or tingling in the limbs.

Loss of bladder and bowel control due to loss of control over muscle functions.

Loss of consciousness.

Treatment of Head Injury-

Diagnosis of a brain injury has to be detailed and very quick at the same time. It always comes under emergency cases. Some of the steps involved are:

Cardiac and pulmonary function test.

Glasgow Coma Scale test.

Pupil dilation and corneal function test.

Brain stem reflex tests.

The most common way of diagnosis is the use of CT scans and MRI scans.

A severe head injury often needs surgery to reverse symptoms like chronic fatigue, bleeding, or loss of bodily function. Diagnosis involves finding out the type and severity of the injury and treatment involves removing the problem surgically.

Take Away-

Head injuries take time to heal, but medical treatment along with neurosurgery can aid the process of recovery and also help a person to lead a healthy life in the future. Most young patients recover fully, while some older patients or patients with preexisting neurological conditions live with a degree of disability.

All You Must Know About Head Injury & Its Treatment!

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