You could be suffering from sleep apnea and not even know it - since it happens only when you're sleep. And if you live alone, it is even harder to detect..

The symptoms of sleep apnea

While there may be no visible symptoms of sleep apnea, feeling tired an worn out all day and falling asleep during the day are good indicators. This is because sleep apnea iliterally robs you of sleep as it can cause you to stop breathing -- as many as 50 or a 100 times during the night. And these interruptions take their toll.

Diagnosing sleep apnea

If you do feel tired and fatigued all day, you absolutely should see a doctor. He or she will do a physical exam and take a medical history. This history typically ncludes asking you and your family questions about how you sleep and how you function during the day. You doctor will most likely check your mouth, nose, and throat for extra or large tissues. such as your tonsils, uvula, and soft palate.

Your doctor may also order a sleep test. This test is often done in a sleep center or sleep laboratory, which may be part of a hospital. You will probably stay overnight., although sleep studies can sometimes done in the home. The most common sleep recording used to find out if you have sleep apnea is called a polysomnogram or PSG.

If you suffer from sleep apnea, would you consider it to be a mild case? In other words, do you stop breathing for just a few seconds at a time - for a few times during the night?

In this case, your doctor will most likly recommend behavioral changes, rather than any serious medicine or surgery.

These changes typically include losing weight (rapid weight gain can be an associated symptom of sleep apnea), sleeping in a different position such as one side and not on your back.

What to do about sleep apnea

Here are five other natural treatments you might try for your sleep apnea:

1. Minimize your use of alcohol, antihistamines, or tranquilizers.

2. Develop regular sleep habits, and especially make sure you get enough sleep at night.

3. Gargle with salt water to shrink your tonsils

4. Don't smoke or expose yourself to other irritants (such as dust or perfumes).

5. Try eliminating mucus-producing foods (such as dairy and bananas) for two weeks. Then begin eating themn again and see if you notice any differences.

Two other semi-natural treatments

What are the treatments if you have moderate or severe sleep apnea?

There are two treatments available that do not require surgery.

First, doctors often prescribe a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (C-PAP) machine. This machine literally blows air into your nose via a tube and mask, the aim being to keep the airway open by maintaining a constant level of air pressure.

Second, for really severe sleep apnea there is another machine called the Bi Level machine(Bi-PAP). This sleep apnea machine does the same job but with two different pressures of air that help the body breath in and out properly.