Ok, I’m confused.  For those that know me that really isn’t news.  However, this is different than my normal state of confusion. 

First we had Jared.  While I’m sure Jared is a nice guy, he isn’t exactly considered a sex symbol.  He lost 245 pounds on the “Subway Diet” which is an amazing accomplishment.  He did it in one year by eating two Subway subs every day and exercising.

Subway made a lot of money off of Jared by becoming known as a “healthy alternative” to fast food.  It was a winning formula!  In a country with an obesity problem like we have in the US, anything that gives a glimmer of hope that we won’t have to alter our lifestyles dramatically and still lose weight is sure to catch on.

You could almost hear the clock ticking while waiting for the next “Jared” to burst onto the scene.  We had to wait a while but if history serves as any indicator, we probably have the next Jared in the form of Christine.

I’m back! If you happen to be a visitor of Dave’s Press, you may have wondered what happened to me. Well, to make a long story short, I took a little hiatus and ventured into the world of community journalism.

For the last four or five months, I’ve been writing for the Examiner.com site as the Atlanta Weight Loss Examiner. As you can tell by the dates on my last blog post, it pretty much took up all of my extra time.

I had the bright idea that I could do both…write for Examiner.com and maintain my blog. All while working full time with a wife and two kids. It was going to be a way to earn a little extra since you do actually earn money writing for them.

The amount you earn is based on how many people read your articles. It turned out to be a lot of work for very little payout. They said its all what you put into it. Well, unless you’re writing about the Kardashians or the latest Dancing With the Stars episode, your average payout is very minimal.

Enough about that! What about Dave’s Press?

If you’ve ever visited my blog before you know that it looks different. This is the initial look I used when I started the blog. I was using a magazine theme previously but, let’s face it, this is a blog and not a magazine. It didn’t really fit what I wanted so I switched back.

The first of the New Year is coming up and I’m not going anywhere. I plan to make regular updates again and add health, fitness, weight loss, and nutrition news to the site as well.

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and will have a happy and safe New Year!

A recent study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine confirmed that weight loss can help cure sleep apnea.  According to the study, patients that lost an average of 24 pounds, or 10 percent of their body weight, were three times more likely to stop their apnea.

Sleep apnea is condition where you stop breathing during the night for short periods of time.  “Apnea” is a Greek word that literally means “without breath.” There are three types of sleep apnea: obstructive, central, and mixed. According to the ASAA (American Sleep Apnea Association):

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is caused by a blockage of the airway, usually when the soft tissue in the rear of the throat collapses and closes during sleep. In central sleep apnea, the airway is not blocked but the brain fails to signal the muscles to breathe. Mixed apnea, as the name implies, is a combination of the two. With each apnea event, the brain briefly arouses people with sleep apnea in order for them to resume breathing, but consequently sleep is extremely fragmented and of poor quality.

Sleep and weight issues

Not only is sleep apnea a very dangerous condition but it can also be one of the contributing factors to your weight issues.  Studies have shown that those that don’t get enough sleep have higher levels of cortisol in their system than those that do get enough sleep.  Excessive levels of Cortisol, as you may or may not know, can lead to weight gain, lowered immune system, and much more.  Cortisol secretion is caused by stress and it has been proven that sleep deprivation elevates stress. The result is prolonged periods of high cortisol levels in your system.

Symptoms of sleep apnea

The most common symptoms of OSA that you may notice are (source):

• Excessive daytime sleepiness, which is falling asleep when you normally should not, such as while you are eating, talking, or driving.
• Waking with an unrefreshed feeling after sleep, having problems with memory and concentration, feeling tired, and experiencing personality changes.
• Morning or night headaches. About half of all people with sleep apnea report headaches.
• Heartburn or a sour taste in the mouth at night.
• Swelling of the legs if you are obese.
• Getting up during the night to urinate (nocturia).
• Sweating and chest pain while you are sleeping.  
   

There are also symptoms someone else may notice while you are sleeping:

• Episodes of not breathing (apnea), which may occur as few as 5 times an hour (mild apnea) to more than 50 times an hour (severe apnea). How many episodes you have determines how severe your sleep apnea is.
• Loud snoring. Almost all people who have sleep apnea snore, but not all people who snore have sleep apnea.
• Restless tossing and turning during sleep.
• Nighttime choking or gasping spells

If you think you may be suffering from sleep apnea, please contact your doctor immediately.  Sleep apnea treatments range from simple home treatments such as losing weight to the use of a device called a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure ) machine to surgery.

If you’ve read some of my past blog posts, you know how I feel about the thousands of fly-by-night fitness and nutrition ‘companies’ out there.  Many are less than honest and some can even be harmful to your well being.  I am very picky about the companies that Dave’s Press affiliates with.  At Large Nutrition was the first and is one of THE premiere supplement companies on the market today.  Premium quality products at great prices with impeccable customer service.

Now, in addition to At Large Nutrition, Dave’s Press is now affiliated with FitDay.com and Bodybuilding.com!  Two more fitness industry leaders that I have personally experienced.

FitDayhas everything you need to stay on track and achieve your goal. Track your foods and get feedback on your calories, carbs, fat, protein, and nutrition. Plan your weight loss and monitor your progress. Track and analyze your activities, metabolism, weight, moods, measurements, and more!

Bodybuilding.com has one of the largest, if not THE largest, online supplement store as well as one of the most popular fitness communities online.  It has built a great reputation for very reasonable prices and very quick delivery.  I’ve used them on a number of occasions and have been nothing short of impressed with their service.

In starting Dave’s Press, I never expected to make money from the endeavor.  All I want is to help others find success in health and fitness.  There are some costs associated with running the site and it would be great if those costs could be covered through affiliate sales.  If you enjoy the articles posted here and you are looking to purchase supplements or Fitday’s services, I only ask that you do so through Dave’s Press by clicking on one of the affiliate banners.  It would be much appreciated!

If you haven’t heard of Scribnia yet, it is a new website where you can discover new bloggers and columnists.  Not only that, but you can also rate and review any blog listed!  It’s a very well designed and highly interactive website that is rapidly growing its community base.  You can check it out here!

I am very honored and proud that they chose me as the featured author of the day.  As you may or may not know, I’m am VERY new to the blogoshpere and this was completely unexpected.

Scribnia is very active on Twitter and you can follow them to keep up with the latest blogging trends.  Keep an eye on this site…it is going to be huge!