Archive for 'Sleep Apnea'
Review - Respironics ComfortGel Mask
I was at first turned off by this mask because it seemed heavier than other similary sized masked. The mask is heavier because the gel is dense (compared to a light weight form or other comfortable material). I quickly got over this - it was very comfortable to wear throughout the night. It was definately a nice mask to wear after my previous mask pinched me in areas around my nose and upper lip.
This mask is also more customizeable than some other masks. There are two places that you can adjust the mask so that it better forms to your face. The gel also coforms to the your face, so it is easy to become attached to this mask.
If you are looking for a mask that is simple, comfortable, and will last you a long time, I definately reccomend the ComfortGel CPAP mask.
Review - Respironics ComfortClassic Nasal Mask
The Respironics ComfortClassic was my first CPAP mask I used after I had been diagnosed with Sleep Apnea. I had picked this mask because:
- It was a very light mask. Since I was not used to wearing a CPAP mask, most of the other masks felt heavy on my face. The ComfortClassic felt significantly lighter than other masks. I had thought that if I had something heavy on my face, I would be discouraged from using my CPAP, and would have bad habits from the start. I was glad I could easily transition to using my new equipment with this new mask.
- The mask was very, very simple. There are not a lot of adjustments you can make on this mask. I did not want something that I would need to fiddle with to get it right - I just wanted to put my mask on and sleep.
- The mask did not leave marks on my face. I was self conscious about this when I first was told that I had sleep apnea.
Other good reasons to get this mask are:
- It has been around for a while. There are a lot of neat, new masks being sold, but this one has been popular for several years.
- Since the mask is so simple, it relatively cheaper than other masks.
- It is a quite mask. It does not whistle while you breathe out, like some other masks.
I eventually changed to a different mask, since the recommendation is to change them every 6 months. (Your insurance might cover this).
Some reasons I stopped using this masked on a daily basis:
- After testing several other masks, and having experience with wearing the mask nightly, I had found that I wanted something more customizeable.
- The forehead gel pads on the top of the mask had ripped. Luckily, these can be replaced.
However, I was very glad to use the ComfortClassic. I still wear this mask when I travel, because I am not worried about losing any small parts for it (since it is constructed so simpily). I would definately reccomend this mask
Video: Snoring Center - Sleep Apnea
In this short video clip, Dr. Craig Schwimmer defines obstructive sleep apnea , tells us the health consequences of having sleep apnea, and tells us who is at risk.
Schwimmer describes the event cycle of a person who is sleeping that has obstructive sleep apenea: Soft tissue in the back of the throat collapses the airway, and prevens the sleeper from breathing. The brain notices that there is less oxygen in the blood stream, and the person wakes up. This can happen several hundred times a night.
In the long term, these nightly cycles cause significant strain on heart an lungs. People with sleep apnea are at greater risk for having high blood pressure, strokes, heart attacks, and several other cardio vascular diseases.
Studies have shown that up to 5% of the population may have sleep apnea. Signs of obstructive sleep apnea include:
- Loud, habitual snoring
- Gasping for air while sleeping
- Poor quality sleep - usually wake up not feelign well rested
- Trouble concentrating during the day
- Having headaches in the morning
People who are most at risk for having sleep apnea are:
- Men
- between 40 and 60 years old
- and are overweight
Traditionally, sleep studies have been done in facilities to determine if someone has sleep apnea. Now, sleep studies may be done at one’s home.
You can find out more information from The Snoring Center.
Video: Sleep Apnea PSA
This short video clip is a public service announcement from American Sleep Apnea Association.
From the video:
Tags: [Sleep Apnea, Snoring Video][person snoring in background] Oh No… another sleepless night
The snoring. Then the silence.
When will he take another breath?
[snort] If you know this sound you may know a person with…. sleep apnea.
It can be life-threatening.
Get that person to a doctor, or a sleep specialist for treatmentSleep Apnea
It is no way to sleep.
It is no way to live.American Sleep Apnea Association
888-293-3650
www.sleepapnea.org
Vocal Exercises for Snoring
National Public Radio has an article on vocal exercises that can help with snoring. I do not know how effective these excercises are, but what bad could come out of singing?
Tags: [Sleep Apnea, Snoring, Treatment vocal exercises]Central Sleep Apnea
Central sleep apnea is a rare condition characterized by a cessation or decrease in breathing during sleep due to problem with signals from the brain that control breathing.
The symptoms of central sleep apnea are loud snoring, hypersomnolence (excessive daytime sleepiness), and restless sleep. The problem of excessive daytime sleepiness (especially while driving, working or talking) develops slowly over years and is noticeable by friends and colleagues. Hypersomnolence and neurocognitive disturbances stand as a cause for automobile or work-related accidents in sleep apnea patients.
Other symptoms of central sleep apnea include choking or gasping during sleep, unrefreshing sleep, morning headaches, daytime fatigue, personality changes, memory impairment, impaired concentration, poor judgment, mood disturbances, recent weight gain, polyurea, and impotence.
The hypoxic and hypercapnic drives can be impaired by brain stem lesions or by exposure to recurrent hypoxia and hypercapnia and result in central sleep apnea. The stimulus to breathe instead from the cortex and reticular activating system is lost during sleep and the patient stops breathing, the so-called “Ondine’s curse”. Central sleep apnea can also be caused by another rare condition of bilateral diaphragm paralysis which usually occurs as part of a general neuromuscular condition but in some cases can lead to respiratory failure before general weakness is apparent.
The most common and effective treatment option for patients of central sleep apnea is assisted overnight ventilation with external devices such as a rocking bed, or cuirasse. A rocking bed prevents cessation of breathing during sleep by pushing the diaphragm up and down by gravity. Another ventilator device of importance is cuirasse. Cuirasse consists of a small shell that fits around the patient and is connected to an intermittent vacuum pump that draws out the chest wall.
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How To Treat Sleep Deprivation Using CPAP
by: Jason Rickard
Treating sleep deprivation using CPAP is considered as an effective treatment strategy. Sleep derivation is the condition in which the patient cannot experience a continuous sleep. It is considered to be one of the serious disorders since it may lead to many other risky medical conditions. The usual sleep deprivation treatment methods focus on the cure of the underlying cause of the disorder and its associated symptoms, to give a permanent cure for the patient. However, the discovery of the cause will not be easy most times, hence, the medical field has been constantly searching for a solution for sleep deprivation. Today, CPAP is considered as one of the best solution for sleep deprivation.
CPAP, Continuous Positive Airway Pressure, is a treatment method for sleep deprivation mainly for the types caused because of breathing problems such as sleep apnea and hypnoapneas. The breathing problems while sleeping may be due to obstructions such as relaxed muscles in the air passage while normal breathing pressure will not be sufficient to overcome these obstructions. The principle of CPAP is based on this fact and it is designed in such a manner to provide compressed air with necessary pressure, which will be sufficient to induce the normal respiration.
In CPAP treatment, a mechanical device is the main part, which can control the air pressure. The CPAP apparatus includes the machine and air outlet, which looks like a mask. The modern versions of CPAP are designed in convenient shapes such as pillows. While lying on the bed, the mask has to be put on the face and air path will be directed straight into the nostrils. During the sleep it will provide the air in the required pressure continuously, as its name indicates, and avoids the disturbances in the sleep.
The amount of pressure to be used for air supply, called titrated pressure, is the most important factor in the CPAP treatment. It has to be determined from overnight sleep studies in the laboratory. Sleep technician can program the particular titrated pressure value in the machine and the machine will deliver air in the particular value every night. There are different types of machines available in the market. In automatic CPAP machines, the usually recommended pressure values will be already recorded in it and the sleep technician has to just choose the value. In some models humidifiers are integrated in CPAP apparatus to avoid the dryness of the compressed air.
CPAP is considered as a successful treatment method for sleep deprivation since in most cases, patients can completely recover from their sleep problem. However, it will be uncomfortable for some patients to start the treatment as the masks will be disturbing for them. In conclusion, the evidences show that they will soon get ride of the uneasiness and will become comfortable with it. CPAP in sleep deprivation treatment can thus, attribute a good quality sleep to many people and save them from the danger of serious risks.
In addition to sleep treatment in adults, it is also useful to treat premature infants.
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Article Source: http://www.articlecity.com/articles/health/article_5401.shtml
Jason Rickard is the owner of Your Favourite Shop - http://www.yourfavouriteshop.com - Offering White Noise and Relaxation CDs - Visit Hapa Health - http://www.hapahapa.com for more articles.
Tags: [air passage, cpap, cpap treatment, Sleep Apnea, sleep deprivation, Treatment treatment strategy]Doctor, Do I Have To Wear This CPAP For The Rest Of My Life?
by: Bj Thornton
Yes, you may just have to wear that CPAP for the rest of your life. Those are hard words to say and even harder words to hear. The fact is the more mild your sleep apnea and the less pressure you need to open your airway, the better chances you have of getting off of CPAP. It may take some life style changes or even undergoing surgery– but it has been done. The problem is that not every one has mild sleep apnea. Allot of us take high CPAP pressures to hold open our airways.
Let me try to explain why everyone needs a different CPAP pressure to open their airway. Think of your airway as a balloon. Some balloons are hard to inflate and hurt your cheeks, others will inflate slightly easier. An airway that is obstructed may not even begin to inflate until you get into the upper pressure ranges. Your weight and the severity of your obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are the two main factors that play a large part in how high of a pressure you may require for your CPAP machine. The pressure acts like a splint or cushion of air that holds open what gravity is trying to close. Yes gravity plays a large role in obstructing your airway. That is why most OSA patients have learned to sleep on their side rather than their back. Because of this, some mild OSA patients can be treated with positional therapy. This position allows the airway to stay open as long as they do not lay on their back. The more weight you carry the harder it is to keep your airway fromcollapsing under your own body weight because gravity is pulling down on it.
There are a number of reasons why you may have OSA. For example, when lying on your back gravity will pull your tongue back and obstruct your airway. Another contributor to OSA is the excess stomach weight that is pushing up against your diaphragm. Again it can be relieved by lying on your side. Gravity now will prevent it from pulling into your diaphragm. Instead the stomach lies to the side along with your tongue. Genetics also plays a role by the way it has shaped your jaw, the size of the airway opening, the size of your tonsils and adenoids. These are just a few of the reasons why a patient will be predisposed to having OSA.
As you can see it may not always be just one factor that will cause your sleep apnea. Weight reduction alone may only reduce your risk of OSA. Most people who have moderate to severe OSA have more them one problem going on. That is why correcting one problem through surgery or weight loss may lower the pressure you need, but not always fix the entire problem all together. This is not to say that for most moderate to severe apnea patients losing weight will not allow you to discontinue CPAP therapy. It may just get you into the realm of ‘Very Mild’ which can then be then treated by alternative measures such as the positional therapy, surgery or possibly even a dental appliance. Each person has there own combination of problems which they would need to discuss with there doctor.
The first thing you need to do to feel better is get on CPAP. Then when you feel better try exercise with a weight loss program, then go from there. There are a lucky few who everyone hears about who are able correct one problem and manage to reduce their pressure or eliminate CPAP altogether. Unfortunately most people don’t fall into that category. My advice to you is that if you can correct something through surgery or weight loss, go back for a repeat sleep study to determine if you truly are with out OSA. You may think you’re cured only to find that you may still need CPAP therapy but at a lower pressure.
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Article Source: http://www.articlecity.com/articles/health/article_4054.shtml
About The Author
Bj Thornton is a Registered Respiratory Therapist with five years of experience as an active Sleep Technologist. BJ is also the owner operator of http://www.cpap-shack.com. This document may be freely redistributed in its unedited form on the condition that the bio is printed with the article and the link is active in the
Tags: [cpap, cpap machine, cpap pressure, obstructive sleep apnea, osa patients, rest of your life, Sleep Apnea Treatment]Sleep Apnea Remedies
Sufferers around the globe will be happy to hear that there are sleep apnea remedies that will enable you to regain control over your life. And, it is thanks to these sleep apnea remedies that you will never have to lose another nights sleep.
One of the first sleep apnea remedies to try would include simple steps that you can take, on your own, to help treat the disorder. If you sleep on your back regularly, stop now. Try sleeping on your side instead. This may help to prevent your airways from being blocked, which is what tends to happen when apnea sufferers sleep on their back. If you suffer from allergies, rid your home of any/all allergens, including pet hair, cigarette smoke and dust. Regular cleaning and the use of air filtration units in each room will go a long way in helping you to breathe cleaner air.
Obesity is a major concern that often leads to sleep apnea. Therefore, one of the best sleep apnea remedies is to simply begin a healthy, well-balanced program consisting of diet and exercise. If you are overweight, or have recently been diagnosed with obesity, losing weight will help to curb sleep apnea as well as possibly prevent other health problems in the future. While you are altering your lifestyle, it is time to give up alcohol and cigarettes if either of these are present because both may lead to sleep apnea.
After all natural sleep apnea remedies have been exhausted, a physician may recommend the use of a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) device. This machine provides the apnea sufferer with a continual amount of pressurized air, which will prevent the muscles and tissue in the throat from collapsing during sleep. With sleep apnea, the sufferer actually stops breathing through the night due to this collapse, which is why the use of this machine is often a very vital treatment among the sleep apnea remedies.
The Sleep Genie, which is a doctor approved anti-snoring device, comfortably supports the jaw while helping to keep the mouth closed during sleep. While not intended to cure sleep apnea, the Sleep Genie often helps users to have a better quality sleep. Users of the CPAP machine need to sleep with their mouth closed in order to prevent the benefits of the machine from escaping through the night. Some users of the CPAP machine have found a good companion in the Sleep Genie, which will secure their closed mouth during the night.
This article is intended for informational purposes only. It should not be used as, or in place of, professional medical advice. Before beginning any treatment for snoring, please consult a doctor for a proper diagnosis and remedy.
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About the Author:
A new anti-snoring scientific breakthrough is rapidly changing the lives of ex-snorers because the first night you use it, it stops snoring! Visit SleepGenie.com for more information!
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Tags: [losing weight, obesity, Sleep Apnea, snoring device Treatment]