Archive for 'CPAP'
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.
GoodKnight 420G CPAP Machine
Steven K. Roberts has written a review of the the Puritan Bennett GoodKnight 420G CPAP machine. Steven does not have a lot of experience with other units, but he is happy with his CPAP machine. Steven says that he had picked the machine because:
- The small size works with his nomadic lifestyle. The size (2.9″ X 5.6″ X 7.7″) of this CPAP unit is great if frequent travel is needed.
- It was simple to operate. Steven gives some instructions on his review.
- The 420S and 420E have more complex functionality, but for price concerns, the 420G will do the job.
Barbie has a CPAP
I was reading Dave’s Sleep Apnea Guide, and I came across this hilarious post. A woman had made a CPAP for her Barbie! It is frustrating to deal with the CPAP and sometimes uncomfortable mask… so it is good to be about to laugh at myself. Check out Minx Kelly’s website for more funny pictures of this Barbie.
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 finding breathing machines
By: Darren Mallory
Breathing machines that are going to focus on improving your airways, and how you breath while you are sleeping should be considered upon the advice of you family doctor. If you are not sure if you have sleep apnea, but you have all the signs, consider taking a sleeping test, one that will monitor your body while you are sleeping. This will give you the best insight into what you are really in need of so you can get the rest you need. Sometimes, even with treatments, and equipment you could still be suffering with sleep apnea. Having your tonsils, your adenoids and your airways checked first can end up providing you with answers so you may have to consider additional treatments for relieving your sleep apnea.
Visit your doctor, find out if you have sleep apnea, and ask about what your options are. If you are advised to get a breathing machine, this is an option that you can easily live with, without having to under go or worry about surgery. A breathing machine is going to force air into your airways, by mouth or by your nose, usually by wearing a mask. The mask is going to be worn only when you are in bed for the night, so you will sleep restfully without worry about stopping breathing.
Some types of breathing machines are going to be covered by your insurance company. If your doctor is going to prescribe the breathing machine, ask about where you can purchase the machine through your insurance company. Many times, upon inquiry with your doctor, the insurance company will pay for the breathing machine, because this is going to be a preventative measure against other types of medical conditions that can be brought about by sleep apnea, and the stopping of your breathing while you are sleeping. This is going to aid in treatment to prevent further heart problems, and cardiovascular problems.
Ask your doctor, and your insurance company what is covered, and what they feel is the best type of breathing machine for your condition. If your condition is not severe, you may be able to order a breathing machine that is not very expensive. If your condition is already severe or that you are not able to breath very well even while you are awake, the insurance company and the doctor may suggest that you need a very different type of breathing machine. Always ask your doctor questions, and what they would suggest for their own family, and that is the advice that you should follow.
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To get a good nights sleep please visit:
Author Darren Mallory
C/O www.akashop.com
Article Source: http://www.articlecube.com
31 Year Old Online Marketing Manager
Tags: []Sleep Apnea Cures
By: Nicky Pilkington
Whilst sleep apnea is a very serious and progressive disorder, it is also highly treatable in a variety of different ways. How sleep apnea is treated depends entirely on the cause and type of sleep apnea.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea is by nature an obstruction within the airways which inhibits breathing during sleep. For this type of sleep apnea cures may be available to some people, it all depends on what is causing the obstruction.
In the case of the clinically obese, the tissues of the airways can bulk out due to fat tissue, causing the air passage to become narrower making it harder for air to pass through. If an obese person lost as much of their weight as possible, their air passages would be much more open and they would breathe much easier.
Quitting smoking or drinking can also help some suffering from Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Smoking inflames the tissues of the airways causing narrowing, whilst alcohol is a depressant causing the muscles and tissues of the airways to relax and close.
One of the most bizarre treatments for some Obstructive Sleep Apnea sufferers is playing the Australian instrument the didgeridoo. Because of how the didgeridoo is played, over time the throat muscles and tissues tone up so aren’t so prone to collapsing during sleep. As strange as this treatment may be, it really is worth a shot as studies show it can drastically improve or even cure Obstructive Sleep Apnea in some.
Surgery may also be used to treat some Obstructive Sleep Apnea sufferers by surgically removing or reducing the obstruction thus widening the airways. Commonly, the tonsils or adenoids aren’t helping matters so are removed. Devices are also sometimes used which can force the lower jaw forward during sleep, thus opening the airways, whilst some devices may hold the tongue in place to prevent it from flopping back over the airways during sleep.
For other people, there are mechanical treatments such as sleeping whilst hooked up to a CPAP (Continuous Positive Air Pressure) system. This device works simply by keeping the airways open with air pressure.
Another tip for people suffering from Obstructive Sleep Apnea is to lie on your side during sleep. By lying on your back, the tissues of the throat and the tongue tend to collapse backwards causing obstruction. Lying on your side this doesn’t happen so much. Remembering this whilst you are awake and reading is one thing, but you are still likely to end up lying on your back at some point during sleep. For this there is another bizarre yet extremely effective tactic you can employ. If you have pyjama trousers with back pockets you can put a tennis ball inside each pocket. Now, if during the course of sleep you attempt to lie on your back, you will find this uncomfortable and instinctively manoeuvre to lie on your side again.
If you don’t have these kinds of pyjamas, you can always modify some you do have to accommodate a tennis ball or two.
If the cause of obstruction can be identified, then the suitable form of treatment can be provided.
Central Sleep Apnea isn’t a physical obstruction, but a glitch in the brains signals which result in the lungs not been given the instruction to breathe from time to time. A person may go for seconds or even a few minutes without drawing breath. Unfortunately, as this is a neurological issue, there is no permanent fix CPAP may sometimes be used to treat Central Sleep Apnea, although depending on the individual, a person will usually be put on a course of prescribed drugs which they may respond extremely well to.
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About the Author:
Detailed information about sleep apnea is available at www.sleep-apnea.org.uk
Article Source: http://www.therealarticles.com
Tags: []Tips To Stop Snoring
By: Lesley Chew
esides the most basic human needs of eating and drinking, the next most important activity of a human is to sleep. Sleeping is something that everyone does when you feel tired and your body needs rest. Normal snoring is often harmless and every now and then, we do occasionally snore when we sleep. This is true when we are really tired. However, snoring can be a symptom of a condition known as sleep apnea. Sleep apnea which is known to be a breathing disturbance. It is often characterized by explosively loud snoring interspersed with long pauses of silence.
During these pauses of silence which can last for ten seconds or longer, the snorer actually stop breathing totally. If this problem happens dozens or even hundreds of times a night, it will prevent the snorer from falling into a natural sleep. As a result, the snorers wake up feeling tired, unrefreshed and exhausted. The worst part about sleep apnea is that it can prove to be deadly and fatal if the heart stops beating. It could potentially kill you.
The exhaustion from the sleep deprivation caused through the snoring and apnea inevitably can lead to unrelated accidents which are caused by carelessness through the lack of alertness and focus due to exhaustion. Examples are driving accidents, working with dangerous machinery or even just losing concentration at a critical time throughout the day.
Some simple remedies you can try at home to lessen the snoring problem are lying on your side, losing weight, stopping smoking and drinking. However if you are still snoring so loudly that it causes a disturbance to others despite the home, then it may be time to consult a sleep specialist. They can give you a complete evaluation of your problem and give you lots of ideas and options to improve your snoring problem. When in doubt, always seek the help of a medical professional.
There are lots of tests they can give you to see what is causing your snoring problem, and once the cause is discovered then hopefully they can then offer you a solution to if not solve the problem completely, at least make it less of a trouble.
In the marketplace there are several notable products which may help you with this problem. One example is nasal splints. There is a product called “Breathe easy” on the market which can be a very effective remedy for some individuals. This consists of small tapes that are placed on the sides of the nose to encourage the nostrils to keep in a wide position during sleep. This then helps the snoring problem to decrease because more air is being breathed in by the snorer. This causes the vibrations in the throat to decrease and the noise volume is lowered thus helping both the snorer and others in his household to get better nights sleep.
A nasal spray decongestant can also be a good option especially if the snoring is caused by a cold or cough; this can then aggravate any snoring problems which may be present. You shouldn’t need a nasal spray decongestant to be prescribed as there is a variety which can be bought over the counter (Ask the pharmacist for advice).
Snoring which is worsened by Rhinitis is another problem that can be helped with the assistance of a decongestant spray.
However it is important to realise that overuse of a decongestant spray can ultimately make the problem worse as they tend to thicken the lining in the nose. Decongestant sprays should be used sparingly and discarded once the medical problem is improved.
These are just simple remedies which you can try at home to see if they helped. If all else fail, you should seek the help and the expertise from a sleep specialist. After all, nothing is better than getting a good night’s sleep!
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About the Author:
Lesley is a successful webmaster and publisher of www.snoring-nomore.info. Discover more information on sleep problems like snoring.
Article Source: http://www.therealarticles.com
Tags: []Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Obstructive sleep apnea is a condition characterized by recurrent hypoxemia and arousal, due to partial or complete obstruction of the upper airways during sleep with consequent daytime somnolence.
Symptoms are loud snoring, hypersomnolence (excessive daytime sleepiness), and restless sleep. Other symptoms of obstructive 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 goal of treatment for sleep apnea patients is to keep the airway open and prevent pauses in breathing during sleep.
Methods to alleviate sleep apnea include behavioral measures such as avoiding alcohol and CNS depressants close to bedtime, weight reduction and sleep posture modification.
Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) works by gently blowing pressurized air through the nasal passage of the patient at a pressure high enough to prevent the throat from collapsing during sleep.
Oral or dental appliances reposition the lower jaw and the tongue, opening up the space at the back of the throat, and helping treat sleep apnea.
Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP)
Which is the most common type of surgery to treat sleep apnea, enlarges the airway by removing redundant tissue (tonsils, adenoids, uvula) from the pharynx.
Laser-assisted Uvulopalatoplasty (LAUP), which can be performed in a specialist’s office involves the use of a laser to remove part of the soft palate, shorten the uvula (the tissue that hangs from the middle of the back of the roof of the mouth) and remove other excess tissue from the pharynx.
Tracheostomy is a procedure in which a small hole is made in the trachea or windpipe below the site of obstruction and a tube is inserted into the opening. This tube is opened only during sleeping hours, so that air flows directly into the lungs, bypassing any blocked air passage in the throat.
Another relatively new procedure is radiofrequency ablation (RFA), which makes use of radiofrequency energy to remove tissue from uvula, soft palate and tongue and thereby help treat sleep apnea. In children and adolescents removal of enlarged tonsils or adenoids stands as a viable option in the treatment of sleep apnea.
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