See if you qualify for CPAP Supplies

Do you have question if you qualify for the CPAP Supplies? See if you qualify for the CPAP Supplies covered 100% by your health insurance or at little or no cost at all. Simply click the image link below for more details.

If your suffering from Sleep Apnea and would like to avail of the CPAP machine. Visit your doctor today and see if you have symptoms of Sleep Apnea.

Bad Night’s Sleep May Raise Blood Pressure in Kids

By Denise Mann
HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Dec. 16, 2013 (HealthDay News) — Kids who don’t get enough sleep at night may experience a slight spike in their blood pressure the next day even if they are not overweight or obese, a new study suggests.

The research included 143 kids aged 10 to 18 who spent one night in a sleep lab for observation. They also wore a 24-hour blood pressure monitor and kept a seven-day sleep diary.

The participants were all normal weight. None had significant sleep apnea — a condition characterized by disrupted breathing during sleep. The sleep disorder has been linked to high blood pressure.

According to the findings, just one less hour of sleep per night led to an increase of 2 millimeters of mercury (mm/Hg) in systolic blood pressure. That’s the top number in a blood pressure reading. It gauges the pressure of blood moving through arteries.

One less hour of nightly sleep also led to a 1 mm/Hg rise in diastolic blood pressure. That’s bottom number, which measures the resting pressure in the arteries between heart beats.

Catching up on sleep over the weekend can help improve blood pressure somewhat, but is not enough to reverse this effect entirely, report researchers led by Chun Ting Au, at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
So, even though the overall effect of sleep loss on blood pressure was small, it could have implications for risk of heart disease in the future, they suggested.

Exactly how lost sleep leads to increases in blood pressure is not fully understood, but Au and colleagues speculate that it may give rise to increases in stress hormones, which are known to affect blood pressure. The findings are published online Dec. 16 and in the January print issue of Pediatrics.

Participants in the study slept anywhere from seven hours or less to more than 10 hours. The less sleep they got, the higher their blood pressure was the following day.

U.S. experts said the new findings emphasize the importance of good quality sleep for all kids.

“The study separates the effect of sleep apnea from sleep loss, and conclusively shows that sleep loss in the absence of sleep apnea raises both systolic and diastolic blood pressure,” said Dr. Sanjeev Kothare, a pediatric sleep expert at NYU Langone Medical Center, in New York City.

“Pediatricians must screen for diabetes, and [high blood pressure] in teenagers with sleep loss besides screening for snoring and sleep apnea in obese teenagers,” Kothare said.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, children aged 5 to 12 need 10 to 11 hours of sleep. Teens need about 9.25 hours of sleep each night to function best, but for some, 8.5 hours is enough.

“Being healthy is not only getting regular exercise and eating right, but also trying to get the appropriate amount of sleep,” said Dr. Rubin Cooper, chief of pediatric cardiology at Cohen Children’s Medical Center, in New Hyde Park, N.Y.

To encourage better sleep, “start a bedtime routine that helps your children wind down before bed and limit texting or social media at night,” Cooper said. “Keep a similar schedule on weekdays and weekends.” Other sleep hygiene tips include avoiding caffeine before bedtime.

These measures may be even more important among kids who are overweight and obese. “If you have kids who are staying up late and getting up early on top of obesity and sleep apnea, it is the perfect storm,” Cooper said. But exactly how big of a difference better sleep would make in this scenario is unknown, he noted.

Although the study found an association between kids getting less sleep and a slight increase in blood pressure, it did not establish a cause-and-effect relationship.

The bottom line is that “sleep isn’t optional for adolescents,” said Dr. Metee Comkornruecha, an adolescent medicine specialist at Miami Children’s Hospital.

More information

Find tips on improving sleep at the National Sleep Foundation.

Resources: Health.Com

How Diabetes Affect Sleeping Habits?

There are certain reasons why people with diabetes has a poor sleeping habits, which includes difficulty on falling asleep or staying asleep. Some people with diabetes get more than enough sleep while others has poor sleeping habits. According to the National Sleep Foundation, 63% of American adults do not get enough sleep needed for good health, safety, and optimum performance.

Sleep Problems and Type 2 Diabetes

Sleep Apnea is one of the main reason for not having a good sleeping habits for individuals with diabetes. When a person find it difficult to sleep or having a hard time to complete his/her sleeping routine, he/she might have some problems called Sleep Apnea. Sleep apnea involves pauses in breathing during sleep. The periods of stopped breathing are called apneas, which are caused by an obstruction of the upper airway. Apneas may be interrupted by a brief arousal that does not awaken you completely -- you often do not even realize that your sleep was disturbed. Yet if your sleep was measured in a sleep laboratory, technicians would record changes in the brain waves that are characteristic of awakening.

Sleep apnea results in low oxygen levels in the blood because the blockages prevent air from getting to the lungs. The low oxygen levels also affect brain and heart function. Up to two-thirds of the people who have sleep apnea are overweight.

Sleep apnea alters our sleep cycle and stages of sleep. Some studies have linked altered sleep stages with a decrease in growth hormone, which plays a key role in body composition such as body fat, muscle, and abdominal fat. Researchers have found a possible link between sleep apnea and the development of diabetes and insulin resistance (the inability of the body to use insulin).

How Sleep Affects Blood Glucose and Diabetes?

Are you irritable or depressed? Have you fallen asleep at the wheel? Do you have high blood pressure? You may have sleep apnea, which can make diabetes more difficult to control. Find out how to treat this common problem and help regulate your blood glucose. The solution is to first treat apnea of pause of breathing during sleep to maintain the problem of having diabetes. Sleep apnea can affect diabetes control in many ways. Struggling for air may put your body into fight-or-flight mode, releasing stress hormones that can raise blood glucose levels. If you're tired, you won't want to take that walk around the block after lunch. While you're at work, you might keep snacking to stay awake.

What are some alternative?

Treating sleep apnea can be done through the help of a cpap machines. These devices where designed to supplies a constant and steady air pressure, a hose, and a mask or nose piece. Choosing the right mask will be of great help to avoid leak of air. With CPAP machines you can enjoy a good night sleep and wake up with a smile early in the morning without stressing your self and you may have control over the danger of glucose increase that may lead to diabetes.

The Causes of Snoring: Identify the Cause to Find the Cure

How to Stop Snoring

Just about everyone snores occasionally, but if snoring happens frequently it can affect the quantity and quality of your sleep and that of your family members and roommates. Snoring can lead to poor sleep and daytime fatigue, irritability, and increased health problems. If your snoring keeps your partner awake, it can also create major relationship problems. Thankfully, sleeping in separate bedrooms isn't the only remedy for snoring. There are many other effective solutions available.

Not all snoring is the same. In fact, everyone snores for different reasons. When you get to the bottom of why you snore, then you can find the right solutions to a quieter, deeper sleep.

People who snore often have too much throat and nasal tissue, or “floppy” tissue that is more prone to vibrate. The position of your tongue can also get in the way of smooth breathing.  Evaluating how and when you snore will help you pinpoint whether the cause of your snoring is within your control or not. The good news is that no matter how and when you snore, there are solutions to making your snoring better.

Where does the snoring sound come from?
Snoring happens when you can't move air freely through your nose and mouth during sleep. Often caused by the narrowing of your airway, either from poor sleep posture or abnormalities of the soft tissues in your throat. A narrow airway gets in the way of smooth breathing and creates the sound of snoring.

Common causes of snoring

• Age. As you reach middle age and beyond, your throat becomes narrower, and the muscle tone in your throat decreases.
• The way you’re built. Men have narrower air passages than women and are more likely to snore. A narrow throat, a cleft palate, enlarged adenoids, and other physical attributes that contribute to snoring are often hereditary.
• Nasal and sinus problems. Blocked airways make inhalation difficult and create a vacuum in the throat, leading to snoring.
• Being overweight or out of shape. Fatty tissue and poor muscle tone contribute to snoring.
• Alcohol, smoking, and medications. Alcohol intake, smoking, and certain medications can increase muscle relaxation leading to more snoring.
• Sleep posture. Sleeping flat on your back causes the flesh of your throat to relax and block the airway.

There are some diseases or disorder that comes with snoring problems and it affects everyone. If you heard snoring frequently in one of the the members of the family you should consider reading Sleep Apnea & Snoring Treatment

Health Risks of Snoring and Sleep Apnea, From Heart Attacks to Car Accidents

At least 37 million adults snore on a regular basis, according to the National Sleep Foundation. But all snoring is not equal: Occasional snoring, due to congestion or a bad sleeping position, is a nuisance. Habitual snoring can disturb your sleep patterns and rob both you and your partner of needed rest.

Snoring to the extent that you stop breathing—as in the case of obstructive sleep apnea—is a serious health threat that puts you at risk for heart disease and stroke.

How sleep apnea affects your heart
A 2007 study from Yale University found that sleep apnea increases the risk of heart attack or death by 30% over a four- to five-year period. As the upper airway collapses and oxygen is cut off from the lungs, the body triggers a fight-or-flight response, which decreases blood flow to the heart. Together these two actions raise blood pressure and, over time, wear out the heart, the authors concluded.

Karen Shaver, 62, a registered nurse in Valencia, Pa., experienced firsthand sleep apnea's strain on her heart.

"Before I was diagnosed with sleep apnea, I frequently had chest pains, usually at early evening while I napped," says Shaver. "One really scared me: Both arms were numb and it radiated up to my jaw. Being a nurse, I knew this was not a good sign, so I called 911."

The ambulance technicians gave Shaver oxygen and rushed her to the hospital. By then the strange feeling had gone away and doctors couldn't find anything wrong with her.

An overnight sleep study, however, showed that Shaver wasn't getting enough oxygen while she slept, and that she needed a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine to keep air flowing into her lungs. Since she began treatment, her chest pains have disappeared. 

Tips For A Better Sleep At Night

If you are having a problem sleeping at night and you always get less sleep I can give you tips on how to get a better sleep @ night. I have been talking about sleep apnea and snoring for sometime and now is the time for you to get more tips on how to handle some problems that may get you tired during the day due to sleepless nights.

Here are some tips that help me sleep through the night:

• Set the mood. Bright lights stop your body from producing its natural sleeping aid, melatonin, according to the website of Dr. Andrew Weil, the founder and director of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona Health Sciences Center. So, dim the lights, shut off the television and stay off the computer.
• Keep the bedroom at a comfortable temperature. For most people, that's between 54 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Keep a notepad next to your bed, so you can write down whatever pops into your mind when you're trying to sleep. You can worry about those things tomorrow.
• Keep Fido out of your bed. Much like humans, pets can toss and turn during the night, keeping you from getting a good rest.
• Just relax. Right before bed, clear your mind; take a few deep breaths and stretch. If you're feeling especially stressed, try a warm bath before bed.
• Don't have any caffeine for about 6 hours before bed.
• Avoid alcohol and nicotine around bedtime.

Getting in sync with your body’s natural sleep–wake cycle—your circadian rhythm—is one of the most important strategies for achieving good sleep. If you keep a regular sleep schedule, going to bed and getting up at the same time each day, you will feel much more refreshed and energized than if you sleep the same number of hours at different times. This holds true even if you alter your sleep schedule by only an hour or two. Consistency is vitally important.

• Set a regular bedtime. Go to bed at the same time every night. Choose a time when you normally feel tired, so that you don’t toss and turn. Try not to break this routine on weekends when it may be tempting to stay up late. If you want to change your bedtime, help your body adjust by making the change in small daily increments, such as 15 minutes earlier or later each day.
• Wake up at the same time every day. If you’re getting enough sleep, you should wake up naturally without an alarm. If you need an alarm clock to wake up on time, you may need to set an earlier bedtime. As with your bedtime, try to maintain your regular wake–time even on weekends.
• Nap to make up for lost sleep. If you need to make up for a few lost hours, opt for a daytime nap rather than sleeping late. This strategy allows you to pay off your sleep debt without disturbing your natural sleep–wake rhythm, which often backfires in insomnia and throws you off for days.
• Be smart about napping. While taking a nap can be a great way to recharge, especially for older adults, it can make insomnia worse. If insomnia is a problem for you, consider eliminating napping. If you must nap, do it in the early afternoon, and limit it to thirty minutes.
• Fight after–dinner drowsiness. If you find yourself getting sleepy way before your bedtime, get off the couch and do something mildly stimulating to avoid falling asleep, such as washing the dishes, calling a friend, or getting clothes ready for the next day. If you give in to the drowsiness, you may wake up later in the night and have trouble getting back to sleep.

sources:

- How to sleep better tip
- See more at: livescience.com

Sleep Disorder or Sleep Deprivation? A 2-Week Experiment to Help You Find Out

Diagnosing a sleep disorder can be tricky because some of the most typical symptoms—fatigue, loss of concentration, irritability—are often overlooked or dismissed by doctors and patients alike. People tend to blame their personality changes on stress, being overworked, or the fact that "it's just the way I am."

These same symptoms, however, can also be the sign of a different type of sleep problem: deprivation. While sleep needs are different for every person, not getting the right amount for you can wreak havoc on your physical and emotional health, whether you realize it or not.

"A large percentage of Americans think they function just fine on six hours of sleep, but they’re not getting the duration of sleep that they need," says Jed Black, MD, director of the Stanford Sleep Disorders Clinic in Palo Alto, Calif. "It’s really quite remarkable how many sleep deprived people there are."

When patients come to Dr. Black's office complaining of fatigue or a potential sleep disorder, he screens for conditions such as sleep apnea, narcolepsy, and restless legs syndrome. If his evaluation doesn’t uncover anything and his patients report getting less than seven and a half hours of sleep a night, he sends them home and tells them to truly devote eight hours to sleep every night. If people are used to getting by on less than that, they may start to feel more refreshed right away.

"That takes care of a large subset of the folks who have sleepiness during the day," he says; they learn to readjust their schedules and can treat themselves.

On the other hand, some of these patients will be unable to sleep, even when they make time for it. This may lead to an insomnia diagnosis, in which case cognitive-behavioral therapy or short-term medication may be appropriate treatment options. If other patients do sleep the full eight hours each night and are still excessively tired during the day, they might need a sleep study to determine what's keeping them from being fully rested in the morning: It may be a parasomnia (a relatively uncommon disorder) or a more subtle form of one the disorders covered in the initial screening.

Before you see a doctor, monitor your sleep schedule for two weeks and ask yourself the following questions. Does it take you longer than 30 minutes to fall asleep? If you get up during the night does it take you more than 30 minutes to fall back asleep? How early do you get up in the morning? And most important, How do you feel during the day? It may help to write down your sleep patterns—and any daytime habits that might affect them—in a sleep diary.

Article Source: Health.Com

Sleep Apnea Treatment: 5 Steps to Choosing the Right CPAP Machine

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines are currently the most recommended treatment for obstructive sleep apnea, and patients often feel major improvement after using them for just one night. But before you decide whether the therapy works for you, it's important to consider the different options available: Where you buy your machine, which type you end up with, and what options are included will all affect how willing you are to use CPAP and how well it will work for you.

Getting a prescription
To get an air pressure machine, you first need to be diagnosed with sleep apnea. This process will probably require an overnight study in a sleep clinic; a home sleep test may be another option.

After your initial sleep study, a technician will measure your body's response to different air pressure, or titration, levels. Most machines range from about 4 to 20 cm H₂0, meaning that they blow enough air to create a column of water that height.

Your prescription can be filled at a sleep clinic or another equipment retailer. It should include the following details.

• The type of device—CPAP, BiPAP, or APAP, for example.
• It can be generic, rather than a name brand or specific model, with some exceptions. "Most CPAP machines are interchangeable and it may take some time to find the best one," says Teofilo L. Lee-Chiong Jr., MD, medical director of the Sleep Center at National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver. "If you're not limited to one machine, you can use the prescription for years to try newer models."
• The correct pressure level. These levels are set before you receive the machine and should only be adjusted by a doctor or technician, never by the patient.

With your machine, you'll usually receive a six-foot hose and carrying case. Doctors might also include a note for a heated humidifier, which makes the harsh airflow more tolerable and reduces side effects such as dry throat and nasal congestion. You can buy a humidifier without a specific prescription, but if it's included on your slip you'll be sure not to overlook it. Masks and other accessories can also be sold without a prescription.

CPAP Testimonials: 3 Patients' Honest Opinions of Sleep Apnea Treatment

It may be hard to believe that something described as "a hurricane blowing up my nose" could also be considered a lifesaver. But that's exactly how Mike Miner, whose obstructive sleep apnea causes him to routinely stop breathing during the night, feels about his continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine.

For many patients, CPAP is a blessing
After being diagnosed with sleep apnea, Miner, 58, became one of the hundreds of thousands of Americans who regularly use air pressure machines to improve their oxygen levels while they sleep. Even napping without it would be pointless, says the golf course irrigation salesman in Jupiter, Fla., because he'd wake up every few minutes gasping for breath.

Miner admits that he was reluctant to try the clumsy-looking device, and that the blast of air up his nose felt awkward at first, but within the first week of using it, he was a convert. "Now if I don't wear it, I can feel what they were seeing in the sleep lab: I can feel that I wasn't breathing."

To others, it's a hassle
Virginia Arguello, 44, agrees that the benefits of CPAP are life-changing. When she spent her first night with a CPAP machine in 2000, she woke up feeling like a new person.

"It was the first time in years that I didn't have this recurring nightmare of being trapped underwater, never reaching the top," explains Arguello, a medical transcriptionist in Hayward, Calif. "I used to wake up gasping for air. The change was like night and day; I never realized how sleep deprived I'd been until I got the machine. It gave me back my sanity!"

Arguello used her CPAP machine religiously for more than seven years, but eventually started to feel burdened by the machine—wearing it every night, hauling it on vacation, and struggling to get by without it when she went camping with her family. So at 44, she underwent surgery to have her tonsils, uvula, and soft palate removed—a procedure that so far (six months after her operation) has allowed her to sleep without CPAP.

"That machine changed my life, but at my age, I just want to be free of it," she says. "My doctors told me that as my body changes I may need to go back to the machine, but I just need to know that I've tried everything."

And to some, an impossibility
Some people never get used to CPAP, no matter how many models they try. Matt Hanover, 44, was given a machine after his apnea diagnosis about four years ago. For more than nine months, he tried countless pressure levels, masks, and machines with sophisticated features like humidifiers and self-regulating airflow. But his narrow nasal passages and an oversize tongue, his doctors explained, caused a problem.

"I've been a mouth breather all my life," says Hanover, a digital media producer in Santa Monica, Calif. "Wearing the CPAP machine felt equivalent to sticking my head out of a car window going 30 miles an hour. And I just couldn't keep my mouth shut for more than an hour to breathe through my nose."

Hanover eventually found treatment with an oral breathing device that moved his jaw forward while allowing him to breathe through his mouth. He later cured his apnea completely, with surgery to repair a deviated septum.

Source: CPAP Testimonials: Health.Com

5 Ways to Live With Your CPAP Machine

Adjusting to CPAP can help people with sleep apnea sleep better. Here's how to do it.

Your doctor has told you that you need to use a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine while you’re sleeping to treat your obstructive sleep apnea. If you’re like most people who receive this news, you’ve got mixed feelings about it.

"Most people are not thrilled," says Meir Kryger, MD, director of sleep medicine research and education at Gaylord Hospital in Wallingford, Conn., and a researcher for Respironics and ResMed, which develop and manufacture sleep apnea devices. "Some are relieved there is a treatment for what they have."

Sleep apnea is marked by brief but repeated interruptions in breathing during sleep. The CPAP typically includes a face or nasal mask that pumps a flow of air into the nasal passages to keep the airway open. But some people abandon the machine before they can get used to it. In a study of 639 people published in 2010, 19% had stopped using the machine after four years and 30% had stopped within 10 years.

But adjusting to CPAP can make your sleep -- and life – better, especially if you have severe sleep apnea. Read on to get sleep specialists’ top five tips on how you can make peace with the device.

Focus on the Health Benefits of CPAP

To help people stay focused on the big picture, Nancy Collop, MD, president-elect of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and professor of medicine at Emory University School of Medicine, explains what is happening in your body.

"Your body is in this constant struggle at night between breathing and sleeping," says Collop, who also directs the university sleep center. "Fortunately, breathing wins, but it wins at the expense of your sleep."

Lack of sleep causes daytime sleepiness, which can make it difficult to function at work and elsewhere. But lost sleep can also have an adverse effect on aging, diabetes, and blood pressure.

The purpose of the CPAP is to take away the struggle between breathing and sleep. And the majority of CPAP users report immediate symptom relief, according to the National Sleep Foundation. They also report increased energy and better mental alertness during the day.

"Very few people like CPAP, but they love the outcome," Kryger tells WebMD. Kryger says that using CPAP improves heart rhythms in some people. (Abnormal heart rhythms can increase the risk of stroke.) CPAP use may also reduce high blood pressure, at least a little.

Many people also feel that using CPAP makes them less of a danger to themselves and others – when driving, for example, or operating machinery. "In terms of safety issues, they are not going to be a hazard due to daytime sleepiness," Kryger says.

What are the Best Sleep Disorder Treatments Available?

We all need to get sleep. But what happens if you find you're experiencing restless nights or worse? What are the best sleep disorder treatments available?

1. Keep to a routine

If you go to bed at 9pm one night, midnight the next then your body will get confused. It will start getting ready to sleep but you'll keep it awake for a few more hours. For more details www.activities-little-fingers.com This isn't good. Night shift workers can experience this kind of sleep disorder because of the nature of their work. But if you have the choice, do your best to make going to sleep a routine thing in much the same way as you set your alarm clock to wake you at the same time the next morning.

2. Stay cool but don't freeze

Keeping a cool temperature in the bedroom is good. Obviously you don't want to be sleeping in a blizzard, so don't take this to extremes. But your bedroom should be cooler than other parts of your house. Adjust the thermostat on your heating or set the heating clock so that your bedroom has time to cool down before you retire for the evening.

3. Don't stress about going to sleep

This is maybe easier said than done. But the more you think about not sleeping, the more likely you are to stay awake. The boredom of counting sheep may not work for you but there are other things you can do to reduce the stress you bring on yourself when you start to worry about not sleeping. Start by yawning. This has a couple of effects: you'll probably feel a little sleepier as we associate yawns with sleep and you'll take a longer, slower breath. Your breathing naturally slows down whilst you sleep. Give it a helping hand by slowing down your inhalations and exhalations. If your stress is generated by work and your everyday life, look into other relaxation techniques such as meditation.

4. Go dark

As long as we've been on this planet, we've associated dark nights with sleep. Make sure your bedroom reflects this. For more details www.tips-getting-healthy.com The reflection of your alarm clock on the ceiling or wall isn't good. Nor are the trickles of light that can come in under doors or through your curtains. Think about adding a blackout lining to your curtains if they regularly let in too much light.

5. Lay off the caffeine

Steer clear of caffeine in the latter part of your day. It's a stimulant and that's the exact opposite of what you want to help you go to sleep. Remember that it's not just coffee and cola that have caffeine in them. So does tea, green tea and most energy drinks. Cut down gradually to avoid withdrawal effects and if you need your caffeine fix, experiment to see how you can gradually reduce this caffeine dependency.

6. Skip the nightcap

Alcohol is disruptive to sleep patterns. Pure and simple. Cut out the nightcap for a few nights and you'll start sleeping better. If you "need" a glass of wine to unwind when you get home, drink it early to give it time to work its way through your system.

7. CPAP and VPAP or BiPAP

The use of this devices help in giving your more air pressures to your body which our body needs to maintain its normal flow of oxygen. CPAP can also help in treatment for the person who keeps a loud snore at night. It is also use to treat sleep apnea which makes you awake at night catching your breathe.


www.insomnia-battle.com

www.bad-breath-secrets.com

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/what-are-the-best-sleep-disorder-treatments-available-769858.html

About the Author

gurujione

The author is based at Chandigarh, India. He writes the growth oriented articles.

SleepMapper Self-management System Apps Change Your Sleep Therapy

We all know that Mobile and other form of devices have been introduce to the market today. And with the help of this brand new technology we can have a better guide of what to do and how things work perfectly according to their usage. Together with all this new age technology are freebies "Apps" thatcomes with your System One CPAP machine will turn our awareness into the next level of better understanding and good knowledge. Now we can cook food nicely with the aid of this "APPS". We can now check our health with this apps.

Introducing to you the SLEEPMAPPER

The first of its kind to deliver to you the best guide on how to monitor your therapy progress accompanied by different video tutorials that guides you step by step.

What is SleepMapper?

SleepMapper is a self-management mobile and web-based system that allows you to take an active role in your sleep apnea therapy. SleepMapper helps put your patients at the center of their own care and take an active role in their sleep therapy. 

Designed to enhance the sleep therapy experience and be an extension of your care team, SleepMapper provides key information and personal therapy feedback that can help patients stay involved, stay motivated, and stay interested.

Could you benefit from using SleepMapper?
If you answer yes to any of these questions, then SleepMapper can play an important role in your sleep therapy management.

Do you have:

• An interest in seeing your sleep apnea 
• therapy results?
• A desire to learn more about sleep apnea and understand how your therapy equipment works?
• A Philips Respironics System One sleep therapy device*?
• A home computer that can download an SD card and has high-speed Internet connection?
• A compatible* smartphone or tablet device?

Take an active role in your sleep apnea therapy*

SleepMapper is a mobile and web-based system designed to help OSA patients enhance their sleep therapy experience.

• See your sleep therapy results quickly and easily
• Watch videos and guides about sleep apnea and your therapy equipment
• Have the information you need to know more about your therapy

SleepMapper helps you:

• Assess compliance and enhance care
• Differentiate your business with patients and referrals
• Reduce staff time spent answering common questions and concerns

SleepMapper helps your patients:

• Take an active role in their own therapy and get daily feedback about each night's treatment.
• Set personal therapy goals and stay motivated to reach them.
• Access videos and guides about sleep apnea and therapy equipment.

Help your patients take an active role in their sleep therapy. See your therapy results easily from your computer or mobile device.

See this SleepMapper FAQs for details.

8 Questions To Determine If You Have A Symptoms Of Sleep Apnea

You might have presumptions that you are suffering from sleep apnea but afraid to take the test. Your assumptions can be true if you answered these following questions. You can get a paper and pen to write your answers.

If you'd like to take a simple test to determine whether or not you might want to consider testing for sleep apnea, just answer the following eight questions. If you reply with three or more yeses, I'd strongly encourage you to ask your physician to organize a night for you in the sleep lab.

1. Do you snore loudly?

2. Do you feel tired during the day?

3. Has anyone ever seen you stop breathing during your sleep?

4. Do you have high blood pressure (high blood pressure that's been treated counts as high blood pressure)?

5. Is your BMI greater than 35?

6. Are you older than age 50?

7. Is your neck size greater than 15.75 inches?

8. Are you male?

These are just simple test that you might consider taking sleep apnea diagnoses to let your doctors know that you need treatment. If your sleep apnea problems continues you might end up having more complications on heart, lungs and other major body parts. Remember that Sleep Apnea can develop type 2 diabetes.

The treatment using CPAP machines will help you recover from such conditions. There are other alternative ways to cure it so have a check up now before its too late.

Sleep Apnea & Snoring Treatment

The dangers of sleep apnea and heavy snoring are often overlooked and left untreated. The sleep apnea dentist at I Hate CPAP ! educates patients on the serious health risks that accompany obstructive sleep apnea.

Patients with apnea may awaken from 5 to more than 10 times per hour and not be aware of waking, but suffer the effects.

We've already discussed that sleep apnea is the cessation of airflow lasting more than 10 seconds, and the majority of sleep apnea sufferers experience several episodes per night. While it may not seem like a pressing danger because the apneic eventually awakens slightly to take the necessary breath, the lack of oxygen to the body, even for a short period of time, can have lasting health effects. When the airway collapses due to negative pressure from the expansion of the lungs, the body experiences a significant drop in oxygen saturation, from 95% to as low as 50%. This oxygen starvation can cause countless health problems, most notably an increased risk of heart attack and stroke. Growth hormones are secreted during sleep, particularly in the first episode of delta sleep. As sleep is interrupted, these secretions may change and negatively affect many systems. Studies are currently being done on the effects of apnea on the hypothalamus and pituitary systems.


We've heard thousands of times how important a good night's rest is to our whole body function and overall health. During sleep apnea events, patients are forced to come out of nourishing REM sleep in order to regain breath. This intermittent interruption throughout the night carries over to the next day, seriously affecting the body's ability to function. Alertness and concentration are easily broken, and patients may experience fatigue and poor productivity as a result of excessive daytime sleepiness. And sleep apnea sufferers are not alone in health risks from sleep apnea - Reports of apneic patients falling asleep at the wheel, or causing an accident are not uncommon, and it is estimated that partners of apneics lose an average of 1 hour of sleep a night!

Health Risks of Sleep Apnea:

• Hypertension
• Heart attack
• Stroke
• Depression
• Muscle pain
• Fibromyalgia
• Cardiac arrhythmia
• Inefficient metabolism
• Loss of short term memory
• Weight gain
• Gastric reflux
• High blood pressure
• Diabetes
• Severe anxiety
• Memory and concentration impairment
• Intellectual deterioration
• Mood swings/temperamental behavior
• Insomnia
• Impotence

There is good news for sleep apnea sufferers, however. With proper sleep apnea treatment, you can beat the negative health effects of sleep apnea. Following successful treatment, patients are alert, active, have a higher metabolism, more energy & system functions can completely return to normal. If you or a loved one may be suffering from sleep apnea, contact us for a full evaluation right away.

CPAP is the most common medical treatment for apnea. If you can not tolerate or dislike the treatment, our sleep apnea dentist can supply comfortable options.

We look forward to meeting you and finding the perfect solution to your sleep difficulties. Call: 1-877-290-8636 or visit our website: pulmonarysolutions.net today for your customized consultation.

Source: http://www.ihatecpap.com/sleep_apnea_dangers.html

Why Can Sleep Apnea Cause Diabetes?

Sleep apnea is now recognized as a major risk factor for developing Type 2 diabetes. In fact, if you have sleep apnea, you are more than twice as likely to develop diabetes as those who do not suffer from sleep apnea. This holds true even if you are not overweight.


When sleep and oxygen are interrupted as they are during periods of sleep apnea, this stimulates a stress response from your body. When your body responds to stress, it releases a hormone called cortisol. Over time, this repeated stress response and release of cortisol can increase the risk of heart disease and high blood pressure, as well as decrease insulin sensitivity (how well the body responds to insulin). This leads to insulin resistance and increased blood sugar levels.

A lack of oxygen also causes the release of a type of protein that is associated with insulin resistance and glucose intolerance. The more severe the sleep apnea, the more resistant to insulin your body becomes, which increases blood glucose.

Sleep apnea and obesity both trigger an inflammatory response in your body. With sleep apnea, your upper airways may become inflamed, as can the lining of the blood vessels (systemic inflammation). Obesity also causes systemic inflammation, as well as dyslipidemia (high levels of cholesterol and triglycerides), both of which may lead to heart disease.

In addition, sleep apnea is linked to metabolic syndrome, which includes high blood pressure, high triglyceride levels, low levels of HDL (good) cholesterol, increased abdominal fat and increased fasting blood sugar levels. Metabolic syndrome doubles the risk of atherosclerosis (narrowing of the arteries due to the buildup of plaque caused by cholesterol) and increases the risk of diabetes by five times.

Treating Sleep Apnea
One of the most common treatments for sleep apnea is CPAP, or Continuous Positive Airway Pressure. CPAP is a device that creates air pressure in the throat and keeps the airways open while a person sleeps. The CPAP machine delivers air flow through a mask placed over your nose and/or mouth while you sleep.

Studies have shown CPAP to be an extremely effective method for treating both sleep apnea and diabetes. After several months of CPAP therapy, the insulin sensitivity of study participants with Type 2 diabetes significantly increased, which led to lower blood sugar levels and lower HbA1c levels.

In addition, those who regularly use a CPAP machine also experience improved quality of sleep, less fatigue and irritability, more energy, improved concentration and fewer episodes of depression.

If you have sleep apnea, it is extremely important to seek treatment, not only to prevent or help treat diabetes, but also to decrease your risk of high blood pressure, heart attack or stroke.

The Danger of Oxygen Use with Sleep Apnea and COPD

There are situations where the use of oxygen to treat sleep apnea may actually be dangerous. When chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), such as emphysema, occurs alone, oxygen has been shown to be beneficial. However, when it occurs with obstructive sleep apnea, a different picture emerges.

In this so-called "overlap syndrome," the use of nocturnal oxygen without relief of the airway obstruction can cause worsened breathing overnight. This may result in complaints such as morning headache or confusion. Therefore, it is important that continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) be used to treat the obstruction, with supplemental oxygen infused into the system as needed to confer the other benefits.

Therefore, it is important that individuals with COPD undergo a sleep study if there is suspicion of sleep apnea contributing to their complaints. And clearly, oxygen alone is not an adequate treatment for those suspected of having sleep apnea.

What is BiPAP And When Is It Most Often Used?

In addition to CPAP we also have BiPAP that stands for bilevel positive airway pressure. It may be advantageous to use an alternative to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). So I have gathered data for you to know about it and its uses.

Question: What is BiPAP?

In some settings, it may be advantageous to use an alternative to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) called bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPAP). What is BiPAP and when is it most often used?

Answer:

BiPAP is a method of breathing support that is often used to treat central sleep apnea. It may also be used in more severe obstructive sleep apnea, especially if mixed apnea events are present, suggesting a component of central sleep apnea. It may be used to treat people who cannot tolerate continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), especially those who complain that it is difficult to breathe out against the pressure. It may help to improve compliance. In addition, it is a non-invasive means of support that can be used in hospitalized people who are in respiratory distress but who do not wish to placed on a ventilator.

Many of the components of a BiPAP machine are the same as the standard CPAP machine. The key distinguishing feature of BiPAP is that the pressurized air is delivered at two alternating levels. The inspiratory positive airway pressure is higher and supports a breath as it is taken in. Conversely, the expiratory positive airway pressure is a lower pressure that allows you to breathe out. These pressures are preset and alternate just like your breathing pattern.

There is some confusion about the word BiPAP itself, especially how it differs from bilevel. These are actually the same thing. One of the major manufacturers of these devices, Respironics, has registered BiPAP as a trademark name for the technology that is generically called bilevel. The other major competitor, ResMed, calls similar devices VPAP.

In most cases of obstructive sleep apnea, CPAP alone is sufficient as a therapy. In more complicated scenarios, or when it is difficult to tolerate CPAP, BiPAP may prove to be a useful alternative. If you are curious whether it would be an appropriate therapy for you, you can start by speaking with your sleep doctor.

Sources: What is BiPAP?