Sunday, June 26, 2011

Nasal spray and sleep apnea

Whether it is nasal allergies or a deviated septum your sinuses seem to play a big part in your sleep apnea.  In the past I have written about how one doctor told me that I had a deviated septum while two other doctors told me I didn't.  Frankly even if I had the deviated septum surgery I don’t think it would have helped my sleep apnea much.  Although I wonder if my nose didn’t seem stopped up all the time, if I would start breathing through my nose at night instead of my mouth, it’s hard to say.  But it seems to be a big deal to a lot of folks with OSA, including children.
Recently I read an article in MedPagetoday.com that said that nasal sprays would actually help children with mild sleep apnea. According to the article “Some studies have shown that intranasal corticosteroid therapy -- used predominantly in allergic rhinitis and nasal polyposis -- has been shown to improve mild obstructive sleep apnea in children.”  That sounds pretty good even if it is only in mild sleep apnea.
I have been prescribed nasal sprays in the past (not for sleep apnea though) for a stuffed up a nose and congestion. In my own case I don’t think that it helped that much.  But I would certainly check with a doctor to see if a nasal spray would be helpful in your own case.
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Sunday, June 19, 2011

Sleep disorders and pregnancy

As you probably know men have a better chance at having sleep apnea than women. The number one reason for that is more men go to the doctor for this ailment than women. But the things that lead to sleep apnea such as being overweight, an enlarged tongue and a narrow airway in the mouth are common in both men and women.  Although with women there is one factor that exclusively causes sleep disorders and sleep apnea, and that is pregnancy.
Why are there issues with sleep disorders and pregnancy?
One of the biggest reasons is hormonal changes which can bring about sleepiness during the day.  Plus the emotional aspects of pregnancy can also cause insomnia and that is certainly understandable. Frequent urination which causes you to get and down during the night interrupts your sleeping as well. And if you are already overweight you’re the likelihood of having sleep disorders is also greatly increased.
What is there to do about it?
That is the tricky part because you don’t want to hurt the fetus by taking medications while you are pregnant.  Practicing good sleep hygiene is one way to at least curtail the problems associated with being pregnant and having sleep disorders. Make sure you talk to your doctor first if you are having sleep issues.
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Sunday, June 12, 2011

Hybrid CPAP mask

From my experience with the CPAP mask it seems that the fit and the comfortability is very important if not the most important thing (although getting used to the air blowing into your face also takes time to get used to).  In my situation I had to have a full face mask because I couldn’t sleep with my mouth closed. I tried just covering my nose but it wasn't long before the air was rushing out my mouth which was a strange sensation.  Of course with the full face mask I had problems also such as the air escaping from the side of the mask, or the mask was so tight that it gave me headaches.  You might want to consider a hybrid CPAP mask.
The hybrid mask has a combination of the best features in all the other types of mask.  One of best things about this mask is the adjustability of it which helps stop the air leakage and also makes it more comfortable to wear. Another feature is the addition of nasal air pillows which go into your nostrils. It also has something called a chin flap which is good if you breathe through your mouth like me.
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Sunday, June 5, 2011

Is there an app for sleep apnea?


We are definitely living in the high tech world, every time you think that you have reached the peak of technology in cell phones, cell phone software and all things dealing with the PC, something else comes up to amaze you. And what is great about all these gadgets is what they can do for you. Smart phones let you do some many that help you when you are on the go, like surfing the net for information about companies, restaurants, stores, weather and just about anything else you might need to know. Surprisingly enough there is now an app (application) that helps determine whether you have sleep apnea or not.
From the company RESMed “today released the RESMed Sleep Assessment app, a novel new app for iPhone that lets users record themselves during sleep. The app also includes a clinically validated questionnaire that assesses their risk and other helpful features to empower users to discuss their sleep health with their physician. “

That is really cool! You can record yourself while sleeping by using the software on your phone. I don’t know if this works for everybody with sleep apnea but just the fact that some company has come out with such a thing is amazing.

The application can be downloaded at
 http://www.resmed.com/us/misc_lp/sleep-assessment-app.html?nc=patients

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