Sleep Apnea is one of the most common sleep disorders with 25% of adults worldwide and 50% of cardiovascular disease patients suffering from OSA. Yet an estimated 80% of cases remain undiagnosed!
Sleep Apnea is one of the most common sleep disorders with 25% of adults worldwide and 50% of cardiovascular disease patients suffering from OSA. Yet an estimated 80% of cases remain undiagnosed!
Let’s start by understanding that, in general, sleep apnea refers to the halting of breathing during sleep. There are two types of sleep apnea. One is called central sleep apnea, which is caused by a malfunction in the brain, where it “forgets” to breathe. This type of apnea is very uncommon and happens without snoring, mostly in babies and the elderly. A more common type is obstructive sleep apnea – which means the back of the throat collapses in on itself while breathing in, usually due to an obstruction in the area.
The choice of your CPAP mask is possibly the most important decision to be taken in CPAP therapy. There are many vendors and many combinations. Choice of possibly the “lowest cost” mask could impact the effectiveness of your therapy as well as your long term adherence. 50% of people do not adhere beyond 12 months.
When choosing your CPAP initially it can be bewildering as to the type of machine, features and difficulties you could experience. Typically, the titration should be 2-3 nights in duration and would support you in the right mask and machine type selection.
When you have been diagnosed with moderate or severe sleep apnea you will be referred to purchase a CPAP. CPAP is an acronym for “Continuous Positive Airway Pressure”. The CPAP will not cure sleep apnea, but it does allow successful management of sleep apnea.
Choosing any piece of medical equipment can be extremely confusing and frustrating. The pressure of making the right clinical decision that would impact you or a family member and at the same time being able to get economic value is significant. Hopefully this series looking at equipment specifications will help.
Obstructive sleep apnea is a disorder of sleep related breathing which has increased in prevalence as the epidemic of obesity has increased world-wide. The obstruction
Although all doctors have put in strict measures at their practices to avoid patients with suspected COVID-19 from sitting around in waiting rooms it is still a good idea to limit your visits to medical rooms or hospitals unless absolutely necessary.
Sleep is critical. All we have to fend off COVID-19 is our immune system – those are the cells that attack any foreign object in order to protect us. The other part of the immune system comprises of antibodies and no one has inbuilt antibodies against this virus because it is brand new. So it’s up to our own immunity until a vaccine can be developed in the future.