Video: New Sleep Apnea Public Service Announcement

Just released by the American Sleep Apnea Association, this video will be on TV as part of the upcoming National Sleep Apnea Awareness Week from March 3-8, 2008. Why wait? Watch it now on YouTube:



The ASAA's goal is to "to educate and raise awareness on sleep apnea, treatment, medical information, and resources". See their additional resources on www.sleepapnea.org.

A Sleep Apnea Sleep Study Success

Wow. Here's a women whose doctor discovered she had irregular heartbeats. After being monitored in a hospital for several days and not having a solution found, she was sent to do a sleep study.

At the sleep study, she was recorded with 150 apnea episodes per hour. That is a lot of not breathing!

The diagnosis was sleep apnea. She was given a CPAP to use and says this of the results of using a CPAP:

"It is a life saving machine, in my case. The nights are quiet now, no snoring. I wake up, refreshed and ready to tackle the day. If I’m tired, its because I have stayed up way past my bedtime, which I tend to do, just because I have filled my days with so many activities and things to do these days — because I can."

Read her complete story here.

The Relationship Between Weight and Sleep Apnea

According to an article on sleepeducation.com which echoes what I've heard from many sources about sleep apnea, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) "can occur in men and women of any age, but it is most common in obese, middle-aged men."

Photo by Anderaz

The article also talks about the correlation between weight and OSA. It's not always related though. There are non-obese people with OSA, but many people have it due to obesity.

The article says that "your neck gets thicker as you gain weight. This increases the level of fat in the back of the throat, narrowing the airway. With more fat in the throat, your airway is more likely to be blocked." There you have it. That is why being overweight predisposes many people to having obstructive sleep apnea.

For those who have weight-related sleep apnea, losing weight is likely to reduce the severity.

Read the full article here on sleepeducation.com.

Video: Sleep Apnea Symptons and Treatment

Dr. Schwimmer of The Snoring Center Medical Center talks about sleep apnea on the Good Morning Texas talk show. He talks about the symptoms of sleep apnea, the steps to take to get diagnosed and the treatment options.



Check out some of these other Snoring Center videos on YouTube. Some good information on a variety of aspects.

Sleep Apnea Sudden Cardiac Death Risks

This article talks about a New England Journal of Medicine study of 112 Minnesota residents diagnosed with sleep apnea. The article talks about the increased likelihood of dying of cardiac causes overnight for those who's obstructive sleep apnea levels are higher.

To learn more about sleep apnea and sudden cardiac death, see the full article on Canada.com.

For study for me emphasizes the importance of seeking treatment and making sure to use a CPAP or other treatment as recommended by your doctor.

Sleep Apnea and Codeine Kill Rapper

According to various news sources, sleep apnea and cough syrup proved to be a tragic and fatal mix for rapper Pimp C.

It is said Pimp C had both Codeine and Promethazine in his system. News agencies report that an excess amount of Codeine cough syrup limits respiratory abilities, and combined with sleep apnea, was enough to cause Pimp C's death.

It is unclear from the story sources if Pimp C was using a CPAP machine for treatment or to what level he suffered from sleep apnea. I wonder.

Read more on this story: khou.com, TMZ.com, CNN, zwire.com

If you or someone you know has symptoms of sleep apnea (such as snoring and gasping while sleeping, or high daytime sleepiness) see a doctor.

Stopping Nasal Dryness from Sleep Apnea

When those nasal passages are all stuffed up, I used to worry about getting a good night's sleep. It took a lot of trial and error.

Photo by lunchtimemama

During my first year on a CPAP with a nasal mask, I'd have incredible problems with nasal passages getting dry. The dryness caused stuffiness and sneezing.

First I tried menthol-lyptus cough drops but it didn't stop the dryness. I didn't know what to do because the dryness was almost painful. So I saw my doctor.

The doctor recommended I use saline nasal drops. I used lots of it and that helped when done regularly, at least once a day. But I was still having occasional issues with dryness.

The doctor had me get a humidifier attachment for the CPAP. For me, the humidifier stopped 100% of the stuffiness. But changing the humidifier water daily and rinsing the water unit regularly was a chore.

A year or so later and I did another sleep study. They found I was opening my mouth too much with the nasal mask. So I switched to a full mask that covers both the nose and the mouth. Though it took a long time to get comfortable with it, the full face mask has also solved the nasal dryness problems. I stopped using the humidifier and saline altogether and it is rare that I have any dryness problems anymore.

That's my path. Any other experiences/recommendations?

What is Sleep Apnea?

The American Heritage Dictionary defines sleep apnea as "A temporary suspension of breathing occurring repeatedly during sleep that often affects overweight people or those having an obstruction in the breathing tract, an abnormally small throat opening, or a neurological disorder."

The current definition in Wikipedia (the human edited encyclopedia) is this:

Sleep apnea (alternatively sleep apnoea) is a sleep disorder characterized by pauses in breathing during sleep. These episodes, called apneas (literally, "without breath"), each last long enough so one or more breaths are missed, and occur repeatedly throughout sleep. There are two distinct forms of sleep apnea: Central and Obstructive. Breathing is interrupted by the lack of effort in Central Sleep Apnea, but from a physical block to airflow despite effort in Obstructive Sleep Apnea. In Mixed Sleep Apnea, both types of events occur. Regardless of type, the individual affected with sleep apnea is rarely (if ever) aware of having difficulty breathing, even upon awakening. Sleep apnea is recognized as a problem by others witnessing the individual during episodes, or is suspected because of its effects on the body (sequelae). The definitive diagnosis of sleep apnea is made by polysomnography.


The Wikipedia content referenced in this article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Sleep apnea".

Is there a way to prevent CPAP headgear strap marks?

Sometimes during the continuous quest to prevent mask leaks, I strap on the mask too tight and wind up with red marks from the straps. The strap irritates my neck and ears. Appearantly, this is common enough to have a solution.

There's at least one product that helps prevent strap marks. I haven't tried it, so I cannot say if it is any good or not, but the name is "StrapGuard". It looks like it is just a soft cloth that wraps around pretty much any CPAP mask headgear strap. One place I saw this online charged $15. If you know how to sew, you could probably make your own.

I'd prefer that my insurance company paid for these types of things. I'm not even going to try asking, because I know they won't. It would be nice if headgear manufacturers actually build this cushioning into their products.

Lazy Smurf diagnosed with Obstructive Sleep Apnea

I was looking through some old toys and stumbled upon a few plastic Smurf figurines from that popular cartoon television show of the 80s. Playing with the toys as I had in my youth, I pondered how the Smurfs dealt with Lazy Smurf’s snoring. Would complaints of snoring lead him to seek remedies? Was his snoring a sign of sleep apnea?

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) prevents people and Smurfs from breathing freely while sleeping, resulting in a lack of oxygen and a very bad night’s sleep – every night. Some frequently occurring symptoms include loss of energy, trouble concentrating, anxiety, depression and failure to contribute fully to the Smurf Village. Left untreated, sleep apnea can lead to hypertension, coronary heart disease, heart attack, stroke, psychiatric problems, impotence, cognitive dysfunction and memory loss. For a Smurf, this increases the risk of capture by Gargamel.

Besides snoring, remember that Lazy Smurf always appears quite tired. Cartoon zzz’s frequently escaped from his head. He even fell off my toy box a few times. These are among the classic indicators of sleep apnea.

In the Smurf Village, Lazy Smurf’s behavior was considered disruptive. Lazy Smurf snoozes on the job. His sleepiness became a real problem to himself and those of the Smurf commune.

Many Smurfs complain to Papa Smurf about trouble sleeping due to Lazy Smurf’s loud snoring and strange gasping sounds made while sleeping. Vanity Smurf emphasizes the importance of beauty sleep.

Brainy Smurf points out the likeliness that Lazy Smurf suffered from sleep apnea. “In fact, the word ‘apnea’ means ‘not breathing’. Lazy Smurf’s gasping sounds originate from a lack of oxygen and a reflexive attempt to start breathing again.”

Papa Smurf refers Lazy Smurf to Doctor Smurf. Doctor Smurf has Lazy Smurf do a sleep study, known as polysmurfography (a polysomnography for Smurfs), conducted by Sleep Technician Smurf.

The diagnosis is severe obstructive sleep apnea, just as Brainy Smurf had known. From now on, Lazy Smurf was to use a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine while sleeping.

The results are phenomenal. After being on the CPAP for just a few days, Lazy Smurf is no longer sleepy and appears energetic.

The other Smurfs look at him strangely. “What have you done with Lazy Smurf?” asked Papa Smurf, thinking that an imposter has entered the village. Lazy Smurf stomps away angrily.

Early the next morning, with the other Smurfs still sleeping soundly, Lazy packs his bags and heads into the forest. “They don’t like me ‘lazy’ and they don’t like me energetic either,” Lazy Smurf says to himself.

When the other Smurfs awaken, they cannot find Lazy Smurf. Papa Smurf thinks he knows why and recalls what he said to Lazy Smurf. Brainy Smurf explains to Papa Smurf the positive effects many sleep apnea patients have when using a CPAP machine. Papa Smurf tells the Smurfs to go looking for Lazy Smurf.

But it is too late. The sinister wizard Gargamel captures Lazy Smurf and locks him in a cage.

Gargamel holds Lazy Smurf for ransom. A ransom note decrees, “Either tell me the location of the Smurf Village or Lazy Smurf will be made into Smurf soup.”

Papa Smurf gathers the Smurfs together to go over the rescue plan.

The Smurfs gather in the woods near the cage with Lazy Smurf inside. Smurfette shouts loudly to get Gargamel’s attention. As Gargamel walks towards Smurfette, Vanity Smurf uses his mirror to shine the sunlight in Gargamel’s eyes. Gargamel stumbles onto the ground. Meanwhile, Handy Smurf grabs the key and unlocks the cage to rescue Lazy Smurf.

We cut to a scene where Papa Smurf explains sleep apnea to the other Smurfs. During a big Smurf ceremony, Lazy Smurf’s name is changed to “Sleep Apnea Smurf.” Everyone smurfs happily ever after and I put my toys away for another day.