Study: CPAP Treatment Linked to Lower Mortality in Stroke Patients with OSA

An interesting article about Obstructive Sleep Apnea and strokes just came out. The article says that CPAP treatment reduces mortality risks for people with OSA who have had a stroke.

A researcher quoted in the article also points out that mortality rate increases for OSA patients who have had a stroke but who don't use a CPAP machine. Yet another reason to seek treatment for sleep apnea!

One of the challenges of the future is finding ways to ensure CPAP usage compliance amongst stroke patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea. It can be a complicated situation.

Read the article for the specifics of the study results. The article has a link to the original scientific research study results.

Traveling with Sleep Apnea Tip #2 - Packing your CPAP like your life depends on it

Traveling somewhere by plane? If you have sleep apnea and use a CPAP for treatment like I do, then I recommend the following tip for airplane travel with a CPAP machine.

"Pack your CPAP machine like your life depends on it."

Going without treatment puts a damper in a vacation and can also have risks. Getting a replacement CPAP quickly will be a challenge while traveling.

I always carry my CPAP and mask in my backpack which I carry the airplane. It gives me comfort. Putting valuables in check-in luggage leaves me with a fear of loss or theft, so carrying it on with me means it never leaves my sight.

Also, realize that CPAP machines are delicate. Protect it in a way as to prevent damage from impact or being crushed. Take care as to avoid letting the buttons or display get damaged.

Put some sort of padding around it. If your CPAP didn't come with a padded travel case, take a look at padded camera bags as an alternative.

Bonus tip: When going through security gates at airports, take your CPAP out of your backpack and put it in a separate bin for scanning (like others do with laptops). Oftentimes, the security team needs to do a quick cotton swab test on CPAPs for some reason. Make it easy for security and they'll be quick.

Traveling with Sleep Apnea Tip #1 - preventing a broken CPAP mask

This tip is for anyone who is using a CPAP machines for sleep apnea treatment. At some point, you will need to travel by airplane with the CPAP machine.

This simple tip will keep you from having a bad travel experience and is based on my own experiences learning the hard way:

• "When traveling by airplane, pack an extra CPAP mask."
  

I learned the hard way on a recent trip. I learned that CPAP masks can be too delicate to stand up to the rigors of airplane travel. My CPAP mask broke.

While most CPAP masks are pretty durable, the one point of weakness is at the hinge that connects the upper part of the mask with the lower part of the mask. That's where mine broke.

Luckily for me, part of the hinge remained. I could tape it to keep it in place temporarily.

I thought I had taken every precaution to prevent the CPAP mask from breaking, but I was wrong. I had put the mask at the top of my carry-on backpack but it somehow still broke.

Since a carry-on bag may not have enough room for a back-up mask, put the back-up mask in your check-in luggage. Putting the mask in the middle of clothes in a suitcase gives it protection and is a good place to stash your back-up CPAP mask.

So there you have it, clean out an old mask, stash it in your check-in luggage, and have a great flight.

Bonus Tip: If you don't have an extra CPAP mask because you are new to using a CPAP or you've thrown away old CPAP masks, take extra precautions. Maybe bring some tape or glue in case your mask does break. Superglue may solve some types of mask cracks.

Facts About Snoring and Sleep Apnea

News-Leader in Springfield, Missouri reports about causes of snoring here.  An interview conducted with Dr. Brian Kim, medical director for the Chest and Sleep Institute of Springfield and of the Missouri Sleep Institute at Citizens Memorial Hospital in Bolivar, reveals several facts about snoring and that snoring does not necessarily mean a person has sleep apnea.

Another fact about snoring is that snoring and sleep apnea are both more common in men than in women.  However, women tend to snore more as they get older.

Want to reduce snoring?  Dr. Kim suggests avoiding sleeping on the back as well as weight loss as being common ways to reduce snoring.

New Study on Diabetes and Sleep Apnea

Dr. Ulysses J. Magalang, from the Ohio State University Medical Center, has done research on the relationship between Type II Diabetes and sleep apnea. Here are some good articles that summarize the study.

An articles on EmaxHealth goes into detail here and quotes Dr Magalang as saying "We do not know whether obstructive sleep apnea causes diabetes. What we do know is that patients with sleep apnea have an increased insulin resistance, a hallmark of patients with diabetes and also a known risk factor for heart disease."

Sleep expert Dr Jonathan Greenburg provides further commentary here about Magalang's research and further discusses the relationship between sleep apnea and diabetes.

Additional commentary is available on Accessibility.com.au in an article entitles "Looking For A Link Between Sleep Apnea & Diabetes" here.

ChallengeDiatbetes.com also mentions the study here.

Signs of Sleep Apnea

There's a good article here about a Missouri hospital and how they've added sleep study capabilities to keep up with demand.

The sleep center is used for conducting sleep studies to detect sleep apnea, a condition where breathing stops during sleep. The article talks about how sleep apnea is often discovered during surgery - at which point the sleep apnea can interfere with the surgery when the patient's irregular breathing lowers oxygen levels. Early detection is key.

The article lists many of the signs of sleep apnea including:
• Daytime sleepiness or dozing off while driving
• Falling asleep at inappropriate times or fighting to stay awake after a full night of rest
• Loud snoring, gasping or choking
• Depression
• Irritability or mood swings
• Sexual dysfunction
• Morning headaches often accompanied by a dry throat
• Frequent nighttime urination
• Lack of concentration
• Memory impairment

If you notice any of these signs, especially if several occur concurrently, talk to your doctor.

The article also talks about how sleep studies work.

I'm Too Sexy for My CPAP

Dr Michael J Breus covers a topic that will make most people blush.

The article has a witty title "CPAP: Cannot Possibly Act Passionate" and discusses ways to address the potential impacts of a CPAP machine on romantic life.

He writes "Let's get real, I don't think it takes a CPAP machine to kill the moment" and points out that the benefits of CPAP treatment far outweigh not getting treatment. Without treatment, those with sleep apnea are much more likely to be tired and tiredness will put an even greater damper on romance.

Read the full article here on the Huffington Post website. The article is Dr Breus' response to a commentary on MSNBC here about the impact of a CPAP machine on romance. Both are interesting reads.

Are you tired like a zombie?

This interesting article talks about the US being a nation of zombies. This nation of zombies is made up of people who are sleep deprived.

It points out that some people do not even know they are sleep deprived.

Amongst the different causes of sleep deprivation is sleep apnea, a condition that interferes with normal breathing at night, causing abnormally low levels of oxygen to be breathed in.

Types of CPAP Masks for Sleep Apnea Treatment

People with sleep apnea should be aware of the treatment options. Did you know there are several types of CPAP masks?

Here's a brief article on the different types of CPAP masks used with CPAP machines for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea. The article discusses common triangular CPAP masks and the less common oral masks, nasal pillows and hybrid masks.

I've used triangular CPAP masks of both the nose only and nose and mouth variety. The nose mask is the most common type of mask.

I used a nose mask for a few years. It was very easy to wear and get used to. The downside for me, with a high pressure setting on my CPAP, is that the nose mask caused dryness in my nasal passages and required me to either use a humidifier or use saline solution a few times a day.

A second sleep study revealed that the nose mask left me with the problem of breathing through the mouth.

I tried using a chin strap to keep my mouth closed, but that didn't help much, though I only tried one type of strap. There are potentially better chin straps on the market that I have yet to try.

I switched to a nose and mouth full face mask. Full face CPAP masks require more adaption time because the masks must be on tighter to prevent air from escaping from the seams. The first several nights for me were interrupted by the bzzzzz sound of air escaping from the seams. Making the straps tighter then became uncomfortable. Getting to the right balance took time. Oh, the joys of severe sleep apnea!

After the right balance is achieved, the nose/mouth full face mask worked better in my situation. Each situation is different. This article discusses types of CPAP masks and how the masks are used.

View the article here about the different types of CPAP masks.

Personal Accounts of Sleep Studies and Sleep Apnea

Blogger Stevedawg provides a personal account about getting a sleep study done for testing of sleep apnea.

He tells of getting ready for a sleep study, doing the sleep study, and getting the diagnosis.

Blogger Brian also has sleep apnea and has written several personal accounts of his experiences here. He discusses doing the sleep study, trying different masks and challenges with mouth breathing.

In another sleep study account, patient Jack tells Action 3 News about his treatment here.