Archive for the ‘Education’ Category

I got some information back on a discussion the other day that I thought I would share with everyone.  I was providing some information on my diagnosis, what numbers meant, etc to a friend who is a professor at my Alma mater Jamestown College.  Dr. Dana Wallace, Ph.D., was kind enough to send back some information in return.  (I had given her some stats on my REM sleep from my sleep study and said I knew it there was more in depth information, but didn’t have that at hand.)

Here is what she sent back:

Of special interest is the decreased REM sleep.  Below I’ve attached some information on the power of sleep

• Sleep Keeps Us Safe
  • Predators sleep more than prey
• Sleep Restores Our Bodies
  • Growth hormone (GH) (this is watch helps you grow as a kid, build muscle mass, and helps your immune system)
  • Compromise between amount of energy collected and expended
    • More energy spent = more sleep
  • Sleep Helps Us Remember
    • Active role in consolidation of memories
  • Benefits of NREM Sleep
    • Restorative function of sleep
  • Benefits of REM Sleep
    • Increases after learning has taken place
    • Role in brain development
    • REM rebound (basically means elevated mood once you start catching up on REM sleep)

You also will probably notice less muscle aches and joints pain as that is a common complaint with less Stage 4 non-REM sleep.   You also probably saw losses in your concentration, motivation levels, and perception abilities prior to treatment.  I would say that the biggest health risks would boil down to the decreased immune system functioning.  The minute you start messing with immune balance that increases heart disease risk factors.

In this part we will be looking at how sleep apnea is treated.

Part 5 of 5 – Sleep Apnea Education series

Today, lets look at living with sleep apnea from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute.

I was prescribed a CPAP machine..  During my sleep study different air pressures were tested and my sleep Dr set a pressure of 7cmH2O.

As far as living with it goes, both the article and what I have learned so both mention rechecking in with your health care provider from time to time.  After 2 weeks on the CPAP machine, I ran my data card in and they will review that with the doctor to see how treatment is progressing and if any changes need to be made.

The next challenge I am going to have with adjusting to living with a CPAP is travel.  I travel occasionally for work, and have a trip coming up in a couple of weeks.  So I will have to make some adjustments there.  As a frequent traveler, I will have to adjust my routine to account for carrying on a CPAP machine.  (I will blog about my results here.)

See other Education articles on Hosehead Life.  (Including all 5 parts of this Sleep Apnea Education series.)

In this part we will be looking at how sleep apnea is treated.

Part 4 of 5 – Sleep Apnea Education series

Today, lets look at how sleep apnea is treated from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute.

Goals of Treatment

The goals of treating obstructive sleep apnea are to:
Restore regular breathing during sleep
Relieve symptoms such as loud snoring and daytime sleepiness

Remember in a previous part we looked why not seeking treatment can be a risky proposition with long range effects.

Specific Types of Treatment

Lifestyle changes, mouthpieces, breathing devices, and/or surgery are used to treat sleep apnea. Currently, there are no medicines to treat sleep apnea.

If you have sleep apnea, talk to your doctor or sleep specialist about the treatment options that are most appropriate for your specific condition.

Lifestyle changes and/or mouthpieces may be enough to relieve mild sleep apnea. People who have moderate or severe sleep apnea may need breathing devices or surgery.

The full article covers the varies types of treatment.  Seeing this is a Hosehead blog I will focus on just Continuous Positive Air Pressure (or CPAP) treatment.

Breathing Devices

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the most common treatment for moderate to severe sleep apnea in adults. A CPAP machine uses a mask that fits over your mouth and nose, or just over your nose. The machine gently blows air into your throat.

The air presses on the wall of your airway. The air pressure is adjusted so that it’s just enough to stop the airways from becoming narrowed or blocked during sleep.

This is the treatment I was prescribed.  During my sleep study different air pressures were tested and my sleep Dr set a pressure of 7cmH2O.

See other Education articles on Hosehead Life.  (Including all 5 parts of this Sleep Apnea Education series.)

In this part we will be looking at how sleep apnea is diagnosed.

Part 3 of 5 – Sleep Apnea Education series

Today, lets look at how sleep apnea is diagnosed from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute.

How Is Sleep Apnea Diagnosed?

Doctors diagnose sleep apnea based on your medical and family histories, a physical exam, and results from sleep studies. Usually, your primary care doctor evaluates your symptoms first. He or she then decides whether you need to see a sleep specialist.

These specialists are doctors who diagnose and treat people with sleep problems. Such doctors include lung, nerve, or ear, nose, and throat specialists. Other types of doctors also can be sleep specialists.

That is how I finally came to my formal diagnosis.  I went to my primary doctor for chronic sinus infections which tend to compound my already bad snoring problems.  She then referred me to an ENT specialist who had me get a sinus CT scan.  Surprisingly, (to me at least) the Sinus CT scan came back 100% normal.  (I was anticipating sinus surgery.)  From there we discovered I had two issues instead of one.  Allergies causing sinus issues and possible sleep issues.

For the now unrelated snoring issues the ENT specialist signed me up for a sleep study.

Sleep Studies

A sleep study is the most accurate test for diagnosing sleep apnea. It captures what happens with your breathing while you sleep.

A sleep study is often done in a sleep center or sleep lab, which may be part of a hospital. You may stay overnight in the sleep center.

The sleep study was interesting and was something I was able to do right in Jamestown.  Consulted with a sleep specialist from Fargo and set up a date/time for an overnight study.  (She also ordered a thyroid blood test to check for issues there, but that came back normal.)  For the overnight stay, the staff was really friendly and helpful.  Got hooked up to something around a million sensors (ok not quite that many), read a book for a while, and then went to sleep.

Sometime during the night I met whatever the criteria is to try CPAP treatment.  They first tried a full face mask, but leaked too much air.  (Possibly because of my goatee.)  So switched to a nasal mask.  In the morning when unhooking me I was told I will get a diagnosis from the Dr, but I did seem to do better on air.

Short version of the what happened next is eventually the sleep Dr reviewed the results and prescribed CPAP treatment for my now diagnosed Obstructive Sleep Apnea.  (This happened after visiting the original ENT specialist who confirmed the diagnosis, but apparently I didn’t need to see.

See other Education articles on Hosehead Life.  (Including all 5 parts of this Sleep Apnea Education series.)

Continuing the education series, lets look at the risks of untreated sleep apnea.  I might be relatively young at age 27, but I know I have had the symptoms for a long time.  (Any of my old college roommates can vouch for that one!)

Part 2 of 5 - Sleep Apnea Education series

What will happen to me if I don’t do anything to treat my sleep apnea?  Will I get sick? Could I die?

This was another good question from the forums.  Mayo Clinic has an article on this:

Cardiovascular problems. Sudden drops in blood oxygen levels that occur during sleep apnea increase blood pressure and strain the cardiovascular system. Almost half of all people with sleep apnea develop high blood pressure (hypertension), which raises the risk of heart failure and stroke. If there’s underlying heart disease, these repeated multiple episodes of low blood oxygen (hypoxia or hypoxemia) can lead to sudden death from a cardiac event

Daytime fatigue. People with sleep apnea often experience severe daytime drowsiness, fatigue and irritability. They may have difficulty concentrating and find themselves falling asleep at work, while watching TV or even when driving. People with obstructive sleep apnea are three to five times more likely to have car accidents.

Complications with medications and surgery. People with sleep apnea may be more likely to experience complications following major surgery because they’re prone to breathing problems, especially when sedated and lying on their backs. Before you have surgery, inform your doctor that you have sleep apnea.

Sleep-deprived partners. Loud snoring can keep those around you from getting good rest and eventually disrupt your relationships. It’s not uncommon for a partner to go to another room, or even on another floor of the house, to be able to sleep. Many bed partners of people who snore are sleep deprived as well.

If you are wondering if you might have sleep apnea – take the Snore Score Quiz!

See other Education articles on Hosehead Life.  (Including all 5 parts of this Sleep Apnea Education series.)

As part of blogging about my Obstructive Sleep Apnea treatment, I am doing to do an education series on this blog.

Part 1 of 5 - Sleep Apnea Education series

Today, lets look at what sleep apnea is from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute.

What Is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is a common disorder in which you have one or more pauses in breathing or shallow breaths while you sleep.

Breathing pauses can last from a few seconds to minutes. They often occur 5 to30 times or more an hour. Typically, normal breathing then starts again, sometimes with a loud snort or choking sound.

Sleep apnea usually is a chronic (ongoing) condition that disrupts your sleep 3 or more nights each week. You often move out of deep sleep and into light sleep when your breathing pauses or becomes shallow.

This results in poor sleep quality that makes you tired during the day. Sleep apnea is one of the leading causes of excessive daytime sleepiness.

The rest of the article covers a bit more in depth description including a short video.

Untreated sleep apnea can:

*high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, obesity, and diabetes
*Increase the risk for or worsen heart failure
*Make irregular heartbeats more likely
*Increase the chance of having work-related or driving accidents

Lifestyle changes, mouthpieces, surgery, and/or breathing devices can successfully treat sleep apnea in many people.

See other Education articles on Hosehead Life.  (Including all 5 parts of this Sleep Apnea Education series.)