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The Benefits of Using CPAP
If you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea, your doctor may recommend that you get a sleep apnea machine. Commonly known as a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine, this form of sleep therapy can reduce and even prevent the serious consequences that you could suffer as a result of your sleep apnea. What are the benefits of sleep apnea machines? Here are 5 of them: Reduced risk of heart disease: Because you stop breathing so many times during the night, your body undergoes changes in blood pressure, reducing your blood’s oxygen levels, which can severely strain your heart. Your sleep apnea machine keeps your airways open, allowing a continuous flow of oxygen, thereby reducing the extra work your heart must do. Reduced risk for a stroke: Using your CPAP machine also reduces your risk of stroke. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel is blocked or ruptures. Sleep apnea sufferers are 2 to 4 times more likely to experience a stroke. Decreased risk for diabetes: Did you know that using sleep apnea machines can also improve your sensitivity to insulin? Sleep apnea is related to insulin resistance, which is a factor in type 2 diabetes. Leaving it untreated increases your risk of getting this condition Increased concentration and alertness: Sleepiness and fatigue are two very common symptoms of sleep apnea. But by preventing the frequent wakeups, you will become better rested, resulting in increased overall alertness and concentration, beneficial for many daytime tasks such as driving. Decreased medical expenses: By improving your sleep, your overall health will improve. This can result in fewer appointments, fewer treatments, fewer medications, which can translate to fewer medical expenses as well. If you think you could have sleep apnea, schedule an appointment with your doctor. Get on the path to a healthy and well-rested life once again. Shop Reliable CPAP Machines
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For many people, the of spring signals new beginnings, growth – and the onset of allergy season. And if you have sleep apnea, then you could be dreading this season. However, there are a number of ways you can reduce some of the allergy symptoms that can affect your sleep apnea treatment. The nature of your allergy symptoms depends on where you live and your lifestyle. For example, everyday outdoor pollutants include city smog, car exhaust, dirt, pollen, newly mown grass, and industrial chemicals. Inside, perfumes, animal dander, dust, mold, cigarette smoke, and the fumes from chemical cleaners can affect you too. Outdoors and indoors – is there any help for your sleep apnea? Yes! Here are the top tips that can help your CPAP use even when you have spring allergies. Spring cleaning: After a winter huddled inside, it’s time to clean! Do extensive vacuuming and dusting, making sure to get under couches, on window ledges, and in little nooks and crannies you may forget about. Wear a mask to keep from breathing in the pollutants. Keep the outdoors outdoors: Fresh air is wonderful, but that air can also bring pollen indoors. At night, close your windows. During the day, avoid being outside if it is really windy, and dry your clothes in the dryer instead of using a clothes line. Minus the sinus: It is almost impossible to avoid breathing in pollen and other pollutants. If you get sinus congestion, apply a menthol rub at night, and consider using a saline rinse to flush out your nasal passages. Sleep tight: To help you get a good night’s sleep, keep your windows closed, wash your face, hair, and hands before bed to remove pollutants, and change your sheets and pillowcases frequently so that you don’t breathe in pollen when you slumber. Tip top CPAP: Finally, to keep your CPAP machine working well during the spring, it too needs some spring cleaning. Clean out your mask, tubes, and humidifier (if you have one), and replace your filter regularly. Not sure where to start? Explore All CPAP Products and Collections to find everything you need for better sleep therapy.
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When Snoring Gets Serious.
It doesn’t take long for regular old snoring to become quite annoying, particularly for someone who has to listen to it while trying to sleep. However, it is possible that that annoying snoring is actually indicative of a more serious health issue, which can be life-threatening. One such condition is sleep apnea. It can cause someone to experience pauses in their sleep repeatedly through the night. You could wake up, gasping for air. This can occur when the weight of your neck and upper chest restricts the flow of air through your airways. There are some basic and obvious signs that you may have sleep apnea. Snoring, feeling fatigued even after waking up, and constant irritability are some common symptoms. But there are other, more serious, symptoms that you should not ignore. For example, did you know that untreated sleep apnea can lead to high blood pressure? When your breathing stops throughout the night, the walls of your blood vessels can get damaged. This reduces the ability for your body to regulate your blood pressure. Over time, this can cause a ripple effect for other, more severe issues, such as extreme sleep deprivation, obesity, stroke, and heart disease. These are some serious health risks of sleep apnea that you cannot ignore. But there is treatment you can get to minimize these serious health consequences. In addition to losing weight, and limiting caffeine and alcohol intake, you can also get a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine. Using a mask that fits over your face and a tube, the machine sends a gentle pressure of air to keep your airways open while you sleep. You will get more oxygen to your body, get a better sleep, and slow down any serious side effects of many poor nights’ sleep. If you believe you could have a sleep disorder, make an appointment with your doctor right away. Take care of yourself, both while awake and asleep. It’s worth it. Discover the Smart Nora Snoring Solution
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Five Steps To Selecting the Right CPAP
After you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea, your doctor probably prescribed a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine to help you sleep at night. This machine sends a gentle stream of air through your airways to keep them open while you sleep. But there isn’t just one single type of CPAP machine. You need to choose masks, tubes, the actual machine, as well as any upgrades you can optionally add. So how do you find the one that’s perfect for you? Below are five steps to help you select the right one: Get a prescription: The first thing you need to do is get a prescription. This means being tested and diagnosed with sleep apnea by a medical professional. This typically involves a medical exam and most likely a sleep test. Your prescription will indicate the type of sleep device – such as a CPAP – that you need, as well as the proper pressure level for you. Shop around: While you may be inclined to get your CPAP from the clinic where you had your sleep test, your best bet is to shop around. But before you start, ask your insurance company about reimbursement. Then, talk to different suppliers about their prices, features, and options. If searching online, look for a company based in Canada and make sure they ask for your prescription. Find the right mask: After you have your prescription and have purchased your machine with the correct pressure, you need to find a mask that fits both properly and comfortably. You may need to try different brands and styles until you find the one you like. You could want several masks so that you can rotate among them to minimize pressure and irritation. The little extras: Some users are content with a basic CPAP while others prefer to have some extras. These can include a humidifier to alleviate dryness, battery backup, a device to reduce condensation in the tubes, or hose extensions for greater mobility. Ask your insurance company in case you can be reimbursed, but if not, ask vendors if they have deals or promotions. It could make your CPAP experience that much better. PAP therapy types: Even with the best CPAP, you just may not be able to find it comfortable enough to use. Instead, you may need to look into other machines such as APAP or BiPap to get the help you need. Save Big During the PAPSmart Fall Sale
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The Health Risks of Snoring
It happens to many of us: we snore. Often, it is purely situational, due to nasal congestion or sleeping in a wrong position. But consistent snoring can, over time, affect the quality of your sleep to the detriment of your health. What causes snoring? Simply, you will snore when the air you breathe through your nose or mouth is physically blocked in some way. Sleep apnea is one common condition that causes snoring, which causes you to have frequent interruptions of stopped breathing while you sleep. If you are a habitual snoring due to sleep apnea or other issues, you are at risk for a number of health problems, including: Poor sleep: With snoring or sleep apnea, the quality of your sleep is affected, either by interrupted sleep or only light sleeping. Chronic daytime fatigue and irritability: Poor sleeps will cause havoc with your wakeful times too. You may be irritable and tired all the time. This can lead to lack of focus for daily tasks, especially ones where you need to focus – like driving. Obesity: When you have a poor sleep, you have no energy during the day. And that, along with other related factors, will affect your desire to exercise, as well as your body’s metabolism. This can lead to obesity and its associated issues. Frequent headaches: When your body doesn’t get enough of a chance to recharge, it may signal that lack through frequent headaches. High blood pressure: Sleep apnea can be a cause of lower oxygen levels in your blood. This can be a factor in constricted blood vessels, which is a cause of higher blood pressure. Heart issues: That higher blood pressure can cause your heart to become enlarged. This leads to a higher risk of both heart attack and stroke. Snoring can be quite annoying, but if ignored, that snoring can lead to serious health issues. Make an appointment with your doctor to determine the cause of your snoring, and stop any side effects before they can take hold. Discover the Smart Nora Snoring Solution
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Sleepy All The Time? Find Out What Sleep Apnea Feels Like
One of the most common sleep disorders today is sleep apnea. This condition causes people to endure many breaks or pauses in their breathing while sleeping. Because it happens while asleep, many sufferers of sleep apnea may simply think that they are just the victims of poor sleeps, and nothing more. The issue is that, if left untreated, you can be subject to more severe health consequences, such as high blood pressure, stroke, and more. So how do you know if you have sleep apnea rather than just a bad sleep? What does it feel like to have sleep apnea? Maybe these following points describe you: You are always sleepy: You often go to bed early and get at least 7 hours of sleep. So why are you still tired all the time? While you think your sleep is uninterrupted, sleep apnea causes you to wake up many times at night, leaving you chronically fatigued, never refreshed. You could have trouble focusing on daily tasks, and you maybe even doze off at unfortunate times. You often wake up with a headache: A very common symptom of sleep apnea is having many headaches, especially after just waking up. Sleep apnea reduces the amount of oxygen to your blood vessels that lead to your brain, causing vascular headaches, even after a supposed good sleep. Cranky, irritable, or depressed: Living with sleep apnea will likely cause you to become very cranky, irritable, and over time, clinically depressed. Losing sleep each night, every night reduces the quality of your sleep, which, in turn, affects your mood. Are you short-tempered, anxious, or have mood swings? It could sleep apnea. If you have experienced the above symptoms consistently, you could have a sleep disorder like sleep apnea. To get a better night’s sleep, ask your doctor about your symptoms to see what treatment options are right for you. Get back to your old self again! Discover the Smart Nora Snoring Solution
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Humidifiers Demystified
When you suffer from sleep apnea, a surefire solution is getting a CPAP machine. With its pump, mask, and tubes, the device sends air continuously along the tube into your mask, which keeps your airways open throughout the night. And that means a great night’s sleep. However, there may also be issues with sleep apnea machines. That increased airflow certainly improves your sleep, but depending on the brand and your body’s reaction, you can encounter some problems. These include increased mucus production, congestion, sneezing, and dryness. If left untreated, you could even suffer from bleeding, which in turn could lead to infection. And that would definitely affect your sleep! The answer? Using a humidifier. And you can choose the one that is right for you. For example, some humidifiers attach directly to sleep apnea machines, some can be integrated with your CPAP, while others are stand-alone machines. Regardless of the type, the humidifiers are small and relatively unobtrusive. How does it work? The idea is that the humidifier adds moisture to the air that is being sent into your airways to reduce the dryness, and therefore the other symptoms that come along with dryness. Some machines also heat the moisture. You can control the amount of humidity that you receive to ensure that you get the best sleep possible. As with any machine, your CPAP humidifier requires some basic maintenance. For instance, you need to use distilled water only, which helps prevents mineral buildup and keeps your humidifier stay safe and clean. You also need to rinse out the chamber every morning. If you find that your CPAP machine is causing excessive dryness, a humidifier can help. Look for the type that is right for you, and get a good night’s sleep every night. Shop Reliable CPAP Machines
Learn more about Humidifiers DemystifiedWays to Treat Sleep Apnea
However elusive, getting a good night’s sleep is a crucial part of your health and well-being. If you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea, then you know how difficult getting a quality sleep can be. If lifestyle changes, such as losing weight and cutting back on alcohol, have not had the effect you were hoping for, then your next step is get a machine to help you. Most of us have heard of a CPAP machine, but there is another type that also addresses sleep apnea, and that is the BiPAP. CPAP versus BiPAP. Both treat sleep apnea by using gentle pressure to move air through your airway, which reduces the breaks in your sleep. But which machine should you get? What are the differences? Here are some basics of both types of sleep apnea machines. What is CPAP? Continuous Positive Airway Pressure, or CPAP, is a very common treatment for sleep apnea. A machine sends a single pressure stream of air through a tube to a mask that you wear over your mouth and/or nose to keep your airways open while you sleep. What is BiPAP? Bilevel (or two-level) Positive Airway Pressure, or BiPAP, also sends air from the machine to your airways. The difference is that BiPAP sends two pressures – an inhale pressure and an exhale pressure. The reason for the two pressures is to remove any extra carbon dioxide gas from your body. BiPAP is often suggested when CPAP is not working as well as could be for the user, or for people who have lung issues, such as COPD. On the other hand, because its technology is newer, BiPAP tends to be more expensive at the moment. Which Should You Use? As with anything, the machine that is better for you really depends on you, your health, and your comfort. Ask your doctor for suggestions. After all, your sleep depends on it. Discover the Smart Nora Snoring Solution
Learn more about Ways to Treat Sleep ApneaUnderstanding CPAP
If you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea, you may wonder what your treatment options are. If you have already made lifestyle changes with little to no success, your next choice may be to get a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine. You may be concerned about what it is and how it works; after all, with tubes, a mask, and the machine itself, being able to get a good night’s sleep could seem impossible. But once you understand the components of sleep apnea machines, that elusive sleep is actually just around the corner. The goal of your CPAP machine is to send a gentle yet constant stream of air through your airways to keep your throat from collapsing, which disrupts your sleep. To do this, your CPAP consists of the following major parts: The motor: The motor of sleep apnea machines is a small compressor that draws in air and adds light pressure to clear any obstruction in our airways while you breathe. The air intake component has a filter, which you can replace, that screens out particulates. More modern machines have humidifiers to moisten the air to prevent dryness. Best of all, the motor is very quiet – you may forget it is even on! The hose: The hose delivers the pressurized air from the motor to the mask that you wear. While the diameter of the hose can vary based on the machine, most hoses are about 6 feet long. The mask: To get the air into your body, you need to wear a mask. To promote comfort, you can find masks in different sizes and shapes to fit most variations in facial size. There are three main types of mask: nasal pillows, nasal masks, and masks for your entire face. You may need to try several different masks until you find the one that gives you the best sleep. Once you have a CPAP machine, the most important factor is using it! It may look daunting, but as with everything, once you start using it, you will get used to it. Not using it can actually cause your symptoms to come back. Get acquainted with your CPAP machine, and you will begin to feel well rested sooner than you realize. Shop CPAP Supplies and Accessories
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