Tag: CPAP

Improve your CPAP therapy: 5 expert tips

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Once you’ve got a routine down, CPAP therapy can be pretty easy. But can you improve your CPAP therapy with some minor tweaks? CPAP therapy benefits millions of people who suffer from Sleep Apnea. For some, it’s a difficult adjustment. For others, it quickly becomes second nature. Regardless, CPAP therapy can reduce snoring and eliminate most apneas. As a result, you get the healthy, restorative sleep your body needs!

Whether you’re new to CPAP therapy or have been on a CPAP for years, it never hurts to get some new tricks. Here are a few simple but essential tips to help maintain or improve your CPAP therapy:

  1. Clean your mask! It only takes a few minutes, but cleaning your CPAP mask in the morning when you wake up removes oils that transfer from your face to your mask. 
  2. Clean your tubing! Simply hold the tubing in a u-shape and pour in some warm soapy water. Then, lift and lower each end to get the soapy water moving around the tube’s entire length, thoroughly cleaning the inside.
  3. Use those filters! Don’t use a CPAP machine without the filters. Filters play a crucial role in maintaining the life of your CPAP machine. Most devices have two kinds of filters: foam and ultra-fine. Use them both! Having clean filters means that whenever you take a breath, you’ll be receiving good clean air. 
  4. Order your supplies at the frequency recommended by your insurance guidelines. This will help you get the best therapy possible! While your supplies might look okay after a lot of use, after time, the materials start breaking down — and not always in ways visible to the naked eye. When your supplies begin to break down, your therapy will not be as effective. 
  5. Take charge of your therapy. If it feels like your CPAP therapy isn’t working, or isn’t working like it used to, do something about it! Do your supplies need to be replaced? Have your physical needs changed? 

Tiny tweaks to improve your CPAP therapy can make sure you’re getting the most out of it. Remember, you can always call Sleep Central for advice. We’re here to help you get the most out of your CPAP therapy!

Drowsy Driving and your CPAP: Asleep at the Wheel

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What do the Chernobyl nuclear accident, the Exxon Valdez oil spill, and nearly 100,000 police-reported car crashes every year have in common? Sleep deprivation and fatigue. Drowsy driving and sleepiness are common causes of both traffic crashes and workplace accidents. The cost of people not getting enough sleep is billions of dollars a year. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control has declared insufficient sleep to be a public health problem. 

Sleepiness associated with untreated obstructive sleep apnea is a common cause of drowsy driving. A recent study found that 2-3% of drivers are habitually sleepy while driving. In another survey, 4% of respondents reported falling asleep while driving during the previous month. It’s common for sleep apnea patients to report fatigue — or even falling asleep — while driving. 

One study published by the American Thoracic Society journal explored whether patients with sleep apnea were at increased risk for drowsy driving. They found that habitually sleepy drivers were over 13 times more likely to have an accident. People involved in car crashes were 8.5 times more likely to have moderate to severe sleep apnea.

Studies also show that drowsy driving is an all-too-common problem in commercial drivers. This can come from two factors: sleep deprivation from long hours and the challenges of sleeping on the road, and an increased incidence of sleep apnea compared with the general population. Commercial drivers with sleep apnea may have to provide evidence of treatment to retain their license.

A landmark trial highlighted this issue. In this case, a truck driver pleaded guilty to two cases of vehicular homicide. The driver had a sleep apnea diagnosis but refused to use his CPAP machine as prescribed. The crash took two lives and the driver was sentenced to six months in jail.

The message is clear: follow your physician’s prescription for treatment if you have sleep apnea. Reduce daytime sleepiness by using your CPAP as prescribed. Healthy sleep will help you be better-rested and safer on the road.