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Monthly Archives: May 2015

Smoking and Sleep Apnea

Smoking has several dangerous health impacts, including increasing your risk for developing sleep apnea.

It’s no secret that smoking can have a variety of detrimental effects on your health. But did you know that if you have sleep apnea, the effects of prolonged tobacco use can actually be more damaging and aggravate your sleep apnea?

Additionally, if you don’t have sleep apnea, smoking can actually increase your risk for developing the disorder. With that in mind, CPAPCentral.com is here to remind you of the effects that smoking can have on people with sleep apnea.

The Damages Smoking Causes

Sleep apnea is a condition that causes you to stop breathing for brief periods of time as you sleep. This can happen multiple times per night. In the case of obstructive sleep apnea, the muscles in your throat actually relax to block your airway. Smoking increases inflammation in your throat and upper airway. When this happens, there is already less space in your airway, which can cause you to develop sleep apnea, or worsen the condition if you already have the disorder.

Breathing Problems

Smoking is can greatly reduce the air capacity of your lungs. If you have been a smoker for an extended period of time, your lung capacity may be significantly reduced. Reduced lung capacity alone is a serious problem, which only becomes worse when combined with a condition like sleep apnea. This combination can put you at a greater risk for additional health problems such as COPD, heart disease, and stroke.

Quitting smoking can reduce your risk for developing sleep apnea or from having the condition worsen. Quitting isn’t easy, but there are medical professionals and support groups out there to help you. If you continue to struggle with sleep apnea after quitting smoking, CPAPCentral.com is here for you. We have CPAP machines, masks and cleaning supplies to make sure your therapy is as effective as it can be.

Recommit to Your CPAP Therapy

Many people have trouble adjusting to CPAP therapy, but there are ways for you to get back on track.

There are times when you may get frustrated with your CPAP therapy. In fact, many people stop their CPAP therapy at some point because they feel like it may not be working for them. This is especially common for new CPAP users who are having trouble adjusting to the changes that come with CPAP therapy and using a CPAP machine.

May is National Recommit Month, and CPAPCentral.com wants to bring you some tips to help you recommit to your CPAP. If you’ve stopped your CPAP therapy for any reason, now is the time to recommit, and these tips can help you do it.

Tip to Recommit: Strength in Numbers

There are millions of people in the United States that have been diagnosed with sleep apnea and that have undergone treatment using CPAP therapy. Do some research to see if there are any CPAP support groups in your area.

Tip to Recommit: Make Sure You’re Comfortable

One of the main reasons people stop their CPAP therapy is due to feeling uncomfortable. Whether it’s adjusting to the air that passes through your mouth and nose or getting used to sleeping with a mask on your face every night, treating sleep apnea will force you to change your sleeping habits. If a mask makes you feel uncomfortable, try some mask liners, mask strap pads or a CPAP pillow to help make you feel more comfortable as you sleep.

Tip to Recommit: A Clean CPAP is a Happy CPAP

Cleaning your CPAP machine and equipment is very important. If your equipment isn’t clean, neither is the air passing through it. If the air isn’t clean, you have an increased risk for getting sick, which may cause you to stop your therapy.

CPAPCentral.com has all the equipment to make sure your CPAP therapy is as successful as it can be. Come to us for a new CPAP machine or mask to get your CPAP therapy back on the right track.

How Much Sleep Should You Get

Getting enough sleep is critical to ensuring you’re well-rested and have enough energy for your day.

When it comes to making sure you have the energy to attack your day, it all starts with a good night’s sleep. But how much sleep should you be getting every night? What are the side effects of not getting a good night’s sleep? And, finally, what if you have a condition that prevents you from getting the sleep you need?

CPAPCentral.com wants you to be aware of the newly released findings of a study performed by the National Sleep Foundation to help you realize the important role sleep plays in your health.

Recommended Sleep Amounts

While the recommendations for adults between the ages of 26 and 64 didn’t change from the previous guidelines of seven to nine hours per night, the recommendations for seniors did. For the first time, sleep recommendations were made for those over the age of 65. Seniors should be getting seven to eight hours of sleep every night, according to the study.

Side Effects of a Poor Night’s Sleep

The statistics related to a poor night’s sleep are truly frightening. Every year, more than 100,000 traffic accidents, 75,000 injuries and 1,500 deaths are blamed on lack of sleep. Missing sleep has a cumulative effect, according to the Foundation, and missing a few hours of sleep each night has the same effect of staying up all night.

The Effects of Sleep Apnea

One of the key reasons millions Americans don’t get enough sleep is because they are dealing with undiagnosed sleep apnea, a condition that causes them to briefly stop breathing when they are asleep. Sleep apnea prevents you from getting to the deeper levels of sleep where you get the most rest. This can lead to a variety of issues, including high levels of exhaustion.

If sleep apnea is the reason behind your poor night’s sleep, CPAPCentral.com is here to help. We have CPAP machines to provide you with the air you need, masks to deliver the air and other accessories to make sure you’re comfortable as you use the machine every night to get the restful sleep you need.

What Your Snoring Means

Snoring can be a sign of sleep apnea, but what kind of snoring should you be looking for?

Whether you find yourself unable to sleep because your sleeping partner snores so loudly it keeps you awake, or you’ve been told that you snore, snoring can seem like a minor annoyance. However, depending on the kind of snoring you are experiencing, it could be a sign of a more serious issue.

It’s true that when most people think of sleep apnea, the first thing that comes to mind is a person who snores heavily. CPAPCentral.com is here to help you learn what snoring means, or perhaps more importantly, what it doesn’t mean. Let’s take a look at some myths and facts associated with snoring.

Myth #1: Everyone with Sleep Apnea Snores

It’s true that snoring is one of the most common symptoms associated with sleep apnea. What’s not true, however, is that snoring is the end-all, be-all indicator that someone has sleep apnea. The key to recognizing if snoring is a sign of sleep apnea is to examine the snoring. If the snoring is accompanied by gasping, or if the sleeper stops breathing briefly while snoring, it’s more likely an indicator of sleep apnea and should be addressed by a doctor.

Myth #2: People Who Don’t Snore Aren’t at Risk for Sleep Apnea

If you don’t snore, it doesn’t mean that you’re exempt from dealing with sleep apnea. One of the two main types of sleep apnea, known as Central Sleep Apnea, impacts millions of Americans and still requires the use of a CPAP machine. However, unlike the more common Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Central Sleep Apnea is less likely to be accompanied by snoring. If you wake up short of breath or gasping, you need to see a doctor.

Snoring is a common symptom of sleep apnea, but isn’t always an indication of a problem. Still, if you believe your snoring is causing problems with your breathing or you find yourself tired during the day, it is a good idea to see your doctor. If you are diagnosed with sleep apnea, CPAPCentral.com is here for you to provide CPAP machines, masks, and accessories to help improve your sleep.

Sleeping With Seasonal Allergies

There are several steps you can take to make sure spring allergies don’t affect your sleep therapy.

It’s springtime! And while we are all happy to see warmer weather, sunshine and blooming flowers, there are some aspects of spring that make it tougher to enjoy a deep breath of that warm, fresh air. We’re talking about spring allergies, one of the few drawbacks that come with the spring season.

Millions of individuals deal with the effects of spring allergies. This means stuffy noses, sneezing, sore throats, and puffy eyes. When you combine that with a sleep disorder like sleep apnea, it can make springtime sleep a challenge. CPAPCentral.com has some tips that help you manage spring allergies and sleep apnea, and we hope they’re helpful for you!

What To Do With Your CPAP Machine

There are several adjustments that you can make to your CPAP therapy that can help control the effects of spring allergies. First, make sure your CPAP machine is clean. Products like the SoClean 2 CPAP Cleaner and Sanitizer give your mask, tubing and humidifier a through daily cleaning, preventing buildup of mildew and pollen. You can also switch to a full face mask that allows you to breathe air through your mouth at the prescribed pressure. You may need a prescription for a full face mask, so check with your physician if you think this option might improve your sleep therapy experience.

Improve Your Home and Sleeping Environment

While we typically think of seasonal allergies affecting us when we’re outside, there are several things in your home that contribute to your allergies as well. Many of us keep plants in our homes, but once the weather warms, it’s probably a good time to take those plants outside. House plants serve as a great spot for mold and mildew to hang out, which makes your allergies worse. We also need to make sure outside air doesn’t get in. While it may nice to have a cool breeze blowing through an open window during the spring, leaving windows and doors open invites pollen indoors, making it easier for your allergies to flare up.

You should be enjoying the spring weather, but make sure you know how seasonal allergies impact you. CPAPCentral.com is here to offer you the cleaning supplies you need to make sure seasonal allergies don’t reduce the effectiveness of your sleep therapy.