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Monthly Archives: September 2015

Sleep Apnea and Seniors

Sleep Apnea is becoming more common among older adults. Here’s what you need to know.

September is Healthy Aging Month. At CPAPCentral.com, we know that sleep plays a huge role in your overall health. Getting enough sleep can give you the energy you need to get through the day and improve your body’s overall performance. Sleep becomes even more important as we age, because our bodies naturally lose the energy that was once so abundant with younger age.

Sleep disorders like sleep apnea affect people of all ages, but can have a more profound impact on seniors. In fact, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine recently conducted a study showing that 20 percent of older adults are affected by sleep apnea. There have even been studies showing a possible link between sleep apnea and Alzheimer’s disease. To help seniors with sleep apnea, CPAPCentral.com brings you these management tips.

Know What Symptoms to Look for

While there is no one symptom that automatically indicates sleep apnea, there are signs to watch out for. Chief among these symptoms is snoring, especially snoring that is accompanied by gasping or long periods between breathing. Other symptoms to watch out for include daytime drowsiness, a lethargic attitude, mood changes, and waking up frequently at night.

See a Doctor

No one likes going to the doctor, but if you’re experiencing symptoms associated with a sleep disorder, it’s time to make an appointment. Be honest about your symptoms so your doctor has as much information as possible to make a diagnosis. You may be asked to complete a sleep test, which can be conducted in a lab or at home, to get a more definitive diagnosis.

Embrace CPAP Therapy

Sleep apnea treatment has become much more effective in recent years, thanks in large part to advances made in CPAP therapy, which helps make sure air is passing through your airway while you sleep if you have sleep apnea. CPAP therapy can help relieve the symptoms of sleep apnea and make sure you’re well-rested so you have the energy to do the things you love.

CPAPCentral.com is here for patients of all ages who have been diagnosed with sleep apnea. We offer a wide variety of CPAP machines, CPAP masks and other accessories to make sure your treatment is effective. Contact us to learn more.

Presidents with Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea can be made worse by stress. And being President of the United States is about as stressful as it gets.

Sleep apnea can be made worse by stress. Being President of the United States is about as stressful as it gets.

There may be not be a more stressful job in the entire world than that of the President of the United States. For the individuals who serve as president, sleep is a need that often goes unmet. In fact, there are several presidents that experienced sleep disorders, which makes their job even more difficult. Today, CPAPCentral.com is going to focus on the Commanders In Chief who lived with sleep apnea.

William Howard Taft

William Howard Taft served as America’s 27^th president, and was the heaviest man to hold the office. The stress of the job, combined with his excessive weight, made Taft a prime candidate for sleep apnea, specifically obstructive sleep apnea. Obesity is among the leading risk factors for sleep apnea. Despite his sleep apnea, Taft served as president for four years and eventually returned to public service to become the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court.

Theodore Roosevelt

While best known for his service in the Spanish-American War and building up the National Park System, Teddy Roosevelt was also likely to have suffered from sleep apnea. While he was never officially diagnosed, the 26^th U.S. president showed several of the tell-tale symptoms associated with sleep apnea, including loud snoring and weight gain.

Grover Cleveland

Serving as both the 22^nd and 24^th U.S. President, Grover Cleveland is the only president to serve two terms that weren’t consecutive. Like Teddy Roosevelt, Cleveland was never diagnosed with sleep apnea, but showed many symptoms associated with the sleep disorder, including loud snoring, obesity, and having a thick neck.

These former presidents didn’t have the benefit of modern medicine or living in an era where CPAP machines were around to help treat their sleep apnea. Luckily, we’ve come a long way over the years. CPAPCentral.com has PAP machines, masks and comfort supplies to make sure that your sleep apnea is treated effectively, and with greater success than these former leaders of the free world.

Knowledge is Power: Sleeping Disorders

There are other sleep disorders beyond sleep apnea, and they impact millions of people every night.

At CPAPCentral.com we’ve got you covered when it comes to information about sleep apnea and providing you with the CPAP supplies you need. However, sleep apnea is just one of many sleep disorders that impact people across the world when they try to sleep.

Whether you’re having trouble falling asleep, sleeping too much, or facing another sleep disorder, CPAPCentral.com wants to make sure you have as much information as possible about various sleep disorders so you can receive effective treatment.

Insomnia

Among the most common sleep disorders, insomnia’s main symptom is extreme difficulty falling asleep. When we don’t get enough sleep, it can lead to a wide range of side effects, including taking away our energy and disturbing our focus. This leads to a change in mood and can also affect performance at work and quality of life. Insomnia has a wide range of treatments, which can include everything from medication to providing patients with education on proper sleeping habits like controlling stimulus before sleep, setting a regular sleep schedule and performing relaxation techniques before bed.

Narcolepsy

You can think of narcolepsy as the polar opposite of insomnia. Narcolepsy causes excessive drowsiness and can force people to suddenly fall asleep. This is a chronic condition with no known cure that can wreak havoc on your daily routine. Additionally, narcolepsy may lead to other sleep disorders. Common forms of treatment for narcolepsy include medications that stimulate the nervous system and reduce REM sleep and making lifestyle changes like starting a sleep schedule, avoiding alcohol, and exercising regularly.

Restless Leg Syndrome

The name really says it all with restless leg syndrome, also known as RLS. The main symptom for RLS is people will experience an urge to move their legs while their lying down. This urge can be painful and can occur any time your legs are at rest, whether your lying in bed or sitting in a chair. Treating RLS is all about managing symptoms through measures like limiting caffeine and alcohol, and creating an exercise plan. RLS can also be a result of vitamin deficiency and symptoms can be made worse by prescriptions and over-the-counter medications.

If you are experiencing any symptoms related to these three conditions, please make an appointment to see your doctor. During your appointment, it’s important to share as much information with your doctor as possible so you can receive an effective treatment plan.

Relaxation Techniques to Help you Sleep

Falling asleep can be tough, so use these tip to help yourself get in the right frame of mind for sleeping.

If you have sleep apnea, falling asleep can be hard enough, especially if you’re not using CPAP equipment to help treat your sleep disorder. But, even if you use your CPAP equipment the way you’re supposed to, sometimes falling asleep can be a difficult task. CPAPCentral.com knows that from time to time, we all have a little trouble sleeping, and we’re here to help you find a solution that is more reliable than counting sheep.

Give Yourself Time to Get in a Sleepy Mood

For many of us, the day doesn’t end as soon as we walk out of the office at quitting time. You have to drive home, make dinner, spend time with your family, and sometimes do even more work once you get home. We’re used to doing things right up to the moment we go to bed. Instead, in the half hour before bedtime, give yourself time to relax in dim lighting.

Turn of the TV

Even when you are not be doing something stressful, like work, balancing your checkbook or paying the bills, you could still be preventing sleep. Watching TV and surfing the Internet on your computer or smartphone may seem like a harmless distraction, but it keeps your wheels turning and distracts you from sleeping. Turn of the electronics before you go to bed.

Relaxing in Bed

You want to be comfortable when you fall asleep. We don’t think about it very often, but there is a lot that goes into making sure you’re comfortable in bed. Start by finding a sleeping position that creates very little tension and allows you to relax. Once you’ve got your sleeping position, concentrate on your breathing to make sure you’re taking slower, deeper breaths. If you’re focusing on your breathing, you’re not as focused on the distractions of the day.

Following these suggestions can help you fall asleep faster. If you do have sleep apnea and use a CPAP machine, you may also want to consider these comfort supplies from CPAPCentral.com to help make sure you’re as comfortable as possible while you sleep.