At CPAP Central, we believe that the key to staying CPAP compliant is being armed with knowledge about sleep apnea. Unfortunately, there are many harmful myths out there that can keep people from remaining compliant. Here are a few:

Myth #1: All people who snore have sleep apnea.

While loud snoring can be a good indication of sleep apnea, there are millions of Americans who snore that do not have sleep apnea. Snoring can mean you may have sleep apnea, but a greater indication is if that snoring is accompanied with gasping or suddenly waking up feeling short of breath. If you do snore loudly, though, you should consult your doctor.

Myth #2: All people with sleep apnea snore                                                    

Just as it is true that not everyone who snores has sleep apnea, it is also true that not everyone with sleep apnea snores. There are two common types of sleep apnea: Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Central Sleep Apnea. Snoring is more common in obstructive sleep apnea, which causes the throat muscles to relax.

Myth #3: Only men get sleep apnea

While men tend to be the larger demographic of CPAP users, women can have sleep apnea as well. It’s estimated that close to 2 to 4 percent of middle-aged women have the condition. Because of this, it often goes undiagnosed in women, especially because some of the symptoms of sleep apnea can mimic those of menopause, including sleep problems and weight gain.  Women may also develop sleep apnea during pregnancy.

Myth #4: I’m not old enough to have sleep apnea

It’s true that sleep apnea tends to develop in middle-age, but even children can be diagnosed with it. If you’ve struggled with your weight, you’re at a higher risk of developing obstructive sleep apnea earlier in life.

Myth #5: Compliance isn’t that big of a deal

Left untreated, sleep apnea can lead to extreme daytime drowsiness, which can cause accidents behind the wheel and at work. It can also damage your cardiovascular system, which can lead to premature death.

CPAP Central is here to help you stay compliant. You don’t have to live with the repercussions of sleep apnea. You can find everything you need to treat it in our online catalog—you don’t even need a prescription for some of our CPAP masks!

Between your doctor and the specialists at the sleep lab, you may have been hearing a lot about REM and NREM sleep. Both are important to your sleep cycle, and sleep apnea’s interruption of them can be detrimental to your health. CPAP Central wants sleep, breathe, and live healthier, which is why we would like to educate you on the importance of NREM sleep.

NREM sleep refers to non-rapid eye movement sleep. Each stage of NREM can last five to 15 minutes as the cycle repeats itself.  Typically, your sleep cycle will begin with NREM and then turn into REM sleep.  Your body will go through the following stages as it enters deep sleep:

• Stage 1 – Sleep readings show that people in this stage start to fall asleep but can be easily awakened.  If you don’t get past this stage, you’ll feel as if you haven’t slept at all.  Stage 1 may last five to ten minutes and can be accompanied by sudden muscle contraction.
• Stage 2 – Light sleep takes place and sleep readings show intermittent peaks and valleys, or positive and negative waves.  These waves indicate spontaneous periods of muscle tone mixed with periods of muscle relaxation.  Body temperature and heart rate decrease and at this point the body prepares to enter deep sleep.
• Stage 3 – Deep sleep begins to take place.  Deep sleep with NREM sleep is known as slow-wave or delta sleep. If you wake up during this stage, you may feel disoriented for a few minutes.

NREM sleep accounts for 75-80% of total sleep time in adult humans.  While sleeping in a deep stage of NREM sleep, your body repairs and regenerates tissues, builds bones and muscles and appears to strengthen the immune system. Sleep apnea can rob you of that restorative deep sleep by constantly interrupting the NREM patterns.

Let CPAP Central help you get a great night’s rest! We have everything you need for sleep apnea therapy in our online catalog.

Halloween is just around the corner! If you’re still undecided about what you want to dress up as, CPAP Central would like to offer some suggestions that incorporate your old CPAP mask:

• Member of a S.W.A.T. team

Take an old CPAP mask and spray paint it black. Then, take a black jacket and use white duct tape to write out the words “S.W.A.T. Team” on the back. Pair it with black goggles, a black cap, black boot and black pants, and you’re ready to throw some tear gas and storm a building.

• Surgical patient

This one would be fun to pair with a friend or significant other. They can be the nurse or doctor, and you can be the surgical patient. If you have a CPAP hose lift system, you can incorporate that as an IV drip. All you’ll need is a hospital gown, which you can make out of an old sheet.

• An Anteater

If you have brown pants and a fuzzy jacket laying around, you can improvise an anteater costume. Carry around a box of raisins and eat them as “ants” throughout the night. Alternatively, you can wear a yellow sweater and blue jeans and go as the cartoon character “Arthur.”

• Darth Vader

Just like with the S.W.A.T. Team costume, you can use an abundance of black clothing to re-create the dark lord from Star Wars. You can even plug in your CPAP machine at some point to recreate the breathing noise.

We would like to emphasize that no matter what you decide to dress up as, it’s important to use an old CPAP mask. You wouldn’t want the one you currently use to become damaged or dirty over the course of the night. Since CPAP masks need to be replaced every 3-6 months, this is a good way to recycle a mask that’s past its prime.

CPAP Central wishes you a safe and fun Halloween!