As you find yourself caught up in the mad dash of holiday shopping, baking and traveling, somewhere in the back of your mind, you may find yourself worrying about one thing: those New Year’s Resolutions.

 

It’s not quite time to start making them yet, but it’s coming up fast. Only 8 percent of people who make them end up meeting their goals. Maybe you’ve been one of the lucky ones in the past, but more than likely, you’re one of the 92 percent who aren’t able to follow all the way through.

 

Many people make the resolution to lose weight, eat healthier and exercise more. We applaud all that, and want to help you stick to those goals as much as possible.  This year, CPAP Central would like you to commit to better sleep by doing the following things:

 

Hygiene

 

In an earlier blog this month, we addressed what good sleep hygiene is. This term has little to do with cleanliness and more to do with good habits that can enable you to get the most out of your shut-eye. If you aren’t yet following these tips, now would be a good time to start!

 

Stop Smoking

 

While smoking brings with it a slew of other health problems, interfering with your sleep is one of them. Tobacco products can speed up your heart rate, making it harder to wind down at the end of the day. Commit to stop smoking with tools that can be found on the Smokefree.gov website.

 

Stay CPAP Compliant

 

Many people struggle when they first start their sleep apnea therapy. If this is you, CPAP Central is here to help! We can connect you with the right equipment to help you succeed. We’re available Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. EST on our live chat, and can walk you through purchasing the right items.

 

At CPAP Central, we love helping people sleep better! What are your tips to getting a better night’s rest?

 

 

Forget counting sheep—if you’re not following a good nighttime regiment, then you’re not going to wake up feeling rested. Sleep experts call this sleep hygiene. While the name may conjure up images of going to bed after getting a good scrub in the shower, it actually refers to a series of recommended habits to ensure you’re getting the most out of your nightly rest. Below are some of the top practices to follow for good sleep hygiene:

Turn off the screens

We know, there’s the last minute text to send, the email you need to check, the online shopping to do, the show to catch up on… but what all these screens are doing is telling your subconscious brain that there’s still light out, and therefore it is still daytime. And since it’s still daytime, your subconscious brain thinks you should still be awake, so your body releases the chemicals it needs to stave off sleep. Stop looking at screens an hour before you go to bed.

Watch what you consume

While you might enjoy the sleepy feeling that a glass of wine gives you before you drift off, it might actually be keeping you up! Alcohol prevents your body from going into a deep sleep, therefore keeping you from feeling restful when you wake up. It can also cause you to wake up in the middle of the night and be unable to go back to sleep. Caffeine is just as bad, if not worse. For optimal sleep, stop drinking caffeine around 6 hours before you go to bed and stop drinking alcohol 2 hours before bed.

Go to bed at the same time every night

With some work schedules this can be almost impossible, but this really is the ideal way to get the most amount of sleep. Your body will naturally default to getting sleepy and waking at the same time and has to adjust every time you change this. Even staying up late on a Friday night can throw off your rhythms.

Create the ideal environment

This means having a completely dark room. Heavy, light-blocking curtains can help with this. If you have a digital clock, make sure you turn it so that it doesn’t face you. Keep the room temperature to about 65 degrees. Studies have shown people sleep better in a cooler environment.

If you are still having trouble sleeping after following these steps, it may be time to have a sleep study performed—chances are, you may even have a medical condition that keeps you from getting enough rest at night, such as sleep apnea. We carry a wide variety of items to help mitigate sleep apnea, including CPAP machines.

It’s that time of year again! Your plane tickets are bought, you’ve been approved for time off from work and you’re putting together a list of everything you’ll need when you go to visit relatives this holiday season.

 

There’s just one problem… last year, your spouse didn’t get to pack as much as they would like because their carry-on was cluttered with their CPAP equipment. From hoses and masks to the bulky machine itself, it just turned into a mess.

 

Luckily, this time of year is also a gift-buying one, and when it comes to CPAP therapy, big things really do come in small packages! CPAP Central has the perfect solutions to your traveling woes—the Airmini and the Dreamstation Go:

 

Airmini.

 

The Airmini by Resmed is your perfect traveling companion. Weighing less than a pound, this travel PAP machine can fit in the palm of your hand. It features a waterless humidifier that allows your loved one to experience comfortable sleep apnea therapy without the added bulk.

 

The Airmini can be controlled via an app, and has mask setup packs that can make the transition to this machine seamless.

 

Dreamstation Go.

The Dreamstation Go is the younger sibling of the Dreamstation by Respironics. With the Dreamstation already being one of our top sellers, we know that your loved one will enjoy the travel version of this CPAP machine!

 

Featuring a built-in power supply and an optional battery, this CPAP machine is truly portable enough to use on even long flights! It uses Bluetooth to track and monitor your loved one’s results, and the DreamMapper App to track progress.

 

 

CPAP Central wants to make sure you get your loved one the best possible gift to help with their CPAP therapy. Contact us to learn how we can help make your CPAP therapy gift into a reality today.

 

It’s the holidays, which means you’ll be seeing family members you haven’t seen in a while. This is also the time of year when you may start to notice health changes in your elderly relatives. One condition that becomes more common as we age is sleep apnea. Today, we’re going to address how you can identify if your older loved one should be tested for it:

1. Snoring – This, being one of the most common symptoms, is one to keep your eye out for. It is especially concerning when your snoring becomes so loud it disrupts you or others, or when it is spaced out between a long period of silence.
2. Physical and mental exhaustion – Sleep apnea causes your sleeping pattern to become sporadic and unfulfilling which eventually begins affecting your waking life as well. This can further lead to a lack of attention and difficulty performing everyday tasks.
3. Changes in mood – Since those with sleep apnea are not getting the proper rest they need, it is possible to experience mood swings. Those affected can be more easily irritated and have heightened aggression. The lack of sleep may also cause those affected to feel anxious, sad, and at times depressed.
4. Waking Up Frequently- Those with sleep apnea will often have their rest interrupted frequently. Waking up happens abruptly and is accompanied at times by shortness of breath.

Although these are all great signs to point you in the right direction, not everyone afflicted by sleep apnea will display these symptoms. Seniors who already suffer from problems with their heart and central nervous system have a higher risk of developing central sleep apnea, another variety of senior sleep apnea that largely affects those over age 50.

If you suspect that you or a loved one may have sleep apnea, seek treatment immediately with your physician. CPAP Central can also help. We can supply your loved one with everything they need to address this condition.