Using a CPAP machine during the winter can be downright miserable at times. The dry air can make you wake up with an itchy throat and irritated nasal passageways. The chill can have the opposite effect, giving you a runny nose or making you feel stuffed-up. Then there’s the upper-respiratory infections that seem to be everywhere this time of year.

CPAP Central is here to help. Today, we would like to offer you three ways you can combat the CPAP winter blues:

• Humidity is your friend

While humidity can be associated with negative things such as mold and damaged household goods, in the winter time it can be a CPAP user’s best friend. It can eliminate those sore throats and dry noses that you experience during the dead of winter. If your CPAP machine doesn’t come with a humidifier, chances are you’ll be able to add one to it.

• Heat the air up.

This is also where humidity can come into play. When the air is cold, your nose will do its best to warm it up before it enters your lungs. This means more blood will go to your nasal passages, since the blood makes things warmer. Unfortunately, additional blood will also encourage mucus production, leaving you stuffed-up.

A heated humidifier combats this by making sure the air coming in from your CPAP machine is already warm by the time it hits your nose. Sometimes, though, the air becomes cooled again as it travels up your tube, causing a rainout effect. Heated tubing will mitigate this.

• Don’t stop using your CPAP machine if you’re sick.

We know it can be miserable to use your CPAP machine when you’re sick, but you can actually prolong your illness if you stop. Your body needs rest to fight infections, and if your sleep is interrupted by OSA, you’re not going to get adequate sleep. You can also agitate some symptoms further by not using your CPAP machine.

At CPAP Central, we want your sleep apnea therapy to be as pleasant as possible. Stop by our online catalog today to see our full line of humidifiers, heated tubes and CPAP comfort items.

With the New Year fully underway, CPAP Central wants you to make a commitment to be more compliant with your sleep apnea therapy. Since this is one of the top things CPAP users struggle with, we thought we would help you by breaking it down into the five Cs of CPAP success:

1. Communication. To be successful with CPAP therapy, constant communication is necessary with your doctor and CPAP Central. Having a problem with your machine or supplies? Never hesitate to get in contact with us. We are available by live chat on our website Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., EST. It is our goal to provide you top notch products and service.
2. Cleaning. A CPAP machine and supplies cannot always function properly if they are not clean. That’s why we have a wide variety of cleaning products in our online catalog. One of the must-haves to keep your sleep apnea therapy in tip-top shape is the SoClean by Better Rest Solutions. It uses atomized air to automatically clean all your equipment for you.
3. Consistency. The best way to get used to your CPAP equipment is to use it on a regular basis. The saying goes that it takes 21 days to form a habit and 90 days to form a lifestyle. By consistently using your sleep apnea therapy equipment, it will eventually become an indispensable part of your life.
4. Comfort. We understand that you are less likely to use your sleep therapy device if it is uncomfortable. CPAP Central wants you to have the utmost comfort while sleeping with your CPAP therapy, so if your CPAP mask doesn’t fit well, let us know so we can replace it. We also carry a number of items in our online catalog that can help your CPAP experience become much more enjoyable.
5. Connect. Connecting with others can make your CPAP therapy less stressful. Seek support and advice from others in the sleep apnea community. You may learn something about CPAP therapy that you never knew before.

CPAP Central wishes you well in 2017 and we want you to be successful with your CPAP therapy. By following these five steps, you’ll put yourself on the track to better sleep and better health.

It’s estimated that 38% of Americans make New Year’s resolutions each year, but only 8% enjoy full success while 49% achieve partial success.  That leaves a whopping 43% of resolutions makers unsuccessful.  With statistics like that it may seem like New Year’s resolutions are a lost cause.

Many people make resolutions about their health—quitting smoking, exercising more, eating healthier and losing weight are common ones. Other goals include taking up a hobby or being kinder to others.

There’s one resolution few people make, however: getting better sleep.

Oddly enough, resolving to get better sleep could actually make many of your self-improvement goals take care of themselves.

Lack of sleep causes:

–Depression. Among other things, depression can cause you to lose interest in the things you used to love. So, that hobby you’ve been wanting to take back up? You might not have any success with it due to your lack of sleep.

–Cognitive Issues. If you’re wanting to take up a hobby that’s creative or requires some learning, a lack of sleep could get in your way. It causes memory loss and interferes with your ability to think creatively.

–Weight gain. When you don’t get enough sleep, your body releases higher amounts of lipid in your blood stream, which makes eating more pleasurable. Evidence also shows that lack of sleep also leads to hunger hormones become altered. Both of these lead to overeating when we’re tired. In addition to eating too much, when we’re sleep-deprived, we don’t have the same kind of energy to exercise as we would when we’re fully rested.

–Mood swings. If you’re trying to be more decent to your fellow human, or maybe rekindle relationships that went to the wayside, your lack of sleep could be setting you up for failure. It negatively impacts your emotions, causing you to have a shorter temper and more mood swings.

Resolve to improve your sleep, and you will be resolving to improve your whole life. Take the time to consider your sleep habits and look for area to make improvement. At CPAP Central we have a vast array of suggestions and tips to help you get a good night sleep.

If you’ve been diagnosed with sleep apnea, CPAP Central would like to challenge you to make the resolution to better sleep! We know how compliance can be difficult, but we’re here for you. Our online catalog has a wide variety of CPAP masks, CPAP accessories and CPAP supplies, all of which can aid you in sticking to your sleep apnea therapy.

You settle in for the night with your CPAP mask on, and set the pressure to exactly what feels right on your throat. But as you start to drift off, your ears suddenly start popping. It gets so bad that you can’t sleep and end up turning off your CPAP machine—only to wake up exhausted because you were constantly waking up from sleep apnea.

This phenomenon is certainly not unheard-of for sleep apnea patients. Here’s a few things that might be causing popping ears—and what you can do about them:

Swallowing Air

Known as “aerophagia,” this is when the air from your CPAP machine goes into your stomach instead of your lungs. Whenever you swallow, the pressure between your middle nose and ear become equal. However, if you have an external change in pressure, this can cause your ears to pop if you swallow. Think about what it’s like when you swallow on an airplane or elevator—your ears pop. The same is true with a CPAP machine—you have external pressure, plus the change in internal pressure from swallowing. Those two things combined can cause your ears to pop.

So, what can I do?

Sometimes, all it takes is adjusting the pressure on your CPAP machine. Other times, you might want to try a different CPAP mask—or making sure the one you have fits you correctly. Chin straps can also help alleviate this affect.

GERD

GERD, or Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, causes a band of muscles at the end of your esophagus to not close properly, allowing some of your stomach contents to leak in your stomach or throat. Using CPAP can exacerbate GERD, especially if you have aerophagia on top of that. As the air enters the stomach, it can cause some of the stomach contents to come back up, causing your ears to pop.

So, what can I do?

Sleeping at an angle can help prevent some stomach contents to from coming back up. Eating light suppers or not eating several hours before bedtime is another fix. Wearing a full-faced CPAP mask can also cause you to swallow a lot of air, so switching to a nasal mask or nasal pillows can help. Finally, switching from a CPAP machine to a BiPAP machine can address the issue of GERD.

At CPAP Central, we want to help everyone remain CPAP compliant. If you’re wanting to change some of your equipment to see if it addresses popping ears, stop by our online catalog. We have everything you need to get a good night’s sleep.

Most Americans are familiar with the tradition of going around the table and saying one thing they’re grateful for at Thanksgiving. At CPAP Central, we’re grateful that there are devices out there that can treat sleep apnea. Here’s a few of our favorites:

Travel CPAP Machines

It’s the holidays, which means you may be packing your bags to go visit far-flung relatives. Luckily for the CPAP user, they make travel CPAP machines, so you don’t have to spend your vacation feeling exhausted from lack of sleep the night before. Travel CPAP machines are small and light enough for you to pack in a carry-on bag, but they pack all the punch of a regular CPAP machine.

The Dreamstation by Phillips Respironics

This one is a favorite among our customers, and no wonder! It’s super quiet, easy to use and its ramp feature makes beginner CPAP users acclimate quickly. The Dreamstation is small enough to take on trips, so you don’t have to get a separate travel CPAP machine. Finally, it’s one of the nicer-looking CPAP machines, with its appearance more akin to an iPod docking station or bedside radio.

Full-faced CPAP masks

Many CPAP users become frustrated with full-faced CPAP masks because they block their line of sight and in general look unflattering. However, the Mirage Liberty by ResMed actually allows the user to have a clear line of sight while still giving them all the benefits of a full-faced mask. Another reason we love full-faced CPAP masks is because they work really well for those of us who breathe with our mouths open at night—and for those of us who don’t enjoy putting things directly in our nasal passages.

Whether you’re traveling to see family this holiday or are hosting your own gathering, CPAP Central wants to remind you of the benefits of staying CPAP compliant. You’ll be less cranky around your relatives because you’ll have more sleep, and no one can tease you about snoring like a chainsaw at night! More importantly, it can help extend your lifespan, which means you will be able to enjoy many more holidays with your loved ones.

It’s the holidays, which means there’s an abundance of decadent treats everywhere you turn. However, CPAP Central would like to urge everyone to partake in moderation. November marks Diabetes Awareness Month, and we would like everyone to know how Type 2 diabetes is connected to sleep apnea.

Over twenty five million children and adults in the United States have diabetes. An additional 79 million have pre-diabetes. Sleep apnea effects about 1 in every 15 adults in the United States today.  These two very different diseases share a connection, as untreated sleep apnea raises your risk for getting Type 2 diabetes.

Being overweight can increase your risk factors for both sleep apnea and Type 2 diabetes. Having sleep apnea alone can worsen your glycemic control, which can lead to diabetes. These disease also both put you at a greater risk for other health complications such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and eye disease.

Signs you may have sleep apnea include waking up with a dry mouth or sore throat, headaches, restless sleep, nighttime awakenings, waking up feeling out of breath and difficulty concentrating.

Diabetes symptoms include extreme hunger and thirst, frequent infections, and frequent urination.  Please note that you can have either of these two illnesses without having to have the other.

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms or especially these symptoms in tandem, don’t wait to talk to your doctor. Blood tests can diagnose the diabetes or pre-diabetes and a sleep study can diagnose your sleep apnea.

Losing weight and managing your weight can greatly improve the symptoms for both diabetes and sleep apnea.  A balanced diet and regular exercise can help you lose weight and improve your overall health which will benefit both disorders.

If you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea, see CPAP Central today. We have everything you need to manage your sleep apnea, which in turn can lead to better sleep, better health and a decreased risk of Type 2 diabetes.

Whether you call it “No Shave November” or just “Movember,” chances are you and your co-workers or buddies are sporting more facial hair than usual. While this phenomenon started off as a fun competition among the guys, some people have seen it as an opportunity to bring attention to the top health concerns for men:

Heart Disease

This is the leading cause of death for men in the United States, according to the CDC. Bad diet, lack of exercise and smoking are often the culprits. But did you know that sleep apnea also contributes to heart disease? Because you repeatedly stop breathing throughout the night, your blood and heart aren’t getting the oxygen they need to function healthfully. Lack of sleep can also lead to weight gain, which is also hard on your heart.

Cancer

Coming in at the second-highest killer of men, cancer accounts for 23.5 percent of male deaths each year. Once again, sleep apnea can be tied to this cause of death. Those with sleep apnea are 4.8 times more likely to develop malignant tumors than those who do not have the condition. This is because consistent lack of air at night triggers a number of mechanisms in the body, one of which encourages cancer growth.

Unintentional Injuries

Men are far more prone than women to die from unintentional injuries. Many of these are due to on-the-job mistakes and accidents. Insufficient sleep at night can contribute to workplace injuries. If you find yourself dealing with excessive daytime drowsiness that’s impacting your effectiveness at your job, you might have sleep apnea. For those who work in dangerous lines of work, it’s especially important to address this condition right away, before a deadly accident occurs.

As we’ve seen from the examples above, three of the top causes of death for men in the United States can be tied back to sleep apnea. If you think you may have this condition, see your doctor right away and arrange for a sleep test. Should the tests come back positive, CPAP Central can help you. We carry a full line of sleep apnea therapy products, including BiPAP Machines, CPAP Machines and CPAP supplies.

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!