Sleep Apnea Tips #4

Home Testing for OSA

In this video session, Dr. Popper will discuss home testing for OSA ; when it is appropriate, and how to proceed correctly for a more accurate diagnosis. Home testing has recently been approved by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine for patients who will not or cannot participate in a clinical study, or whose health insurance will not cover a sleep center study.

Obesity in America – Part 5

Breakfasts to Start the Day Right

In my previous articles, I gave you the background needed to understand the principles behind a successful diet and weight loss routine. In the next several articles, I will give you some examples of the kinds of meals I personally consumed and helped me to shed 4o lbs after I recovered from my injury. All of these recipes are between 375 – 425 calories, are high in protein and MUFAs, healthy and delicious. Try them out and enjoy!

Obesity in America – Part 4

The Rules of Dieting

The average size woman requires about 1600 calories per day to maintain her ideal body weight, while the average size man requires about 2000 calories per day. How those calories are consumed will in great part determine the likelihood of success or failure in any diet program you embark on.

To help you succeed, follow these simple rules:

• Eat small frequent meals / snacks (4-6x / day) rather than 3 larger meals / day
• Make each meal around 400 calories (give or take 100 calories)
• Never go more than 3-4 hours between snacks or meals

Following this formula will stabilize your metabolism and insulin levels, keep you from feeling hungry and lessen the likelihood of binging.

Obesity in America – Part 3

Healthy Dieting

The ideal diet…there is no such thing! However, some dietary measures are healthier than others. Since the 1960s the debate about how much fat to eat has raged on. No matter what the source of fat intake, (plant or animal) fat contains >2x the calories of an equal amount of carbohydrate or protein. The general rule of thumb is to keep total fat intake to between 25-35% of your daily total caloric intake with the majority of your fat calories coming from “the good fats”.

Drowsy Driving

The Hazards of Drowsy Driving

Modern society as a whole is increasingly sleep deprived. Adults are working two jobs to make ends meet. Teenagers go to school, participate in after school activities and then socialize, do home work, watch television, text, face book or play video games late into the night, all at the expense of getting a good night's sleep. Add to this population, persons with actual disorders who may try to get an adequate night's rest but are still excessively sleepy during the day or night. This population of chronically fatigued or excessively sleepy drivers then get behind the wheel of a car setting up the perfect storm for disaster on our roads and highways.

Obesity in America – Part 2

It is Alive and Well

Several years ago I tore my Achilles tendon. I was on crutches for nearly 6 months and unable to exercise. I was bored and depressed over my inability to do the activities I enjoyed. As a result I not only consumed more calories, but I ate the wrong kinds of foods…fried, fatty, sugary foods. Before I knew it, I had gained nearly 40 lbs! My story is not unique. Millions of Americans eat too much and exercise too little. It is easy to do in our super-sized society. So what’s an individual to do?

Helpful Tips for Acclimating to CPAP – Part 2

Acclimating to CPAP for the Treatment of
OSA – Part Two

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a disorder manifest by snoring and pauses in breathing during sleep that results in poor quality sleep, daytime fatigue or sleepiness and can lead to high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, congestive heart failure, cardiac rhythm disturbances such as atrial fibrillation, diabetes, increased cancer risk and death.

In part 1 of this blog on acclimating to CPAP I told you why we have such a high rate of success? In today's blog I will offer solutions to many of the most common difficulties patient have in acclimating to CPAP.

Helpful Tips for Acclimating to CPAP – Part 1

Acclimating to CPAP for the Treatment of OSA – Part One

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a disorder manifest by snoring and pauses in breathing during sleep. The pauses in breathing or “apneas” are associated with a fall in blood oxygen levels and ultimately lead you to wake up, which then allows you to start breathing again. This process may repeat itself hundreds of times throughout the night resulting in poor quality sleep and daytime sleepiness. In addition, OSA can lead to high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, congestive heart failure, cardiac rhythm disturbances such as atrial fibrillation, diabetes, increased cancer risk and death.

Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) has long been the gold standard of treatment for OSA. However, national averages report that only 40-60% of patients tolerates CPAP and use it regularly. At the Southern California Pulmonary and Sleep Disorders Medical Center over 80% of our patients tolerate and use CPAP on a regular basis.

Why do we have such a high rate of success?

Obesity in America

It Is Alive and Well

Obesity is an epidemic in America. More than 65% of Americans are overweight and the trend is rising. Obesity is an important factor in cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer. Obesity is a significant factor in sleep disorders, in particular obstructive sleep apnea. Obesity is a result of taking in more calories in the form of food than we need to use as fuel for our body. When we eat more calories than we can burn, we store the excess calories as carbohydrate in the form of glycogen. However, we can only store about 1200 calories. When we exceed our storage capacity for glycogen, the excess calories are turned into fat.

Risks of Untreated OSA

Reverse These Health Risks by Treating OSA

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a disorder manifest by snoring and pauses in breathing during sleep. OSA is associated with repetitive disruptions to sleep resulting in excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS). Snoring has been estimated to occur in as many as 40% of women and 60% of men, increasing in prevalence as we age and gain weight. Snoring is much more common than OSA which is estimated to occur in 24% of men and 9% of women. When we combine snoring, pauses in breathing and EDS the syndrome of OSA occurs in 4% of men and 2% of women. That may not sound like a lot of people. However, to put this in perspective, the prevalence of asthma, a much more recognizable disorder is found in 4% of the population. OSA is therefore a much more common disorder than asthma. The problem is that despite its prevalence in the US, more than 90% of patients with OSA are yet to be diagnosed or treated. Here are eight reason to be diagnosed and treated if you have OSA.