Sleep Apnea Tips #3

How To Clean Your CPAP Device

In this video session, Dr. Popper demonstrates how to clean your CPAP unit for better performance and better hygiene. In addition, your CPAP device will last much longer if properly cleaned and maintained. If you use a CPAP device for obstructive sleep apnea, this short video demonstration should help you “sleep well tonight for a better tomorrow.”

Sleep Apnea Tips #2

Using Humidification with Your CPAP Device

In this session, Dr. Popper explains why using humidification with your CPAP mask will allow for a better night's sleep, and he shows you how to properly set up your CPAP device to add humidity. CPAP for obstructive sleep apnea can provide a much more comfortable night's rest when the humidification element is put to use.

The Metabolic Syndrome

Its Role in OSA and Cardiovascular Disease

Metabolic Syndrome (MS) is comprised of a constellation of features consisting of obesity, hypertension (HTN), diabetes mellitus (DM) and dyslipidemia (abnormal cholesterol and triglyceride profiles). There is increasing speculation that both obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) may both be mediated by the MS. A recent Mayo clinic study found that MS was more prevalent in patients with OSA (60%) than in patients without OSA (40%). A recent school of thought is that the presence of MS and OSA work together to increase CVD risk since both disorders are predictive of increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.

Obesity and Sleep Disorders Linked by Several Studies

Roughly 2/3 of American adults are either overweight or obese. A recent study of obese men without major medical illnesses found that 60% had sleep disordered breathing (SDB) and 27% had OSA. Estimates of obesity in patients with OSA have ranged from 60-90%. Patients with OSA have been found to have leptin resistance which contributes to weight gain. Leptin is a hormone that regulates weight by controlling appetite and metabolism. OSA treatment with CPAP has been shown to result in normalization of leptin levels, a decrease in leptin resistance and a reduction in obesity.

Sleep Apnea Tips #1

The Chin Strap That Will Help
You Get a Better Night's Sleep

In this video, Dr. Popper shows how to make an alternative to commercially available chin straps for patients who may be using Provent Therapy or a CPAP mask for obstructive sleep apnea.

If you're using Provent Therapy for OSA, or a CPAP device, but are having minimal success because you still sleep with your mouth open, the demonstration in this video can help. Dr. Popper demonstrates

Provent Therapy Demo

Dr. Popper Demonstrates the Application of Provent Therapy for OSA

Dr. Ronald A. Popper gives a practical demonstration on the application and use of Provent Therapy for Obstructive Sleep Apnea. If you're unable to tolerate traditional treatments for sleep apnea, such as the CPAP mask, Provent Therapy is a relatively new alternative that may be exactly what you've been hoping for. Watch the video above, and then Click Here to learn more about this alternative treatment for OSA.

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Don’t Think You Could Have Sleep Apnea?

Why You Should Be Screened?

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common disorder with prevalence estimates of 5-15% of the general population. To emphasize this point, Asthma, a much more widely recognized disorder, has a prevalence of 3-4% of the population. OSA is a disorder manifested by snoring, apneas (absence of breathing) and hypopneas (shallow breathing) which occur during sleep and lead to disruptions. It is caused by an obstruction of the upper airway by excessive tissues in the nose and / or the throat. It is more common in men compared with women. However, after menopause, the incidence increases dramatically in women. It is more common with obesity, but one does not have to be overweight to have OSA. It is more common in the elderly, but may also be seen in children.

5 Common Myths About OSA

Dispelling the Myths

Myth #1: OSA only affects people who are overweight or obese.

Fact: It is true that an obese person is at risk for Obstructive Sleep Apnea. He or she is likely to have an excess of fatty tissue in the throat. This tissue can collapse and block the airway when the muscles relax during sleep. But a well-conditioned athlete with a large, muscular neck may have the same problem. Weight and body mass are important factors, but OSA really is all about the airway. A thin person can have the condition if he or she has a narrow airway. A thin person also may have a structural abnormality that hinders breathing. Problem areas may include the jaw, the tonsils and adenoids, the septum, the tongue and the soft palate. In children OSA often occurs between the ages of 3 and 6 years when the tonsils and adenoids are large compared to the size of the throat.

What is the Connection Between Obesity and Sleep?

The Obesity Epidemic

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicts that if nothing is done to reverse the nation's current obesity trends, 42% of Americans could be obese by 2030. Obesity is often associated with a disorder known as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).  With OSA, patients snore and stop breathing.  This results in patients awakening in order to breathe again. The repeated disruptions result in a form of sleep deprivation, by disrupting the continuity of sleep. Any disorder (OSA, RLS, PLMS, Insomnia, etc) that limits sleep or disrupts it continuity can result in a decrease in the level of Leptin, a hormone that acts to inhibit appetite.

Central Sleep Apnea and Heart Failure Mortality

The Link Between Sleep Apnea and Heart Failure

Epidemiology of Heart Failure (HF) – Nearly 5,000,000 persons or 2% of the American population suffers from heart failure. Many factors contribute to the rising incidence of heart failure, including a rising lifespan, better therapy for coronary artery disease, hypertension and obesity. Given the rise in life expectancy, it is estimated that 10% of adults over 80 years, will develop heart failure. It is estimated that the impact of heart failure on the U.S. economy is > $20 billion annually.

Epidemiology of Apnea in Heart Failure – Approximately 40% of ambulatory patients with treated, stable HF will have Cheyne-Stokes Respiration (CSR) a form of central sleep apnea (CSA) and 10% will have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Since both HF and Apnea increase with age, it is not unreasonable to expect that a significant proportion of the senior population will have both disorders.

Sleep Disorders Often Misdiagnosed as ADHD

ADHD and Sleep Disorders

We have a saying in Pulmonary Medicine, “all that wheezes is not necessarily asthma.” What that means is that as a physician, when you have a patient with wheezing, while asthma is the first diagnosis that might cross your mind, one also has to think of other possible causes of wheezing, such as congestive heart failure, gastro-esophageal reflux, occult sinus infections and a myriad of other diagnoses. The bottom line is that you have to look at the big picture and not have tunnel vision.

The same is true for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Just because your child is hyperactive or has difficulty with his or her school work does not mean they have ADHD. Even if your child truly has ADHD, they may also have other disorders that contribute to, exacerbate or mimic ADHD. Specific learning differences may exist such as dyslexia, visual or auditory perceptive disorders and a host of other learning disabilities may be present. Hyperactivity may be a reflection of boredom, anxiety or other psychiatric or neurologic disorders.