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| Tip of the Month |
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Use only distilled water in your humidifier!
Distilled water is the easiest and best way to prevent the build-up of minerals inside the water reservoir. Minerals can cause holes to form in the metal plate that heats the water, in turn causing leaks. And, depending on the humidifier style, rubber o-rings and other seals can become damaged by minerals, causing leaks. Not only do leaks damage furniture, they can flood your CPAP machine and ruin the wiring inside. Distilled water is available in gallon jugs at the grocery store. When traveling, if distilled water is unavailable or just inconvenient, purchase a second reservoir to use for travel only. Then replace that reservoir as needed before it springs a leak! Send in your helpful tips for our readers to mhertel@ezcpap.com! |
| Q&A |
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How is urinating frequently at night a symptom of sleep apnea?Many times I hear from patients that once they started CPAP therapy, their need to urinate during the night ceased. So what does frequent urination at night, or nocturia, have to do with sleep apnea? As we all know, apneas are the result of the airway closing off during sleep. When this happens, oxygen decreases while carbon dioxide levels increase making the blood more acidic. Then the heart rate drops and blood vessels in the lungs constrict. At this point the brain becomes aware of a serious problem going on in the body and wakes the sleeper. As a result the heart has begun racing and senses a signal of fluid overload. The heart then excretes a protein that instructs the body to remove sodium and water. The result....nocturia! How is insomnia a possible symptom of sleep apnea?
As with nocturia, many patients wonder how they can have sleep apnea when their "real" problem is insomnia. Unfortunately with chronic, untreated apnea the brain can become conditioned to keep us awake out of "fear" of not being able to breathe when sleeping. Send your CPAP and sleep apnea questions to Melinda at mhertel@ezcpap.com to be answered in next month's newsletter! | |
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Greetings!
 Summer is here! We hope that you are sleeping well and plan to take your CPAP or bilevel with you when traveling for vacation. Make a checklist of all the CPAP stuff that you need to take with you to ensure that you don't forget anything...machine, humidifier(empty), tubing, mask, power cord, chin strap, etc. It can be difficult to find a reliable supplier when away from home.  Also be sure to carry your machine on the plane if flying. Airline staff and conveyer belts can be rough on your luggage and you may find that you have a broken machine when you reach your destination. When going through the security line TSA staff will ask you to remove your CPAP from its bag and send it through the x-ray machine. They will also need to do a chemical sweep. While it is an inconvenience, going through security with your CPAP is pretty easy. We at EZ CPAP wish you a fun and healthy summer! |
| Product of the Month |
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 Fisher & Paykel SleepStyle 600 Series with Thermosmart Tubing
Do you suffer from allergies/dry nasal passages or chronic sinus problems? Or does mouth-breathing with a full-face mask leave your mouth uncomfortably dry, even with a humidifier? Do you have trouble finding a comfortable temperature and humidity setting on your current humidifier that doesn't cause excessive condensation and water accumulation in your mask? Consider the SleepStyle™ 608 with ThermoSmart® heated tubing from Fisher & Paykel Healthcare for your next CPAP purchase. This is the only CPAP unit on the market that provides a heated breathing circuit. So what is the benefit of having a heated breathing circuit or tubing? Since CPAP tubing is subject to the ambient temperature of the room, changes in temperature cause condensation, mask pressure instability, and humidity loss. The heated tubing maintains the temperature of the vapor traveling from the water chamber to your mask, therefore preventing condensation and pressure instability. In a comparative study of humdification effectiveness across 3 brands of CPAP products-Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, ResMed, and Respironics-the ThermoSmart® is reported as the only CPAP humidifier able to deliver an average absolute humididty greater than 27mg/L and maintain this humidity without causing any condesate (R. Virag, Trifid Medical Group, United States).  A second study compares the effect of conventional humidification and ThermoSmart® heated breathing tube humidification on patient compliance and nasal symptoms. The factors studied were excessive salivation, sinus pain, dry mouth, claustrophobia, tube "rainout"(condensation), and number of awakenings per night. Patients were monitored for 4 weeks on ThermoSmart®, then crossed over to alternative humidification devices for another 4 weeks. In all categories, excluding the number of awakenings per night, patient level of satisfaction on ThermoSmart® exceeded their levels of satisfaction using conventional humidification. Awakenings per night were fewer on ThermoSmart® than other humidification systems (E. Almasri & L. Kline MD, Pittsburgh, United States). The humidity delivered is extremely comfortable and healing for nasal, sinus, and mouth tissues. Other benefits to the SleepStyle 608 include: *Automatic altitude adjustment *Super quiet operation *Compliance tracking *Leak compensation If you have questions regarding this product, please call 877-392-7270 or email us at mhertel@ezcpap.com for more information. Customers who call regarding this product receive a discount on the total price shown on our website!
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| New to ezcpap.com |
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RemZzzs™ Full Face and Nasal CPAP Mask Liners
This new product is designed to absorb sweat and skin oils that interfere with the seal of full face and nasal CPAP masks. It is a thin liner of soft fabric that fits between the face and the cushion of the mask. Not only will the RemZzzs™ liners improve the seal between your face and your mask, it also provides a protective layer for those who are sensitive to the silicone or plastic used to make CPAP masks. Less slippage from oils and sweat equals less uncomfortable rubbing on sensitive skin and therefore less irritation.
For a limited time Ez CPAP.com will provide a free sample to customers who call 877-392-7270. Right now the RemZzzs™ liners are only available in the ResMed Mirage Quattro™, Fisher & Paykel FlexiFit 431, Respironics ComfortGel™ Full and ComfortFull™ masks. If you use one of these masks and would like a free sample, give us a call! |
| Articles of Interest |
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Didgeridoo Playing Improves Your Sleep
This article appears on ScienceDaily.com and states that regular didgeridoo playing can reduce snoring and daytime sleepiness in people with obstructive sleep apnea. For those of you who don't know what a didgeridoo is, click here. See a didgeridoo being played!.
According to the article, experts in Switzerland have tested the theory that training the upper airways by playing the didgeridoo can result in less daytime sleepiness and snoring for those with moderate obstructive sleep apnea. Their findings show symptoms and sleep disturbances are improved. In turn, the quality of sleep for partners is improved as well.
How does this work? Playing the didgeridoo requires the use of certain upper airway muscles. Strengthening those muscles reduces the amount of upper airway collapse that occurs in people with obstructive sleep apnea.
Tongue and Facial Exercises May Reduce Sleep Apnea Severity
If you are not excited about playing a didgeridoo to strengthen muscles, there is another option! According to an article posted on WebMD.com doing simple tongue and facial exercises daily can accomplish the same improvements in the severity of sleep apnea. A Brazilian study is quoted as having had speech pathologists work with a group of patients teaching them to do tongue and facial exercised for 30 minutes a day. A control group was simply supervised while practicing deep breathing through the nose for half an hour daily. The results? The exercise group reduced the severity of their sleep apnea by 39%, while the control group showed no change. Click to read entire articleHeart Disease Risk Increased by Sleep Apnea
Most of us have heard over and over that high blood pressure and heart disease are linked to untreated obstructive sleep apnea. An article from Medical News Today addresses some of the processes involved that contribute to heart disease caused by sleep apnea. It is noted that the periodic interruptions in breathing and consequent intermittent hypoxia (low oxygen in the blood) that occur with sleep apnea cause blood vessels to thicken, reducing the elasticity of the blood vessels in the lungs. Researchers have discovered an enzyme called NADPH oxidase. Chronic intermittent hypoxia causes the blood vessels in the lungs to produce more NADPH oxidase. NADPH in turn makes superoxide, "...a reactive free radical that the immune system uses to kill bacteria." Apparently, the superoxide present in the bloodstream blocks a signal that tells the blood vessels to relax. When blood vessels do not relax, blood pressure increases (hypertension) in the lungs (pulmonary hypertension) making the heart work harder to pump blood throughout the body. Click to read entire article
 Seniors Cope with Sleep Loss Better than Young Adults Older adults, ages 65-76, and young adults, ages 18-29, were studied for the effects of sleep deprivation. Each participant had 3 nights of 8 hours of sleep followed by a 26-hour period of wakefulness. The study results show that older people who are healthy are much less impaired by sleep deprivation than those from the younger crowd. Therefore, the conclusion is that seniors who exhibit daytime sleepiness and impaired cognitive function may have a sleep disorder or other health problem that needs to be addressed. In other words, this is not a normal part of the aging process! Click to read entire article | |
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