CPAP Hat Trick 

In the March 2011 edition of Sleep Review Edward D. Michaelson, MD, FACP, FCCP shared his discovery of a simple, but ingenious way to make wearing a nasal pillows mask more comfortable and effective!

So what is Dr. Michaelson's tip?  Wear a baseball cap on your head and put the mask on over the cap!  Wearing a baseball cap with a nasal pillows mask accomplishes 3 goals, according to Dr. Michaelson:

• First, slippage of the mask straps is reduced or even eliminated.
• Second, facial and scalp marks left by the headgear straps can be minimized or eliminated because the cap functions as a spacer.  (Those who are bald experience scalp marks.) 
• Third, for those who use the ResMed Swift LT or Fisher & Paykel Opus and like to wear the tubing attached to the top of the head, the bill of the cap acts to reduce facial pressure and can "...help 'lock' the position of the mask-tubing, making the system less prone to be affected by head and body movements...."

Sounds like a great idea!  If you try it, let us know how it worked for you! 

customerservice@ezcpap.com

 Sleep Apnea and Excessive Daytime Sleepiness are Risky Combination

A study was conducted that shows an increased risk of death in older adults who are diagnosed with moderate to severe sleep apnea and also complain of excessive daytime sleepiness. The study was published in the journal Sleep and included 289 adults with an average age of 78 years.

Dr Nalaka S. Gooneratne conducted the study and reports that sleepiness by itself is not an issue:  It is when daytime sleepiness is present with OSA that the risk of death in older adults is doubled. It is not clear why this correlation exists.

To read the article posted by SleepReviewMag.com, click here.  

Sleep-deprived Rats Shed Light on Sleep-deprived Lifestyles  

A new study with rats has revealed that as rats are deprived of sleep neurons in their brains actually fall asleep for brief periods of time.  These neurons may be responsible for lapses in attention, making mistakes, problems with judgment and even irritability when they are shutting off because of sleep deprivation. 

The study results were published in the April 28, 2011 issue of Nature, but you can read more about it on sleepreviewmag.com by clicking here.