According to findings of a study presented at the annual SLEEP meeting in San Antonio, patients who suffer from severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) experience a reduction in gray-matter volume in the brain. Results of the study show however, that after three-months of treatment with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy, grey matter volume increases. [...]
Posts Tagged ‘CPAP’
Consequences of Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Children
According to the National Sleep Foundation, a new study shows that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with inattention and poor study skills, which leads to poor academic performance in children with the disorder. Children with moderate to severe OSA have worse grades than students who do not have sleep-disordered breathing. None of the students [...]
Risk for Stroke Increased by Untreated Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Findings of the Sleep Heart Health Study , published in the April issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine show that people suffering from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are at increased risk of stroke, according to NPR. The study shows that they are 3 times more likely to suffer a stroke [...]
Sleep Apnea Discovered as a New Predictor of Cardiovascular Morbidity and Death in Diabetes Patients Receiving Peritoneal Dialysis
Sleep apnea is a risk predictor of cardiovascular morbidity and death in diabetes patients who are receiving peritoneal dialysis. A new study published in Kidney International found that sleep apnea is an independent predictor of increased all-cause mortality in patients receiving peritoneal dialysis independent of age, male gender and diabetic status. Risk increases with the [...]
Don’t Hate CPAP: CPAP Tip of the Week
Many patients “hate” CPAP at first, but most of the initial difficulties can be solved by close follow up with a caring, comprehensive medical team. For example, it is common to have sneezing and runny nose when you first start CPAP. What is happening is that the the histamine receptors inside your nose are being [...]
CPAP Tips
If you are having a hard time getting use to the CPAP pressure, ask your doctor to lower the pressure while you get accustomed to this therapy. Also, you might try a Bilevel machine which gives a higher pressure when you inhale (so you and the machine are working together) and a lower pressure when you exhale (which [...]
Do you hate CPAP?
If you hate CPAP, then you need to check out my blog every Tuesday for the Tuesday Tips for CPAP Strugglers. If you can’t get use to the CPAP, the most common reason is that you have not found the right mask, so you think that you hate the CPAP when in fact you hate [...]
CPAP on the Sabbath
More than once, the question has come up from one of my Jewish patients: Can I use my CPAP on the Sabbath? Most Rabbis agree that it is alright to use medical equipment such as CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) that your doctor has determined is medically necessary for treatment of your obstructive sleep apnea. [...]
Treating Sleep Apnea Helps Cardiac Arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation
My patient, Tom, recently emailed me to say that since he started using his CPAP regularly, he has had no episodes of atrial fibrillation (a condition marked by an irregular heartbeat and one that greatly increases your chance of stroke). He is delighted to have a reprieve from this troublesome disorder and he attributes his [...]
Sleep and Heart Health Facts
If there is one piece of wisdom that doctors have gained over the past 20 years, it is: that the slower the heart beats, the better. Whenever someone has a heart attack or is diagnosed with coronary heart disease, then a good doctor puts the patient on medications that lower the heart rate (usually drugs [...]