One of the most difficult things about suffering from many years with undiagnosed and untreated sleep apnea (SA) is the serious co-morbidities that came with it. People with long-term undiagnosed sleep apnea can suffer from several related diseases: cardiovascular disease or even congestive heart failure, type 2 diabetes, strokes, other sleep disturbances, and many other problems including cognitive and memory impairments. Keep reading
Excerpt of an article written by Kim Olson and originally published by HeartBeat Magazine. In October 2004, John Vosberg called his girlfriend, Dianne, to cancel their date. “I won’t be able to see you this weekend. I’m in St. Cloud Hospital. I had a heart attack.” John had arrived at the hospital just in time to save his life. Some arterial plaque had ruptured, blocking an artery, and a stent was inserted to hold the vessel open. Keep reading
Patients can be diagnosed with sleep apnea at home using a home sleep apnea test (HSAT) or in the sleep lab with polysomnography (PSG). Several studies have found that medically uncomplicated patients at high risk of obstructive sleep apnea that get diagnosed either way have similar CPAP adherence and patient-reported outcomes. For this reason, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends that either method can be used in these types of patients. Keep reading
The MyApnea surveys have been updated to be more responsive to questions patients and researchers are interested in. Whether you are updating your surveys or completing them for the first time, sharing data is incredibly valuable to the research community. People contribute to society in many ways. Some people give to charity, others volunteer, still others take care of family members in need. When you fill out these anonymous surveys, it should feel the same way. Keep reading
Dr. Katherine Sharkey is a sleep medicine physician from Brown University and member of the Society for Women’s Health Research Sleep Network. She discusses sleep apnea recognition and treatment with a patient and a sleep technician. They discuss the challenges that women with sleep apnea often face, since the stereotypical patient is male (but that’s changing!). They also talk about how difficult adjusting to CPAP can be. Keep reading
Do you ever feel that your medical provider visits are rushed? Do you leave feeling confused or neglected? Many of us feel frustration when dealing with our medical providers because it seems like we are not being heard, taken seriously, or even cared about. For most of us, having a meaningful conversation with our health care provider just doesn't happen. At SLEEP 2017, the MyApnea.org patient leaders, with help and guidance from Dr. Keep reading
Many MyApnea members have expressed interest in learning more about oral appliances, also known as “dental devices.” We asked a dental specialist to share her knowledge. In this blog post, Dr. Demko explains what oral appliances are, how they work, and their role in treating sleep apnea. In short, oral appliances are a good treatment option, but partner with your sleep doctor and a qualified dentist for best results. Keep reading
Sleep apnea care isn’t tailored for patients. Or at least not tailored enough. That’s why researchers at MyApnea.Org want to hear from you. They want to learn more about your experiences getting diagnosed and treated so that sleep apnea care reflects your priorities and your needs. Dr. Susan Redline (principal scientist for MyApnea. Keep reading
Attention women, and those who love them! One of the primary issues many of us patients talk about is the problem of getting our sleep disorders diagnosed before they have done too much damage. Sleep apnea, as you know from reading on this site, is a sneaky but potentially deadly problem. And women in particular don't get diagnosed as quickly or as often as men. Keep reading
Last time we got the ball rolling on how the MyApnea.org community could provide a forum for sharing and testing new solutions to the challenges of living well with sleep apnea. This time we would like to share an experiment people with sleep apnea did to see if playing the didgeridoo helped their breathing and tell you more about how to put an N of 1 experiment together. Back in 2015 a blog post here on MyApnea. Keep reading
