If you are like most people, the diagnosis of sleep apnea was a surprise. All of a sudden you have words and phrases like 'hypopnea', 'titration', and 'polysomnogram' thrown at you. Maybe you are told about treatment options, maybe not. Maybe you were told about other health issues that can occur or be made worse with untreated sleep apnea. Keep reading
We all know that sometimes life is hard. Things just don’t seem to go our way no matter how much we work at them. A post from a person on the forum got me thinking about this. Not that I haven’t thought about it before but I didn’t realize that others felt the same. Sometimes, it’s the little things. First though, let’s talk about the big things. Just some examples from my personal story but I would bet you have lots of your own. Keep reading
Excerpt of an article written by Dr. Suzanne Bertisch and originally published by the Harvard Health Blog. As humans, we spend about one-third of our lives asleep. Though science has taught us about the human brain’s exquisite control of our daily sleep and wake patterns, tens of millions of Americans still don’t get the sleep they need. Nearly 20% of American adults report using a sleep medication to help them sleep, despite known side effects and information about how well they really work. Keep reading
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
