Sometimes it takes a little bit of time for new medical devices to become known in different medical circles.  That seems to also be true for Provent Therapy which treats sleep apnea.  Provent, a medical device organization has created a very unique sleep apnea solution which very well could transform the treatment of one of America’s most undiagnosed and dangerous sleeping disorders.

The Provent Therapy is used at nighttime and consists of two very small devices that are placed over the nostrils of a sleep apnea patients nose.  The devices are able to create pressure that can increase the airway and both reduce negative effects of sleep apnea, and also benefit the patient’s by allowing for a much better night’s sleep.  As the benefits of good sleep become more and more well known, this type of easy solution might be one which the mass population takes a liking to.

Some of the alternative treatments for patients who suffer from sleep apnea are CPAP therapy as well as surgery which is obviously more dramatic.  There have always been several difficulties with the traditional sleep apnea treatments.  Mainly with CPAP, because many patients who suffer from sleep apnea are not willing to wear a mask to sleep every night, and if they do, often times they become non-compliant with their treatment as time goes on.  It is simply difficult to wear something foreign on your face when you are used to not doing that for your entire previous life.  Make no mistake though, CPAP therapy is very effective when used properly, and most compliant patients would agree to that.  It can cure sleep apnea right away.  The same is sometimes true for surgery.  There is a common sleep apnea surgery that ENT physicians perform, and it is called “Turbinate Reduction” which does what you would think.  It reduces the physical size of the turbinates which can cause a blockage of the airway.  Of course there is a downside to surgery, mainly, people are not usually wanting to have surgery on their bodies, and as you would expect, the costs are often very high which many sleep apnea patients simply can not afford.

So will Provent Therapy become the new best solution for un-treated sleep apnea patients?  That will hopefully be better understood in the months and years to come.  So many people are testing it out, and even Ear Nose and Throat doctors are getting their feet wet with prescribing this new device.  Provent therapy is simple to use, and just about anybody can afford it’s very low cost.  Whether or not people will give up their CPAP’s after trying Provent will also be interesting to find out.

Recently, there has been news within the world of sleep medicine, and specifically with regards to sleep apnea.  A study has just been released which shows a link between older women who have sleep disordered breathing and dementia.  What is even more interesting about these new findings is that many doctors are starting to realize how sleep apnea might affect more than just the breathing systems in our bodies, but also our brains.

When patients struggle throughout the night with blocked breathing in their airway, the loss of oxygen to the lungs makes it way into all parts of the body.  It has been clear for a long time that sleep apnea patients have a much higher risk of stroke, but dementia has not been looked at previously until now.  What is happening in the brain at night while it is being starved of oxygen due to a respiratory disturbance?  Is there a total shutdown of the brain while apnea events are taking place or is there something more going on?  This is not yet understood, but the evidence seems clear that with repeated blocks of oxygen to our bodies during sleep, problems may arise during the following days and months ahead.

I am sure that most sleep medicine professionals and sleep doctors would agree that this is not a total shock, a relationship of dementia and sleep apnea in older women.  But what is really interesting is that the founder of modern day sleep apnea is a famous doctor named Dr. Dement.

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One of the problem with sleep apnea is that to treat the underlying problem, which is often an obstruction or blockage in the normal air passageway, patients need to use CPAP therapy.  CPAP is great and very effective for treating OSA, but most patients simply do not like it and are not willing to comply with using it every night.

Some great news for sleep apnea patients is that dentists are starting to get their hands wet with treating sleep apnea, and there has been a surprising report of a patient fixing their snoring and sleep apnea simply by getting Invisalign.  The patient was able to fix the blockage of the airway by re-arranging the placement of the teeth with the Invisalign product, and this helped prevent him from needing any further sleep apnea treatment.  What a miracle of modern day medicine, and with a combination of dental work as well.  What would have been great for this particular case since it is the first reported improvement of sleep apnea through the use of dental work other than an oral appliance, is if the patient had completed a pre and post Invisalign sleep study.  There is always a chance that some other factors are the reason for the patients improvement in sleep apnea symptoms.  One possible change might even be as simple as a different body position most of the night while sleeping.  For example, if the patient has now decided to sleep on the right side or left compared to supine, that often can reduce sleep apnea symptoms and severity.

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Ever since the first sleep apnea testing was being conducted back in 1971, patients who were suspected of having OSA had to find a sleep lab to take a full Polysomnography Test which required an overnight stay.  But now, there are different sleep testing devices, such as the WatchPAT made by Itamar Medical which allows patients to simply wear a small and comfortable monitoring device in the comfort of the home instead of the sleep lab environment.

Itamar Medical has been manufacturing this diagnostic sleep testing equipment for many years, but it wasn’t until very recently that the American Board of Sleep Medicine formally recognized Itamar’s sleep test with the WatchPAT as a new standard in sleep testing.  This news is going to bring about several different changes in the world of sleep medicine, and it should ultimately bring much better outcomes and results to patients who are suffering from un-diagnosed obstructive sleep apnea.

For patients who are prescribed or offered the choice between taking the traditional in-lab sleep apnea PSG test or the home test offered with a device like the WatchPAT, the cost differences are always going to be considerable.  There have been several confirmed reports that patients who enter a sleep lab to test for sleep apnea often come home with bills that can top the $3,500 mark.  This is because in-lab or hospital testing for sleep apnea is very costly and involves many different people including a local sleep doctor and overnight lab technician.

The difference with a home sleep study is there are no other people needed to spend the night watching the patient, the WatchPAT device is able to do just that all on its own.  By monitoring the patients peripheral arterial tone (PAT), the sleeping device will also be able to pick up oxymetry, as well as breathing effort which results in several different diagnostic values on the sleep report.  For example, the RDI or Respiratory Disturbance Index as well as the traditional AHI or Apnea Hypopnea Index are all figures that this device is able to provide.  These are the exact same diagnostic numbers that PSG lab testing looks for as well.

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• Why Sleep Apnea is Linked to So Many Health Problems (ihaveosa.com)
• Air Traffic Controllers May Have Sleep Apnea (ihaveosa.com)

For decades researchers and scientists all over the world have tried to uncover the connections between a long healthy life and daily routines.  This is in no way an easy research project by any means.  With such diversity in the daily lives of people, along with such wildly different economic and social backgrounds that exist on the planet in the 21st century, there are many variables to be looking at.  Some things remain the same though.  For example, sleep and the importance of a good night’s sleep are universal across all continents and among everyone and the same goes for most animals too.  When human beings do not get a good night’s sleep, their bodies are affected in several negative ways.  One of the most common reasons for a lack of good sleep is caused b

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y sleep apnea which affects the airways by blocking the natural resistant free flow of air.

With a decrease or total blockage in airflow, the oxygen levels in our blood rapidly decrease which is at the heart of so many related health problems.  One health concern from severe sleep apnea is heart attacks.  The correlation from people who suffer obstructive sleep apnea and heart attacks has been known for quite some time, however it is rarely discussed by physicians.  This is unfortunate because it is very avoidable, and when treat, the sleep apnea can be fixed which will directly impact the quality of life of the patient.

Another major concern for sleep apnea patients, and the associate health problem is the increased risk of stroke.  This again is caused by a decrease in the oxygen levels in the blood, which is caused by the blockage of airflow to the lungs.  When the throat is all clogged up with tissue, it makes it hard and sometimes impossible for air to break through and supply oxygen to the body.

Stroke and heart attacks are two of the most deadly and “major” complications that untreated sleep apnea can lead to.  But there are many more health problems that sleep apnea patients create for themselves.  One of the most dangerous health hazards from sleep apnea is the constant tiredness feelings and feelings of exhaustion that patients can experience every single day of their lives.  The feeling of fatigue that is so common with sleep apnea victims lingers and creeps up throughout the day no matter what the circumstances are.  This is especially dangerous for people while driving cars, and while working.  The reason for all this fatigue is based on the interruptions that are happening while normal sleep should be taking place.  For example, if you are supposed to be in the middle of REM Sleep but you are constantly being interrupted by choking and a lack of oxygen, your sleep is going to be affected whether you like it or not.  This lack of proper sleep will lead to being tired during the day, and that is due to the sleep apnea.

The Immune System and Sleep Apnea

Sleep physicians have recently begun to examine the relationship between sleep apnea and the immune system.  There is early evidence to suggest that prolonged sleep apnea can damage the immune system in several ways.  One of the biggest functions of the immune system is to help regulate and deal with stressful situations that the body encounters while moving through life experiences.  For example, when a stressful incident happens, such as a car accident, the body releases several different chemicals into our blood stream such as adrenaline and cortisol.  These are meant to boost our heart rate to help our body deal with whatever is about to happen.  Often, this works out really well, but sometimes, an over-reactive immune system can actually poison our bodies and dump too much helpful chemicals into our system.  This often can lead to other medical conditions unintentionally.

Figuring out exactly what the extent of sleep apnea is on the body is an important part of the medical research, especially since there has been relatively little science geared towards this health problem in the past.  Once there is a better understanding of how bad sleep affects our overall health, there is surely going to be major medical advances in the world of sleep medicine.

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Have you ever wondered what is happening in your brain when you are asleep?  Have you ever wanted to find out why you are often forgetting things that other people have no difficulty in recalling? There very well may be a direct correlation to what is going on here if you suffer from Obstructive Sleep Apnea or OSA.

Neurologists have in recent years been able to monitor the inner workings of the brain, and it has become clear that sleeping and dreaming is a very important part in the overall success of memory.  For example, while being monitored, healthy individuals without sleep apnea were examined while asleep.  It was determined that the brains of these individuals were constantly reviewing and replaying the daily events of that previous day, often hundreds of times per hour.  It is believed that this process is what is responsible for stamping memories into certain parts of our brains.  Without this, we may have a much harder time remembering things, names, events, dates etc…

Now, if you are an individual who suffers from snoring and sleep apnea, you are dealing with an entirely different set of physical disabilities while you are asleep.  The main problem is the constant arousal which is taking place when your oxygen levels decrease and your brain is aroused.  This sets off a change in the brain waves as well which disrupts the replaying of events and makes it much harder for you to remember events from the past which other people can do with ease.

What this means is that not only are blood vessels and the heart and cardiac system affected by sleep apnea, but also your brain can be damaged and your lifestyle affected too.

air traffic worker sleeping

Within the past few weeks, there has been an awful lot of news about the air traffic controllers in the United States falling asleep while working.  This has gotten to the point where President Obama is demanding that these workers who serve the general public in a critical way need to be held responsible immediately.  The most recent air controller has been suspended from work while an investigation begins.

What might be the cause of these employees falling asleep on the job?  They are all initially suspected of having sleep apnea.  Sleep Apnea is a sleeping disorder and is widespread throughout not only the United States, but the rest of the world.  The most common symptom that sleep apnea patients present in their daily lives is chronic fatigue or sleepiness.  The reason for this is simple: they are not getting a good nights sleep because their airway is being obstructed which causes them to constantly arouse and wake up over and over again all night long.

Sleep Apnea would make the most common sense for the air traffic controllers, as all of them have passed several drug tests, and have been through a very rigorous screening process prior to being hired into their important safety positions.  The physical dilemma that an undiagnosed sleep apnea patient has is they can’t understand why they are so sleepy all day long.  Often the sleepiness goes on for years before a proper diagnosis is made, and during that time the patients find creative ways to minimize the effects the symptoms have on their daily life.  For example, many sleep apnea patients who are sleepy all day long compensate by drinking enormous amounts of caffeine to stay away on the job.  It is not common for workers with sleep apnea to drink 10-15 cups of coffee per day just to keep from falling asleep while working.

There is some very positive news if the air traffic controllers do have sleep apnea, it can be fixed quickly and easily.  First the air controllers would need to be tested with a sleep study to make the diagnosis.  That can take anywhere from one to two week to complete.  Next, there are several treatment options that can be chosen which range from sleeping in a different body position, to CPAP therapy which involves wearing a mask to sleep each night, or even oral surgery.  It is not the end of the world if you have sleep apnea, so it should not cost anyone their job if they diagnose and treat it properly.

With so many patients not wanting to use CPAP for snoring and sleep apnea, there is a new medical and dental solution combination that is working very well for many patients.  By themselves, minimally invasive snoring surgeries are often unsuccessful in terms of long term treatments.  The same is often true for people who snore all night long who decide to use an oral appliance to open up their airway.  But what both doctors and patients are finding out right now, is that the combination of the two treatments when used together, is very effective and is also a long term plan to stop both snoring and sleep apnea from affecting the day to day lives for those who suffer.

Snoring Surgery

The sleep surgery options that have been used for many years now range in a broad way from very minimally invasive approaches, to surgeries which involve splitting the jaw and removing parts of the soft palate.  These more substantial jaw breaking sleep surgeries are very complex and are extremely expensive, and often, they do not work.  This has made many people either decide to not look into any type of surgery, or to decide on something else to treat their obstructive sleep apnea.  The more minimally invasive surgical procedures are typically compelted within 5-10 minutes and always allow patients to simply walk out of the clinic afterwards.  These types of procedures are usually completed by an Ear, Nose & Throat  (ENT) surgeon and involve the use of lasers to remove certain pieces of tissue from the throat.  There are several different actual procedures and one of them that is very popular right now is called the Pillar Procedure.

Oral Appliances

The dental solution that so many people have been focusing on in recent years has been to use what is called an “oral appliance” to help the snoring and sleep apnea.  Appliances are dental devices which are made specifically for each individual’s mouth and are created after impressions are taken in the dental office.  These oral appliances help snoring by moving the mouth’s tissue away from the airway or by moving the lower jaw outwards to create more space within the airway.  It is also not 100% effective for treating snoring, but it does not require a major surgery, and with a bit of luck and some help from a basic medical procedure, oral appliances can be very effective in terms of a snoring treatment.

How do sleeping pills affect someone who is dealing with sleep apnea?

For so many people in today’s drug induced world, sleeping pills are prescribed quite often from doctors for many different reasons.  A very high percent of the population who take sleeping pills complain of having a hard time either falling or staying asleep at night.  One question remains though, if a person has already been diagnosed with sleep apnea, how do sleeping pills affect your sleep with OSA?

Sleeping pills are not recommended for anyone to be taking if they suffer from sleep apnea, unless they are using CPAP therapy properly.   The sleeping pills can cause someone to have a slower reaction time to get out of an apnea event while breathing and may allow oxygen levels to drop very low.  The sleeping pills basically act as a tranquilizer to the body, and if you combine that with un-treated sleep apnea, it is a recipe for disaster.  On the other hand, for someone who is using CPAP, the air pressure that is being supplied to the body will force breathing to continue at a proper pace, and should be un-affected by the sleeping pills.  Either way, you should speak with a physician about the best ways to deal with proper sleep before ever taking any prescription medications, especially if you know you suffer from sleep apnea or have a history of being tired and symptomatic of OSA throughout the day.

How could sleep apnea be described in very basic terms, is it just as simple as someone who snores?

In fact, sleep apnea is much more than just snoring, and although snoring is often present with people who have the sleeping disorder “Sleep Apnea”, it is not always the case, and at the same time, just because you snore does not mean you also have sleep apnea.

I snore almost every night, but when I take a home sleep study, the results come back that I do not have sleep apnea.  So by this definition sleep apnea is not snoring always.  What is interesting about my sleep study results is that from night to night, my readings in terms of the Apnea Hypopnea Index (AHI) can vary significantly from 1.2 per hour to over 4 per hour.  This it turns out is normal for everyone. No two nights of sleep are identical, and therefore the amount of snoring you may have one night can be very different on a second night.  This is one of the difficulties in understanding if someone’s snoring is causing a serious or potentially serious health risk.  There are many instances recorded of people who snore who develop sleep apnea over time, but for many years do not suffer from any symptoms and lead a healthy and normal life.

Some recommendations that can benefit everyone who snores during sleep is to have a check up with your family doctor, and request to undergo a sleep study.  The sleep study can be performed either at home or in an overnight sleep lab environment.  There is a test which is recorded for the sleep study that is called a Polysomnography Test, which will record your breathing and also your oxygen levels and a few other pieces of data including the level of snoring you have.  Once you have these results of the sleep study scored, you will be able to determine with your physician if your snoring is sleep apnea or not.  There is really no reason not to do this as insurance often covers the complete or partial costs of this diagnostic sleep test.

For all the patients who have insurance through Kaiser Permanente(KP), you should not worry at all.  This managed care medical group actually has an excellent program in place to test, diagnose and treat their sleep apnea patients.  Also, because Kaiser handles all aspects of medical care, they are able to keep the entire sleep apnea program in-house which results in better patient compliance.

The process for Kaiser patients who are suspected of having sleep apnea goes something like this:

1. Patients receive a referral to have a sleep study conducted at home
2. Patients are then given a home sleep study device.  Currently, most of the Kaiser hospitals use the Itamar WatchPAT home sleep testing device to diagnose obstructive sleep apnea
3. After the study results are completed, the patient is then explained what the diagnosis is.
4. If you are diagnosed with sleep apnea, the next step is to have a home titration study conducted.
5. The home titration is performed with an Auto-PAP machine which will record your data.  This machine is a form of a CPAP machine and requires that the patient wears a CPAP face mask which will allow the transfer of air pressure to the face.
6. After the machine is worn for several nights, the data is recorded to see how the apnea and breathing events changed with CPAP air pressure.  If there as improvement, that is great news and is usually expected with this type of therapy.
7. The attending sleep doctor will write a prescription for the patient for an Auto-PAP machine, and the patient will then start using therapy.
8. If the patient does not have DME benefits, the patient will need to purchase a CPAP machine on their own over the internet or some other ways.  The usual cost for an Auto-PAP machine that is purchased online with a mask and humidifier is roughly $800-$900 with shipping in the United States.  Prices may vary a bit depending on what specific mask is used.
9. If at any point the patient has questions about the sleep apnea or CPAP machine, they can follow up with the Apnea clinic at Kaiser.

Overall, Kaiser has a very comprehensive Sleep Apnea Clinic which makes sure that patients don’t fall through the cracks.  If you are suspecting that you or a loved one who has Kaiser Insurance is suffering from un-diagnosed sleep apnea, you should instruct them to speak with their physician about it and have a home sleep study soon.