ANCSLEEP BLOG

Inspire Sleep Device: A Breath of Fresh Air for Sleep Apnea

Posted by Darian Dozier on Aug 21, 2024 3:44:00 PM

This is not an ad for inspire, simply an informative article about this device. 

For individuals battling sleep apnea, a good night's sleep can often feel like an elusive dream. However, with advancements in medical technology, innovative solutions like the Inspire Sleep Device are changing the landscape of sleep apnea treatment. In this blog post, we'll delve into what the Inspire Sleep Device is, how it works, and the potential benefits it offers to those seeking a more restful and healthier night's sleep.

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Choosing a CPAP Based on Your Sleeping Position

Posted by Darian Dozier on Mar 17, 2023 7:26:00 PM

Sleep apnea is a common breathing disorder that affects millions of Americans. The best treatment for obstructive sleep apnea is continuous positive airway pressure therapy, or CPAP. It provides enough pressure to blow the airway open and keep the muscles from collapsing. CPAP treatment requires the use of a mask, and many CPAP users think that they have to sleep on their backs to accommodate the mask. 

However, for those who do not prefer to sleep on their backs, it is not required of them. There are other options that allow sleepers to sleep in the positions that best suit them. It's important to follow the advice of your doctor or sleep specialist when choosing the best CPAP mask. Selecting the correct mask is a task of trial and error, and your doctor can help you find the best option for your preferred sleeping position. Continue reading to learn more before you go and speak with your physician.     

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Topics: CPAP, OSA

What is CPAP Dry Mouth and How to Prevent It

Posted by Darian Dozier on Nov 14, 2022 4:59:00 AM

Obstructive Sleep Apnea, or OSA, is a common sleep disorder where individuals have brief pauses in breathing due to a blockage of the airway. This blockage can be caused by a large tongue that has relaxed and covering the airway, or the muscles in the back of the throat that have relaxed and are also covering the airway. 

The mainstay of treatment is a continuous positive airway pressure, or a CPAP, machine. This machine blows air into the back of your throat to prevent the muscles from collapsing and keeping your airway open. It consists of a mask that goes over your nose and your mouth that is attached by a hose to a machine that delivers this air. 

CPAP machines are very important because OSA can cause a host of health problems including obesity, hypertension, and reduced sleep. Those with OSA can develop excessive daytime sleepiness and the risk of developing it is increased by being overweight, having a large neck circumference, smoking, and being male, to name a few. 

Although CPAPs are great, they often come up with some uncomfortable side effects. A common side effect is dry mouth. Continue reading to find out how to avoid this side effect. 

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Common CPAP Side Effects

Posted by Darian Dozier on Nov 7, 2022 5:07:00 AM

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a sleep disorder that affects many people. It is characterized by many pauses in breathing throughout the night that cause your body to wake up to begin breathing again. These cessations are caused by a blockage to your airway, most likely by a large tongue that has slid to the back of your mouth, or by the relaxation of the muscles in the back of your throat. 

This narrowing of space makes it hard for you to breathe and can lead to snoring, excessive daytime sleepiness, and feeling like you did not get enough rest. OSA can also lead to hypertension, obesity, heart disease, and many other diseases. It is more common in men, those with larger neck circumferences, overweight/obese individuals, and those who smoke. 

The current standard treatment for OSA is a continuous positive airway pressure, or a CPAP machine. It blows air to stop the muscles in the back of your throat from collapsing so that way you continue breathing throughout the night. Even though it can provide immense relief, it still comes with its fair share of side effects. Continue reading to learn about what to expect with a CPAP. 

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Bodily Changes Before and After CPAP

Posted by Darian Dozier on Nov 4, 2022 11:07:00 AM

The gold standard treatment for a diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea is a continuous positive airway pressure machine, or CPAP. CPAPs are great machines for a variety of reasons, most importantly they reduce the amount of times that you stop breathing throughout the night. If you are given a CPAP or considering CPAP usage, you may be curious about how your body is going to change once you start using it on a regular basis. CPAP therapy is considered very safe and has many benefits after consistent and correct use, including reduced snoring, less daytime fatigue, and decreased blood pressure. Continue reading to learn more about how using a CPAP machine positively impacts your body and your ability to get a good night's rest.

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Topics: CPAP, OSA

Micro CPAP Devices

Posted by Darian Dozier on Oct 24, 2022 11:44:00 AM

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) affects nearly a billion people in the world. It is a sleep disorder that involves cessations of breathing throughout the night. These pauses can significantly disrupt sleep, leading to excessive daytime sleepiness, high blood pressure, and other health issues. 

The mainstay treatment for OSA is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) which is a large mask that fits over the nose and mouth and provides enough pressure to keep the airway from collapsing. Due to the size of the CPAP machine, and the tubes and discomfort, many individuals may choose to not use a CPAP, which can worsen and prolong their disease. 

However, new technology may offer something a little more comfortable: Micro CPAP. We are going to review what they are and how they work so you can talk with your doctor to see if it's the best option for you. 

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Best Water to Use for you CPAP

Posted by Darian Dozier on Oct 17, 2022 11:25:00 AM

Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) is a machine used for those with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). OSA is a sleep disorder that is characterized by multiple cessations in breathing throughout the night. OSA can have negative consequences like excessive daytime sleepiness, weight gain, high blood pressure, heart disease, etc. It's important to be properly diagnosed using a sleep study, or a polysomnography, and then treated with a CPAP. 

CPAP therapy provides significant relief to those with OSA. Untreated individuals often gasp and choke while trying to breathe. CPAP delivers enough pressurized air to help sleepers breathing passages remain open. THis can significantly reduce sleep apnea symptoms, but can cause some side effects like dry mouth.

Humidifiers for your CPAP can reduce some of these negative issues. Some models even have built-in humidifiers to make it easier. It's important to take care of your CPAP by using the proper water. Is that tap, or is distilled the best? Continue reading for more information about why distilled is the best water to use in your humidifier. 

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CPAP vs BiPAP and When to Use Them

Posted by Darian Dozier on Dec 30, 2021 8:30:00 AM

Positive airway pressure (PAP) is one of the most common treatments for sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a breathing disorder that affects 3 to 7% of the population. Positive airway pressure is a way to offset the breathing difficulties that these patients have throughout the night. There are two types of machines that can assist with sleep apnea treatments. One is called a CPAP and the other is called a BiPAP. We are going to talk about the difference between these two and which one to use in which situations. 

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Topics: CPAP, Sleep Apnea, bipap

What is CPAP Therapy and How Does it Work?

Posted by Tyler Britton on May 14, 2021 1:15:00 PM

What is CPAP Therapy?

CPAP therapy is a treatment path that is used to treat obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Obstructive sleep apnea is a medical condition and sleeping disorder that causes your throat muscles to relax, your airway to become obstructed by your tongue or tonsils, and you to stop breathing. This leads to many subsequent arousals throughout the night, referred to as an apnea event. 

Obstructive sleep apnea can be mild or severe:

  • Mild OSA: 5-14 apneas per hour of sleep
  • Moderate OSA: 15-30 apneas per hour of sleep
  • Severe OSA: 30+ apneas per hour of sleep

When you stop breathing and rouse this much throughout the night (anywhere from 40 to hundreds of times throughout the night), the natural result is severe sleep deprivation. As a result, your life may be shorter, unhappier, and less performant than if you treated your sleep apnea.

This is why CPAP therapy is so important. In CPAP therapy, you use a CPAP machine to gently push air into your airway to keep it from collapsing, allowing you to continuously breathe while sleeping. 

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Topics: CPAP

6 Common CPAP Problems & Solutions

Posted by Tyler Britton on Apr 25, 2021 11:52:00 AM

 

For individuals diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea who use a CPAP machine on a daily basis, common issues arise that may interfere with quality of therapy. Especially for individuals who are about to, or have just started using a CPAP device, typical problems that CPAP machine users run into are important to know about. Continue reading to learn about 6 common problems and their solutions.

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Topics: CPAP

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