Iowa Sleep Blog

By Dr. Zorn Challenges: CPAP is first line primary therapy for OSA. It is highly effective and non-invasive, but CPAP compliance can be a problem. Researchers have reported a 46% CPAP non-compliance rate after 4 years. The breakdown is as follows: a) 31% of patients never started CPAP after being given the prescription and b) 15% discontinued CPAP after starting for a period of time up t ..

If you are flying, here are some tips you may have not been aware of. Your PAP device is considered a piece of medical equipment and therefore should not be counted against you as one of your carry-on (You can check with your airline to make sure of the policy). DO NOT put it your checked luggage. Checked luggage are at times subject to rough handling and your PAP may not arrive in th ..

By Carol Smith, PA-C. Sleep Medicine Physician Assistant at Iowa Sleep I get many questions on cleaning of CPAP equipment so I decided to write some information about the topic. There are things that need to be done each day and there are things that can be done on a less frequent basis. DAILY : Wash your face before putting mask on. Wash mask liner when removing it in on awakening ..

Written by Carol Smith, PA-C There are many different signs of sleep apnea. We have listed the 10 signs that see very frequently in our patients. Snoring. Loud snoring is common but not consistent across the board with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients. Lack of snoring does not negate risk of sleep apnea. Gasping or choking arousals from sleep. These symptoms accompanied ..

If you wear Positive Airway Pressure (PAP) therapy, you were walked through the steps in cleaning your equipment. For many, that may have been a long time ago, in a place far, far away…so let us have a refresher! One of the most important factors in determining compliance with PAP wear (aside from mask fit) is taking proper care of your equipment. For therapy to be successful, y ..

By Vicki Richmond, RPSGT, Technical Director Home sleep testing is becoming popular with patients and and more insurance companies require them, rather than in laboratory testing as a starting point. Home sleep tests are capable of diagnosing sleep apnea, but are unable to diagnose other sleep disorders like narcolepsy, parasomnias, and sleep movement disorders. The question is, why i ..

Dr. Meir Kryger (Co-author of Principles and Practice of Sleep Medicine) once told me that in 1970 – Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) was considered so rare that he was asked to give a grand rounds on it to his medical school. It was then considered a rare disease of fat old men. NO LONGER. Science has improved. OSA is a genetic problem. It occurs in men, women, and children. AND you don ..

Summer is almost here, which means kids will be out of school and family vacations will be underway. To make sure you have enough energy to enjoy the sights, activities and long hours that come with vacations (or long meetings that come with business travel), it’s important to make sure you’re getting quality sleep every night. For people with sleep apnea, traveling with a CPAP can seem t ..

More than 18 million American adults have sleep apnea, but many more let it go untreated. Last week, we discussed what happens when OSA goes untreated (http://www.iowasleep.com/blog/obstructive-sleep-apnea-before-treatment-1-of-2) on our blog, and the health concerns that can arise if it is left untreated. Like many other health issues, the risks associated with this sleep problem significantl ..

Obstructive sleep apnea, otherwise referred to as OSA, is a sleep-related breathing disorder that involves a decrease or complete halt in airflow, despite an ongoing effort to breathe. While sleep apnea affects more men than women, anyone can experience OSA. Learn more about the different types of OSA (http://www.iowasleep.com/common-problems/obstructive-sleep-apnea-osa). During sleep ..