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Snoring is a
Nuisance |
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Snoring is the most
common complaint we hear. Assess
your bed partner's snoring and we can
recommend a
solution.
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If chronic insomnia is
causing you to turn to over-the-counter sleeping
pills, our experts can find an effective
long-term treatment. For more
information,
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A Conspiracy
Against Good Health
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The
Metabolic Syndrome and Sleep
Apnea
Every day we see more
patients who are at risk because of four
elevations.
- Elevation of weight
- Elevation of blood sugar
- Elevation of blood fat
- Elevation of blood pressure
These conditions taken together
are called The Metabolic Syndrome. This
cluster of conditions is now known to increase the
development of heart disease. Scientists are
focusing on the unique properties of the fat which
surrounds the internal organs, called the visceral
adipose origin. It seems that the more
person has deposits of visceral adipose tissue,
the more troubles they will have with the
metabolic syndrome and the higher the risk of
heart disease. Recent studies also suggest
that obstructive sleep apnea may further
accelerate heart disease risk.
The
bottom-line:
- Take your medicines. Your doctor has
prescribed these to treat high blood pressure,
elevated cholesterol and elevated blood sugar.
- If you are overweight, lose weight.
- If you think you have sleep apnea, ask your
doctor about diagnosis and
treatment.
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Persevering with
CPAP |
 Every day we discuss
adaptation strategies with our CPAP
patients. For patients with moderate to
severe obstructive sleep apnea, CPAP is the most
effective, albeit somewhat inconvenient,
treatment. The best advice we give to
patients in the first weeks of CPAP is "don't give
up". Just because you wake up to discover
you've taken the mask off in your sleep, does not
mean that your body is rejecting this
treatment. This is a common
experience. Simply pick it up the next night
and put it back on. You will find with
persistence you'll be able to spend more sleep
time with the mask in place. As you
will see in our CPAP clinics, we continually offer
options to optimize comfort, such as mask changes,
pressure adjustment, humidification adjustments
and tips on equipment
maintenance. Remember: Success with
CPAP means regular replacement of your interface
(mask or nasal pillows). See
Mark's CPAP Corner for more information.
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Rate Your Daytime
Sleepiness |
When you come to our office, we often ask you
to complete a rating of daytime sleepiness.
The simplest scale to use is the Epworth
Sleepiness Scale (ESS). Anything that
reduces good sleep will cause you to feel sleepier
during the day. Sometimes medications can
increase your sleepiness. A change in your
sleep disorder can also increase sleepiness.
If you have an Epworth sleepiness score of 11 or
above, your doctor will want to explore reasons
for this. The following link on our
website will take you to the ESS: Epworth Sleepiness Scale.
If your ESS rating is 11 or above, it may be time
for you to visit your
doctor.
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Duane Day
Practice Administrator Sleep
Medicine Associates of Texas, P.A.
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