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Moderate to Loud Snoring: Although snoring can be mild in some patients, especially women. Pauses in breathing ranging from 10 to 60 seconds, sometimes even longer.
"Crescendo Snoring": Rising and declining volume of snoring in 30 to 90 second intervals. Loud snoring and/or "snorts" upon resumption of breathing, often accompanied by limb movement in the bed.
Daytime Tiredness, especially during sedentary or "hypnotic" activities such as:
Waking Up every one to two hours during sleep for no apparent reason.
Restless Sleep: Your bedcovers are messed up when you wake up!
Heartburn: Also known as Gastro-Esophogeal Reflux. Your difficulty breathing at night causes the acidic juices in your stomach to rise up into your throat.
Morning Headaches: You aren't getting enough oxygen during sleep!! It can give you a wallop of a headache!!
High Blood Pressure: 50% of all patients with obstructive sleep apnea have elevated blood pressure levels!
Need to Take Naps during the day or on weekends.
Lack of Energy and motivation.
Tiredness, Tiredness, Tiredness!!
Denial of Tiredness when observed by spouse, children, friends, co-workers!!
If this sounds like you or someone you love, then listen up...this may be a result of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (or OSA).
The great news is that in the majority of cases OSA can be helped and the results are life-changing!
Here is what you do....
This is a simple test that you can do in your home with a special piece of equipment from Alliance Sleep called an Oximeter. If you have a prescription for an Overnight Oximetry Study, call us at 1-877-701-0424 or email us at serviceone@alliance-oxygen.com and we will arrange to have the equipment available for you.
After you have completed the Overnight Oximetry, Alliance Sleep immediately forwards the results to your physician. Your doctor will then be able to determine if there is sufficient evidence to suggest possible Obstructive Sleep Apnea. The doctor may also decide to send you for further tests if the oximetry is inconclusive.
If OSA is likely, the next step may be that your physician provides a prescription to begin a CPAP trial. CPAP is a medical device that provides a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure that helps prevent the collapse of the airway during sleep.
Alliance Sleep's Registered Respiratory Therapists will guide you through the trial rental period which may last for a few weeks.
During this period we will determine:
If CPAP therapy solves the Obstructive Sleep Apnea problem, you will normally feel that it has impacted your life in some way. You can then purchase a CPAP machine from Alliance Sleep. If you have Extended Health Insurance, it is possible that your plan will cover the majority of the equipment cost.
When you have a prescription for a CPAP trial, call us at 1-877-701-0424 or email us at serviceone@alliance-oxygen.com and we will arrange to have the trial rental equipment available for you.
Obstructive sleep apnea or OSA is an interruption of breathing during sleep caused by the tongue and/or excessive tissue in the airway. When breathing stops, air is prevented from entering or exiting the lungs, causing the heart to work harder.
Apnea or cessation of breathing can occur 20 to 100 times per hour, thus, interfering with the patient’s quality of sleep.
Continuous positive airway pressure or CPAP is the "Gold Standard" treatment for patients with OSA. CPAP devices produce positive airway pressure which is delivered through a hose connected to a nasal interface or mask. The positive pressure prevents the collapse of the airway during sleep.
You are not alone. It has been estimated that as many as 40 million Americans suffer from some form of sleep disorder, with 20 million of those suffering from OSA.
OSA is estimated to affect eight percent of the general population. The National Commission on Sleep Disorders Research has estimated that 80 percent of patients afflicted with sleep disorders remain undiagnosed.
