coyotegoth (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
coyotegoth) wrote2008-10-13 04:24 pm
coyotegoth) wrote2008-10-13 04:24 pm
(no subject)
PSA, from ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
laurel:
People with untreated sleep apnea are 2 to 4 times more likely to have a stroke than those who don't have sleep apnea or who are successfully treating their sleep apnea. It's double the risk of other known risk factors for stroke (like hypertension, diabetes, everything else).
Folks with untreated sleep apnea also have a much greater risk of coronary heart disease, heart failure, irregular heartbeat, heart attack, and high blood pressure.
Symptoms of sleep apnea may include excessive daytime sleepiness, restless sleep, loud snoring, falling asleep during the day, morning headaches, trouble concentrating, irritability, forgetfulness, mood or behavior changes, weight gain, anxiety, and depression.
If you think you might have sleep apnea, please talk to your doctor about it. Talking about it doesn't automatically mean you need a sleep study; there are some questions they'll likely want you to answer. There are also some simpler tests than a sleep study that can be done for the initial screening. And if you need a sleep study, they really aren't that bad-- I am darn near phobic about being watched by anyone while I sleep and was scared to death of having a sleep study, but in the end it was really easy and I'm so glad I did it (and hate that it took me so long).
If you have sleep apnea, please treat it. Stick with the treatment. It can be difficult to find the right sleep mask or other treatment, but the technology is constantly improving. There's some amazing stuff out there now. Most sleep apnea is treated with a CPAP and a sleep mask, but some cases are treated with surgery or other things.
If you use a CPAP (or BiPAP), even once you find a mask you like, it's important to make sure your gear is working properly and replaced as often as it should be. It's also good to follow-up with doctors if you think maybe the treatment isn't working as well as it could. Your pressure settings or mask may need to be adjusted, you may even need a new sleep study. These days there are CPAP machines that can tell you how well they're working for you-- it's good to see those stats and know the machine and mask are doing their job and you're having as few apneas as possible during the night.
laurel:People with untreated sleep apnea are 2 to 4 times more likely to have a stroke than those who don't have sleep apnea or who are successfully treating their sleep apnea. It's double the risk of other known risk factors for stroke (like hypertension, diabetes, everything else).
Folks with untreated sleep apnea also have a much greater risk of coronary heart disease, heart failure, irregular heartbeat, heart attack, and high blood pressure.
Symptoms of sleep apnea may include excessive daytime sleepiness, restless sleep, loud snoring, falling asleep during the day, morning headaches, trouble concentrating, irritability, forgetfulness, mood or behavior changes, weight gain, anxiety, and depression.
If you think you might have sleep apnea, please talk to your doctor about it. Talking about it doesn't automatically mean you need a sleep study; there are some questions they'll likely want you to answer. There are also some simpler tests than a sleep study that can be done for the initial screening. And if you need a sleep study, they really aren't that bad-- I am darn near phobic about being watched by anyone while I sleep and was scared to death of having a sleep study, but in the end it was really easy and I'm so glad I did it (and hate that it took me so long).
If you have sleep apnea, please treat it. Stick with the treatment. It can be difficult to find the right sleep mask or other treatment, but the technology is constantly improving. There's some amazing stuff out there now. Most sleep apnea is treated with a CPAP and a sleep mask, but some cases are treated with surgery or other things.
If you use a CPAP (or BiPAP), even once you find a mask you like, it's important to make sure your gear is working properly and replaced as often as it should be. It's also good to follow-up with doctors if you think maybe the treatment isn't working as well as it could. Your pressure settings or mask may need to be adjusted, you may even need a new sleep study. These days there are CPAP machines that can tell you how well they're working for you-- it's good to see those stats and know the machine and mask are doing their job and you're having as few apneas as possible during the night.
no subject
no subject
I wish I knew a surefire thing people can say to loved ones to get them to ask their doctor about sleep apnea, but unfortunately there isn't.
Some folks don't believe they have it (and sometimes they're right). Some folks think it's too hard or expensive to get a sleep study (it's actually a much more pleasant process than you think it is and for initial screening a study isn't necessary). Some folks don't think they'd like the treatment or could handle it, but treatment options are improving at a rapid pace these days. The small hassle of wearing a CPAP mask seems like nothing once you start getting restful sleep. It is possible to find comfortable masks (including some that don't touch your face at all) and small quiet (even battery powered) CPAP machines.
The risks really are too great not to treat it if one has it.
I've found the CPAPTalk forums invaluable for learning about sleep apnea and getting advice on everything related to it. There are folks there who hack their masks to make them better, who diagnosed themselves with auto-titrating CPAP machines (rather than doing a sleep study), who have had all manner of treatment and tests, who have talked others into getting studies, etc. It's an amazing & knowledgeable group of people.
The American Sleep Apnea Association also has some good resources on their site and links to other useful stuff.
(And if you know all this stuff or none of it is helpful, well . . . I present it on the off chance it can help someone.)