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If you have sleep apnea and are using a CPAP machine than you know that there can be issues that make this therapy difficult to use. Sometimes you can find support to resolve these issues and sometimes there are solutions that your doctor, sleep tech or respiratory therapist may not be aware of. Researching this on the internet can be equally as baffling because of all the contradictory...

CPAP therapy is the “gold standard” for treating obstructive sleep apnea, also called OSA. For some of the people who use CPAP it is very difficult to use every night. There are many reasons for this, but the biggest is a lack of education. With this in mind there are five things that you can try that may help you being more successful with your CPAP. You can start...

CPAP therapy is considered the gold standard for treating sleep apnea. It is a machine that uses a mask of some type to deliver a specific pressure of air to help keep the airway open. The problem with CPAP therapy is that it does take getting used to in order to be successful in using it nightly. There are some very specific reasons that people fail to be able to adjust to it and there a...

As a sleep tech and a manager, I have learned that education is everything. The more information we give our patients, the more successful the study and (ultimately) their therapy will be. It is this part of the study that should really start at the doctor's office and continue all the way through the process. In our lab, it starts with the call for the appointment. I call each patient and...

If you wear a CPAP you might notice that this time of year you have more side effects. The cold dry weather and the increased time indoors can cause many side effects such a drying of the mouth and nose, congestion, sinus infections, and illness. It is important that if you are using your CPAP that you are comfortable all year so you have to consider the time of the year and make the...

The new Medicare guidelines require patients to become compliant with their CPAP in 90 days or they will not pay for it. This has some positives and negatives. It now requires the doctors and homecare companies to become more actively involved. The problem is that CPAP sometimes takes a while to get used to. So what do you do when you need to get comfortable in a short period of time? 1....

There are many CPAP users out there who do not use their machines. Much of this is due to the...

For those who have sleep apnea a CPAP is your introduction to the first good night sleep you have had in a long time. The problem is that you have to get used to it. So what is it and how does it work. To put it simply a CPAP is a very fancy air compressor. That is not to say you can go to Wal-Mart and buy and an air compressor and use that because I am sorry that will not work. When...

Everyone has questions and issues as they learn about their new bedtime friend, their CPAP machine. This first week will really set the tone for your success with your machine. During this time it is essential for you’re to ask questions and get the help you may need so that you sleep better at night. These 5 steps will help you have a great first week on your CPAP and will help...

A good night sleep is influenced by many things. If you are suffering from insomnia the first thing you should do is rule out where you sleep as the cause of the problem. The easiest thing to do is to look at your room and see if a change here could change your sleep problems. 1. Is your bedroom and office the same room? Life is stressful especially in this economy. If you...