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Posts Tagged ‘sleep apnea’
Posted on: May 23rd, 2013 by JurosMedicalBlogger
The link between sleep apnea and cancer
Think untreated sleep apnea is no big deal? A recent study from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health shows that people with sleep apnea may be at higher risk of developing many forms of cancer.
 All the snoring from sleep apnea could have a more detrimental affect than keeping your spouse awake According to the study, those with untreated sleep apnea had a five times higher incidence of cancer related death. Still think untreated sleep apnea is no big deal?
What is the correlation? Untreated sleep apnea means you could be suffocating your cells. It’s thought that poor breathing and the lack of oxygen (or anaerobic cell activity) over long periods of time fails to oxygenate the cells sufficiently.
In simple terms, your cells are suffocating. This suffocation that occurs as a result of sleep apnea may produce tumor growth which may become cancerous.
What can you do to protect yourself and those you love? If you suspect that you or anyone in your family could have sleep apnea, get a sleep test done. These tests are painless and easy.
After your test, you will be given results and recommendations. If these recommendations include getting a CPAP or BiPAP machine, see the home medical and respiratory experts at Juros Pharmacy Health and Wellness. We carry a wide variety of machines, masks and tubing to work for your needs. Our experts will work with you to choose the right mask and help you fit it for the most comfort and best results.
While more tests are needed to determine the final correlations between sleep apnea and certain types of cancers, on thing is certain: there is no downside of getting better and more restful sleep. The right CPAP or BiPAP machine from Juro’s Pharmacy Health and Wellness can help you achieve that, and in turn, better overall health.
We hope to see you soon!
Posted on: February 12th, 2013 by JurosMedicalBlogger
If you live with someone who has sleep apnea, chances are you know exactly how obnoxious this medical condition can be. There’s the chainsaw-like snoring, the constant gasping for air and restlessness that looks more like a wrestling match than sleep. While all of these symptoms of sleep apnea can be annoying, there is a silent side effect that you can neither see nor hear, and it has to do with your heart.
 CPAP therapy can help protect your heart by allowing for deeper sleep and more oxygen-rich blood to be pumped throughout your body. Sleep apnea has been shown to be inseparably linked with heart conditions in a number of studies, and here’s how the connection has been explained. Sleep apnea causes you to stop breathing for 2-10 second periods dozens of times per night. These apneas (Greek for “without breath”) create a buildup of carbon dioxide in the blood and prevent oxygen from getting to vital organs like the heart and brain.
The apneas also trigger the body’s “fight or flight” response, meaning less blood is being pumped into the heart. Over time, say four to five years, this lack of oxygen and oxygen-rich blood to the heart causes damage and can lead to a stroke or heart attack.
Fortunately, studies have shown that CPAP therapy not only helps decrease the severity of sleep apnea symptoms, but also improves heart health. By allowing you to breath normally throughout the night, CPAP therapy keeps carbon dioxide levels low and allows for oxygen-rich blood to reach your heart.
Juros’ Pharmacy Health and Wellness as the equipment available not only to screen you for sleep apnea, but also supply you with the necessary CPAP machine, masks and accessories you will need to treat your sleep apnea.
If you suspect you or your loved one may have sleep apnea, not acting can take its toll on their heart. Schedule an appointment with your doctor today and stay on the path to better heart health.
Posted on: January 10th, 2013 by JurosMedicalBlogger
Every night it sounds like there is a buzz saw being revved constantly from inside your bedroom, interrupted every so often by the sound of someone gasping for air. Even though this is not a Hollywood-inspired horror, but only your spouse, there is quite possibly some underlying danger to their nightly snoring and gasping routine because your spouse is exhibiting two of the classic signs of obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA.
 CPAP therapy is the most common treatment for sleep apnea, and it will help reduce the risk of some serious health conditions. OSA occurs when the soft tissue in the back of your throat obstructs your airway, causing you to stop breathing for a short period of time (called “apneas”). This can happen as many as 100 times per night, depriving your brain of precious oxygen. The real risks of leaving sleep apnea untreated lie in the cardiovascular system.
Numerous studies, including one conducted by the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, have shown that untreated OSA has severe implications for your heart and cardiovascular system. High blood pressure, heart disease, heart attacks and strokes all have their potentials increased when OSA is left untreated. It can also lead to higher risks of developing diabetes and depression. The best thing to do is learn the signs of OSA:
Loud snoring
Waking up gasping for air
Restless Sleep
Daytime fatigue
Moodiness
Morning headaches
If you or your spouse display more than one of these characteristics, go speak to your doctor immediately. He may recommend you for a sleep study, during which you may be diagnosed with OSA. From there, you will be given information in regards to the severity of CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) you need.
The Respiratory Therapists on staff at Juro’s Pharmacy Health and Wellness will help you find the right CPAP equipment for your therapy. On top providing top of line equipment, we can also provide sleep apnea screening. For more information on the screening or our CPAP therapy equipment, come by or contact us today!
Posted on: October 9th, 2012 by JurosMedicalBlogger
We have posted before about sleep apnea, what causes it, what it is and the primary treatment for it, which is continuous passive airway pressure, or CPAP therapy. There is another treatment option for sleep apnea, however, and it is also a form of passive airway pressure therapy.
 Both CPAP and Bi-level PAP therapy can be used to treat your sleep apnea. Bi-level PAP is prescribed by doctors when cases of sleep apnea are severe enough, or CPAP therapy has not had the desired effect on the patient’s sleep apnea. Bi-level PAP is so named because it uses two different air pressures during the course of therapy.
During any PAP therapy, pressurized air is pushed through the airway to keep it open and respiration occurring. In CPAP, this air pressure is the same, or “continuous,” when you inhale and exhale. In bi-level PAP, there are two different air pressures used, one for inhalation and one for exhalation. The inspiratory pressure is always higher than the expiratory pressure in bi-level PAP.
So, how do you know which one is right for you? Well, the truth is you don’t. The severity of your sleep apnea is determined by the sleep technician during your sleep study. This, along with your doctor’s recommendation will determine whether you use a CPAP or bi-level PAP machine.
Juro’s Medical carries all of the equipment you need for your CPAP or bi-level PAP therapy, from high quality CPAP and bi-level PAP machines to full-face, nasal and nasal pillow masks for the right comfort and fit for your therapy. We also offer our Guarantee Mask Fit that allows you to exchange your mask in the first two weeks as many times as you need to find the perfect mask.
We are ready and able to serve all of your respiratory needs, so don’t hesitate to call or come by should you need anything!
Posted on: April 24th, 2012 by JurosMedicalBlogger
Snoring can cause a great deal of stress in the bedroom for both the person snoring and their spouse. A good night’s sleep is the cornerstone of our health and when sleep is disrupted, it causes our health to decline and our risk for diabetes, heart disease and obesity to greatly increase. To improve both your lives, learn more about what snoring is doing to your health and how you can trade snoring for a much healthier lifestyle!
 Snoring affects you and your spouse. Basically, snoring is the vibration or sound coming from an obstructed airway often caused by alcohol or drugs relaxing the throat muscles, sleep on the back with the tongue dropping to the back of the mouth, a mispositioned jaw or fat gathering around the throat. However, snoring could be a symptom of more serious diagnosis – Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA).
OSA is actually repetitive pauses in breathing during sleep, which means you actually stop breathing throughout the night. This causes a reduction in blood oxygen saturation and simply causes you to get very poor quality sleep. Poor quality sleep leads to daytime sleepiness, weight gain and then a greater risk for heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and other health problems.
If you feel you may have OSA, you could easily determine your risk at home through a Sleep Apnea Screening using an Apnea Link Monitor. The ApneaLink Monitor is not a substitute for an overnight PSG sleep study but it is a good start. If you’ve ever been told you stop breathing while you are sleeping or that you snort and gasp for breath, which is also a good indication of OSA. Juro’s Respiratory Center provides these screenings at a fraction of the cost of a full blown sleep study.
You may also discuss your snoring habits with your doctor, visit a sleep lab and receive direction on what type of CPAP machine you will need. CPAP machines are an extremely common, non-invasive and effective method of treating OSA.
At Juro’s Medical, we carry a wide selection of CPAP machines and CPAP masks. Depending on your sleeping habits, you may prefer one mask design over the other or differing functions in machines, but you are welcome to visit our Billings location to check them out!
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