Medicap Idaho

CPAP

Does CPAP Therapy Work for Sleep Apnea?

Do loved ones constantly give you grief about your snoring? Do they complain about the nonstop sound, or the many interrupted nights of sleep your snoring has caused them?

Well, it’s time to take action. 

What Really Causes Snoring?

The direct cause of snoring is vibration of the soft tissues of your mouth and throat. During sleep, the muscles around these structures may relax to the point that your lower jaw and tongue fall back, blocking your airway. A reduced airway causes the soft tissues to vibrate, i.e. snoring. 

The possible underlying causes of snoring are many:

  • Excess body weight
  • Congestion
  • Sleep apnea
  • Use of drugs or alcohol

Any of these issues can lead to the relaxation of tissues in the mouth and throat, collapsing the airway to various degrees, thus resulting in snoring. 

Very heavy snoring and delayed breathing (of up to 10 seconds or more) or choking may indicate a severe condition known as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). 

Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the throat muscles and tongue collapse into the airways during sleep, blocking airflow. Once that airway becomes blocked, the person simply stops breathing until the brain senses mortal danger and finally signals a gasp for breath.

Individuals with mild obstructive sleep apnea experience 5–15 of these episodes per hour of sleep, while individuals with severe obstructive sleep apnea experience more than 30. All too often, the individual who gasps isn’t fully awakened and is completely unaware of what’s going on. Often their partner will give them the first indication that there’s a problem — by sleeping on the couch. With their sleep constantly being interrupted, individuals who suffer from OSA can go weeks, months, or even years without a truly deep, restful sleep.

Side Effects of Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Due to the serious cardiovascular threat it poses, sleep apnea should not be ignored. With so little oxygen in the blood, blood pressure quickly creeps upward because the heart has to work harder. Such nocturnal increases in blood pressure can lead to hypertension (chronic high blood pressure). The risk of having a stroke or sudden cardiac arrest soars: people with OSA are three times more likely to have a stroke than those without. In severe cases, OSA can trigger a heart attack in the middle of the night. 

Fragmented sleep leads to sleepiness and chronic fatigue during the day — additional signals that OSA has been  hard at work while its victim tried to rest. No wonder individuals with OSA are four to six times more likely to be involved in a car accident and are more likely to be injured at work. The stealth factor is high with OSA: symptoms may continue for years unnoticed as the person simply becomes conditioned to feeling tired all the time.

How to Stop Snoring and Treat Sleep Apnea

As many as 50 percent of people snore to some degree. Thankfully, most cases aren’t too serious and can be corrected with simple steps:

  • Losing weight
  • Avoiding drugs and alcohol
  • Using nasal strips or a humidifier while sleeping

And thankfully there is a very effective remedy for sleep apnea sufferers. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines are a lifesaver to those struggling with obstructive sleep apnea. A CPAP machine works by gently but continuously blowing pressurized air through the airway. The increased air pressure prevents the airway from collapsing when you breathe. When used as directed, it can immediately improve the quality of life for individuals with sleep apnea.

The CPAP machine will have one of the following attached to it:

  • A mask that covers your nose and mouth, known as a full-face CPAP mask
  • A mask that covers your nose only, called a nasal CPAP mask
  • A mask that fits directly into the base of your nose, with e cushions that seal around your nostrils, known as a nasal pillows CPAP mask

You’ll likely notice less snoring, fewer breathing obstructions, and a decrease in daytime sleepiness — among other health benefits. Research has shown that CPAP therapy can reduce the risk of health problems linked with obstructive sleep apnea, such as high blood pressure, depression, and cardiovascular issues.

Do you think you have obstructive sleep apnea? Here’s how to get started with CPAP therapy.

Take Our Sleep Apnea Quiz

If you suspect you have sleep apnea or another form of disordered breathing, make an appointment to see your primary physician. He or she will evaluate your signs and symptoms and, if necessary, refer you to a specialist or for a sleep study. Depending on your symptoms and insurance guidelines, you may have an in-home sleep test or an in-lab test. Your physician will use the results of the study to determine whether or not to prescribe a CPAP machine. Yes, as a medical device, a CPAP machine requires a prescription. 

Once you have had a study and your physician has written a prescription for a machine, you want to verify that your referral paperwork has been sent to our office. Once we receive your records we will verify that we have everything required to research your eligibility and coverage and bill your insurance policy. If prior authorization is required, we will take care of getting your insurance company everything needed for them to approve your equipment.

Once we have authorization, our very knowledgeable respiratory therapists will meet with you to discuss your sleep study, instruct you on CPAP machine usage, and fit you for a mask. They will follow up with you to fine-tune your settings and CPAP equipment so that you sleep comfortably. 

Have questions? Talk to one of our specialists who can guide you through the process.

Is Snoring a Sign of Sleep Apnea?

Sometimes you can do everything right and things still don’t go your way. Just ask Sergeant Hayden.

Sergeant Jeffrey Hayden was a cavalry scout in the US Army. He was fit, ate as well as a soldier could, and took good care of himself. After 10 years of hard training, he was strong and had quite a bit of muscle. But despite all his efforts, his health was on a rapid decline, and he was inexplicably gaining weight.

He had uncontrollable high blood pressure and treatment wasn’t working; his doctor was at a loss. His constant heartburn became so frequent that it often caused vomiting. Jeffrey also had immense difficulty sleeping, even when using a prescribed sleeping aid. And when he did sleep, his snoring could be measured on the Richter Scale.

When on duty, his platoon dreaded sleeping anywhere near him. No one was sleeping if Hayden was nearby. At home, he slept on the couch so as not to disturb his wife and their newborn child. 

He’d spent his entire adult life dedicated to perfect health, but his life was still being  ruined by seemingly untreatable health problems.

The Silent Killer

Service men and women are required to have regular checkups. When given the choice, Hayden opted to see his own provider. His doctor noticed something others had missed: he had a small airway and a large neck. 

When the doctor asked him if he snored, Hayden brought up the sleep issues he was having. This information, combined with data from his chart, put up giant red flags. Jeffrey needed a sleep study ASAP. 

Hayden checked into a lab that specializes in sleep studies. After they set up the monitoring equipment, he went to sleep. While the study was supposed to consist of a two-night stay in the lab, they had all the data they needed after 88 minutes and stopped the study. It was clear: Hayden had obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and it could have killed him. 

In those 88 minutes, he stopped breathing 44 times. His oxygen levels dropped to dangerously low levels, and while he appeared to be happily snoring (which could be heard down the hall), he never actually got past stage one of REM sleep. 

Jeffrey had a naturally smaller-than-average airway and a wrestler’s neck that had been enlarged from years of strength training. As he slept, his airway collapsed, which caused the snoring, and his breathing completely stopped every couple of minutes. His attempts at sleep became a recurring nightmare in which he never reached deep enough sleep to have an actual dream. 

The techs briefly woke Hayden up to outfit him with a CPAP appliance designed to keep his airway open. After that, Hayden immediately went into normal phases of sleep, with optimal oxygen levels (and no snoring). He finished the night with the best sleep he’d had in a long time.

Do You Have Sleep Apnea?

Take Our Sleep Apnea Quiz

Sleep apnea is a tricky beast. It’s called the “silent killer” because it can cause dangerous complications (such as hypertension) that may be treated while the underlying cause remains undetected. In fact, 80–90 percent of those with sleep apnea aren’t even aware they have it, and most people don’t know much about it. 

Your case may not be as dangerous as Hayden’s was, but that is no reason to shave years off your life by leaving it untreated. We see this often; you can’t really gauge yourself when sleeping, so the best tip you may get is when those around you complain about your snoring.

If you answered yes to more than a couple of the questions on the above quiz and you snore, you are at high risk for OSA. Contact your doctor for an appointment. He or she will evaluate your signs and symptoms and, if necessary, refer you to a specialist or for a sleep study. 

If you’re prescribed CPAP therapy, Medicap is here to help you get started smoothly. Our very knowledgeable respiratory therapists will meet with you to discuss your sleep study, instruct you on CPAP machine usage, and fit you for a mask. They will follow up with you to fine-tune your settings and equipment so that you sleep comfortably. 

Have questions? Talk to one of our specialists who can guide you through the process.