If you notice that you wake up with blood in your mouth or cuts on your tongue, you may have been chewing your tongue during your sleep. Often patients who are mouth breathers are highly susceptible to Sleep Apnoea and often wake up regularly throughout the night. These spontaneous arousals often result in movement of the mouth, sometimes clenching of the jaw or grinding of the teeth, So before you patch up your tongue and tape down your mouth, come into Sleep Centres of Australia and get tested using a Home Sleep Study device. For more information, contact our Sleep Respiratory Therapists on 02 9252 6144.
Have you just had a cold and use a CPAP machine? You might be tempted to wash your mask in disinfectant? Think again - don't wash your mask in disinfectant as this will deteriorate the silicon it is made from. The best thing to do is to use a diluted solution of vinegar: one part vinegar to nine parts water. This will ensure that you get the most out of your mask and use it for the full length of its life. The soft silicon mask surface is soft for your comfort, but remember, if a mask is too old or worn out, it can leak. If it has been twelve months, maybe it is time for a mask check-up. Ring Sleep Centres of Australia on 02 9252 6144 to book in your free mask check-up.
As a Medical Scientist, I know that one or two glasses of wine a night is good for the heart, as is two pieces of chocolate a day and going for a brisk walk. If you suffer from Sleep Apnoea, you are more likely to get a hangover after a couple of glasses of wine. This is because even if you are being treated with CPAP, the alcohol relaxes your muscles even more than usual, and your airway starts to collapse. If you wake up feeling like all of your Apnoeic symptoms have returned after a big night, it is best to blame the alcohol, and not the CPAP device. As someone who likes their wine, and knows sleep studies (polysomnography) very well, we are not going to change your routine overnight. That is why we say that during the sleep study to do everything you would normally do. Include one or two glasses of wine if that is what you routinely do. Because even though you have a diagnosis, it is highly unlikely you will change multiple behaviours all at onece to improve your health. We just want you to fous on the one behaviour - compliance with using a CPAP device. Please contact us on 02 9252 6144 for more information.
We recently hosted a seminar for General Practitioners on Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) and the risks associated with driving. We had three specialist speakers who shared their up to date and practical knowledge of OSA.
Dr Anup Desai, Sleep Respiratory Physician, communicated the importance of the risks associated with driving and OSA. There was a lively debate about when and if to report patients to the Roads and Maritime Services RMS).
Dr David Lowinger, Ear, Nose and Throat Surgeon presented an informative talk on the importance of having a multidisciplinary approach to the diagnosis and treatment of OSA, including the surgical options that can help alleviate the severity of OSA.
Dr Manish Shah, General and Sleep Dentist, gave an interesting perspective on OSA and the relationship between early development of the facial structures and risks of developing OSA later in life.
For more information, please see our website www.sleepcentres.com.au or call us on 9252 6144.
Dr David Lowinger, an Eastern Sydney Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Surgeon presented an informative talk to General Practitioners on the importance of having a multidisciplinary approach to the diagnosis and treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea. Although surgical options are not the cure for Sleep Apnoea, they can be used in many different ways to help the patient. For example, if the patient has nasal polyps (fleshy growths inside the nasal passages and sinuses that block the passages) this can irritate the patient if they are placed on CPAP Therapy. This makes CPAP treatment an uncomfortable treatment option. By surgically removing the polyps, the patient is then able to tolerate CPAP and comply with treatment. Although, this example demonstrates surgery is not the cure, it makes treatment more comfortable. Therefore, having an ENT consultation is integral to the diagnosis and treatment of Obstrutive Sleep Apnoea. Call us on 9252 6144 or email us at info@sleepcentres.com.au for more information.
When Sleep Apnoea was first discovered, the cure for it was a tracheotomy. This is now considered excessive and invasive for something that can be treated with pressurised air. Professor Colin Sullivan, the inventor of the Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine, had his pivotal moment one night in June 1980 when one of his patients had severe obstructive sleep apnoea, and was ordered to have an emergency tracheotomy. The patient's family refused, and the patient volunteered to be the first one to try CPAP therapy. The patient was attached to the circuit of positive airway pressure and went to sleep. Professor Sullivan increased the pressure as the patient started to have repetitive sleep apnoeic events and normal breathing appeared. 34 years later, sleep apnoea is 100% effectively treated by CPAP. This discovery has improved the quality of life for patients suffering from sleep apnoea, saved many lives and stopped the development of chronic illness such as type 2 diabetes, atrial fibrillation, hypertension and much more.
When studying Medicine we are always taught to treat every patient as if they were a family member. My father is not only a family member, but I also oversee his CPAP therapy and purchased him a new machine recently. When I get up and come into work everyday, I think of all the lives and all of the families that I help through getting them a good night's sleep. Recently, when staying at my parent's house, I noticed that there was a stillness about the house which when my dad was snoring was impossible to obtain. My mother now notices that my dad can stay up late and watch a full movie or TV program, whereas prior to him being treated he fell fast asleep. He no longer bares the nickname "noddy"! My dad is one of those people who did not notice any immediate symptoms. He says that he doesn't feel that much difference, despite his incredible compliance. I am of the school of thought that he just hasn't noticed - as he uses his device religiously and therefore is being treated. So if you have Sleep Apnoea, like my father; I can help you. Yours sincerely, Eamon - Clinical Sleep Scientist at Sleep Centres of Australia.
In a society obsessed with body weight, there is new research on the relationship between sleep and body fat that you may find interesting!
Researchers from Brigham Young University in Utah studied over 300 women aged between 17 and 26 years of age over several weeks.They monitored the women's sleep and physical activity, as well as their levels of body fat. The findings were published in the American Journal of Health Promotion.
The researchers found the following:
The take home message is that lack of sleep can affect your body weight and composition. At Sleep Centres of Australia, we consistently see sleep results showing poor sleep quality and a condition known as Sleep Apnoea. Not a good combination for those watching their weight!