Respiratory Therapist Explains How Simple Device Can Lead to Better Sleep
For Immediate Release
IRVING , TX (March 5, 2007) —Nothing beats a good night's sleep, but millions of Americans aren't getting it thanks to a condition called obstructive sleep apnea.
“ Obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA, is a sleep disorder characterized by daytime fatigue, pauses in breathing during sleep, snoring, frequent awakenings during the night, and sometimes morning headaches,” explains Karla Smith, RRT, a respiratory therapist from the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) who coordinates the Sleep Center at St. Alexius PrimeCare in Bismark , ND .
The condition occurs when the airway in the throat collapses during sleep, causing the person to repeatedly wake up to regain normal breathing. It sounds fairly harmless, but it's not. According to Smith, OSA has been linked to serious health problems like high blood pressure, heart failure, and stroke, and can even increase the risk of dying.
Many times OSA first comes to light when a bed partner reports loud snoring and gasping for breath during the night. An overnight sleep test called polysomnography is usually ordered to confirm the diagnosis.
People found to have OSA have numerous treatment options – everything from losing some weight to surgery to reduce the amount of tissue in the throat or wearing a dental appliance. But most opt for a safe and simple device that helps them breath easier during the night.
“CPAP is basically a flow generator with a mask type-interface on the end of a hose,” says Smith. “The airflow goes through the tube and mask into the patient's airway to keep the airway open during sleep. The CPAP does not breathe for the patient, it just makes it easier to take that breath when asleep.”
Of course, sleeping with a mask on might not seem too restful, but Smith says people who give themselves time to get used to the device end up loving it. Respiratory therapists help by teaching patients to use their CPAP slowly over a period of two or three weeks. It's called “CPAP desensitization,” and Smith says it works because the patient is able to get used the mask and machine slowly and in the comfort of their own home.
“People who use CPAP should expect to sleep better than they have in a very long time,” says the registered respiratory therapist. “They should also expect to have more energy during the day and feel less fatigued.”
Working with patients to help them adjust to CPAP is one of the most rewarding parts of her job, says Smith. “The most exciting thing I can hear from a patient who is being treated with CPAP is that they have dreams for the first time in years and that they feel great. That is all I need to hear to know that this device has truly changed a life.”
Respiratory Therapists (RTs) are specially trained and licensed respiratory health care professionals assisting physicians in diagnosis, treatment, and management of respiratory diseases. RTs provide care in hospitals, outpatient centers, physicians' offices, skilled nursing facilities, and patients' homes.
The American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) is a not-for-profit, professional organization, consisting of 42,000 respiratory therapists, physicians, and other health care professionals. AARC is dedicated to assisting persons with respiratory diseases receive safe and effective respiratory care.
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Contact: Beth Binkley
Binkley@aarc.org
American Association For Respiratory Care
9425 N MacArthur Blvd, Suite 100 , Irving , TX 75063
972-406-4657, 927-243-2272
Quick Facts from the AARC: Obstructive Sleep Apnea
These quick facts on obstructive sleep apnea come from the American Association for Respiratory Care's consumer web site, www.yourlunghealth.org –
Sleep apnea affects up to 18 million Americans.
People with sleep apnea can stop breathing as many as 30 times or more each night.
Often a spouse or other family member is the first to notice signs of sleep apnea in someone with the condition.
Officials estimate 10 million Americans have the condition but have not been diagnosed.
Studies have linked sleep apnea to high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke.
Risk factors for sleep apnea include being overweight and having a large neck.
Continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP, is the most common, noninvasive treatment for moderate to severe sleep apnea.
