Respiratory Therapists Urge Americans to Wake Up to Sleep

For Release March 28-April 3

IRVING, TX (March 21, 2005) – This is National Sleep Awareness Week, and respiratory therapists from the American Association for Respiratory Care are urging people everywhere to take a few minutes to consider how sleep may be affecting their health.

Why? According to a national poll taken in 2001, nearly seven out of ten Americans suffer from a sleep problem, but most have yet to be diagnosed by a doctor or treated. The most common undiagnosed sleep disorder is sleep apnea, and it’s nothing to play around with. Studies have linked the condition to everything from high blood pressure to motor vehicle accidents caused by sleepy drivers.

“Sleep apnea is a serious, potentially life-threatening breathing disorder characterized by brief interruptions of breathing during sleep,” explains Tom Smalling, MS, RRT, RPFT, RPSGT, chair of the AARC’s Sleep Specialty Section. There are two basic forms of the condition: central sleep apnea is less common and affects neurological functioning. Obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA, is the most prevalent form and is caused when the upper airway closes up during sleep, making it difficult to breath.

Snoring is one of the most common signs of OSA, continues Smalling, although he emphasizes not everyone who snores has the condition. “But if you snore loudly with occasional pauses in breathing, and you frequently wake up during the night, you may be suffering from sleep apnea.” If a bed partner or family member spots these signs, it’s time to get tested.

“If your doctor suspects you have sleep apnea, you’ll need a thorough examination of your mouth, throat, and neck to make sure there are no problems with those tissues or structures,” says Smalling. You may also be asked to undergo a sleep test known as a polysomnogram. “A sleep specialist usually administers this test in an overnight sleep laboratory.”

What if you are diagnosed with OSA? Smalling says several treatments can help alleviate the condition, including lifestyle changes (sometimes just losing a little weight is all that’s needed) and surgical procedures. The most common treatment for the condition, however, is probably continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP, which is delivered via a small bedside device that helps keep the airway open so you can breath properly.

“CPAP uses a small, quiet air blower device connected through a hose to a mask you wear while you sleep,” says the registered respiratory therapist. While some people balk at using the device at first, he says it’s really quite easy to get used to, and the benefits more than make up for any inconvenience.

“This device isn't as unpleasant as it sounds,” says Smalling. “Most people get used to the sensation fairly quickly. And they feel much better because their sleep has improved.”

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, sleep centers, 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 36,000 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, 972-243-2272

Do You Have Obstructive Sleep Apnea?

You know you snore, because family members tell you so, but how do you know if it’s sleep apnea? According to respiratory therapists from the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC), there are several clues that can help you decide whether to seek further testing:

• Sleepiness during the day: People with sleep apnea wake up a lot at night, usually without even knowing it, and many suffer from daytime drowsiness as a result.
• A bed partner reports brief periods of no breathing: If your bed partner notices you stopping breathing for even few seconds at a time during the night, you may have sleep apnea.
• Very loud snoring: Lots of people snore, but people with sleep apnea usually snore consistently throughout the night and their snoring is extremely loud.
• Struggling, snorting, gasping, choking, or partially or completely waking up in an attempt to resume breathing: If your sleep is repeatedly disrupted by these occurrences, sleep testing is in order.
• Waking up with a dry mouth and/or morning headache: A dry mouth may mean you’ve been gasping for breath, and a headache singles a poor night’s rest.

Learn more about sleep apnea on the AARC’s consumer web site, www.yourlunghealth.org.

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