Archive for February, 2012

Keep Your Health Care Costs Down

Sunday, February 26th, 2012

sleep apnea in truck driversAs health care costs continue to increase employers are always looking for ways to provide adequate health care coverage to their employees at the lowest cost possible to the company. Accidents drive up the price of health care and nowhere is this more evident than in the trucking industry.

Fatigue and sleep apnea in truck drivers increase the possibility of accidents on the road. Drivers cannot stay alert while driving if they do not have adequate sleep of long enough duration. Those with sleep apnea are guaranteed not to have that.

Sleep apnea in truck drivers, left untreated, increases the risk of other health issues. Heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure and various immune problems can all arise as a result of undiagnosed and thus untreated sleep apnea. All of these additional conditions increase the amount a company is paying for health care more so than if the sleep apnea was diagnosed and treated at its first signs. Health care costs associated with sleep apnea can be reduced by 50% per driver when the sleep apnea in truck drivers is treated.

You can hire sleep specialists like AeroFlow Industrial Clinics to test your drivers and make treatment recommendations. We’ll follow through with periodic evaluations to be sure the treatments of choice made by your drivers diagnosed with sleep apnea are being used and are alleviating the apnea.

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Different Types of Sleep Apnea Treatments

Tuesday, February 21st, 2012

obstructive sleep apnea treatmentIf you’ve undergone a sleep study and have been diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea you probably know there are a number of different ways to treat the disorder. Obstructive sleep apnea treatment can be as simple as lifestyle changes – Starting an exercise plan, for instance, so that you can lose excess weight is many times all that is needed to remedy the situation. Successfully quitting smoking can have a major impact on sleep apnea as well as on your health in general. Occasionally doctors will recommend sleeping on your side and avoiding sleeping on your back. This helps some people.

When simple lifestyle changes don’t alleviate the disorder other types of obstructive sleep apnea treatment consist of using a continuous positive away pressure (CPAP) machine during sleep. This delivers air pressure through a mask placed over your nose while you sleep. This keeps your upper airway passages open, preventing apnea and snoring.

There are other types of adjustable airway pressure devices if you find the CPAP machine is too uncomfortable. There are units that supply bilevel positive airway pressure known as BPAP machines. They provide more pressure when you inhale and less when you exhale.

Another obstructive sleep apnea treatment is wearing an oral appliance specifically designed to keep your throat open. Many people find these easiest to use. You may need to try different devices to find the one that works best for you. To find the right fit you’d need to visit your dentist.

Additionally there are surgical options for treating obstructive sleep apnea where tissue is removed from your throat that may be vibrating and blocking your air passages causing sleep apnea.

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Occupational Sleep Education

Tuesday, February 7th, 2012

occupational sleep educationAccording to the National Institutes of Health, 50 to 70 million Americans are affected by chronic sleep disorders and intermittent sleep problems that can significantly impact workplace safety. More than 18 million of those have sleep apnea. It’s critical that if you think you have any type of sleep disorder that you obtain occupational sleep education on your condition.

Sleep apnea occurs in all age groups and both sexes, but there are a number of factors that increase risk, including having a small upper airway (or large tongue, tonsils or uvula), being overweight, small jaw or a large overbite, having a recessed chin, a large neck size (17 inches or greater in a man, or 16 inches or greater in a woman), smoking and alcohol use, being age 40 or older, and ethnicity (African-Americans, Pacific-Islanders and Hispanics). OSA seems to run in some families, suggesting a possible genetic basis.

People doing second and third shift work may be at an increased risk of developing sleep apnea. It’s imperative they talk to their employer or HR department about obtaining occupational sleep education materials. When deemed necessary a sleep study can be performed at a local sleep clinic or hospital. Additional occupational sleep education can be found on our website as well as the National Sleep Foundation website. We offer a full range of supplies for those who have been diagnosed with sleep apnea. Give us a call and talk to our sleep specialists to see how we can help you today.

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Sleep Apnea Cure

Friday, February 3rd, 2012

sleep apnea cureIf you are struggling with obstructive sleep apnea it’s necessary to diagnose the cause of your sleep apnea before a sleep apnea cure can be found. Sleep apnea is the condition during which a person stops breathing while sleeping. The pauses in breathing can happen from five to 30+ times each hour, hundreds of times every night. Each of these episodes can last a minute or more. During the apnea, the oxygen level of the blood drops to dangerous levels. It is estimated that nine percent of women and 24 percent of men have this disorder but have not been diagnosed.

The process for finding a sleep apnea cure consists of gathering data on the individual including sleep habits (ie. sleep positions), weight, neck measurements, whether or not they smoke, and ultimately having a sleep study done. The sleep study can be performed either in the comfort of your own home or in a sleep clinic or hospital where you will be required to spend the night.

It’s essential to learn the type and severity of your sleep apnea in order to determine the best sleep apnea cure from the options that are available. There are three types of sleep apnea — obstructive, central, and mixed. You could have any one of these and part of testing is finding out which one you have as well as the level of severity.

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