Sleep Apnea Forum Bringing Power to the Patient

New? Free Sign Up

Then check our Welcome Center to a Community Caring about Sleep Apnea diagnosis and Sleep Apnea treatment:

CPAP machines, Sleep Apnea surgery and dental appliances.

Welcome to
SleepGuide

Free Sign Up
or Sign In

Or sign in with:

CPAP Supplies

Latest Activity

Steven B. Ronsen updated their profile

Mar 5

Dan Lyons updated their profile

Mar 7, 2022

99 replied to Mike's discussion SPO 7500 Users?

"please keep me updated about oximeters "

Dec 4, 2021

Stefan updated their profile

Sep 16, 2019

BLev and bruce david joined SleepGuide

Aug 21, 2019

The SleepGuide Crew's Articles (50)

Insurer Reimbursement: Could Less be More?

If you haven't heard, Medicare and private insurers are putting the screws to the DMEs that provide our Sleep Apnea equipment in an effort to cut costs, much to the chagrin of DME providers. One aspect of the cost-cutting is to deny reimbursement to DMEs and other providers that cannot show that their patients are complying with CPAP treatment. While at first blush, this might seem like an adverse development for us patients, the problem for us might be that the insurers didn't do this sooner,… Continue

Added by The SleepGuide Crew on February 6, 2009 at 4:50pm — 8 Comments

New Product Releases

I tuned into ResMed's quarterly earnings call this afternoon, and was generally impressed with RMD's performance over the quarter, along with the explanations for that strong performance put forth by senior management. One of the financial analysts on the call noted that the pace of new products ResMed is bringing to market seems to have picked up over the last year. ResMed's CEO, Kieran Gallahue, confirmed that this observation has some basis in fact, and spoke proudly of the… Continue

Added by The SleepGuide Crew on February 5, 2009 at 6:00pm — 11 Comments

MD on MD Violence: Turf War in Sleep Medicine

Sleep specialists are ticked off that, looking for new revenue streams, an increasing number of primary care physicians and other non-Sleep certified MDs are hopping on the Sleep Medicine bandwagon. As patients, the question is whether we should care. The answer I think is yes.

The complaint of the Sleep specialists is that interpreting sleep studies and diagnosing sleep disorders takes a fair amount of skill and training. Now, if you've ever taken a gander at your raw sleep study… Continue

Added by The SleepGuide Crew on February 3, 2009 at 10:53pm — 4 Comments

Primary Care Physicians and Sleep Apnea

Primary care physicians are on the front lines of the War on Sleep Apnea. Unfortunately, nobody told them that they're on the front lines of the War on Sleep Apnea! Below is a typical list of tips for healthy living given to me by my primary care physician. Notice the glaring absence of anything Sleep-related:

1. Make sure appropriate screening tests and immunizations are up to date.

2. Complete an Advance Health Care Directive.

3. Exercise… Continue

Added by The SleepGuide Crew on February 2, 2009 at 10:00pm — 7 Comments

PAPer "Bill of Rights" -- Version 2

The comment period is over, and the attached represents the revised version, based on your feedback so far. The original, along with the context surrounding it, is set forth in this article. Given the growth of the community over the past month, and the addition of many… Continue

Added by The SleepGuide Crew on February 1, 2009 at 10:30pm — 10 Comments

Used CPAP Masks and CPAP Machines

A substantial marketplace is developing online for pre-owned CPAP masks and machines. Sites like craigslist and ebay offer used CPAP masks and machines at heavily reduced prices, giving many access to CPAP supplies they otherwise would not be able to afford. The benefits are undeniable, and lots of good has come from this marketplace. But I was recently talking… Continue

Added by The SleepGuide Crew on January 31, 2009 at 6:30pm — 7 Comments

Sleep Test in... a Hotel?

If you're like me, you had your polysomnography sleep test done in a cold, clinical medical setting, devoid of any creature comforts whatsoever. Not so for those lucky enough to have their sleep study done at the Vanderbilt Sleep Disorders Center, which recently held its grand opening at a new location: the local Hyatt hotel. The Hyatt Place Cool Springs will be… Continue

Added by The SleepGuide Crew on January 30, 2009 at 7:30pm — 6 Comments

Sleep Apnea and Truckers

Sleep Apnea and Truckers. To the Respironics, Resmeds and Fisher Paykels of the world, the two go together like Love and Marriage. To truckers the combination is more like oil and water. Clearly, the manufacturers have the moral high ground. But whether they will be able to woo truckers remains to be seen.

Truckers are disproportionately predisposed to having some form of Sleep Apnea, with one study pegging the number at 28% of all those holding commercial trucking… Continue

Added by The SleepGuide Crew on January 28, 2009 at 2:18pm — 14 Comments

Advanced Member Search on SleepGuide.com

Now you can find others on SleepGuide.com who are just like you. Check out our Advanced Member Search, and find other people with Sleep Apnea by region, by interest in Sleep Apnea, by type of machine or mask they use, and more. Let us know if you'd like to find people some other way and we can look into incorporating your suggestions into future releases of the site. Enjoy!…

Continue

Added by The SleepGuide Crew on January 27, 2009 at 7:31pm — 1 Comment

Apnea Sexy: Results are In

In a prior post, we brought to your attention a personals ad we came across for a gentleman with OSA seeking a woman with the same. The ad read: "I am an intelligent, kind, and passionate man and I refuse to let the CPAP machine dampen my social life and passion for life and, hopefully, for someone like you! Are there any smart, cute women out there that have this condition too? I don't feel like I need to find someone else with this condition, since it is not all that bad and most… Continue

Added by The SleepGuide Crew on January 26, 2009 at 9:00pm — No Comments

Sleep Apnea and Obesity: the Overstated Connection

Sleep Apnea and Obesity have become synonymous in the public's awareness, so much so that when the term Sleep Apnea is mentioned, the term obesity is reflexively, and often improperly, tacked on. Case in point: yesterday's USA Today article. The story (which can be found at http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-01-24-obesity-sleep-apnea_N.htm?csp=usat.me) is about new scientific research showing that liver disease, insulin resistance and a less-than-active lifestyle are all independently… Continue

Added by The SleepGuide Crew on January 25, 2009 at 3:07pm — 1 Comment

Respironics A-Flex vs. C-Flex

For all of you who don't know the difference between A-Flex and C-Flex on Respironics CPAP machines, you're in good company. Each is a comfort option on the most popular Respironics CPAP machines that makes it easier to tolerate CPAP treatment. A-Flex is a little more comfortable than C-Flex, in that it provides pressure relief on both inhalation and exhalation. C-Flex only provides pressure relief on exhalation.

However, there is often a trade-off between comfort and the… Continue

Added by The SleepGuide Crew on January 24, 2009 at 4:04pm — 7 Comments

Another Benefit of CPAP Treatment: Escaping Deadly Infernos

Add saving your life in case of fire to the list of CPAP benefits. Geraldine McNeil, an Alabama woman whose home was engulfed by fire Wednesday morning has Sleep Apnea and was using the machine the night of the fire. Her daughter says she may not have escaped from the house were it not for CPAP. The daughter, Danna Hollis, reported that her mother's entire face was black except for where the mask was "so we know that had it not been for the good lord and her having a c-pap on she probably would… Continue

Added by The SleepGuide Crew on January 24, 2009 at 1:26am — No Comments

Cancer, Exercise and Sleep

It's long been common medical knowledge that an increase in physical activity can help prevent people from getting cancer. A recent study, though, has found something new: that the cancer preventative effect of exercise can be undermined by insufficient sleep. The study, conducted by a team of researchers led by Dr. James McClain, cancer prevention fellow at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, tracked women aged 65 or younger over the course of nearly a decade. It… Continue

Added by The SleepGuide Crew on January 22, 2009 at 6:30pm — No Comments

Frequent Urination and Sleep Apnea

Do you experience frequent urination at night? Or did you experience frequent urination at night before getting treated for Sleep Apnea? If you have Obstructive Sleep Apnea, it is very likely the cause of your urination problems. Treat the Sleep Apnea problem, and you will find yourself waking up to go to the bathroom less often. Here's how come:

When the airway is blocked or partially blocked as it is during an apnea or hypopnea event, the body must exert more effort to… Continue

Added by The SleepGuide Crew on January 21, 2009 at 5:30pm — 14 Comments

Sleep Apnea Policy: A Message for President Obama

in honor of today's inauguration, we wish to reprint the following Top 10 article: My grandmother, quoting Benjamin Franklin, used to tell us kids that "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." As Barack Obama and his administration consider their health care priorities, I respectfully remind our President of this old truism. Aggressive diagnosis and treatment of the estimated 30 million Americans with Sleep Apnea is the ounce of prevention that would be worth a pound… Continue

Added by The SleepGuide Crew on January 20, 2009 at 12:30pm — 1 Comment

Apnea Sexy: Man with OSA seeks Woman with Same!

Does OSA raise a red flag on the dating scene? I'm clueless since I was already in a committed relationship when diagnosed, but it remains an open question, especially for my single friends. Here's one personals ad I came across that just "puts it out there":

"Yes, I am a man with Obstructive Sleep Apnea. I am not obese, nor do I have a neurological condition. Some doctors claim they can 'fix me' with surgery, but after much research about the procedures I decided not to pursue… Continue

Added by The SleepGuide Crew on January 18, 2009 at 2:30pm — 3 Comments

Attention CPAP Users: Don't Try This At Home

If a loved one ever winds up in jail, you might think twice about smuggling contraband in by using a CPAP machine as the Trojan Horse. That's exactly what an El Paso woman, Bernadette Valenzuela, pictured here, did for her husband, an inmate at the El Paso County Detention Facility. Ms. Valenzuela got caught loading up the CPAP with a nice assortment of contraband, including 200 pain and barbiturate pills, 10 utility blades and a knife.

Ms. Valenzuela was brought up on… Continue

Added by The SleepGuide Crew on January 17, 2009 at 4:28pm — No Comments

New: Spice up Your Default Image!

At the request of some members of the community, we thought we'd jazz things up here by offering more variety in the default profile pictures you can add to your profile page. Right now, you're automatically assigned a picture of a snoring man next to his frustrated wife if you have not uploaded something else there. We encourage you to make this icon your own. You can change your default icon by going to your profile page ("My Page" on the above menu bar), and clicking the link to change your… Continue

Added by The SleepGuide Crew on January 16, 2009 at 1:00pm — 2 Comments

Sleep Apnea Surgery: Part II of the FOX News Interview

If you didn't like first three minutes of the Sleep Apnea Surgery segment on FOX featured in yesterday's article, you're going to hate the last minute. At about the three minute mark in the video, embedded below, the host, co-host and even the surgeon being interviewed each take turns at belittling and mocking CPAP users: