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Obstructive Sleep Apnea

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Apnea means absence of breath.

Sleep Apnea occurs when the airway collapses during sleep reducing air flow or blocking the airway. This causes sleep disruptions and a reduction in Blood Oxygen Saturation levels.

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Firstly, lets find out what Sleep Apnea is?

Sleep Apnea is a common sleeping disorder which occurs when you regularly stop breathing for 10 seconds or more during sleep. It can be mild, moderate or severe depending on how many times per hour you stop breathing (apnea) or when breathing becomes very shallow (hypopnea). Sleep Apnea episodes may occur from 5 to 100 times per hour, with more than 5 Apneas per hour being abnormal and 30-40 Apneas per hour considered severe Sleep Apnea.

There are 3 types of Sleep Apnea:

  • Central Sleep Apnea (CSA) – is when you regularly stop breathing while you sleep because your brain doesn’t tell your muscles to take in air.
  • Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) – occurs when there is a blockage or narrowing of the airways in your nose, mouth or throat. This is usually caused by the relaxation of the tongue, throat muscles, bone deformities of the jaw or face, or larger than normal tissues in your nose, mouth or throat, which is the most common form of Sleep Apnea.
  • Mixed Sleep Apnea –  is a combination between obstructive and central apnea.

Other factors which may make Sleep Apnea more likely includes obesity, certain medications and alcohol before bed.

How do we treat Sleep Apnea?

Ecomed Medical (Pty) Ltd offers a range of machines to help treat sleep apnea. Let’s go through which machine will optimize comfort and treatment, ensuring a sound and healthy sleep:

APAP - Automatic Positive Airway Pressure
  • An APAP is best suited for a patient who’s breathing changes during sleep.
  • The APAP will automatically adjust to meet the specific need of the patients breathing during sleep.
  • The APAP will adjust the pressure throughout the night as you move through different stages of sleep.
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CPAP - Continuous Positive Airway Pressure
  • A CPAP is typically used by patients who have continuous breathing problems during sleep.
  • The CPAP offer a continuous pressure through out the night.
  • Commonly used for patients with mild to moderate sleep disorders.
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BPAP - BiLevel Positive Airway Pressure
  • A BPAP is suited for patients who have muscle problems.
  • The BPAP can be set to ensure the patient reaches a set number of breathes per minute.
  • The BPAP reduces pressure during exhalation to allow the patient to exhale easier, the pressure will increase again on inhalation. 
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Mask fit is an important part of CPAP Therapy.

Ecomed Medical (Pty) Ltd offers a range of masks that will optimize comfort and treatment, ensuring a sound and healthy sleep:

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Full Face Mask
Nasal Mask
Nasal Pillow

What are the consequences of untreated Sleep Apnea?

If you suffer from Sleep Apnea, you may have difficulty concentrating and feel tired throughout the day. Therefore your work performance may be suffering, you may fall asleep during conversation, at work or even while driving.

Sleep Apnea causes a disruption in your sleeping patterns preventing you from reaching and maintaining the deeper stages of sleep.

When you stop breathing (apnea) or have very shallow breaths (hypopnea) it may result in lower oxygen levels in the blood. If left untreated this lack of oxygen can lead to serious health problems such as high blood pressure (hypertension), high blood pressure in the lungs (pulmonary hypertension), abnormal heart rate, heart failure, coronary artery disease (CAD) and strokes.

You also have a higher risk of dementia, sexual dysfunction, obesity, depression and diabetes amongst other complications.