CPAP can save your life

    A new study from Britain makes it clear: if you suffer from obstructive sleep apnea, you can greatly reduce your risk of stroke or heart attack by seeking treatment for your condition.  

A team from the Oxford Centre for Respiratory Medicine started with 118 severe apnea patients and fitted them all with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) devices.  Half the patients received air at the appropriate pressure to keep their airways open; the other patients' machines delivered air at too low a pressure to be therapeutic.  After one month all patients had their blood pressure taken and the result showed a significant difference: the first group showed reduced blood pressure; the group who'd receive sub-therapeutic CPAP actually showed a slight increase. 

The physicians concluded that the difference in blood pressure translates into a 20% reduction in the risk of a stroke and a 15% reduction in the risk of a coronary "event" such as a heart attack.   The study found that the more severe a patient's sleep apnea, the greatest benefit from the CPAP treatment.

Strictly speaking, the study speaks to the benefits of CPAP treatment, but it is logical to assume that any effective treatment of sleep apnea would have the same result of lower blood pressure and lower risk of early death.  Indeed, a headline in The Lancet where this paper was published reads: "Effective treatment of sleep apnoea in the UK could prevent over 1000 coronary heart disease and stroke events yearly."  (The British misspell apnea.)

Patients with untreated obstructive sleep apnea run a 3% risk of stroke and heart attack and yet this disease is widely believed to be under-diagnosed.  The mission of PutanEndtoSnoring is to help draw snorers' attention to the fact that they may be Snoring out an SOS. If your questionnaire results show you are in this category, please seek medical attention.

Is this information useful to you? Send us questions or feedback.  And remember, information provided by PutanEndtoSnoring does not substitute for the advice of your physician. 

  Feature article: An aromatherapy approach to snoring
 

One of the fun aspects of operating PutanEndtoSnoring is receiving samples of snoring remedies.  This week we received a pretty green jar of Marjoram oil from 2StopSnoring. According to the enclosed leaflet, the jar contains essential oils that are known to produce a relaxing effect on the respiratory system and thereby to reduce snoring. 

You use the product by removing the lid and placing it by your bedside at night.  You can increase the cosmetic appearance of the jar by placing it in 2StopSnoring's optional diffuser.  The oils gradually fill your bedroom with a pleasant scent.  We like it! 

But will the product stop snoring?  Well, that's a different issue.  If your snoring type is Snoring out an SOS or Silent Killer, forget your snoring: your most important task is to treat your sleep apnea (fortunately, CPAP will take care of your snoring).  If you're a Socially Incorrect snorer, this may be worth a try, perhaps in combination with other treatments; at least your bedroom will smell nice.

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This section features some interesting posting to our forum.  Last newsletter we published Howard Massey's recent experience with injection snoreplasty.  Here's Sigrid's experience with the same procedure.  We welcome all readers experiences, especially those that have had the treatment at least 3 months ago.

I had injection snoreplasty done 6 days ago. The injection hurt more than I expected (but I'm very pain sensitive). I would recommend taking some Advil or Tyenol before the procedure (it's hard swallowing a pill afterward!) and perhaps some Valium or something to relax you (my gag reflex was pretty active). My uvula is very swollen. My throat was sore for the first couple of days but that has diminished greatly. I was able to work the next day (home office) but talking was a strain. The injection site was red the first day, then turned black, now is turning white from the outside edges into the center (still black). The most unexpected thing is that I have developed a dry cough and vocal cord irritation, so my voice is very weak and speaking is very tiring and can be painful. I had to not speak most of yesterday, but feel better today. Hot tea helps. I had one episode of a sudden spasm of the throat (vocal cords) after trying to swallow a sharp-edged pill, and I couldn't breathe for a short while, but it passed. I have a history of these episodes from inhaling or eating sharp or powdery foods that trigger this sudden spasmodic response. So that seems to be sensitized by this procedure. I'm still very hopeful that my snoring will diminish and looking forward to the next 6-8 weeks (the doctor tells me it takes 8 weeks to get the full effect). Sigrid

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