Sleep Apnea awareness is on the rise. Sleep Apnea is defined as the cessation of airflow for ? ten seconds that occurs during sleep. Two tools your health care professional may use to assess the risks for Sleep Apnea are the Berlin Questionnaire and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). The Berlin Questionnaire assesses the frequency of snoring and daytime fatigue. The Epworth Sleepiness Scale assesses how easy it is for a person to become drowsy during the day.

Once your health care care professional has determined there is a risk for Sleep Apnea you are typically   referred to a Sleep Laboratory.  The Sleep Lab is a facility that employs numerous qualified team members such as Physicians, Respiratory Therapist, Polysomnographic Technicians, and Medical Technicians. The patient is required to stay overnight at the Sleep Lab while the qualified medical professional observes the patients sleeping activity’s. Once a diagnosis of Sleep Apnea has been determined  a patient may be required to return to the Sleep Lab for a second test for a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) titration study. If it is determined you have Sleep Apnea you are typically contacted by a DME (Durable Medical Equipment) company like Colonial Medical Supplies who can set up your CPAP equipment and bill your insurance.

Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) is the most commonly prescribed treatment for Sleep Apnea. CPAP can be described as positive airflow from a small machine flowing through a six foot tubing approximately one inch in diameter attached to a device such as a nasal mask or full face mask. Your physician may prescrib a specific nasal mask such as the Resmed Ultra Mirage, Respironics Comfort Gel, Profile Lite mask, or the Fisher Paykel HC405, HC406 petite, HC407 standard mask. For the patient that is a mouth breather your physicians may order a full face mask like the Resmed Quattro or Ultra Mirage, Respironics Comfort Gel, or Fisher Paykel HC431 or HC432.  If a patient experiences claustrophobia they may benefit from a nasal pillows which will go directly into the nose. Some examples of nasal pillow devices are Resmed Swift LT, Respironics Optilife, Respironics ComfortLite 2, and Fisher Paykel Opus system.

Ongoing monitoring and follow up’s between the physicians and DME company are essentially for all patients. Colonial Medical Supply Senior Respiratory Clinician will make several contacts with new and ongoing patients to ensure comfort and compliance with there CPAP. Early detection with CPAP non-compliance or discomfort is addressed and relayed back to the physician. Colonial Medical Supply Senior Respiratory Clinician along with the Customer Service Representatives (CSR) believe in patient and physician satisfaction.

I want to show you how to get snoring relief and do it with only two steps. A lot of people don’t realize how easy it can be to fix a snoring problem. A lot of people go their entire lives without actually attempting to fix the issue. That means they drive their spouse completely crazy over an entire marriage the same can be true for those that have a roommate. I believe the main reason people don’t try to fix their problem is that there is absolutely no conventional wisdom that is widely known. That’s why when I show you how to get snoring relief in just two steps.

The first thing you have to know when someone snores is that they are typically lying on the back. This causes loose tissue to fall into the throat area and this will create vibration. It is this some vibration that leads to the sounds that you hear. One of the easiest things you can do is just what role on to your side and sleep that way. When you do this, the tissue in your throat will fall out of the way and you won’t end up with any vibration.

The second step for snoring relief is a device known as a chin strap. People that snore typically have their mouth wide open as they sleep. This means there is a lot less room in your throat. The chinstrap will hold your mouth closed as you sleep and help you avoid all the problems with snoring.

Today there are many different treatment options available for depression. However, you should always remember that overcoming depression will take time and you will need to stay strong through some of the more difficult days.

Different types of depression  are caused by biological factors (melancholic depression and psychotic melancholia) and are more likely to need physical treatments, (e.g. antidepressants) and less likely to be resolved with psychological treatments alone (e.g. counseling, psychotherapy). Whereas, non-melancholic depression can be treated equally and effectively with physical treatments or with psychological treatments. Psychological

Treatment:

Psychological treatment is an alternative to medication or it sometimes works alongside medication and is usually provided by a mental health professional, such as a counselor, psychiatrist or psychologist.

Generally, psychological treatments or therapies used for depression include Cognitive Therapy, Interpersonal Therapy, Psychotherapy and Counseling.

Physical treatment:

1) Medication ??” Medication, to some extent, is successful in managing depression. There are several different types of antidepressant medicines available in the market which is prescribed by doctors or psychiatrists. Each antidepressant medicine works in a different way and has different applications.  Like most other medicine, these medicines too can have side-effects and some medications are better suited to adults than young people.

2) Hospitalization ??” If your depression is severe or if you have suicidal tendencies, then hospitalization may be necessary for you. You might have to spend a short amount of time in the hospital if you begin taking medication to make sure that it is working effectively or to gauge side effects.

Alternative Therapies

Along with seeking treatment to manage depression there are a number of things you can do yourself that may help you when you are feeling depressed. Some of these include:

1) Eating well and being active even when you might not feel like it. Exercising and eating well can help when you are feeling down as both stimulate hormones, such as endorphins, which help you feel better about yourself and your life.

2)  Whenever you are experiencing any changes in your emotions you should consider writing them down in a journal or a daily diary. This is not only a great way of understanding your emotions and a specific situation but it also helps you think about alternative solutions to your problems.

3) Always take time out to relax. When you are feeling down it may be hard to be social or motivate yourself to do things, but taking a little time out for yourself each day will help you to make a list of all the things you enjoy doing and then you can plan to do something from this list each day.

4) When you are depressed, it may seem hard, but sharing how you feel and hanging out with someone you trust can help you get through the hard times.

5) Sometimes in a race to be ambitious  you may set goals which are almost unachievable for you and then end up feeling even worse when you do not attain them. Always try to set goals that are achievable for you, even if it’s on a day by day, or hour by hour, basis. And after achieving each goal, don’t forget to reward yourself.