Although continuous positive airway (CPAP) pressure therapy is the most recommended treatment for patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), not all patients are able to remain compliant with this form of treatment. Some complain of claustrophobia, dry nasal passages, skin irritation from masks, difficulty tolerating pressurized air, and accidentally removing the mask while tossing at night.

For patients like these, an alternative to CPAP therapy may be recommended, and depending on the level of severity of their disorder, may benefit from a substitute treatment such as an oral dental appliance.

Newsweek reports chronic insomnia effects nearly 30 percent of adults at some point during their life; chronic defined as a month or longer of disrupted sleep. With so many causes of insomnia from health ailments to psychological issues, it is important to think about how your five senses can improve your sleep. Even Harvard Medical School breaks down how the five senses change while you age. So discovering some answers along the way can help make a routine flexible to change over time. How can you make the five senses of touch, taste, smell, sight, and sound work together to create the ambiance needed in bedroom?

Central sleep apnea (CSA) differs from obstructive sleep apnea in that, instead of an obstruction causing breathing to become shallow or stop periodically throughout the night, the brain fails to send signals to the respiratory system to instruct it to continue breathing during sleep.

Whereas obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a physiological problem in which the upper respiratory system becomes blocked by muscles and tissues in the throat and mouth, central sleep apnea is a neurological problem that can have many different causes including other underlying medical conditions, diseases, and even from taking certain medications.

To help patients with central sleep apnea continue breathing freely and easily through the night, a different kind of positive airway pressure device is needed for CSA's unique symptoms: the adaptive servo-ventilation machine (ASV).

If you're reading this you're probably concerned that you, or your bed-partner, may be suffering from obstructive sleep apnea, so you're doing a little preliminary research on treatment options. You may have heard a little about continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy, but are still unclear as to exactly what it is or how it works. But don't worry, you're not alone. At The Alaska Sleep Clinic we get asked daily about CPAP therapy by our patients, and we strive to give the best information possible in letting them, and you, better understand what CPAP therapy is, how it works, and the amazing results it can have on your life.

So you've done your research and discovered that you may have the symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). You've even come to the conclusion that your snoring, nocturnal breathing cessations,daytime drowsiness, and restless sleep may be causes for concern, but you're still not quite sure if it's worthy of a visit to the doctor's office.

AtThe Alaska Sleep Clinic, we want to help you on your road to healthier sleeping habits. That's why we've created a guideline to help you through the steps from when to contact a doctor to methods of diagnosing OSA, and treatment options.