The struggle for parking spaces

Truck drivers are confronted daily with insufficient truck parking spaces. There is currently only one parking space for every 11 trucks on the road. This places pressure on truck drivers to find a secure spot to rest within the limits of their legal work hours, pushing them to make risky decisions to meet their work obligations. As a result, many drivers resort to parking on freeway off-ramps, side streets, and retail parking lots.

Legislative efforts

Both Democrat and Republican lawmakers in Congress have joined forces to address this issue. They are backing bills that would allocate $755 million to build additional truck parking spots nationwide. Truckers are relying on this legislation to provide them with safe places to rest during their mandatory breaks.

Fatigue and drowsy driving

Truck drivers operate under federally mandated “Hours of Service” regulations that aim to prevent fatigue-related accidents. However, recent changes to these regulations have raised concerns about the impact on road safety. Longer on-duty times may lead to fatigue, which impairs a driver’s performance behind the wheel. Fatigue can compromise a driver’s ability to maintain necessary skills like eye-hand coordination and manual dexterity, leading to an increased risk of accidents.

Recent research suggests truck drivers sleep, on average, about 6.2 hours per day before driving, which is less than the recommended 7 or more hours the AASM recommends. Additionally, drivers traveling between time zones may face an additional burden of fatigue. For truckers, the effect of shifting time zones is amplified given their non-traditional work schedule, raising the risk of drowsy driving accidents.

Scheduling variations pose a safety risk as well. Truckers may experience shift work disorder, which occurs when you have difficulties adjusting to your wake and sleep times due to your work schedule. Shift work disorder causes you to have trouble sleeping or be severely tired.

Watch this video for truckers to understand the signs, causes, and consequences of driver fatigue.

The role of sleep apnea

While long work hours can contribute to fatigue, sleep apnea may also play a role. Sleep apnea is a common sleep disorder characterized by pauses in breathing during sleep, leading to poor quality sleep and daytime drowsiness. Sleep apnea can impair drivers’ ability to stay alert and attentive behind the wheel. Estimates into the prevalence of sleep apnea among truck drivers vary; most likely, around 40% of truckers have the sleep disorder.

Despite its potential impact on road safety, there is no federal requirement for sleep apnea testing for commercial motor vehicle drivers. Some drivers fear that undergoing a sleep study and getting diagnosed with sleep apnea could jeopardize their jobs. However, it’s essential to recognize that sleep apnea is treatable. Your medical provider or a sleep doctor can help you select a treatment plan that is right for you.

Conclusion

The shortage of truck parking spaces has become a major roadblock for truck drivers. The constant search for a safe resting place leaves many drivers sleep-deprived and prone to drowsy driving accidents. Providing rest and parking for truck drivers is more than just a convenience, it’s a step toward ensuring safety on the road.

Medical review by John Saito, MD

Related:

• Study shows high rate of truckers with undiagnosed sleep apnea
• Sleep apnea, shift work a danger on the roads and rails

Authored by: Kate Robards

The post The growing shortage of truck parking: A ticking time bomb for drowsy driving accidents appeared first on Sleep Education.

“This campaign will raise national awareness of obstructive sleep apnea and encourage undiagnosed patients to advocate for themselves and seek treatment.”

– Jennifer Martin, a licensed clinical psychologist and president of the AASM

Obstructive sleep apnea affects nearly 30 million adults in the U.S. Approximately 80% of these cases are undiagnosed, costing the U.S. more than $149 billion annually in health care costs, lost work productivity, and workplace and motor vehicle accidents.

This campaign explains that untreated sleep apnea is “More than a Snore.” It affects your long-term health and quality of life. Untreated sleep apnea increases the risk of other health problems such as cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, and depression.

Common symptoms of sleep apnea include snoring and gasping for air during sleep. If you feel tired or unrefreshed after waking up even though you have had a full night of sleep, it may be due to sleep apnea.

Think you might have sleep apnea? If you have common symptoms, talk to your doctor to find out if testing and treatment are necessary.

There are several treatments for sleep apnea, including CPAP therapy, which uses mild levels of air pressure, provided through a mask, to keep the throat open during sleep. Oral appliances, weight loss, surgery, and positional therapy also can be options for treatment.

To learn more about sleep apnea and get resources to talk to your doctor about your sleep, visit www.countonsleep.org.

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The “More than a Snore” campaign is a collaborative project funded through a grant awarded to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. For a complete list of partnering organizations, click here.

The post Sleep apnea is ‘more than a snore’ appeared first on Sleep Education.

Sleep and COPD are connected in several ways.

Breathing difficulties from COPD affect sleep

People with COPD may experience sleep disturbances due to their condition. They may experience symptoms such as coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath. These symptoms can be particularly severe at night, making it difficult for people with COPD to get a good night’s sleep.

Breathing difficulties can make it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep, leading to poor sleep quality and a condition known as obstructive sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder in which a person’s airway becomes blocked during sleep, causing them to stop breathing briefly. This can lead to disrupted sleep and a range of health problems, including heart disease and stroke.

When COPD and sleep apnea occur together, it’s known as “overlap syndrome.” Combined, these two conditions cause a major drop in oxygen during sleep, which increases the risk of chronic health problems.

Sleep problems can worsen COPD symptoms

Poor sleep can worsen symptoms of COPD, as the body relies on sleep to repair and regenerate. Lack of sleep can lead to fatigue and increased inflammation in the body, which can make breathing difficulties worse.

Lack of sleep can also weaken the immune system, making a person more susceptible to respiratory infections, which are a common complication of COPD. In turn, illness can worsen COPD symptoms and make it even harder to sleep.

Also, a recent study found a link between poor sleep and an increased risk of life-threatening COPD flare-ups. The risk for these flare-ups, which are sudden bouts of worsened breathing, was 25 to 95 percent higher in people with poor sleep.

Conclusion

Sleep and COPD are connected in that COPD can cause sleep disturbances, and sleep disturbances can worsen the symptoms of COPD.

It’s important for people with COPD to prioritize healthy sleep habits and seek help if they’re experiencing sleep problems. By addressing your sleep needs, you can improve your symptoms and overall health.

Medical review by Reeba Mathew MD, FCCP

Related:

• Sleeping pills could have harmful side effects for COPD patients
• Insomnia a risk for chronic obstructive pulmonary patients

Authored by:

Kate Robards

The post Sleeping with COPD appeared first on Sleep Education.

Sleep apnea occurs when the muscles in the back of the throat relax, causing a reduction in breathing or breathing pauses. It occurs in 3% to 5% of children. It is most common at preschool ages. CPAP therapy uses mild levels of air pressure, provided through a mask, to keep the throat open during sleep.

The “CPAP Tips for Kids” video includes step-by-step instructions for how to get comfortable using a CPAP machine. Wearing the mask without turning the machine on and working up to running the machine in small time increments will help children get comfortable.

The video shows how using a CPAP machine will get easier over time. It also explains how improving sleep will help kids feel more energetic and alert throughout the day.

The CPAP Tips for Kids video is available on YouTube.

It’s important for patients of all ages to begin CPAP treatment with a positive experience. This new video offers a gentle, positive introduction to CPAP treatment for children.

If you have questions about sleep apnea in children, talk to your pediatrician or contact an accredited sleep center to find a sleep doctor near you.

Authored by:

Kate Robards

The post New video encourages kids to feel more comfortable using CPAP appeared first on Sleep Education.

PCOS is the most common cause of female infertility. It affects as many as 5 million U.S. women of reproductive age. But PCOS affects women long after their child-bearing years too.

Studies have found links between PCOS and other health problems, including sleep apnea.

The connection between PCOS and sleep apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common and serious sleep disorder that causes you to stop breathing during sleep. When you have OSA, your airway becomes blocked repeatedly during sleep. This limits the amount of air reaching your lungs.

One study reports that the risk for OSA is at least 5-to-10-fold higher in women with PCOS compared to those without PCOS.

Long-term, untreated sleep apnea can contribute to a range of health problems, including type 2 diabetes.

This is important because women with PCOS are often insulin resistant, which increases their risk for developing type 2 diabetes. In fact, more than half of women with PCOS develop type 2 diabetes by age 40.

Research has found that women with PCOS may be more likely to experience poor sleep quality or chronic daytime sleepiness. These may be symptoms of OSA.

If you feel tired or unrefreshed after waking up even though you have had a full night of sleep, it may be due to OSA. During the day, you may feel fatigued, have difficulty concentrating or may even unintentionally fall asleep. This is because your body is waking up many times during the night when you have OSA.

Untreated sleep apnea may worsen other PCOS symptoms. Researchers have suggested that treating OSA may positively impact the health and quality of life with PCOS by reducing the risk of health problems such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease.

The leading treatment for sleep apnea is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy.

If you’re experiencing symptoms of OSA, contact an accredited sleep center near you for an evaluation.

Medical review by Reeba Mathew, MD, FCCP

Related:

• Sleep & women
• Sleep-disordered breathing & intimacy
• The sound of silence: women keep quiet about snoring, sleep apnea
• Women with OSA and cardiac symptoms have high incidence of cardiac dysfunction

Authored by:

Kate Robards

The post Women with PCOS may have higher risk of sleep apnea appeared first on Sleep Education.

Thank you for your time and participation!

The post Call for patients with central sleep apnea appeared first on Sleep Education.

What sleep disorders are veterans likely to experience?

Veterans are exposed to stressful situations during military service. The stress of training, deployment, and returning to civilian life can impact sleep. The most common sleep disorders experienced by veterans include:

• Insomnia is the most common sleep complaint. It occurs when you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep even though you had the opportunity to get a full night of sleep. Insomnia can affect your mood and make other medical conditions more difficult to manage.
• Nightmares may lead to sleep loss and, as a result, daytime sleepiness. Stress, anxiety, an irregular sleep routine or being overtired can increase your risk for nightmares. Having the same nightmare repeatedly over time can also be common after severe stress or a traumatic event.
• Obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA, is a common and serious sleep disorder that causes you to stop breathing during sleep. OSA can have a negative impact on your health. It may increase your risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and depression.

How are veterans impacted by sleep disorders?

A July 2021 study in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine reported that undiagnosed and undertreated sleep disorders are common among veterans at risk for cardiovascular disease. In a sample of 420 veterans, more than half (52.1%) screened positive for sleep apnea.

In addition to a high prevalence of sleep apnea, many veterans experience insomnia as well.

A report published in the journal SLEEP found that in a study of more than 5,500 post-9/11 veterans, 57.2% had insomnia. This is much higher than the general population. Studies have found that about 30% of the general adult population experience insomnia.

The study also found that insomnia rates increased among veterans with certain conditions. More than 93% of veterans with PTSD also had insomnia. Also, 77.7% of veterans with a traumatic brain injury and 69.6% of veterans with chronic pain also had insomnia.

Older veterans may experience long-term sleep problems, too. One study found that many older veterans have reported sleep problems that began during or immediately following military service and have persisted for decades.

Sleep problems may be common among veterans, but they can be treated effectively.

If you are experiencing sleep problems, seek help from your primary care doctor at Veterans Affairs or use the AASM sleep center directory to find an accredited sleep center near you.

Medical review by Virginia Skiba, MD

Authored by:

Kate Robards

The post Veterans are at risk for sleep apnea, insomnia, and nightmares appeared first on Sleep Education.

However, a lack of sleep affects more than just your appearance. Sleep is fundamental to your health and well-being. Skimping on your beauty rest affects your mood, motivation, memory, metabolism, and so much more. It even affects the health of your eyes.

Sleep deprivation and eye health

Much like the brain and the body, your eyes heal themselves as you sleep. Not getting enough sleep can lead to having dry, itchy, or bloodshot eyes. The eyes may produce less tears after a night of insufficient sleep. This can open the door to eye infections.

You may experience eye twitches or spasms when you have not had enough sleep. Your eyes may even be more sensitive to light, or you may have blurry vision. Sleep deprivation could lead to serious eye problems, such as glaucoma, over time.

Sleep apnea and your eyes

What does sleep apnea have to do with your eyes?

Sleep apnea is a risk factor for glaucoma. Glaucoma is an eye disease that could lead to loss of vision. The likelihood of developing glaucoma is higher in people who have sleep apnea.

Eye doctors may be able to spot signs of sleep apnea during a routine eye exam. Changes in your eyelids, retina, or vision could be indicators of sleep apnea. When sleep apnea is treated, many of the eye-related symptoms are reversible.

Tonight, give your eyes a chance to rest and heal by getting your recommended amount of sleep. Adults should sleep seven or more hours per night on a regular basis. To support your overall health and the health of your eyes, follow these healthy sleep tips.

Medical review by Lawrence Epstein, MD

Authored by:

Kate Robards

The post How lack of sleep affects your eyesight appeared first on Sleep Education.

One of these groups is the COVID-19 Ventilator Rapid Response Team. This coalition includes UC Berkeley engineers, emergency room doctors, critical care physicians, and pulmonologists. They also have set up a website, VentilatorSOS.com, where you can fill out a form to indicate that you are interested in donating a CPAP or BPAP machine.

Another group is the Ventilator Project. It has joined forces with the University of Rhode Island, the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation, and the Rhode Island Department of Health. They are collecting, refurbishing and modifying CPAP and BPAP machines to help hospitals that are treating patients affected by COVID-19. Collection sites are set up at designated fire station drop-off locations throughout Rhode Island. Learn more at VentilatorProject.org.

Modified PAP machines can be helpful for COVID-19 patients who are experiencing mild symptoms or who are improving. These machines are not meant to be used for patients with serious cases of COVID-19.

It is important to note that PAP machines must be modified to function as ventilators. PAP machines that have been not been modified do not function as ventilators in patients who have COVID-19.

If you have questions about using or cleaning your CPAP, refer to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Related:

• Sleep doctor answers questions about COVID-19 and sleep
• Coronavirus FAQs: CPAP tips for sleep apnea patients
• Keeping it clean: CPAP hygiene (Philips)
• How to clean your CPAP equipment (ResMed)

Authored by:

Kate Robards

The post Ventilator shortage: CPAP device donations appeared first on Sleep Education.

Rajkumar (Raj) Dasgupta, MD, FACP, FCCP, FAASM, is the assistant professor of clinical medicine at Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California. He is also the assistant program director of the Department of Internal Medicine. He is quadruple board certified in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine.

Video Highlights

2:32 – Does having sleep apnea make me more likely to get the coronavirus? Will I be more likely to have severe complications if I get the virus?

There’s no data that obstructive sleep apnea by itself puts you at risk. But are you going to be at a higher risk because of the comorbidities that you share because you are higher in age? The answer is, yes.

5:22 – Will I be more likely to have severe complications if I get the virus?

Well, that’s a very individualized question because people are using CPAP, continuous positive airway pressure, or treating their sleep apnea because of their different comorbidities. So, if you have bad respiratory issues or if you have bad heart disease because you are older in age, you might be more likely to develop complications of COVID-19 than other individuals.

So the bottom line point is, and I’m probably going to say this for every question coming up, is, if you have obstructive sleep apnea, or any type of sleep-disordered breathing and you want to know if YOU are at risk for COVID-19 or its complications, you have to contact your primary care physician or your sleep physician, to find out where you fit on that spectrum of the disease and how much you need to worry about it.

6:32 – During this outbreak, should I stay home if I have sleep apnea?

Yes, stay at home, regardless if you have sleep apnea or not! I am very passionate about this. When we talk about what can we do as society, as physicians, as the general public to help out with what’s going on, it’s staying home.

What we know, what the evidence shows, it that by social distancing, by staying home, by not going out if not necessary, does so much to help prevent the spread. I know that everyone hears the phrase “flattening the curve,” but that’s what we need to do, because when one person gets it, it branches out to another five people and from those five people to another 10 people. So, we do need to flatten the curve. We do need to stay home regardless whether you have insomnia, restless leg syndrome, narcolepsy, obstructive sleep apnea, if you can stay home, please stay home.

8:28 – What is a ventilator? Is my CPAP machine a ventilator?

What is a noninvasive positive pressure ventilator? It means that you are blowing the air into the patient. Instead of having something invasive, like a tube going through the vocal cords into the lungs directly, you’re going to wear a mask of some kind. That’s why it’s called noninvasive ventilation. When I think about noninvasive ventilators, there are two types. One would be hospital-based noninvasive ventilator and home-based. One is inpatient that I use in some of my patients who are in respiratory distress, where I want to do something noninvasive, and the ones at home is what many of you think, which is a CPAP machine or a bilevel machine, to really treat the upper airway obstruction.

It’s very important to realize this because whoever asks this question, there’s a lot of terminology we use that people are confusing what they are referring to. So, when we say the word CPAP, that’s continuous positive airway pressure, that describes how we deliver the breath. It’s not the mask, it’s how we deliver the breath. If you have a bilevel machine it means there’s a way we deliver the inspiratory breath and a pressure that we deliver the expiratory breath. That’s called a bilevel machine.

If we are now talking about an invasive ventilator, that means I’m taking a tube, what we call an endotracheal tube, and putting it through the vocal cords and into the lungs. I only use this terminology when I’m in the medical ICU, when patients come in with respiratory failure or they’re hypoxic, which means low oxygen. Or they’re hypercapnic, which means high levels of CO2, or they’re going to be in respiratory distress.

If you’re using a CPAP machine because you’re in respiratory distress because you have a COVID-19 infection, that scares me, because that’s not the ventilator you should be using. This is the time that you need to pick up the phone and talk to your primary care and talk to your sleep medicine doctor.

15:09 – If I do have the coronavirus, will CPAP help me treat it?

CPAP, assuming home CPAP, is only used to treat one thing, your obstructive sleep apnea. The question becomes, if you don’t use your CPAP, what could happen? We know that we want to stay healthy and the pillars of good health are going to be diet, exercise and, of course, good sleep. And one of my favorite phrases out there is that in order to get good sleep you need the right quantity of sleep and the right quality of sleep. And if you’re not using your CPAP because you have obstructive sleep apnea, you’re going to further weaken your immune system. And if you do have coronavirus or you’re worried about getting coronavirus or any virus, you’re definitely going to be more susceptible.

16:50 – Would bilevel PAP be even more effective than CPAP?

We don’t treat coronavirus with bilevel and CPAP when we talk about patients at home. When you’re in the hospital, that’s a whole different story. When we talk about inpatient medicine, right now it’s a tough time because when we talk about patients that come in with COVID-19 and they’re in a medical ICU setting, a negative pressure room, that if they’re in respiratory distress, if you’re using things like bilevel or CPAP in these patients with respiratory distress you may actually spread the virus and may infect other people in the room. That’s where it’s very scary, whether you’re in the hospital or the same thing goes for my patients at home. If I’m using a CPAP or BiPAP and I have COVID-19, I might be spreading it.

My advice to whoever asked this question is, remember these terminologies can be used in both in inpatient and outpatient setting and who would make that decision whether CPAP or bilevel for your sleep apnea by itself that would be your sleep physician. But once again, we are not treating the virus directly, and if you’re using these things because you’re short of breath, please inform your doctor because you may need to go to the hospital.

19:34 – If I do have the coronavirus, will CPAP drive the virus deeper into my lungs? 

The answer is no. Right now, there is no data to state that if you do have coronavirus that the CPAP would drive it into the lungs themselves. But the question now becomes, if you know you have it and you’re at home, by wearing that mask, you worry about spreading the virus to other individuals in the house. Maybe if you do have coronavirus and you’re not short of breath and you’re doing well and your sleep apnea is on the milder side, this may be a great time to ask your physician, “Are there other things I could do to treat the obstructive sleep apnea that’s not going to be using a CPAP device?”

21:45 – Will this cause me to get pneumonia?

No, wearing a CPAP machine does not cause your COVID infection to give you pneumonia. Any virus, including COVID-19, does a number on your immune system. It actually will make you more predisposed to other pneumonias in the community, we call them community-acquired pneumonias. If you’re in a hospital, we call them hospital-associated. If you’re on a vent we call them ventilator-associated. And we do worry about that.

Another manifestation you can get from COVID-19 in the lungs is what we call ARDS, and I’m sure you may have heard about that. It’s called acute or adult respiratory distress syndrome and it’s very, very serious. This is what I’m doing as a pulmonologist right now in treating many of my patients who unfortunately developed ARDS or many of my patients develop, you’re going to hear this in the next couple days to weeks, this “cytokine storm” that happens, all this inflammatory response that occurs in people who have this COVID-19 infection and it’s that combined with the ARDS, combined with secondary pneumonias that are very serious. Let me say, I’m talking about the worst of the worst because I am in the ICU. Many, many patients will just have upper respiratory track symptoms, some of course will be asymptomatic, and we don’t want them to go on to be in the ICU. I just want to make sure, when I saw this question and when I heard the word pneumonia, that I do address where some of the complications in the severe sense of people who have COVID infections.

To answer your question directly, if you’re talking about in the outpatient setting, no, CPAP will not drive the virus into your lungs. No, the CPAP in itself will not give you pneumonia.

24:10 – If I have the coronavirus, is there a risk that using CPAP will infect others around me and if so, why?

The answer is, yes. Now, when we talk about this, let’s talk about it at home. Thirty million plus people have obstructive sleep apnea and I’m sure a lot of those are using CPAP, continuous positive airway pressure. So, how do you infect others? It’s because it’s a noninvasive positive pressure ventilation. Because it’s noninvasive you have to wear an interface. That could be nasal pillows, a nasal mask, a face mask, and there’s always going to be leak. Because there’s going to be leak, that’s why the virus can spread, and it can definitely affect others.

In the outpatient setting if there’s other individuals around you, yes, I would be very cautious. If you think you have it, please contact your health care physician right away and find out what is the best thing to do. If it’s indicated, maybe not using a CPAP device for certain individuals might be the answer.

This is another reason why mask fitting is so important because even if you wear a full-face mask you know you do get some leak.

27:09 – I have the coronavirus, should I stop using CPAP so that I don’t infect other people?

I would contact your primary care physician before stopping it because there are so many things that will have to play a role in it. It really depends on how sick you are, and the default answer is please contact your health care provider to know what the next best thing to do is.

29:39 – If I have the coronavirus, how do I clean and disinfect my CPAP machine, mask and accessories? 

It’s going to be recommended by your DME company, which stands for durable medical equipment. They’re going to tell you how you need to clean your machine. When we talk about how, the answer’s going to be soap and water. When we talk about how often you need to do that, usually it’s going to be once a week. Is it wrong to do it every three days with soap and water, the answer is, no. Are there people out there who are doing it every day? The answer is probably, yes. There’s no downside to doing that but don’t focus on only cleaning the machine but it’s going to be hygiene in general. It’s going to be disinfecting your hands, washing your hands. I think a big thing right now is cell phones. I’m guilty. You have your cell phone, you lay it down, you touch it, you give it to someone else, you take a picture, this is another way to transmit viruses. So, don’t overly focus on your CPAP machine and ignore all the other appropriate hygiene that you need to have to prevent you from transmitting the virus.

31:13 – Will a CPAP cleaning machine disinfect my CPAP device and mask?

This is a great question regardless of a COVID-19 outbreak or not. Many of my patients have asked me about UV light and ozone. I have had tons of patients ask me, is this just as good as cleaning with soap and water, is it better? The FDA, and I got a lot of my information looking at the FDA site, there are no approved machines. There are actually people out there that are complaining of some respiratory symptoms, I believe it was asthma-like symptoms, when using things like ozone. There are also side effects when you use UV light.

No, these are not FDA-approved and especially right now, I would say, soap and water, soap and water.

32:41 – If I have the coronavirus, should I replace my CPAP accessories more frequently?

The answer is, no. When we talk about the tubing, the mask, and of course the filter, and I can’t say enough about the filter, is that you want to do it to the most recommended of your DME company. You don’t need to change your filters more than necessary. You don’t need to request more masks or more tubing. Do your hygiene, using the soap and water, but do it as it’s recommended.

35:26 – Are there any additives or chemicals that I should use to clean a CPAP machine during the coronavirus outbreak?

The answer is, NO! This question actually scares me. I’m sure there are people out there that are maybe doing their own thing. During a time like this, when there’s not a lot of evidence-based medicine in what to do people will try different things, so it’s not surprising. I would be horrified if someone put things like bleach or put other things or other chemicals in their CPAP machines because remember, you’re going in the lungs.

Please, just stick to what’s recommended. Don’t add anything else. I only see horrible things happening.

37:17 – What do I use in my CPAP humidifier if we have don’t have distilled water?

You could just use filtered water, you could use boiled water, you could use tap water. It’s not actually going to put you at a higher risk for any types of infections or anything like that. The only problem is that you may have to clean the filter out a little bit better. Those are my recommendations. We’ve been using that with our patients.

38:20 – Is humidified air better than dry air for preventing the spread of the coronavirus?

There is some data out there for viruses that they don’t do good when it’s very hot outside, when it’s very humid outside, they don’t live as long. So, I will agree with that statement, but let me take a step back and say, I don’t think having less humid air or being a little colder is going to prevent any viruses. I don’t think the answer is humidity, I think it’s going to be social distancing and all the other things we do. But this is a good statement and in broad strokes, yes, the viruses don’t do as well in humid air and hot weather. But this is not the answer to stop the spread or to cure coronavirus!

40:00 – If I develop coronavirus symptoms, should I stop taking a medication such as Ambien, trazodone, or ibuprofen?

I would be careful stopping these medications for a variety of reasons, one being some rebound insomnia, including some other things. If you are taking a medication you should talk to your primary care physician or your sleep physician before you just stop it.

There was some data that came out that made people a little scared that was saying people who take ibuprofen may worsen the symptoms. But the WHO and CDC made a statement saying that there is no concrete data or proof to support these claims. I would say this much. If you get to choose, Tylenol or Advil, meaning acetaminophen or ibuprofen, yeah, sure, I would probably err on taking the Tylenol, but if you have osteoarthritis or aches and pains, I wouldn’t shy away from the ibuprofen.

If you have any medication nowadays and you’re curious about is it safe, is it not safe, what should I be doing, you know what I’m going to say…please call your primary case physician, health care providers, to try to get the right answers.

45:20 – I have a baby with enlarged tonsils, causing sleep apnea and severe symptoms with colds. Are children with sleep apnea at a higher risk than others?

There’s no data right now to say they are at a higher risk. You’ve got to be careful. Whether it’s for your own loved ones or even when I make any statements because things do change, and this is a very tricky, aggressive virus that’s doing a number on us. But, no, to answer your question directly, it does not.

Remember, common things are common, and if you are having any type of infection or suspect any type of upper respiratory tract or are worried about a cough, please let your primary care physician or pediatrician know about this.

Please note that much of the information about COVID-19 that is needed to answer patient questions and guide clinical decision-making is still emerging.

The AASM encourages you to follow the CDC tips on how to prepare for the coronavirus. The information above is for educational use only. The AASM is unable to provide specific medical advice. You should discuss your health and medical condition with a local medical provider. You also can request a telemedicine appointment with a health care provider who is licensed in your state.

Authored by:

Kate Robards

The post Sleep doctor answers questions about COVID-19 and sleep appeared first on Sleep Education.