World Diabetes Day - November 14th!
14 November 08 08:59 AM | kperkins | with no comments

Today, on World Diabetes Day, we at CPAP Supply USA promote awareness for a increasingly common chronic condition in both children, adolescents and adults. It is currently thought that approximately 40% of individuals with Obstructive Sleep Apnea also have some form of diabetes, and new studies have shown a link between treating Obstructive Sleep Apnea and the improvement of diabetes. From the World Diabetes Day website, a little information on this day's current purpose and inception:


"World Diabetes Day (WDD) is the primary global awareness campaign of the diabetes world. It was introduced in 1991 by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) in response to the alarming rise in diabetes around the world. In 2007, the United Nations marked the Day for the first time with the passage of the United Nations World Diabetes Day Resolution in December 2006, which made the existing World Diabetes Day an official United Nations World Health Day.


World Diabetes Day is a campaign that features a new theme chosen by the International Diabetes Federation each year to address issues facing the global diabetes community. While the themed campaigns last the whole year, the day itself is celebrated on November 14, to mark the birthday of Frederick Banting who, along with Charles Best, first conceived the idea which led to the discovery of insulin in 1922.


In 2007 and 2008, the theme of World Diabetes Day is Diabetes in Children and Adolescents. Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases of childhood. Type 1 diabetes is growing by 3% per year in children and adolescents, and at an alarming 5% per year among pre-school children. It is estimated that 70,000 children under 15 develop type 1 diabetes each year (almost 200 children a day). Currently, an estimated 440,000 children live with type 1 diabetes globally. Type 2 diabetes was once seen as a disease of adults but today, it is growing at alarming rates in children and adolescents.


The International Diabetes Federation's two year focus on children through the World Diabetes Day campaign, aims to increase awareness among parents and caregivers, teachers, healthcare professionals, politicians and the public."


The Link Between OSA and Diabetes?

Sleep apnea and diabetes have been shown to have significant link (a link that is not fully understand as of yet) and physicians who treated individuals with diabetes are urged to have patients screened for Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Below are some interesting links that touch on current research about the link between sleep apnea and diabetes:


Sleep Apnea Treatment May Improve Diabetes (WebMD)


The Sleep Apnea-Diabetes Connection 


Doctors Urged to Take Link Between Sleep Apnea and Diabetes More Seriously


Sleep Apnea and Type 2 Diabetes


Share this post: Email it! | bookmark it! | digg it! | reddit!
Traveling with Your CPAP Machine
28 October 08 03:13 PM | kperkins | with no comments
With the growth and constant change of technology, CPAP users are no longer confined to the inside of there homes.  They can take summer vacations and visit family members that live far distances and not have to worry about how they are going to be able to bring their much needed CPAP along for the ride.  At CPAP Supply USA, we understand your need to be able to move around freely and comfortably with your CPAP. With the holidays rapidly approaching we feel that you should be well informed about all the precautions you should take while visiting your loved ones. According to www.talkaboutsleep.com, when traveling with your CPAP you should always keep the following information with you:    

 

·         Treatment pressure

 

·         Mask type and size

 

·         Sleep specialist contact information

 

·         General practitioner information

 

·         Health insurance information  

 

Due to various airport rules and regulations it is also very important before traveling you contact your airline to check whether any special requirements and restrictions apply because some airlines do not allow passengers to use their CPAP during the flight.  

 

International Travel - When preparing for travel abroad following this simple checklist can make your trip that much easier:    

 

Carry a letter from your doctor certifying your need for CPAP equipment.   

 

Obtain approval from the airline’s medical services for use on the flight.   Arrange seating close to a power source on the aircraft.    

 

Confirm the type of power cord or adapter required by the aircraft.    

 

At CPAP Supply USA, we offer a large variety of travel-friendly machines that automatically adapt to changing altitudes and come with various battery and adapter options.  To find out more about all the possibilities of traveling with your CPAP click on the link above or visit www.cpapsupplyusa.com. 

 

Share this post: Email it! | bookmark it! | digg it! | reddit!
Your Relationship with Your CPAP
23 October 08 09:33 AM | kperkins | with no comments
Your CPAP machine is an investment in your health that is why it is very important for you to maintain a good relationship with you CPAP by taking good care of it.  At CPAP Supply USA we understand the importance of this relationship that is why we have come up with a list of things you can do so that you can have a long, healthy, and good relationship with your CPAP.   

 

1.      Never submerge your CPAP in water:  The outer casing of you unit should not require special maintenance but if it does become necessary be sure to unplug your machine and wipe clean with a moist cloth using a mild pure soap detergent.  Dry your unit thoroughly but you should never submerge your CPAP in water as cleaning method.    

 

2.      Replace your CPAP filters:  Several factors can play apart in how often you replace your CPAP filters.  Depending on your sleeping environment, replacement is suggested weekly or monthly.  But in household that contain more dust than others, have pets, or have smokers will need to replace their CPAP filters more often.  However, you should always replace your filters when they become visibly dirty or torn. To find a filter that will be the best fit for your CPAP machine click on any of the links above.    

 

3.      Your Mask is Key:  your mask is key to maintain a good relationship with your CPAP, therefore you should clean the soft cushion of you mask daily and the mask frame and headgear should be cleaned weekly.

 

4.      CPAP Tubing:  Should be cleaned weekly and replaced annually or more often if visibly torn or dirty.  Tubing should be cleaned with a mild pure soap detergent, rinsed well, and hang up to dry.  If you have pets, you may want to check your tube for small holes caused from claws or tiny teeth.  You can do this by turning on your CPAP, putting on your mask and running your hand down the length of the tubing to feel for small leaks.  Another thing you can do is use a Tubing Cover to protect your tubing, and to also eliminate the “rain out” effect from heated humidification.    5.      Cleaning Tips:  Eliminate soap residue by using a 1 part vinegar and 3 parts water solution.  You should never use harsh soaps, chlorine bleach, antibacterial or alcohol based solutions, aromatic solutions, and scented oils.  At CPAP Supply USA, we offer a wide variety of cleaning products that will make cleaning your CPAP equipment much easier.    

 

Share this post: Email it! | bookmark it! | digg it! | reddit!
NEW CPAP PRODUCTS! - Fall Edition
22 October 08 09:46 AM | kperkins | with no comments

CPAP Supply USA has NEW products with amazing new feature for CPAP users like you.

Introducing Puritan Bennett Sandman Info CPAP and Humidifier.  This machine is conveniently designed to provide CPAP users with therapy and heated humidification in an extremely small and compact body design.  Weighing in at 2.65 pounds it is quiet, discreet, user friendly for nightly use at home, and includes a variety of traveling-friendly features like the ability to run on AC/DC or external battery power and an altitude compression feature that automatically adjusts pressure up to 9,000 feet of elevation.  The Sandman Info  is a fully data capable CPAP that detects and records extensive patient usage and compliance data including apneas, hypopneas, inspiratory flow limitations, snoring and leaks.

The Sandman Auto CPAP and Humidifier, also by Puritan Bennett, embodies the same basic features as the Sandman Info, as far as being user-friendly and traveling-friendly, but with one major difference.  The Sandman Auto uses Adaptive Pressure Stability to react automatically to an extensive set of respiratory events by accurately delivering pressure, increasing only when necessary to optimize patient comfort and clinical efficacy.

CPAP Supply USA’s next new product is the IntelliPAP Standard CPAP by DeVilbiss.  This machine was designed with CPAP users and providers in mind. With its combination of comfort, education and adherence tracking with SmartCode this device offers supreme CPAP therapy with tons of different features.

The final new product being offered at CPAP Supply USA is also by DeVilbiss.  It’s the DeVilbiss IntelliPAP Auto CPAP machine.  This device incorporates many of the recommendations solicited thorough research to optimize patient adherence.  The IntellPAP Auto CPAP offers a combination of comfort, education, and patented AutoAdjust technology that helps to ensure your comfort and compliance.

To find out more about these new products and any of our other products click on the links above or go to www.cpapsupplyusa.com. 

 

Share this post: Email it! | bookmark it! | digg it! | reddit!
Top 8 Sleep Aids for a Better Night’s Sleep
21 October 08 01:37 PM | kperkins | with no comments

Sleep is a behavioral state that is a natural part of every individual’s life and is vital to our health and well being.  Millions of individuals are not getting enough sleep, or are suffering from other sleep problems, such as Obstructive Sleep Apnea.  If you are one of the millions of people suffering from this problem, you should know that there are little things you can do that can aid you in a achieving a better nights sleep.  At Stress.About.com, there is an article written by Elizabeth Scott that gives you the “Top 8 Sleep Aids for a Better Night’s Sleep”.  Here are the top 8 sleep aids that can change the overall comfort in your bedroom and improve how you sleep at night.

   
  1. Really Great Sheets - Investing in some really great sheets can be a stress reducer and make you feel like royalty. 
  1. Soothing Spa Sound Are great at blocking out background noise while you drift off to sleep. 
  1. Feather Pillows – These are natural sleep aids. 
  1. Feather Mattress Toppers – Provides you with an ultra-comfortable experience just by putting these on top of your old mattress. 
  1. Memory Foam Pillows – If you are allergic to down then memory foam pillows like the Hudson Industries Science of Sleep Allergy-Free Pillow offered on CPAP Supply USA, are a great alternative, with all the comfort. 
  1. Memory Foam Mattress – These beds are not only allergen resistant, they also can sense your body’s weight, temperature, then gently conform to your shape.  This will reduce the amount of tossing and turning you do at night. 
  1. Aromatherapy for Sleep – Great for soothing and reducing stress and can aid you in achieving quality sleep. 
  1. Silk Pajamas - These provide with the feeling of luxury wherever you go by making you feel relaxed and pampered. 
 If you want to find out more about these wonderful “Top 8 Sleep Aids for a Better Night’s Sleep”, then go to About.com so you can start taking the steps necessary for you to sleep better at night.  
Share this post: Email it! | bookmark it! | digg it! | reddit!
Filed under: ,
The Link between Sleep and Weight Loss?
09 May 08 09:02 AM | kperkins | 1 comment(s)
Can OSA treatment with CPAP help with weight loss?
In recent years research has shown an underlying link between amount of sleep and weight in the American population. Surveys have found that individuals who sleep fewer hours tend to have a higher Body Mass Index (or BMI, one indicator of being overweight or obese), while other studies have linked sleep to the production of hormones that help control appetite.
Multiple hormones that seem to have an affect on appetite seem to vary depending on the amount of sleep one gets each night. People who sleep less tend to have a lower level of the hormone called leptin, a natural appetite suppressant. Those who report a large amount of sleep loss, such as with disorders such as Obstructive Sleep Apnea, tend to have increased levels of ghrelin, a natural appetite stimulant that may increases cravings for sweets and starchy snacks.

Due to conditions like sleep apnea, which when untreated, constantly affect the quality of sleep each night, there seems to be a connection between quality and amount of sleep and weight gain. While this is definitely not the only factor in the very complex process of gaining weight, the quality of your sleep may very well have an impact on your weight gain or loss. As always, we recommend always completing your sleep apnea treatment as prescribed and always reviewing possible health benefits of sleep therapy with your physician.

Studies like the one above consistently reinforce the idea that OSA sufferers must remain compliant with CPAP therapy to ensure that the medical conditions associated with sleep disorders do not develop or continue. At CPAP Supply USA, we know that being treated with CPAP can be very tough, inconvenient, and uncomfortable, but due to its undeniable benefits, we try to educate our CPAP users on why therapy is so important for their health. We have also added products that we believe can truly help with CPAP compliance; visit our new CPAP Comfort Center to see some products that may help with the overall comfort of your therapy!

Share this post: Email it! | bookmark it! | digg it! | reddit!
Facts on Sleep…
09 May 08 08:50 AM | kperkins | with no comments
Below are a few statistics and facts collected from multiple sources on sleep apnea. Take a look and remember you are one of many sleep disorder sufferers (one of 50 to 70 million Americans to be exact!).  

Fifty to 70 million Americans chronically suffer from a disorder of sleep and wakefulness.

A poll conducted by the National Sleep Foundation found 62 percent of all adults surveyed had driven a car while feeling drowsy and over 25 percent admitted they had actually dozed off while driving. 

Drivers are up to seven times more likely to have an automobile accident if they have untreated obstructive sleep apnea.

23% of people surveyed said they new someone who had experienced a “fall-asleep” automobile accident. 

Sleep apnea occurs in all age groups and both sexes, but it is more common in males and in those over the age of 40.

 Estimates suggest that as many as 18 million Americans have obstructive sleep apnea. Sleep apnea also seems to run in some families, suggesting a possible genetic basis. Untreated, sleep apnea can cause high blood pressure and other heart diseases, depression, irritability, learning and memory difficulties, weight gain, impotence, and headaches. 

The most common symptoms of Obstructive Sleep Apnea are loud snoring and excessive sleepiness (i.e., falling asleep easily and sometimes often inappropriately).

The prevalence of sleep disorders appears to increase with advancing age, and as Americans age, an estimated 80 million Americans will have a sleep problem by the year 2010.

Do you think you may be an Obstructive Sleep Apnea sufferer? Complete our automatically-scored Berlin Questionnaire and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (two very prominent tools for the diagnosis of OSA) and see if your sleeping problems are possibly related to this very common disorder.

 

Share this post: Email it! | bookmark it! | digg it! | reddit!
May New Items and Sales Events...
08 May 08 03:58 PM | kperkins | 1 comment(s)

The beginning of May has been a busy month for us here at CPAPSupplyUSA.com. We have loaded tons of new products and are planning many of our summer sales events. New products on the site include the following:

Many new parts from ResMed, including elbow assemblies, exhaust vents, forehead supports, and valves!

The SleepNet petite gel mask, the MiniMe is now active on the site and will be great for users with REALLY petite noses who cannot find masks that seal properly or for pediatric uses

An economic alternative in nasal masks has also recently been added, the basic, yet comfortable Tiara Advantage Nasal CPAP Mask

Within the family of cleaning products we currently carry, we have add a concentrated cleanser that works well for tubing and humidifier tanks (items that require full submersion for disinfecting), the Citrus II CPAP Concentrated Cleanser (32 oz. makes 8 gallons of cleaner!)

In addition to the new Puritan Bennett Sandman Intro with Integrated Humidifier, we now also carry the Sandman Intro WITHOUT humidifier, a lightweight, travel-friendly machine that weighs just over 2 pounds.

Currently, we are also promoting a few of our most popular products through some special sales events. Fisher & Paykel CPAP Masks have recently all been reduced in price. Puritan Bennett CPAP and BiLevel machines are also currently on sale and include 1 year of free tubing and filters with every machine purchase. To view all of our current sales items, visit our Sale Area (bookmark this page, as sales items change often!). Good luck everyone in your search for your supplies!

Share this post: Email it! | bookmark it! | digg it! | reddit!
New products added in April!
23 April 08 12:07 PM | ttillman | with no comments

 

To help celebrate our re-launch in April, we added over 25 new products to our site.  

New products include:

CPAP Pro No Mask
Hans Rudolph 7600v2
SleepNet IQ
SleepNet Phantom
Puritan Bennett Sandman
Respironics AutoSv
Respironics AVAPS

CPAP Mask Cleaners
... and many more.

 

Check it out! 

 

Share this post: Email it! | bookmark it! | digg it! | reddit!
Ensuring Email Delivery
13 February 08 02:55 PM | ttillman | with no comments

How can you help to make sure that email is delivered to your inbox?

ISPs (ex., earthlink.net, comcast.net) and Web-based mail services (ex., Hotmail, Yahoo! Mail, Gmail) use filters to keep spam out of your inbox. Sometimes they accidentally filter e-mail that you want.

Mistakes happen. There is a ton of spam, so good e-mail can be filtered out by mistake. We all have to deal, unfortunately, with the fallout of what spammers do to the Internet.

Naturally, you want to keep spam out. But you need to receive important communications, such as Support e-mail, post-order e-mails, and any other e-mail that you have specifically requested (and we only send mail that you request).

Your goal and ours is to avoid the cross-fire of the ever-escalating war between spammers and ISPs/mail services.

Using Yahoo! Mail, Hotmail, Gmail, or Other Web-based Mail?

Check your Bulk, Junk or Spam folder (respectively). If you find an e-mail there from us (see table below), click to indicate that it is not bulk, junk or spam. The same type of process works for all major Web-based e-mail services (ex., AOL's).

Hotmail: Click the Options link on the main menu tabs, then Safe List. Add our address to the Safe List.

Yahoo!: Click Mail Options > Filters > Add Filter and add our address.

All: Within your mail client, you should have a list of spam addresses that you have specified. Search that list and remove anything from us (see table below).

Using Outlook, Eudora or Other Client-side E-mail Software?

You may not receive e-mail you want if it has been filtered out by your ISP before they deliver it to you. This may not be as easy to resolve as Web-based e-mail. But here is what we recommend...

AOL (aol.com): Log into your AOL/AIM Webmail Account and add SiteSell.com to your Address Book (click the Add Address button to add to your "People I Know" list). Check AOL's help for additional details, if required. You could also indicate "not spam" in AOL's Webmail.

Other ISPs (ex., att.net, attglobal.net, bellsouth.net, earthlink.net, verizon.net, comcast.net): They intentionally are impossible to reach. They don't want to argue. Either use their Web-based e-mail to indicate that mail from SiteSell is not spam or switch to Gmail or Yahoo! Mail (the most reliable mail delivery systems).

To Receive E-mail That You Have Missed...

OK, you have either indicated that our e-mail is not junk or you have switched your address to Yahoo! Mail or Gmail (if your ISP will not help you out). And now you want to receive "that missing mail." Just send us an email with your name and order information. We will forward a new email along as soon as possible.

Our Email Addresses

Email from us will usually arrive from of these sources.
Order information: info@cpapsupplyusa.com
Community: community@cpapsupplyusa.com
Newsletters: newsletter@cpapsupplyusa.com
Share this post: Email it! | bookmark it! | digg it! | reddit!
Filed under: , ,
The official blog of CPAP SUPPLY USA!
05 February 08 02:11 PM | ttillman | 3 comment(s)

 

... Coming soon.

Share this post: Email it! | bookmark it! | digg it! | reddit!