FAQs about Sleep Apnea & CPAP Therapy

FAQs about Sleep Apnea & CPAP Therapy

by | Apr 13, 2021 | Respiratory

What is Obstructive Sleep Apnea?

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a condition in which a patient’s muscles and tissues in the throat and air passage relax while sleeping, and this impedes the flow of air into the lungs due to a blockage of the airway. This can occur many times per night in the sleep cycle and especially during the REM sleep stages. Apnea is Greek for “without breath.”

Is Sleep Apnea Dangerous?

Here’s a list of the types of life-threatening conditions Sleep Apnea helps foster in a person affected by the disorder:

High Blood Pressure
Diabetes
Heart Disease
Stroke


It’s important to understand Sleep Apnea’s role in causing these issues. Sleep Apnea deprives a person of blood oxygen during the night, and as a result, the lack of oxygen puts extra strain on the heart. The extra strain on the heart can raise blood pressure and make it very difficult to control. High blood pressure can cause heart attack or stroke, and has its own set of complications.

If concerned about possibly danger of Sleep Apnea, it’s important to work with a care provider to help get it under control. When controlled, many of the cardiac symptoms can lessen and a person’s energy level and overall health can dramatically improve.

How Wellue Helps

Tracking  and recording below vital signs at home regularly can help healthcare providers have a better understanding of your situations.

Blood Pressure

Wellue Blood pressure Monitor with EKG

For at-home instant and regular monitoring.

Can record long-term data for health insight.

Easily share the data with healthcare providers.

Diabetes Monitoring

Self-testing the blood sugar (blood glucose) can be an important tool in managing the diabetes and preventing complications. Wellue Checkme™ Suit enables at-home blood sugar testing every day.

More useful functions:

EKG Holter monitor for 24 hours.

ECG/EKG recorder

Infrared Thermometer

Tracking Oxygen Saturation

Sleep Apnea Screening

Tracking Blood Pressure

Touch Screen Operation

Preventing&Monitoring heart diease

Smart Heart Monitor

– Inexpensive way to help monitor heart rhythm at home.

– Great for monitoring Arrhythmia, heart failure, Atrial Fibrillation(Afib)…

– Responsive touch screen

– Easy to use and accurate

– Easily share ECG via phone or PC

Wellue Solutions for At-home Sleep Apnea Assessment

When a sleep apnea event happens, the blood oxygen level(pulse oximetry reading: SpO2) drops. Overnight blood oxygen level fluctuation can be used to assess sleep apnea or monitor the ongoing treatment.

Below are Wellue continuous oxygen monitors of different designs

– Tracking and recording overnight blood oxygen level fluctuation.

– Smart alarming function for abnormal blood oxygen or heart rate.  It works by vibrating on your finger or wrist. This function can be turned off.

– Easily share the data with your healthcare provider. 

O2Ring Continuous Ring Oxygen Monitor

Ring-shape design for comfortable sleep or daytime activity. 

SleepU™ Wrist Oxygen Monitor

Wrist-style design. 

Meet different tastes.

Checkme™ O2 Max Wrist Oxygen Monitor

With 72 hours extra-long battery life

I suspect I have sleep apnea, what should I do?

Sleep apnea is a serious and potentially fatal medical condition. If you or a loved one suspect you have it, you should see your doctor or be tested as soon as possible.

If your doctor suspects sleep apnea, they may recommend a sleep monitoring test. Also called a sleep study or polysomnography (PSG), it involves spending the night at a lab, clinic, or hospital. Your breathing and other vital signs will be monitored while you sleep.

It’s also possible to monitor your sleep in your own home. Your doctor might suggest at-home sleep monitoring if your symptoms and risk factors strongly suggest sleep apnea.

How often do I need to get supplies for my CPAP?

Regularly cleaning and replacing your mask, mask cushions, filters, and other CPAP equipment is vital in maintaining compliance. Various parts and pieces are scheduled to be replaced every so often as the materials in the equipment breakdown over time.

Most DME vendors will notify you when your equipment is due to be replaced. If you’re unsure of your replacement schedule or how often your insurance allows replacements, contact your DME provider and they will gladly check with your insurance company for you, so you don’t get any surprise bills in the mail.

Here is a general guideline for replacement parts:

Nasal interface – One every 3 months

Full face mask – One every 3 months

Nasal pillows – One per month

Nasal cushion – One per month

Full face cushion – one per month

Headgear – One every 6 months

Tubing – One every 3 months

Filter, disposable – Two per month

Filter, non-disposable – One every 6 months

Chinstrap – One every 6 months

Humidifier chamber – One every 6 months

If I lose weight, will I be able to get off CPAP therapy?

While weight and neck circumference are strong contributors to sleep apnea, they are not the only cause. Many people falsely believe that weight and neck size are the only causes of sleep apnea because they are the most obvious to point out.

Weight contributes to sleep apnea because of gravity and excessive tissues. When you sleep, the muscles of the body relax; this includes the muscles of the throat and mouth that work to keep your airway open during waking hours. People that are overweight often have larger necks and more soft fatty tissues in the throat. A narrower opening due to a thicker neck coupled with excess fatty tissue in the throat makes it easier for these tissues to fall back in the airway and restrict airflow.

However, many people that are not overweight also have sleep apnea for a variety of reasons. Some of these causes are:

Age – As people age their muscles begin to lose muscle tone. This is also true of the muscles in the throat. As throat muscles lose definition, they become weaker and more likely to collapse into the airways during sleep.

Enlarged tonsils or adenoids are the leading cause of obstructive sleep apnea in children but can also affect adults who never had a tonsillectomy when they were younger.

Natural causes – Some people can be genetically predisposed to having a narrower throat or may have an enlarged tongue that falls back into their airway. If your family has a history of OSA you are more likely to have it yourself.

Frequent alcohol use– Alcohol relaxes the muscles in the body, and this includes the throat muscles as well which may relax to the point of blocking the airway during sleep.

Smoking – Smoke is an irritant to the lungs, throat, and esophagus. It can cause inflammation and fluid retention in the upper airways that can impede airflow.

However, don’t let the idea of never getting off of CPAP discourage you from healthier lifestyle choices. While you may not be able to get off of CPAP entirely, losing weight can lead to less restrictive airflow, and therefore lower pressure settings, which can make therapy more tolerable.

Also, you may lose enough to put yourself in the mild to moderate group and qualify for a dental appliance as opposed to CPAP therapy.

Still worrying about weight? You should pay more attention to this number

Still worrying about weight? You should pay more attention to this number

by | Mar 24, 2021 | Cardiovascular

Many people do believe that body fat percentage is the standard for measuring whether they have lost weight successfully.

So, should the body fat percentage be as low as possible? In fact, it is not always true. Too low or too high are both a state of high risk.

How to calculate body fat

When it comes to measuring body fat percentage, some of the methods used are fairly expensive and not very accurate. These include:

  • dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA)
  • hydrostatic weighing
  • air displacement plethysmography (Bod Pod)
  • 3-D body scanners

 

Practical Methods

If seeking out a trainer or taking your own skinfold measurements isn’t an option, there are a few ways you can track your body fat at home.

Body circumference measurements and body fat scales that use bioelectrical impedance are both methods you can do on your own.

Wellue Smart Weight and Body Fat Scale

accurately and instantly deliver 16 essential metrics 
body fat percentagevisceral fat percentageBMI…
help maintain a healthy body weight

Ideal body fat percentage for women

There are differences between men and women when it comes to body fat percentage ranges.

Body fat percentages for women fall under a few different categories. Some charts will divide the percentages by categories, such as athletes and acceptable ranges, while others divide the ranges by age.

The American Council on Exercise (ACE) has a body fat chart that’s more like the adult BMI chart because it doesn’t factor in age and breaks it up in the following categories: 

Essential fat     10-13%

Athletes             14-20%

Fitness               21-24%

Acceptable        25-31%

Obesity                 >32%

For ideal body fat percentages based on age, Beth Israel Lahey Health Winchester Hospital gives the following guidelines for a healthy body fat percentage for women:

Age          Percentage

20-39          21-32%

40-59          23-33%

60-79          24-35%

Ideal body fat percentage for men

In general, men have a lower body fat to lean tissue ratio than women, which explains the differences in the ranges. Reproduction plays a role in the higher body fat percentages for women.

With that in mind, the ACE chart gives the following ranges for men:

 

Essential fat     2-5%

Athletes             6-13%

Fitness               14-17%

Acceptable       18-24%

Obesity                 >25%

 

For ideal body fat percentages based on age, Beth Israel Lahey Health Winchester Hospital gives the following guidelines for a healthy body fat percentage for men:

 

Age          Percentage

20-39          8-19%

40-59          11-21%

60-79          13-24%

 

Generally speaking: For boys, the body fat rate is best controlled below 18%. For girls, a body fat rate less than 25% is also appropriate.

After exceeding the above body fat, there will be some negative effects. For example, the most typical is that it affects the figure. When boys’ exceeds 35% and girls’ exceeds 40%, it is a manifestation of obesity. This is the cause of many cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, diabetes, and liver disease.

But when the body fat percentage is below a certain level, it is also very dangerous. When the body fat percentage of boys is less than 10% and girls’ less than 15%, the following situations may occur:

 

  1. The body endurance is severely reduced. For example, in your previous training, 60 minutes can be fully guaranteed, now maybe less than 40 minutes, and you may feel sleepy at night.
  2. Strength level decrease . It will send a signal to the brain, resulting in too low testosterone secretion during training. The decrease in testosterone secretion can not only affects the strength level, but also hinders the synthesis of muscle training.
  3.  Recovering ability declines. If you can recover the physical energy in one day before, but two days or more now. Injuries that could be healed in weeks, now it takes a month. You need pay attention to the body fat percentage.
  4. Reduced immunity. This is more terrible. Studies have shown that if the body’s body fat percentage is around 5%, it is likely to cause reduced immunity, traumatic infections, and so on. In severe cases, it will affect the function of the heart.

Note

No number is a complete picture of your individual health. How you treat your body and mind are often better indicators of your overall health and well-being.

However, we do live in a time where doctors and other experts need to use charts, data, and other measurements to create a standard definition of health. That’s why your doctor or healthcare provider will often chart your Body Fat Percentage, or BMI, during routine physicals.

With that in mind, think of BMI and body fat percentage as just one way to assess and monitor your weight and overall body composition.

Get Ready – Spring associated respiratory disease is coming!

Get Ready – Spring associated respiratory disease is coming!

by | Mar 17, 2021 | Respiratory

It’s finally spring! The days are getting longer, flowers are starting to bloom, the weather is warming up and … oh, unfortunately asthma and allergy triggers are making their seasonal appearance.

Wellue® Portable Mesh Nebulizer

  • Superfine Aerosol Particles
  • directly provides treatments to the affected area
  • manually control the nebulization rate
  • specifically designed for elders and kids

Pollen is perhaps the most obvious springtime asthma and allergy offender.  Allergic reactions can cause symptoms in your nose, lungs, throat, sinuses, ears, lining of the stomach or on the skin. Allergies can alsotrigger symptoms of asthma, making it more difficult to breathe. And pollen isn’t the only spring allergy and asthma trigger. Air pollution and temperature changes can also make your symptoms worse.

Respiratory infections come in many forms. They can affect your throat, sinuses, lungs, or airways.

Doctors split them into two types: upper and lower respiratory infections.

  • Upper respiratory infections affect your throat and sinuses. These include colds, sinus infections, and sore throats.
  • Lower respiratory infections usually last longer and are more serious. These infections affect your airways and lungs. They include bronchitis and pneumonia.

Causes of Respiratory Infections

You may get repeated infections because of things in your environment and lifestyle like:

·Contact with other infected people (especially those who are coughing or sneezing)

·Pollen and other irritants

·Smoking and secondhand smoke

·Cold weather

·Lack of sleep

·Stress

But sometimes, frequent respiratory infections arise from more serious problem. They include:

Lung disease. People with asthma, cystic fibrosis (CF), or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are more likely to get respiratory infections. These infections can make the symptoms of these chronic conditions worse.

Asthma is one of the most common lung diseases. It affects about 334 million people all over the world. COPD is widespread as well, affecting more than 200 million people and became the third leading cause of death in the United States. CF is less frequent and affects about 70,000 people globally.

About Nebulizer

What is a Nebulizer?


A nebulizer turns liquid medicine into a very fine mist that a person can inhale through a face mask or mouthpiece. 

Who needs a Nebulizer?

Doctors typically prescribe nebulizers to kids and adults with one of the following lung disorders:

  • asthma 
  • chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
  • cystic fibrosis
  • bronchiectasis
  • bronchiolitis
  • pneumonia
  • cough

Tips for Managing Spring Allergies and Lung Disease

Since allergy season is predicted to peak within the next couple of weeks, the Lung Health Institute has put together five helpful tips to help individuals with COPD, and other forms of lung disease, avoid a flare-up.

Tip 1: Stay Inside

Make sure to stay indoors, leave shoes outside to avoid tracking pollen indoors and wash clothes after being outside.

Tip 2: Close Windows

We know the breeze feels nice, but don’t let allergens come inside! By keeping windows closed, pollen and other allergens can’t make their way into the home.

Tip 3: Change Filters & Vacuum

Change home air conditioning and car filters often. This will eliminate allergens that may be circulating, and create a controlled environment. Also, remember to vacuum and clean floors regularly to catch allergens.

Tip 4: Fix Leaks

Fix leaky pipes or areas that have water damage. Mold is prone to grow in moist environments and can have an extremely detrimental effect overall health including the lungs.

Tip 5: Avoid Other Triggers

Make sure to stay away from cigarette smoke, strong perfumes, cleaning agents with harsh chemicals, too dry and too humid air, pet dander and other known flare-up triggers.

 

Sleep Apnea Treatments Reduce Stroke Risk

Sleep Apnea Treatments Reduce Stroke Risk

by | Mar 15, 2021 | Respiratory

Sleep apnea is a condition marked by abnormal breathing during sleep. People with sleep apnea have multiple extended pauses in breath when they sleep.  There are three types1 of sleep apnea, including obstructive sleep apnea(OSA), central sleep apnea(CSA), mixed sleep apnea. OSA is much more common than CSA. Obstructive sleep apnea is estimated to affect between 2-9% of adults(1) in the United States.

Obstructive sleep apnea is associated with multiple major stroke risk factors such as high blood pressure, atrial fibrillation, diabetes. It is also an independent risk factor for stroke. Luckily, treatments for obstructive sleep apnea are available. Treating sleep apnea earlier can lead to greatly reduced risks of stroke as well as improvements in the quality of life and overall health and well-being.

Prevent High Blood Pressure

Several studies have established OSA as a strong risk factor for high blood pressure(hypertension), one of the leading risk factors for stroke(2).Sudden drops in blood oxygen levels that occur during sleep apnea increase blood pressure and strain the cardiovascular system. Having obstructive sleep apnea increases your risk of high blood pressure.

High blood pressure damages arteries throughout the body, creating conditions where they can burst or clog more easily. Weakened arteries in the brain, resulting from high blood pressure, put you at a much higher risk for stroke. Preventing or controlling high blood pressure can greatly lower the chances of having a stroke.

For those who have been diagnosed with sleep apnea, it’s very important to accept sleep apnea treatment and have the blood pressure measured regularly

How Wellue Can Help

Wellue Blood pressure Monitor with EKG

For at-home instant and regular monitoring.

Can record long-term data for health insight.

Easily share the data with healthcare providers.

Prevent Atrial Fibrillation

Obstructive sleep apnea(OSA) is common among patients with atrial fibrillation(AF). Growing evidence suggests(3) that OSA is associated with the initiation and maintenance of AF. This association is independent of obesity, body mass index and hypertension. OSA not only promotes initiation of AF but also has a significant negative impact on the treatment of AF. Patients with untreated OSA have a higher AF recurrence rate with drug therapy, electrical cardioversion and catheter ablation. Treatment with continuous positive airway pressure(CPAP) has been shown to improve AF control in patients with OSA.

Atrial fibrillation(AF) increase the risk of stroke by 5-fold, and more than 40% of all strokes in patients older than 80 years are attributable to AF(4).In AF, the chaotic rhythm may cause blood to pool in the heart’s upper chambers(atria) and form clots. If a blood clot forms, it could dislodge from the heart and travel the brain. There it might block blood flow, causing a stroke.

Preventing or controlling atrial fibrillation can greatly lower the chances of having a stroke.

Tests used to diagnose atrial fibrillation include:

Electrocardiogram

Holter monitor

Stress test

Echocardiogram

Transesophageal echocardiogram

Chest X-ray

How Wellue Can Help

Wellue holder monitor: This portable monitor tracks the heart’s electrical activity over 24 hours. It’s useful because atrial fibrillation events may not happen all the time. The data can be easily shared with the doctors.

Checkme™ Doctor Vital Signs Monitor

EKG Holter monitor for 24 hours.

Record ECG/EKG when an Afib event happens.

More useful functions:

Infrared Thermometer

Tracking Oxygen Saturation

Sleep Apnea Screening

Tracking Blood Pressure

Touch Screen Operation

Prevent Diabetes

Studies suggest(5) (6)that obstructive sleep apnea is independently associated with alterations in glucose metabolism and places patients at an increased risk of developing insulin resistance and diabetes. The oxygen desaturation index is the main determining factor(7).

Diabetes is a well-established risk factor for stroke(8). Diabetes means you have too much sugar(glucose) in your blood, and this can make you more likely to have a stroke. This is because having too much sugar in your blood damages the blood vessels. It can make the blood vessels become stiff, and can also cause a build-up of fatty deposits. Preventing and controlling diabetes well can reduce stroke risk.

How Wellue Can Help

For those who have been diagnosed with diabetes,self-testing the blood sugar (blood glucose) can be an important tool in managing the diabetes and preventing complications. Wellue Checkme Suit enables at-home blood sugar testing every day.

Checkme™ Suit comes with a blood glucose meter kit (a blood glucose meter, test strips, lancing device, sterile lancet included) and a carrying case.

More useful functions:

EKG Holter monitor for 24 hours.

ECG/EKG recorder

Infrared Thermometer

Tracking Oxygen Saturation

Sleep Apnea Screening

Tracking Blood Pressure

Touch Screen Operation

Be Informed, Be Healthy

People with sleep apnea can live long, healthy lives, free from heart disease, stroke, and other health problems. Recognizing the connection between sleep apnea and stroke is the first step towards lowering stroke risk. Here are more tips:

Work with your doctor to manage your sleep apnea and other stroke risk factors, such as hypertension and high cholesterol.

Limit your alcohol consumption.

If you smoke, quit.

Maintain a healthy diet.

Add regular exercise to your routine.

If you think you’re having a stroke, seek emergency help right away.

How Wellue Can Help

It’s very important to evaluate the effectiveness of sleep apnea treatments at home. When a sleep apnea event happens, the blood oxygen level(pulse oximetry reading: SpO2) drops. Overnight blood oxygen level fluctuation can be used to monitor the ongoing treatment(9).

Wellue Continuous Oxygen Monitor:

-Sleep apnea screening.

-Overnight blood oxygen level tracking.

-Evaluating the effectiveness of sleep apnea treatment and remedies.

-Optional vibrating alerting function for low blood oxygen.

– Unique ring-shaped design for comfortable sleep.

Trusted Source:

1. National Library of Medicine, Biotech Information: Obstructive Sleep Apnea
https://www.msdmanuals.com/professional/pulmonary-disorders/sleep-apnea/obstructive-sleep-apnea
2.PubMed: Prospective study of the association between sleep-disordered breathing and hypertension.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10805822/
3.PMC: Obstructive Sleep Apnoea and Atrial Fibrillation
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4711541/
4.PubMed: Association of atrial fibrillation with mortality and disability after ischemic stroke.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23902702/
5.PubMed: Obstructive sleep apnea and type 2 diabetes: interacting epidemics
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18252916/
6.PubMed: Obstructive sleep apnea: an unexpected cause of insulin resistance and diabetes
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24582098/
7.PubMed: Obstructive sleep apnea is independently associated with insulin resistance
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11874812/
8.NVBI: Diabetes and Stroke: Epidemiology, Pathophysiology, Pharmaceuticals and Outcomes
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5298897/
9.PMC: The Role of Overnight Pulse-Oximetry in Recognition of Obstructive Sleep Apnea.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3869111/yndrome in Morbidly Obese and Non Obese Patients

Amazing Heart-healthy Tips

Amazing Heart-healthy Tips

by | Mar 8, 2021 | Cardiovascular

Stretch it out

Yoga can help you improve your balance, flexibility, and strength. It can help you relax and relieve stress. As if that’s not enough, yoga also has the potential to improve heart health. According to research published in the Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine(1), yoga demonstrates the potential to reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease.

Let the music move you

Whether you prefer a rumba beat or two-step tune, dancing makes for a great heart-healthy workout. Like other forms of aerobic exercise, it raises your heart rate and gets your lungs pumping. It also burns up to 200 calories or more per hour reports the Mayo Clinic(2).

Stop smoking—no ifs, ands, or butts

There are many steps you can take to help protect your health and blood vessels. Avoiding tobacco is one of the best.

In fact, smoking is one of the top controllable risk factors for heart disease. If you smoke or use other tobacco products, the American Heart Association(AHA), National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute(NHLBI)(3), and Certers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC)(4) all encourage you to quit. It can make a huge difference to not just your heart, but your overall health, too.

Be a kid

Fitness doesn’t have to be boring. Let your inner Child take the lead by enjoying an evening of roller skating, bowling, or laser tag. You can have fun while burning calories and giving your heart a workout.

Move it, move it, move it

No matter how much you weigh, sitting for long periods of time could shortens your lifespan, warn researchers in the Archives of Internal Medicine and the American Heart Association(5). Couch potato and desk jockey lifestyles seem to have an unhealthy effect on blood fats and blood sugar. If you work at a dest, remember to take regular breaks to move around. Go for a stroll on your lunch break, and enjoy regular exercise in your leisure time.

Make time for breakfast

The first meal of the day is an important one. Eating a nutritious breakfast every day can help you maintain a healthy diet and weight. To build a heart-healthy meal, reach for:
-Whole grains, such as oatmeal, whole-grain cereals, or whole-wheat toast.

-Lean protein sources, such as turkey bacon or a small serving of nuts or peanut butter

-Low-fat dairy products, such as low-fat milk, yogurt, or cheese.

-Fruits and vegetables

Know your numbers

Keep your blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, and triglycerides in check is important for good heart health. Learn the optimal levels for your gender and age group. Take steps to reach and maintain those levels. And remember to schedule regular check-ups with your doctor. If necessary, check your heart rate and record EKG on a regular basis to detect early risk.

Wellue has good cardiovascular coverage: Blood pressure, heart rate, heart rhyth, SpO2, Blood sugar…

You can manage your own health data on your phone and share the data with your doctors.