Iowa Sleep Blog

Introduction The brain needs to adjust to wearing a Positive Airway Pressure (PAP) machine. Nightly use will help you adjust as quickly. If uncomfortable wearing it during sleep, practice with it during the day when not trying to fall asleep. During this practice, you can listen to the radio or watch TV. PAP therapy should be worn when you sleep, even during naps. We recommend using your PAP…

By Dr. Zorn Challenges: CPAP is first line primary therapy for OSA. It is highly effective and non-invasive, but CPAP compliance can be a problem. Researchers have reported a 46% CPAP non-compliance rate after 4 years. The breakdown is as follows: a) 31% of patients never started CPAP after being given the prescription and b) 15% discontinued CPAP after starting for a period of time up to…

Idiopathic Hypersomnia by Dr. Zorn. Idiopathic Hypersomnia is a rare condition of unknown etiology. It is thus like what Narcolepsy was over 20 years ago until researchers discovered that Narcolepsy was due to a deficiency of an excitatory neurotransmitter called orexin. Like Narcolepsy, Idiopathic Hypersomnia tends to have its onset in the teen's or twenties and has an association with…

Why Sleep is Necessary by Steve Zorn, MD Neurodegenerative diseases (like Alzheimer disease) occur with increasing frequency as we age. The question recently raised is whether these degenerative conditions could be aggravated by a failure of the brain to clear the neurotoxic waste products that normally accumulate with nerve activity. Alzheimer disease is associated…

We’ve all woken up feeling like our heads had just hit the pillow every once in a while. It’s hard to look forward to waking up when you’re always tired in the mornings. While lack of enough sleep and quality sleep are typical culprits of waking up feeling tired, there are a number of tricks you can try to help jumpstart your day and make it easier to feel refreshed and…

What to look for in a Pediatric Sleep Center Children require special attention when undergoing sleep studies so be sure to choose a sleep center with specific pediatric expertise in childhood and adolescent sleep disorders. Parents need to be aware of the following when finding a sleep center appropriate for their child: The Sleep Physician should have experience in the evaluation,…

Developing healthy sleep habits in children From birth, sleep is established as a critical element to overall health and general wellbeing. Getting adequate amounts of sleep helps the body to function at its highest level. When children are young, sleep is something they need, but might not be too interested in, instead favoring a couple extra minutes of playing outside or…

If you are flying, here are some tips you may have not been aware of. Your PAP device is considered a piece of medical equipment and therefore should not be counted against you as one of your carry-on (You can check with your airline to make sure of the policy). DO NOT put it your checked luggage. Checked luggage are at times subject to rough handling and your PAP may not arrive in the…

By Carol Smith, PA-C. Sleep Medicine Physician Assistant at Iowa Sleep I get many questions on cleaning of CPAP equipment so I decided to write some information about the topic. There are things that need to be done each day and there are things that can be done on a less frequent basis. DAILY : Wash your face before putting mask on. Wash mask liner when removing it in on awakening with…

Hormones, Sleep, and Insomnia – Q & A 1) Why to women have more insomnia than men? This is true, but it seems strange since slow wave sleep (the deepest stage of sleep) is less in men. The answer lies in aging rate differences in the major sleep inducing center (the VLPO). It deteriorates more rapidly in women. Thus, an imbalance develops between the brain’s sleep and wake centers. The…