Iowa Sleep Blog

Technology and New Year Resolutions

Monday, January 02, 2017
Technology that can Help Your New Year’s Sleep Resolutions On average, 45 percent of Americans usually make New Year’s resolutions, and one of the most popular is to sleep more or set a better sleep schedule. Many start out motivated in January, but find themselves losing steam by February and March. Set yourself up for success by using an app to help track your…

CPAP Cleaning Procedure

Wednesday, November 16, 2016
If you wear Positive Airway Pressure (PAP) therapy, you were walked through the steps in cleaning your equipment. For many, that may have been a long time ago, in a place far, far away…so let us have a refresher! One of the most important factors in determining compliance with PAP wear (aside from mask fit) is taking proper care of your equipment. For therapy to be successful, you…

Am I Getting Enough Sleep?

Monday, November 07, 2016
In today’s busy world we all try to cut corners somewhere to fit in all that we want or need to do. Regretfully for many cutting back on sleep seems like a reasonable solution. Over time sleep loss of even just 1-2 hours per night can result in sleep deprivation. There’s a big difference between the amount of sleep your body and brain needs to the amount of sleep you can get…

How to Travel with CPAP

Monday, May 23, 2016
Summer is almost here, which means kids will be out of school and family vacations will be underway. To make sure you have enough energy to enjoy the sights, activities and long hours that come with vacations (or long meetings that come with business travel), it’s important to make sure you’re getting quality sleep every night. For people with sleep apnea, traveling with a CPAP can seem…

The Cost of Untreated Sleep Problems

Monday, May 16, 2016
While it might seem easier to push through a hard week or month at work or school by staying late working or studying extra hours, you are actually doing more harm than good. Last month, NPR did a report on how sleeplessness impacts workers and the workplace. They found that, when sleep deprived, you’re grouchier and more error-prone, which isn’t great for you or your employer. Sleep…

Quality vs. Quantity – What’s More Important for Sleep?

Monday, April 25, 2016
In the busy lives of people in the U.S., the phrase, “you can sleep when you’re dead” is used all too often. In reality, sleep is an extremely important part of keeping our bodies operating in tip-top shape. It’s pretty easy to tell the difference between how you feel after a good night’s sleep, and how you feel when you’ve been burning the midnight oil. Many people, especially…

Are Sleep Problems Familial?

Monday, April 18, 2016
There’s probably at least one person in your family, be it your dad, a grandparent or even an aunt, that everyone makes fun of for snoring, sleep talking, or being an insomniac. But did you know that some of those sleep disorders could be familial? Researchers are conducting more studies to find links between the sleep disorders and patterns of parents and their children, as…

How to Sleep Better with ADHD

Monday, April 11, 2016
For many, the ability to fall asleep at night does not come easy. They feel distracted or hyperactive and unable to focus on just one thing, such as relaxing and getting ready for sleep. Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects about nine percent of children and four percent of adults in the U.S., and really has an impact on sleep. When you have ADHD, it can be hard to…

Sleeping for Two: Pregnancy and Sleep

Monday, April 04, 2016
Pregnancy is an exciting time for new mothers and their families, as their bodies are growing, changing and preparing to carry your little bundle (or bundles) of joy. As you progress through the three trimesters, your sleep habits will begin to change, and at some point, it might feel downright hard to sleep at all. To help prepare for sleeping while being pregnant, we’ve gathered up some…

Spring Allergies and Cleaning Your CPAP

Monday, March 28, 2016
We are one week past the official first day of spring, which means (if they haven’t already) spring allergies will be in full effect as the grass begins to grow and the trees blossom. If you experience seasonal allergies, or even a spring cold or two, and also wear a CPAP at night to ease sleep apnea symptoms, it is important to maintain a clean machine to keep it operating…