OkanaMed Sleep Apnea

03/14/2025

Happy World Sleep Day everyone !!
Take time to reflect on your sleep, sleep hygiene and make health appointment if necessary 🙂

01/31/2025

If you unknowingly remove your CPAP mask at night, consider some of these possibilities…

1.Do you toss and turn a lot in your sleep ? Your CPAP hose may be tangling in your bedding or arms causing your mask to slip off or you unknowingly remove your mask so you can move comfortably.

2. Hoses that attach to the mask interface at the top of yoir head can reduce the ‘ tangle’ issue ( and be a game-changer !) 🙂

3. Hose lifts are an option for people using masks that attach in front of their face/chest . Hose lifts are support systems that clamp onto bedside furniture or headboard and lift and hold the CPAP hose up above the head of bed and allow freedom of movement.

4 Humidity can be an issue, sometimes ‘microhumidity’ can accumulate on fine facial hair such as on the end of the nose resulting in itchiness. You might unknowingly remove the mask to scratch or pat dry your nose or upper lip. Resolution can be achieved by changing Humidity and/or Tube Temperature , or you may even need a different mask.

5. Detailed Data from your CPAP/BiPAP provider can sometimes ‘zoom in’ on obstructive apneas, hypopneas, possible central apneas, Cheyne Stokes Respirations or respiratory events ( coughing/sneezing may be classified as Respiratory Events ) or even intermittent mask leaking ‘blasts of air’ from the sides of your mask that may have been occurring just prior to you unknowingly removing your mask.

Resolution : contact your CPAP provider and ask for help with review of your data .

6. Sleep position mask ‘bulkiness’ can be an issue in side sleeping. CPAP pillows can be purchased which have ‘cutout’ areas to accommodate the mask when you sleep on your side.

7. Air temperature too warm or too cool may cause you to remove your CPAP/BiPAP mask at night ; adjust this setting on your CPAP if you have a heated CPAP hose. ( or look to purchase or make a Hose Wrap )

8. There could be other issues of course ,even small pets , young children or household/neighbourhood sounds can cause a person to wake up just enough to unknowingly remove their mask, so they can be ‘more vigilant’.

… I hope this is helpful ! Happy New Year to all my wonderful clients 🙂

01/12/2023

Happy New Year everyone! Please keep your CPAP & BiPAP questions coming! OkanaMed has posted a Youtube video showing you how to change the humidity setting on the NEW ResMed AirSense 11;

Learn how to change your own humidity settings with Tracey a registered respiratory therapist with over 35 years experience. Owner of OkanaMed.

06/03/2022

06/03/2022

Reminding all my wonderful clients that with CPAP if you like, you can Replace Mask Cushion only . We don’t always need to replace the whole mask. Hope this helps. ❤️ thank you dear friends ! Text, email or phone me. ( I’m seeing Penticton clients today.)

07/13/2020

OkanaMed is gradually reopening for home sleep testing and CPAP equipment trials .
💖 Thank you everyone, for your kindness and patience!

Equipment in and out of office is moving slower of course, because of COVID-19 strict protocols, BUT absolutely fantastic to be able to see our wonderful clients again !! 😷

01/11/2020

Please ask your Medical Physician if Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines are recommended for you...
https://csepguidelines.ca/

CSEP Guidelines information hub, featuring the latest updates and resources for the Canadian Physical Activity and 24-Hour Movement guidelines.

01/05/2020

A site I will like to offer is anxietycanada.com “Getting a Good Night’s Sleep “

03/23/2019

Some ways to prepare for spirometry (breathing tests) can be found here: https://www.lung.ca/lung-health/lung-disease/spirometry

03/22/2019

A website I really find helpful, offering a wealth of sleep information such as Circadian Rhythms, Strategies for Shift Workers and many other sleep topics. https://css-scs.ca/

01/25/2019

01/25/2019