MY Sleepwake Centre

09/06/2021

Cleaning your CPAP mask

While the CPAP machine is a low-maintenance device, the CPAP mask however, requires daily cleaning. The hygiene of your mask is important as it can be a breeding ground for bacteria and mold. So, what should you do?

Clean your mask daily by wiping or washing it with mild detergent and warm water.
1️⃣ Remove the fabric sleeves, headgear straps and mask cushion from the mask frame.
2️⃣ Wash the non-fabric parts (mask cushion & mask frame) daily, by soaking it in mild detergent for 5 – 10 minutes before rinsing it thoroughly with water. Or, wipe the parts using a damp towel with mild detergent and water.
3️⃣ Handwash the fabric sleeves and headgear straps once per week, using mild detergent and water.

All the parts need to be dried before use.
✅ After washing, leave the mask cushion and mask frame on a piece of cloth and let them air-dry completely.
✅For the fabric sleeves and headgear straps, spread them flat on a piece of cloth or hang them on a line to dry.
🚫 Avoid heat-drying or placing them under the sun.

14/05/2021

Sleep apnea can be inherited?

Sleep apnea is not a genetic syndrome that you pass down directly to your descendants, but rather some of the anatomical features that contribute to it, are.

For instance, deviated septum, narrow airway, a thick neck, or a round head has shown to be factors for obstructive sleep apnea, and these can be pass down to your children. It is important to notice the symptoms of sleep apnea in children as it can affect their development and growth.

Children with sleep apnea can present with behavioral issues, learning difficulties, poor attention span or hyperactive during daytime. At night when they sleep, they may present breathing pauses, snoring, cough or choke.

If you are a sleep apnea patient, or if you are at high risk of sleep apnea, be sure to get it check and get treatment as suggested by your doctor. Watch out for your kids and show them a good example at not taking your health for granted!

Read more here:

If you have sleep apnea, then you'll want to watch your children for signs that they might have sleep apnea too. And you'll want to be the best role model possible, setting an example of following your treatment plan and putting your health as the top priority.

06/05/2021

Choosing your CPAP masks.

Many of us are terrified when it comes to choosing a CPAP masks. Here are a few tips for you:

🚩 Doctor’s recommendation – Your doctor will usually prescribe a certain pressure for your CPAP treatment, and that plays a role in determining which type of mask to go for. Plus, they know the pros and cons of different type of masks and will select one that will most likely suitable for you.

🚩 Mask type – Generally, the masks are divided into 2 types, one that delivers pressure through the nose (nasal mask) and the other deliver pressure through both the nose and mouth (full face mask). Each type of masks has its advantages and disadvantages, and it’s important to know them. Additionally, your facial profile, size of nose, nose bridge, presence of beard and moustache, etc. are factors need to be considered when choosing different type of masks.

🚩 Size and fit – Choosing the right size and fit is crucial for the effectiveness of your CPAP treatment. A loosely-fitted mask will tend to have high leakage and will affect the pressure of the CPAP delivered.

🚩 Sleeping position / style – Side sleepers usually do best with minimal-designed masks such as nasal pillows. Small mask surface area on the face reduce friction between the face and pillow, thereby reducing the risk of air leaks.

🚩 Comfortability – In order to commit yourself into using the CPAP machine every night, the mask that you choose have to be comfortable and easy to put-on. A lot of patients give up on their CPAP treatment because of a bad mask! Getting the right and comfortable one will encourage you to stay on track with the CPAP therapy.

21/04/2021

How much sleep do you need?

The recommended amount of sleep for a normal adult is 7 – 9 hours. 🕗
Studies have shown sleeping less than 7 hours a day or sleeping more than 9 hours a day have a relatively increased mortality rate. 😱

Having said that, the quality of your sleep should be taken into consideration as well. Scientists proposed it might be because of poor sleep quality, your body try to compensate that by sleeping longer. And the underlying causes of poor sleep quality, are really the reasons mortality rate is higher for those at this end of the spectrum.

Do not take your sleep for granted. Assess your sleep quality today! Talk to us: m.me/MYSleepWakeCentre

Video source: Sleeping with Science, a TED series, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knJWF4km3y0

You know you need to get enough sleep, but the question remains: How much is enough? Sleep scientist Matt Walker tells us the recommended amount for adults a...

07/04/2021

Why you should keep your phone away before sleep.

Smartphone has become a major part of our life in the past decade. Before you know it, it controls so much of things in your life, including your rest. See if this sounds familiar to you: you wash up and change to get ready for bed, lights off, crawl into bed and pull over the blanket, and… swipe up to unlock your phone. 📱

So, how exactly smartphone disturb your sleep? Here’s how:

1) The blue light emission from your smart device suppresses melatonin production in your brain, which is a hormone that promotes sleep. Exposing yourself to blue light before bed makes it hard for you to fall asleep. 😳
2) Swiping your phone in the dark also damages your eyes. The bright light from the phone can induce retinal damage, and you may experience dry eyes symptoms as a result.🤓
3) The content that you are reading on your smartphone increases alertness, therefore delaying your sleep. Be it some emotional video from YouTube or some aggressive comments from a Facebook post that you don’t agree with, even simply scrolling through the news feed will keep your mind engaged in the lines of words which leads to your brain think that it needs to stay awake. 😠

Take-home messages:

✅ Stop using electronic devices at least 30 minutes – 1 hour before sleep.
✅ Do some reading instead under dim-lighted environment.
✅ Maintain a good and regular sleep-wake schedule throughout the week regardless weekday or weekend.



Read more here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4734149/

24/03/2021

Wake-up call for the sleep medicine field in Malaysia.

There are more than 84 types of sleep disorders classified by the ICSD, in which it can be categorized under 6 categories of insomnia, sleep disordered breathing, hypersomnolence of central origin, circadian rhythm disorders, parasomnias and movement disorders.

Most people might have heard of insomnia, but are not clear on how it is diagnosed and what does it affect; others might have known about sleep apnea, yet do not care enough to find out how snoring is the common signs of sleep apnea and it can lead to other life-threatening diseases.

While the sleep disorders awareness among the general population is considerably low, medical practitioners of sleep medicine have worked hard to help patients with sleep disorders but a lot are still underdiagnosed. A point was made clear that we need more GPs to help fill the gap so the OSA can be diagnosed in its early stage for better patient outcomes management.

An integrated sleep center model of OSA care is proposed which consists of GPs, a multidisciplinary team of specialists (including sleep physician, neurologist, psychiatrist, ENT surgeons, respiratory physicians, dentists and orthodontists) and also specialized trained sleep technologists and respiratory therapists to provide both diagnostic and therapeutic care for OSA patients.

We are proud to be a part of this healthcare provider and MY Sleepwake Centre aims for you to !

Video credits: Dr Tripat Deep Singh

I have tried to make up a case that Sleep disorders, patterns and education levels are worrisome in Malaysia. based on the available data I have tried to giv...

19/03/2021

Does alcohol make you sleep better? 🍻

While alcohol has sedative effect, it does not make you sleep better.

When a person consumes alcohol, it is being absorbed into the bloodstream. Your liver will start to metabolize the alcohol, but the process is relatively slow compared to the rate of alcohol intake. Being a central nervous system depressant, the excess alcohol that has not been metabolized remains in your blood and travels to the brain, slowing down your brain activity.

So, after having a few cups, you tend to fall asleep easier (reduced sleep onset), but it doesn’t improve the quality of your sleep. In the beginning of your sleep under the effect of alcohol, REM sleep is suppressed and you spent more time in slow wave sleep (N3 sleep). As the night progresses and the alcohol is being metabolized, REM sleep starts to kick in and more sleep disruption occurs as the sedative effect is gone. In short, alcohol disrupts your normal sleep cycles and burdens your liver.

It’s TGIF, we know. But, drink in moderation so you can enjoy a good evening without compromising your sleep quality as well. Most importantly, DO NOT drive under the influence of alcohol! 🙅🏻‍♂️🚗



Read more here: https://www.sleepfoundation.org/nutrition/alcohol-and-sleep

Photo by Darlene Alderson from Pexels.

15/03/2021

CPAP, for life?

Many CPAP beginner feels the use of CPAP machine to sleep sounds terrifying, and they worry to commit to the machine for the rest of their life.

CPAP machines are prescribed to help people with obstructive sleep apnea, in which their breathing stops periodically during sleep. While snoring is commonly seen in sleep apnea, there are other risk factors such as increased chance of heart attack, stroke and hypertension that can be due to sleep apnea. The use of CPAP helps reduce these risks.

Talk to the CPAP support group, listen to those who have been using CPAP for more than a decade and how it changed their life. Here at MY Sleepwake Centre, we help you through the transition of starting CPAP treatment.



Read full article here: https://philips.to/3li8j9I

10/03/2021

In conjunction with World Sleep Day 2021, Philips Sleep and Respiratory Care is having a webinar on sleep apnea.

Learn about how you can sleep better! Join sleep experts such as Dr. Rusdi Bin Abd Rashid (Consultant Psychiatrist from University Malaya Medical Centre), Dr. Nurul Yaqeen Mohd Esa (Pulmonologist & Sleep Specialist from Sunway Velocity Medical Centre) and Dr. Tripat Deep Singh (Sleep Specialist and Clinical Manager from Philips), as they discuss various sleep disorders and their treatments, at the live webinar on Saturday, 3 April!

All are welcome including physicians, sleep techs and especially those who have questions about sleep apnea. Don't miss this opportunity! Click the link below to register for FREE

Why do we sleep and what is sleep apnea? Learn about how you can sleep better! Join sleep experts as they discuss various sleep disorders and their treatments, at our live webinar on Saturday, 3 April! WEBINAR AGENDA: Managing Insomnia during COVID-19 time – Dr. Rusdi Bin Abd Rashid (Consultant Ps...

02/03/2021

Excessive daytime sleepiness could be a road killer. ☠️

Never drive when you are sleepy! While a lot of attention has been given to road accidents due to substances or alcohol influence, there is another common cause that contributes to these tragedies: excessive sleepiness when driving. 🥱🚗

A collaborative study done by Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) and University of Technology Petronas (UTP) explored the cause-and-effect relationship between sleep quality and driving pattern among young drivers. It was shown that some of the participants had previously experienced drowsiness related crashes or near-misses.

It was believed that sleep deprivation leads to poor sleep quality and hence, causes excessive sleepiness in daytime leading to microsleep while driving. But let’s not forget that there are other underlying sleep disorders that could compromise your sleep quality, which in return causes impaired cognitive function.

Dismissing possible underlying sleep problems might not be life-threatening, maybe simply affecting your study / work performances, or you could end up in a river like this man 😦(in which he is considered lucky in this misfortune)!

Read more here: https://miros.gov.my/xs/page.php?id=655

News source: https://www.facebook.com/HITZdotmy/posts/10157599925388027

Stay safe and don’t drive when you’re tired!

23/02/2021

Stroke and sleep apnea.

The prevalence of sleep disordered breathing in stroke patient is 62%.

Along with other established risk factors such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease, hyperlipidemia, atrial fibrillation, etc., severe sleep apnea (AHI > 30 / hr) may aggravate the risk of stroke, especially in older patients.

At the same time, management of post-stroke patient with untreated OSA is associated with worse outcome and higher chances of recurrent stroke as compared to those that are on CPAP therapy.

Find out if you have sleep apnea, let us help you to manage one of the major risk factors of stroke.

Read more here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6340906/