[bigjohnmac]

CPAP for Sleep Apnea Improves Glycemic Control.

While researching why my A1c level changed drastically within the last few months I found the following information which hopefully might give me a clue as to my problem. Prior to my A1c levels rising drastically I stopped using my CPAP machine for about six weeks or so. Thought it might be interesting to others. If this info was referenced in the Diabetes Forum, then I missed it.

Patients with Type II diabetes who also suffer from obstructive sleep apnea can lower their glucose levels by receiving the most common sleep apnea therapy, a new study has found.

The study appears in the Feb. 28 Archives of Internal Medicine. 2005

Dr. James Herdegen, associate professor of medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago and medical director of the UIC Center for Sleep and Ventilatory Disorders, and his co-authors measured glucose levels of participants before and after continuous positive airway pressure therapy, or CPAP.

Obstructive sleep apnea is a sleep disorder in which a person's breathing stops or becomes irregular during sleep as a result of a collapsed airway. This disrupts healthy sleep and causes a number of short-term and long-lasting effects that threaten health. Previous research has found sleep apnea sufferers are nine times more likely to have diabetes than those without the sleep disorder.

CPAP, the most common treatment option for obstructive sleep apnea, involves wearing a mask that supplies a steady stream of air through the nose during sleep. The airflow keeps the nasal passages open sufficiently to prevent airway collapse.

When CPAP treatment was administered for at least four hours each day, there was a significant reduction in the participants' glucose levels. By lowering glucose levels, patients with diabetes significantly can reduce their risk of developing late-stage complications including cardiovascular, kidney, eye and nerve disease.

"With such clear evidence for the high risk of sleep apnea among patients with Type II diabetes, it is encouraging that our data show patients can achieve better control of their glucose levels with CPAP therapy," Herdegen said. Based on the study's results, Herdegen recommends that diabetic patients who exhibit symptoms such as excessive daytime sleepiness and loud, persistent snoring be screened for sleep apnea and seek treatment if the sleep disorder is confirmed.

More than 18 million people in the United States have diabetes, and studies show this number is on the rise. Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin and can lead to death if not treated properly. Approximately 18 million Americans suffer from obstructive sleep apnea, although 90 percent have not been diagnosed.

Other authors on the paper are Drs. Ambika Babu and Leon Fogelfeld of Rush University Medical Center and John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County, Susan Shott of Rush University Medical Center and Dr. Theodore Mazzone of UIC.

UIC ranks among the nation's top 50 universities in federal research funding and is Chicago's largest university with 25,000 students, 12,000 faculty and staff, 15 colleges and the state's major public medical center. A hallmark of the campus is the Great Cities Commitment, through which UIC faculty, students and staff engage with community, corporate, foundation and government partners in hundreds of programs to improve the quality of life in metropolitan areas around the world.

University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC)




News-Medical.Net

[Achilles]

Thanks for sharing Bigjohnmac. Very interesting article. I know I used to snore when I was heavier several years ago. I've probably lost weight the past few years due to undiagnosed and undetected diabetes. I sleep alone now though so no idea if I'm snoring on a consistent basis.

I'll definitely have to keep this research in mind if I have troubles with maintaining my BG levels.

[Hammer]

I've been using a CPAP machine for years, and all I can say is, if you snore, then you should see if you have sleep apnea, and if so, get one of these machines.

When you're overweight, there is extra fatty tissue in your throat, restricting your air passage.. When you sleep, your throat muscles relax and that causes the soft tissue in the throat passage to collapse. When it collapses you can't get any air, so you "wake up" enough to suck in air, usually by snoring. Since this "waking up" interrupts your sleep, you don't get a restful sleep, not to mention that the oxygen levels in your blood drop dangerously low, starving your cells for air. Not getting the proper sleep can cause all kinds of problems. The thing is, you aren't aware that you're not getting a good night's sleep, and that's why this condition is so dangerous.

Look at it like this....how do you think it would affect your health if you got up a few hours earlier than you normally do, every day for the rest of your life? Let's say you need 7 hours of sleep every night, but you only got 5, how would you feel when you got up? Do this every day for the rest of your life and how do you think you'd feel? Even if you went to bed early with the hopes of getting 9 hours of sleep instead of your usual 7, you'd still only get 5, since with sleep apnea, going to bed earlier won't give you more "good" sleep, as you'll still be "waking up" every so often. Sleep apnea affects your body slowly over a long period of time.

With me, I went to the doctor complaining of a dry mouth. I'd breath through my mouth most of the time I was awake, and that was bad enough, but mornings when I would wake up, my mouth was so dry that it hurt. Because my mouth was drying out so much, I couldn't eat anything that was spicy, including salt. Trying to use mouthwash was like gargling with battery acid.

My doctor asked me if I snore. I had no idea, I mean, I'm asleep, so how would I know? He sent me to have a sleep test done. You spend the night at the hospital, where they hook up all these electrodes to your body and watch you as you sleep. They're looking to see if you stop breathing, and if so, for how long. They monitor your oxygen levels also.

After finding that I had sleep apnea, my doctor prescribed an auto CPAP machine for me. An auto CPAP is a small air compressor that draws in air, then gently pumps it through a hose to your face mask. The auto feature detects how much air you need and automatically adjusts the airflow to meet your needs. For example, when you first lay down, you're breathing in more air than after you've relaxed and fallen asleep, so the machine adjusts to this change automatically

I can tell you these machines are amazing. The first night I used mine, I awoke the next day feeling so well rested that I couldn't believe it. I felt fantastic! I will admit that the mask and hose take some getting used to, but considering how much better I feel, it's worth the slight inconvenience.

[Aurelius]

I am proud to say I have two bed partners - my wife and my CPAP.

The quality of sleep you get is absolutely amazing!!! The masks are a bit weird but you have many choices and the sleep clinic I have dealt with is absolutely top notch. They call me about once every 2 months to see if things are going well.

My first mask was a partial face mask where only the nose was covered. At first, it was fine, but then I got into the uncontrolled habbit of letting my mouth fall open during the night and the necessary air pressure was not maintained. It just blew right back out of my mouth. I then switched to a full face mask and it solve the open mouth problem. Now I am sleeping better than ever. I am firmly convinced that using my usage of CPAP has improved my insulin sensitivity.