Resources for Learning about Sleep Apnea

For people with Obstructive Sleep Apnea and their healthcare professionals, peer coaching article #6, updated 8 December 2011

Recommended Book
Sleep Apnea – The Phantom of the Night, by T. Scott Johnson MD, William A. Broughton MD, Jerry Halberstadt, a patient. 2003. Comprehensive, user-friendly, loaded with practical information and written with emotional intelligence. Explains types of sleep apnea syndrome and sleep study reports. Comparisons of therapies and equipment. Frequently asked questions. Sleep log form, medical information form for your wallet, doctors, and dentist. Available at www.amazon.com and other book sellers.

Web Sites for Sleep-Related General Information and Health
From the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, a very informative web site
http://yoursleep.aasmnet.org/index.aspx

A manufacturer’s web site for fast, basic information. http://www.myresmed.com/MyResMedUS/page.do

US National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health offer MEDLINE Plus Medical Encyclopedia. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000811.htm Lots of links to related information such as Obstructive Sleep Apnea, snoring, obesity and health, urination at night, nasal congestion, heart failure, stroke.
Link to NIH Senior Health
http://nihseniorhealth.gov/listoftopics.html

National Sleep Foundation, scroll down to Drowsy Driving
http://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/sleep-topics

Sleep Net, Everything you wanted to know about sleep but were too tired to ask ™, http://www.sleepnet.com/

Online Support for People with Obstructive Sleep Apnea
www.CPAPtalk.com A forum and community for all things CPAP. Excellent site. Forum members share informative, supportive information and opinions based on their experience. Includes a CPAP Wiki and CPAP Definitions. Online resource for personalized questions and answers from CPAP users.

Local Support Groups
American Sleep Apnea Association (ASAA), Washington, DC and local support groups. Phone 202.293.3650. http://www.sleepapnea.org/  Local AWAKE Network support groups meet in sleep centers or hospitals, with speakers, vendor fair.

Equipment Web Sites
www.cpap.com An online xPAP (CPAP, AutoPAP, BiPAP) store. Equipment descriptions are easier to navigate and read and more informative than many manufacturers’ web sites. Excellent product comparisons. Has manufacturers’ videos about equipment and fitting, printable price list, and lists best selling equipment. Low prices and good service. Has a practical Answers section.

Machine and mask manufacturers’ websites, such as Respironics http://www.healthcare.philips.com/us_en/homehealth/respironics.wpd , ResMed http://resmed.com , Fisher and Paykel, www.fphcare.com

National Center for Sleep Disorders Research, National Institutes of Health, http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/about/ncsdr/index.htm

Stanford University Center for Human Sleep Research, Links, http://www.med.stanford.edu/school/psychiatry/humansleep/

Professional Journal
Journal Sleep, sponsored by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society, http://www.journalsleep.org/

Source: Based on personal experience with Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Exempla Lutheran Medical Center Sleep Disorders Lab patient information, Wheat Ridge, CO.

Want more? See the peer coaching articles at http://smart-sleep-apnea.blogspot.com , http://www.cpap.com FAQ Learning Center, or search http://www.cpaptalk.com or post a message there.

Not written by healthcare professionals. The information and opinions offered are not intended or recommended as a substitute for professional medical advice.

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