Breathe Better Sleep Better Live Better Podcast

CPAP, although the "gold standard" form of treatment for obstructive sleep apnea, has a number of common problems for many people. Join us for a discussion on the 7 most common problems you may have using CPAP (along with solutions).

If you tuned in to our last episode,  I talked about the 7 reasons why oral appliances may be a good option for those of you with obstructive sleep apnea, and in today’s episode, we’re going to talk about the 8 reason why you may not want to consider oral appliances for sleep apnea. It’s challenging to find a qualified dentist for every patient It can change your bite It’s much more expensive than CPAP It can be lost or damaged If you have severe sleep apnea If you're severely overweight If your nose is stuffy Sometimes, the tongue may not move forward with jaw movement. Plus two more bonus reasons. Links and references mentioned: American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine American Academy of Sleep Medicine Interview with Dr. David Lawler iTunes link #55. Unstuffy Your Stuffy Nose e-book Sleep, Interrupted  

Many people hate the idea of using a CPAP mask attached to a hose every night. Fortunately, a good alternative to this is a mandibular advancement devices (also called oral appliances)  come in various models, but they all have one thing in common: The lower jaw is pushed forward against the upper jaw, moving your tongue forward, opening up your airway.   In this podcast episode, I will go over the 7 reasons why I like using mandibular advancement devices to treat obstructive sleep apnea.     1. No headgear or straps around your face. 2. It’s silent. CPAP 26 dB. 30 is a quiet whisper 3. It’s small and convenient 4. More dentists are available to make these devices, and are usually covered through most major insurances.  5. Equal to CPAP for people with mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea. 6. An oral appliance can used as a CPAP mask holder 7. It can be used effectively for snoring and UARS, even if you don’t have obstructive sleep apnea.   Resources and links mentioned:   7 Reasons Why I Love Dental Appliances for Sleep Apnea 5 Reasons Why I Don’t Like Dental Appliances for Sleep Apnea 5 Things You Must Consider Before Trying An Oral Appliance for Sleep Apnea American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine Photo of hybrid oral appliance / CPAP nasal pillow Unstuffy Your Stuffy Nose E-book Breathe Better, Sleep Better, Live Better Podcast on iTunes (#54)

In this episode, My special guest is Dr. Mark Cruz, a dentist in private practice in Dana Point, CA, close to Laguna Beach. He has spent over 10 years educating dentists and doing research at UCLA and is now on the data safety monitoring board of the NIH's Institute for Craniofacial Research, the dental arm of the NIH. He has collaborated with many sleep luminaries including Dr. Christian Guilleminault, and Dr. David Gozal. Information about his dental airway mini-residency can be found here. In this interview, we’ll discuss:   1. What’s the role of the dentist and dentistry as a profession in airway related health?   2. Is the airway wellness concept new for dentistry?   3. Who are the key team members that are needed for airway health?    4. How can someone find an airway focused dentist or orthodontist in his or her community?   and so much more.  

Join Dr. Park on this installment of his Expert Interview Series, where insomnia and sleep medicine expert, Dr. Gregg Jacobs, unveils his proven and effective methods for stopping insomnia, without the use of harmful and expensive medications.   Here’s what you’ll learn during this teleseminar:   The 10 most effective ways to beat insomnia without medications The most common mistakes every insomnia sufferer makes and what you can do to avoid them Why most doctors are uninformed when it comes to insomnia and what you can do to get the best treatment possible Which sleeping pills, if any, are safe and which you must absolutely avoid taking An Insomnia Specialist at the Sleep Disorders Center at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Dr. Gregg Jacobs is the leading authority on the treatment of insomnia.  His insights on insomnia and sleep are eye-opening and enlightening. During this 64 minute call, Dr. Jacobs answers your questions.

This is part 3 and the final segment of my conversation with Dr. Stasha Gominck, a neurologist with some very insightful information about vitamin d and how it’s vitally related not only to sleep, but to every aspect of your health. As mentioned previously, vitamin d is actually a hormone that’s needed by every area of your body, including your brain.    In this segment, Gominak is going to tell us:   How to optimize growth hormone release The link between slow wave sleep and the B vitamins How this b vitamin can help REM behavior disorder How much Vit D is made in your skin by sunlight Vitamin D’s anti-cancer properties The importance of quality sleep and cancer prevention   For more information about Dr. Gominak, visit her Web site at drgominak.com.      

This is Part 2 of my interview with Dr. Stasha Gominak, a neurologist practicing in Tyler, Texas. Dr. Gominak has unique views on how Vitamin D can significantly affect the quality of your sleep, independent of obstructive sleep apnea or upper airway resistance syndrome. In this intervew, she will reveal: How B vitamins interact with Vitamin D How B vitamins are related to fibromyalgia The link between irritable bowel syndrome and headaches How Vit D is linked with weight gain What’s the right dose of B vitamins? And for how long? Which vitamins are made in your gut?   Visit Dr. Gominak at http://drgominak.com

This is Part 1 of my interview with Dr. Stasha Gominak, a neurologist practicing in Tyler, Texas. Dr. Gominak has unique views on how Vitamin D can significantly affect the quality of your sleep, independent of obstructive sleep apnea or upper airway resistance syndrome. In this intervew, she will reveal:   1. How Vitamin D is related to sleep 2. Why Vitamin D3 is better than D2 3. How Mice and Pigs Confused Doctors About Vitamin D 4. Why Sleep became much worse in the 1980s 5. How much Vitamin D do we need?   Visit Dr. Gominak at http://drgominak.com

ADHD and other behavioral problems are rampant today with millions of children on prescription medications with or without psychotherapy. As I've stated in the past, a significant number of these children have a treatable sleep-breathing problem, which goes undiagnosed. I was alerted to watch this video about a mother’s excruciatingly painful journey to help her son, Connor, who was labeled with a condition called oppositional defiant disorder.    In this episode I'm honored to have as our guest Ms. Valerie Deegan, Connor’s mother. We’re going to talk about what she had to go through to get her son treated appropriately without medications.    Resources mentioned in this Podcast:   American Academy of Physiologic Medicine & Dentistry (AAPMD.org) Ride of the Zombies Charity Bike Ride Dr. John Mew's photos Subscribe in iTunes @ doctorstevenpark.com/itunes. Thanks for reviewing my podcast and rating me.    

Podcast #001 Show Notes   Welcome to the relaunching of my Breathe Better, Sleep Better, Live Better podcast. In this episode, I will reveal:   1. Why only humans have sleep apnea 2. How you can choke and die 3. 5 simple things you can do to sleep better tonight.   Download the PDF of the slides here. Download the MP3 file here.   Acronym for obstructive sleep apnea: MOOSE   Male Older Overweight Snoring Excessive Sleepiness.   4 Evolutionary / Anatomic Changes:   1. Klinorynchy 2. Anterior Migration of the Foramen Magnum 3. Laryngeal descent and loss of epiglottic and soft palate lockup 4. Vertical descent of the larynx.   As a result of complex speech and language development, only humans can choke and die.   3 Dental Concepts   1. Transition to soft, processed foods lead to dental crowding and malocclusion 2. Eating soft vs. hard foods and aggravate dental crowding 3. Bottle-feeding can cause dental crowding and crooked teeth.   Changes in our eating and infant feeding habits created more dental crowding and more narrow airways.   All these concepts are described in more detail in my book, Sleep Interrupted: A physician reveals the #1 reason why so many of us are sick and tired.   Facial profiling. Younger people have more triangular jaws and flatter faces.   If our brains get bigger and our jaws get smaller, what will we look like in 50,000 years?   Sleep-breathing continuum. All chronic health conditions can be directly or indirectly connected to poor breathing and poor sleep.   Conventional treatment options for obstructive sleep apnea:   1. Conservative 2. CPAP 3. Dental appliances 4. Surgery.   Other options:    1. Acupuncture 2. Oral exercises 3. Didgeridoo 4. Provent 5. Winx 6. Tongue nerve stimulation / pacemaker 7. Functional dental appliances.   5 Practical Tips to Sleep Better Today   1. Avoid eating or drinking alcohol late 2. Improve nasal breathing 3. Adjust head position to improve the airway 4. Avoid migraine triggers 5. Practice relaxation / deep breathing techniques.   Reader Question: Dry mouth after starting CPAP. What to do?   Sleep Tip of the Day: How blue light can ruin your sleep and what you can do about it.   Resources mentioned in podcast:   Dr. Brian Palmer's website Dr. Weston Price: Nutrition and Physical Degeneration     Subscribe in iTunes @ doctorstevenpark.com/itunes. Thanks for reviewing my podcast and rating me.   Download the PDF of the slides.           Web site