Rachel Mulley's Chemmart Pharmacy, Raymond Terrace has taken the time to train their staff in Sleep Apnoea awareness. Sleep Apnoea is a widespread sleep disorder.
Some of the signs that you may have sleep apnoea include:
snoring
waking up tired
poor concentration
gasping for breath during your sleep.
There are certain risk factors that can make you more pre-disposed to developing sleep apnoea, too:
being overweight
having high blood pressure
family history
When you sleep, it is normal for your airways to relax a little. When the airways relax too much, you start to snore and experience breathing difficulties. Your airway can become completely blocked during sleep, which creates 'obstructive apnoea'.
This means that there are periods in your sleep when you stop breathing. These periods can last for 10 seconds or more, and can happen very frequently - even several hundred times each night.
Untreated sleep apnoea can lead to issues such as mood disorders, car accidents, workplace accidents and more. However, the physical repurcussions are even more frightening. Stroke. Heart attack. Diabetes.
Rachel Mulley's Chemmart Pharmacy runs a sleep apnoea program which will walk you through the process of being screened for sleep apnoea (which involves an overnight sleep study in the comfort of your own home), and getting the best treatment.
We
stock a full range of masks, CPAP units and accessories within the
ResMed range. All of our products are available for hire and purchase.
We have one of Australia's leading sleep specialists on board, Dr Peter Solin. He reviews your results and recommends treatment options that will resolve your sleep apnoea and get you on the path to better sleep.
The image on the left shows a clear, open airway.
This image demonstrates what happens in obstructive sleep apnoea. Notice how the airway is blocked.
