American Sleep Apnea Association Provides Free CPAPS To Patients

WASHINGTON, Dec. 23, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- In the sprit of the holidays, the American Sleep Apnea Association (ASAA) this week provided free continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) equipment packages to 40 sleep apnea patients as part of its CPAP Assistance Program (CAP).

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"Over the past few years, the ASAA has provided this life-saving equipment to over 3,000 sleep apnea patients.  We always want to do more, but we did what we could afford to see that these patients do not go without therapy because of their inability to pay," said Darrel Drobnich, president of the American Sleep Apnea Association.  "All that we ask in return is that these patients and others 'pay it forward' and try to help someone else get treated for their sleep apnea or other chronic health issue as soon as possible."

One in five adults have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a common and life-threatening sleep disorder characterized by brief interruptions of breathing during sleep, sometimes occurring hundreds of times and lasting for a minute or longer.  Common symptoms of sleep apnea are loud snoring, morning headaches and nausea, gasping or choking while sleeping, excessive daytime sleepiness, irritability and/or feelings of depression, and concentration and memory problems.  The main treatment for sleep apnea is a CPAP machine where the patient wears a mask over his or her nose during sleep and pressure from an air blower forces air through the nasal passages to keep the throat from collapsing.

Untreated sleep disorders and chronic sleep loss are associated with a significant increased risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, anxiety and depression, diabetes, automobile crashes, certain types of cancer, and on-the-job accidents, along with impaired work productivity, academic performance, and reduced quality of life.

For the past seven years, the ASAA has provided new and used CPAPs to sleep apnea patients through its CPAP Assistance Program.  For a $100 program fee patients get a new, factory-sealed CPAP, tubing, filter, mask, and carrying case at significant reduced cost. The program fee covers shipping, staff, and promotion of the program.  

About American Sleep Apnea Association: The American Sleep Apnea Association, founded in 1990, is a patient-led nonprofit organization dedicated to the promotion of sleep health through research, advocacy and education.  As part of its leadership in breaking down the barriers between patient communities and crowdsourcing funds for patient-led medical research, ASAA recently launched the Sleeptember® campaign.  For more information, visit www.sleepapnea.org and www.sleeptember.org.

Contact: Darrel Drobnich                                         
American Sleep Apnea Association
(202) 903-6292
Email

SOURCE American Sleep Apnea Association

Related Links

http://www.sleepapnea.org

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