Sleep Apnea Treatment Centers of America (SATCOA) Commemorates Sleep Apnea Awareness Day by Wearing Pajamas to Work
Tampa, Florida (PRWEB) April 18, 2014 -- Sleep Apnea Treatment Centers of America (SATCOA) will commemorate Sleep Apnea Awareness Day by wearing pajamas to work. This health observance day is Friday, April 18. With this event, the company’s goal is to raise awareness about obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Currently, it is estimated that 80 percent of people with OSA are walking around unaware that they have the condition.
OSA is defined by pauses in breathing that can last a few seconds to minutes, and occur as little as 5 to greater than 30 times per hour. When left undiagnosed and untreated, OSA significantly increases the sufferer’s risk of developing life-threatening illnesses such as high blood pressure, heart disease and failure, stroke and type 2 diabetes.
“For this year’s observance, we wanted to raise awareness in a fun and innovative manner, and so our employees will be wearing pajamas to work,” said Jeffrey L. Silveira, MD, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of SATCOA. “With sleep apnea, in a sense, people do not get adequate rest due to disruptions in their sleep, subconsciously and consciously. What better way to bring the crux of the matter to the forefront than by wearing pajamas.”
Symptoms of sleep apnea are the following: daytime sleepiness, fatigue, poor concentration, memory loss, morning headaches and the hallmark symptom, snoring. Sleep apnea is diagnosed following a sleep study, which can take place in a lab or at home.
“Although continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment has evolved into what can be described as the ‘gold standard’ of OSA therapy, compliance is a big issue,” added Dr. Silveira. “The sufferer simply doesn’t want to wear a bulky mask at night while he or she sleeps.”
With lack of compliance as an issue, OSA sufferers have sought out other treatment possibilities so that they can feel better and improve their quality of life with such options as oral appliances, invasive surgery and lifestyle modifications.
“If you are diagnosed with sleep apnea, you no longer need to fear that you will be forced to wear a CPAP mask for the rest of your life,” said Ann Miller, SATCOA’s Chief Operating Officer. “When a cure is possible with radiofrequency ablation (RFA), there is no reason for a sleep apnea sufferer to wait until he or she has a health crisis to prompt seeking out treatment. After a couple of months, with just minutes of treatment, these individuals will be healthier and also reap the benefits of sound and restorative sleep.”
RFA is a quick and effective, minimally invasive in-office procedure. A series of brief treatments are delivered over several months to achieve the best results. The procedure works by directing small amounts of temperature-controlled and targeted energy to the base of the tongue in the back of the throat. Following RFA, the treated area heals, the tissue is tightened and thus the tongue is reduced in size. This tightening and reduction directly prevents the tongue from blocking the airway while the patient sleeps. RFA reduces and virtually eliminates sleep apnea. At SATCOA, 100 percent of RFA patients experience some improvement and 73 percent are cured.
About Sleep Apnea Treatment Centers of America (SATCOA)
Sleep Apnea Treatment Centers of America is revolutionizing the field of sleep medicine by offering patients a safe, minimally invasive, curative alternative to a lifetime of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine usage, or other more invasive options. Sleep Apnea Treatment Centers of America currently are located in Dallas, TX, Savannah, GA, Statesboro, GA, Albany, GA, Douglas, GA, and Tampa, FL. In partnership with Hillcrest Urgent Care, the company has expanded to Dublin, Eastman, and Milledgeville, GA. The company’s mission is to help sleep apnea patients and their families by offering the most effective treatment solution. To learn more, visit curemysleepapnea.com, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
Kellie Hero, Sleep Apnea Treatment Centers of America, http://curemysleepapnea.com, +1 813-503-8698, [email protected]
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