Author: Oliver Edwards

When sleep apnea is first diagnosed, whether it's you, a friend, or family member, the explanation can be a bit startling. Luckily, the remedy is fairly simply and generally effective. And, fortunately, there are many great resources available online to help, from sites that help you get the best fit for a CPAP mask to others that offer checklists for talking to your doctor about distressing symptoms.

A diagnosis of sleep apnea must be made by your internist or family practitioner, who may even refer patients to a sleep specialist before a final diagnosis is made. But if you think you or someone in your home may have this condition, general articles about sleep apnea symptoms can be quite helpful as a reference when starting the conversation with your doctor. Here are some places to start:

• The American Sleep Apnea Association has a site loaded with articles and videos as well as tools to assess your symptoms and tips for finding resources locally
• The Mayo Clinic website has a nice general overview of classic symptoms, related conditions, causes, and treatments
• Type "sleep apnea" into Google® News to see the latest information about this condition

Information can be a tricky thing in this day and age, with so much available and often no way to tell whether it's legitimate. It's good to be informed, but there can be too much of a good thing. The best approach is to choose a doctor you trust who can confirm a diagnosis and help you develop a treatment plan.

If you've learned that your snoring and daytime drowsiness is indeed sleep apnea, your doctor will prescribe a treatment plan. From a quick browse online, you'll note a few commonly prescribed treatments:

• CPAP machine with a CPAP mask for sleeping: It seems as though this may be the most common treatment prescribed by physicians
• BiPAP machine: Similar to the CPAP, with differing programs of air pressure regulation
• Lifestyle changes: For milder cases of sleep apnea, sometimes all that's needed is some healthier initiatives, such as weight loss or smoking cessation
• Oral appliances: Also effective for milder cases

If you've been diagnosed and prescribed CPAP, you'll want to educate yourself about the options you have-and you'll quickly realize there are more than you thought. When searching, here are some things you'll learn and some items you'll want to investigate further:

• Not all CPAP masks are created alike. Some are made for nasal use only and others are a full face mask. They vary widely in size, comfort features, and price. Get a prescription from your doctor and do a little research to find one that will meet your needs.
• A sleep apnea mask must be worn during all resting times, so make sure you check out all of the available comfort items that are available-both on the sleep apnea masks themselves and those that can be purchased separately.
• Consider purchasing insurance for your CPAP mask and machine-even when you find discounted prices, you still may be looking at several hundred dollars-it may be worth it for you.

So, these are just some of the things I was able to learn about managing sleep apnea when browsing online. When in doubt, I turned to my trusted family doctor for advice. But I also found that I could learn quite a bit with resources online, save a bit of money by purchasing my machine and mask online, and find ongoing resources and community online.

About the author: Oliver Edwards has a keen interest in the rising cost of health care and scours the web for best pricing on medical equipment and services. Recently affected by sleep apnea, he found the best websites for purchasing a CPAP mask and machine, and finding ongoing resources.