“And How Did You Sleep?” - President of Sleep Therapy Firm Takes New Sleep Apps to Bed

The president and co-founder of a leading sleep therapy company recently “put his head where his pillow is” -- testing a few new products on behalf of customers seeking a better night’s sleep.

Twenty-four people with sleep apnea from 11 states joined Eric Cohen of National Sleep Therapy (NST) (www.nstherapy.com) in a fun and informative discussion about new apps designed to help people get more ZZZ’s. Participants from as far as Virginia, North Carolina and Illinois joined in the December edition of ‘CPAP Talk - Live!’ – a free monthly virtual support group sponsored by NST. (www.cpaptalklive.com)

Cohen says, “Anyone who regularly gets a good night’s sleep is lucky. But for 18 million Americans, sleep apnea can affect the quality of life and life expectancy itself. Doctors may prescribe CPAP therapy (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure.) for patients with sleep disordered breathing.

A highlight of the session was Cohen’s personal review of new sleep therapy apps. He used the new Sleep Cycle app for four nights: “While you sleep it measures body movement and tells what stages of sleep you’re in. It really seemed to reflect how I felt I was sleeping. In the morning, it wakes you gently when you're in your shallowest sleep. If you’re having trouble sleeping or falling asleep, the app may identify when you're having trouble -- and that might help lead to solutions.”

The second app Cohen tried is Relax and Sleep Well -- recordings by a leading hypnotherapists. “I listened to his voice telling me to think of a quiet place, to hear the waves crashing, to let the day go.” Cohen found it distracting but admits he fell asleep before the recording ended. He also used both of these apps together with mixed results. A follow-up email was sent to participants with a complete review and with links to these apps if they wanted to try them as well.

He discussed a new product, the S+ by ResMed that monitors sleeping patterns. It uses radio waves to sense motion and breathing patterns plus body positions. The product was not available for testing, but Cohen promised to try it and report during the next ‘CPAP Talk Live!’ session on January 7. The group also discussed SoClean, a product that destroys bacteria, viruses, and mold in the CPAP and all parts at once without chemicals or water. As always, the session featured questions from callers or submitted via email which Cohen or guest experts addressed.

‘CPAP Talk – Live!’ is free and open to anyone with sleep apnea and who needs encouragement, support or information. Sessions are held on the first Wednesday of each month from 7 – 8 pm (Eastern time). The next one is January 7. Interested individuals may send questions in advance via Facebook or using the cpaptalklive.com form. During each session, CPAP Talk-Live! gives away a $25 gift card to one lucky participant. For more information: 888.867.8840 or support@nstherapy.com. - Stanley Hurwitz / (508) 269-0570 / stanhurwitz@gmail.com CPAP 120914 120314 event