When I first started having trouble sleeping a few years ago, as a professionally trained nurse, I knew the best course of action was to contact my primary care provider and get a sleep study scheduled as soon as possible. It came as no surprise that I had sleep apnea, what was concerning was the fact that I was having 20 to 50 events per hour, and at times during the night stopped completely breathing altogether.
My husband had been previously diagnosed with sleep apnea and had been using a CPAP machine for about 15 years. I was aware of his issues of using the equipment and was worried I wouldn’t be very comfortable and would never sleep well again after also being diagnosed.
Men and women have different needs when it comes to their CPAP equipment, and the thought of wearing a full-face mask just seemed unbearable to me. Fortunately, I was prescribed a nasal mask and a very cool looking machine, so I was hopeful that it could help me.
When I went met with the technician to be shown how to use the equipment it was a nightmare. While it may have been his first week on the job, it was clear no one had properly trained him what to do, so he essentially handed me the equipment and wished me well.
Here I had just paid $500 out of my own pocket to be given a device that didn’t fit me properly, not sure how it even worked or what I needed to do to keep it in proper working order. For me, my nurse skills kick-in and I was able to figure out some of it on my own, but I also get some help on internet by watching a few LankyLefty videos.
What I realized pretty quickly, is that starting with a CPAP machine isn’t the easiest thing to do, and for women, we have different issues than men and the equipment isn’t really designed with our interests in mind. For instance, our hair, many women have a fair amount of it and mask straps tend to slide during the night because of it. So even when I tried to tie it up, it still got in the way. If I could get 5 hours of sleep a night, I was ecstatic, because the mask would slip off during the night several times and I would replace it and try to fall back asleep.
Shortly after starting the CPAP therapy, I was very discouraged and knew that if I truly wanted some kind of relief, surgery was certainly another option.
But as a nurse, I also knew that surgery to correct my disorder could result in me needing additional surgeries at a later date and really should only be considered as a path of last resort.
So, I kept trying other masks to find something that actually worked, fortunately I was able to keep buying other products, but not everyone can afford to purchase an assortment of masks and keep throwing them in the trash. That’s what I did for almost a year and then I came across some information on the Internet about a company creating a mask-free solution called Bleep. So, I called the CEO, Stuart Heatherington, and to my surprise he actually answered the phone.
We talked about his innovation and how it was still in the development stage, but he promised to keep me in the loop. As I hung up the phone, I really hoped Stuart was going to make my dreams come true, because I was not finding anything that could actually help me sleep better.
Soon enough, Stuart shipped my first set of DreamPorts to try, and after a few slight modifications to customize the fit, I was ready to give it a go. That night I slept ten hours straight, never waking to adjust or remove my mask like I did with other products. I shared my experience with Stuart and a few suggestions on how to make it even more fabulous and he promised to keep working at it. From that day on I was a loyal DreamPort user.
What I loved about the DreamPorts was the simplicity of the product. I travel a fair amount and I don’t need to pack a lot of equipment to sleep peacefully while on the road. Also, because of the disposal design of the nasal connections cleaning the product is relatively simple and hassle-free. Given the pandemic and concern about keeping things germ-free, the design of the DreamPorts alleviates any major concerns. Take it from a nurse, trying to disinfect your traditional CPAP mask isn’t as easy as one would think.
Simplicity of use and easy-to-clean is what makes DreamPorts such an easy choice, because at the end of the day, we all need a good night’s sleep.
Any medical professional will strongly recommend getting a proper amount of sleep every night. It helps the body recover from the day’s activities, it alleviates stress and provides a host of other benefits.
I have also seen many patients that suffer from heart disease who also have poor sleep patterns and one of the first things I suggest is for them to schedule a sleep study to see if they may be a CPAP candidate. In many cases, they don’t even realize they are not sleeping because they have been suffering for so long and believe it is related to their heart condition. After a proper diagnosis and getting a CPAP machine they start to sleep better, and their cardiac function also improves. In addition, they will sometimes see shortness of breath, cholesterol and other related ailments improve over time.
The DreamPort solution can improve your overall health, because you stay 100% compliant. You keep the mask-free solution on all night and sleep, which translates into better health. It’s really that simple, the minute I started using it, I felt better and I slept for about 7.5 hours per night. Prior to this, I would remove my mask and it would be laying on the floor in the morning.
This product works and I tell some of my patients that are struggling with their CPAP equipment to give this a try, because it works so well. If people knew how well it worked, they would immediately make the switch.
Now I realize one solution won’t work for everyone, but I believe the DreamPort solution is best for women or men that struggle with wearing a mask.
For women, with hair the straps can slip during the night or the creams we put on our face before bed may prevent the mask from making a tight seal, these are no longer an issue with a DreamPort.
For men, if you have problems with wearing a mask because of your facial hair, or don’t love your morning strap lines, are worried about losing more hair because of the straps, or just don’t like the feeling of being strapped down all night, then you need to try this product. My husband has a mask and it can take an hour or more before his strap lines fully disappear, who wants to worry about that every day.
Right now, many of us get up and need to wear a mask for a portion of the day to avoid getting sick, who wants to get into bed and put another mask on to sleep at night…seriously think about that. Go to bleepsleep.com and get yourself some DreamPorts.
