ACT Reg: A2042

ABN: 62 545 256 140

ACNC Registered Charity

Affiliate member of Healthcare Consumers’

Association Inc (HCCA Inc)

& SHOUT Inc

PO BOX 1461

Tuggeranong ACT 2901

Phone (02) 6230 7800 (HCCA)

Phone (02) 6290 0198 (SHOUT)

Web: www.sleepapnea-act.org.au

Email: sleepact@yahoo.com.au

SAA NEWS

Official Newsletter of the Sleep Apnoea

Association Inc (ACT)

JUNE 2019

Volume 26

Issue No.3

Next General Meeting

& Event Dates 2019:

All Meeting are held on

Saturday as shown

below, at the Canberra

Southern Cross Club

Woden (Community

Room) 2.00pm.

Saturday 15 June 2019

Guest Speakers:

Blooms The Chemist &

Pharmacy Karabar

Queanbeyan

Principal Pharmacist’s

Shaheed and Taz.

Saturday 17 Aug 2019

Guest Speaker:

ACT Lung Life –

Ms Lyn Morley.

Saturday 19 Oct 2019

SAA AGM -Committee

and Financial Reports

to Members.

Saturday 16 Nov 2019

Guest speaker -

Ms Carol Flavel

Tobin Brothers

Funeral Directors

Next Year 2020 Saturday 15 February;

18 April; 20 June;

15 August; 17 October

and 21 November 2020.

Latest News from the a/g Secretary Our lead article in this issue –

Four in ten Australians have a $26 billion-a year problem, and

it’s also killing us. The Morrison government’s Sleep Health Awareness Inquiry called for the

issue to be made a national priority and sleep recognised as the “third pillar”

of a healthy lifestyle alongside diet and exercise, demanding extra funding for

research and treatment to help sufferers. (See article on Pages 5&6.)

Our upcoming Saturday 15 June 2019 General Meeting guest

speakers are Shaheed Sahu Khan and Tafzil Hasan (Taz) -

Owner/Partners Blooms The Chemist and Pharmacy Karabar

Shopping Mall Queanbeyan. Blooms The Chemist Karabar owners Shaheed and Taz were 2018 finalists in

the Small Business Excellence Awards. Blooms The Chemist Karabar is

Queanbeyan’s major CPAP equipment and services provider. Shaheed and

Taz will inform us of their Blooms The Chemist services including Sleep

Apnoea treatment advice, CPAP equipment, masks and spare parts. They also

provide Sleep Apnoea Home Sleep Testing (HST) and report for $99.

See Blooms The Chemist & Pharmacy Advert on page 7.

Membership Renewal for 2019-20 is due on 1 July 2019. Dear members please arrange to renew you membership on 1 July 2019. If

you wish to make your membership renewal payment earlier please follow

the payment details on Page 2. You can also renew at our next General

Meeting date on Saturday 15 June 2019.

Resmed celebrates 30 Years of Innovation. Our friends at CPAP Australia are celebrating Resmed’s 30 years of

Innovation with a special 30th

Birthday Great Giveaway. Visit their shop front

at the Equinox Building 2, Unit 23, 70 Kent St Deakin ACT.

See their Advert on page 4 for more information.

Have you ever wondered where body fat really goes when you

lose weight? Does it fall away under the sofa or lounge chair, or does it roll down the hill

to be never seen again? Turns out 98% of all ‘Experts’ who were asked this

same question got it WRONG. See Answer on Page 14.

Page 2 of 14

SAA Membership Renewal 2019-20 SAA Membership renewal is due on 1 July 2019. The Membership form is on our website.

General Member $25 (incl GST); Concessional $15 (Pensioner; Seniors Card etc)

Pro-rata add-on new membership applies from 1 March each year.

Please mail payment and your details (Name; Address; Phone/Mob; Email) to:

The Secretary, Sleep Apnoea Association Inc, PO Box 1461, Tuggeranong ACT 2901

OR

Direct Bank Deposit to:

Sleep Apnoea Association Inc

Beyond Bank BSB: 325-185 Account No: 03413207

(Members please include an Email advice in your bank payment details

or New Member Email me with your payment details to sleepact@yahoo.com.au

The ACT Govt Domiciliary Oxygen and Respiratory Support

Scheme (DORSS) - Are You Eligible? The ACT Government’s Domiciliary Oxygen and Respiratory Support Scheme (DORSS),

supplies oxygen and respiratory equipment to eligible clients in the ACT. These are clients

with a medical condition that meets the criteria of DORSS and who have been referred by an

approved medical practitioner or sleep specialist. To be eligible as an Obstructive Sleep

Apnoea (OSA) client you must be an ACT resident and have a Centrelink pension or

concession card. You also need to have completed sleep studies at a recognised sleep study

clinic within the last 12 months and have successfully trialled the recommended CPAP/APAP

unit for a minimum of 1 month.

Your GP can refer you to a private sleep specialist or to the Canberra Hospital Respiratory

Clinic for assessment and treatment. Medical fees apply for private treatment and most are

covered by private health insurance Extra’s coverage. No assessment and treatment fees apply

at The Canberra Hospital which is covered by your Medicare membership, however the time

to be seen by the hospital Respiratory Clinic doctors can be substantial (12 months or more)

depending upon your sleep disorder severity and health concerns.

As an eligible DORSS client you will be provided with a new or reconditioned automatic

positive airway pressure (APAP) machine and a new breathing mask to suit your needs. There

is no fee but the machine is on permanent issue to you for as long as you need it. Any machine

maintenance or repairs are also covered free within the issue period. However, you are

responsible for your own future breathing mask replacement or parts when you need them.

DORSS also undertakes an annual client review to assess your continuing CPAP treatment

and machine use.

To end of April 2019, the DORSS has assisted 1,232 ACT Respiratory Scheme (CPAP)

clients and 356 Oxygen Scheme clients. A total of 1,588 clients have been assisted in the

DORSS Scheme. For more information contact DORSS on Tel: (02) 6205 2622 or Email:

oxygen@act.gov.au

Page 3 of 14

CPAP Machines & Equipment FOR SALE, SWAP,WANTED or RENT.

CPAP Machines for Sale – No CPAP machines for sale this month. If you have a CPAP machine or equipment for sale, you can advertise in our next newsletter for free. Give

Angelo a call on (02) 62316001 or Email your name, item and contact details to sleepact@yahoo.com.au

Swap/Buy/Sell – Surplus nasal masks and cushions wanted to swap, buy or sell. Do you have any spare

unused/unwanted (small, medium, large) nasal cushions on hand? If you want to swap, sell or buy or

donate, then bring them along to the next General Meeting to find a matching offer.

For Rent - SAA have one Resmed S9 Autoset variable pressure CPAP machine with humidifier and

heated tube available for rental to members only, who need a temporary

machine while their own machine is under repair or are considering trialling a

machine before buying their own new or replacement machine in future.

We also have a Transcend portable mini travel fixed pressure CPAP unit

available for member use only.

Member rental fee $10 per week and $50 deposit refundable on return.

Ph: Angelo (02) 62316001 or Mob: 0437442372

For Sale – Phillips Dreamware Under the Nose nasal mask Fitpack with SM soft frame headset.

Taken out of the packet once, otherwise brand new! Comes with S, M, MW and L nasal cushions and User

Guide. Fits all CPAP makes (Resmed, Phillips, F&P, DeVilbiss, Transcend etc). New price $289, however

will sell for $100. Call Janet on 0437 771559.

For SALE – CPAP Hose Holder imported from USA. $60 incl Postage in Australia.

Members can buy at our SAA General Meetings $50. Call Angelo to buy.

No more sleepless nights and tangled hose

waking you up. This compact segmented

light steel tubing and stretch cord unit, easy

to assemble and folds up for easy storage and

portability and comes with its own storage

pouch and is ideal for home and travel usage.

The base fits under your mattress and the

swing arm holds the breathing tube above

your head and out of arms way.

SAA Committee and Contact Numbers (AGM appointed October 2018)

General Enquires to: Health Care Consumers’ Association Inc (Ph: 02-62307800)

OR SHOUT Inc (Ph: 02-6290 0198). SAA Contact – Mr Angelo Barich: Mob: 0437442372

(please leave message if no answer) or SAA Inc Email: sleepact@yahoo.com.au Executive Committee:

- President: Mr Richard Bell: Ph. (02) 6286 2601

- Vice-President: Ms Kaye Powell - Mob: 0439938454

- Secretary: Position Vacant

- Treasurer & acting Secretary: Mr Angelo Barich: Ph: (02) 62316001 or Mob: 0437442372

- Committee Members: Mrs. Marjorie Cooper; Mrs. Els Bax; Ms Kathleen Pascoe.

Page 4 of 14

Page 5 of 14

Four in ten Australians have a $26 billion-a-year

problem, and it's also killing us (source: The Sydney Morning Herald, April 11, 2019 – Reporter, Dana McCauley)

Four in ten Australians are not getting enough sleep and a new government report has put the financial cost of

this nation-wide exhaustion at $26.2 billion a year.

The Morrison government's sleep health awareness inquiry called for the issue to be made a national priority

and sleep recognised as the "third pillar" of a healthy lifestyle alongside diet and exercise, demanding extra

funding for research and treatment to

help sufferers.

The report said Australians were risking

their health - and even their lives - by

failing to get the recommended nightly

seven-to-nine hours of "good-quality

sleep", warning that just five bad nights

could disrupt hormones and put the body

into a pre-diabetic state.

Estimates suggest that more than one in

five Australians live with a sleep

disorder, the report said, with sleep

apnoea - which often went undiagnosed -

and insomnia the most common.

And the results could be deadly, with inadequate sleep a factor in more than 3000 deaths in 2016-17 - more

than 77 per cent of which were "related to the effects of inadequate sleep on heart conditions, particularly

among those people experiencing obstructive sleep apnoea".

About 10 per cent were due to fatigue-related car accidents.

Melbourne's Braun Mennusko suffered unexplained fatigue and weight gain but did not realise he had sleep

apnoea until he went on a family holiday and his sister noticed his snoring.

"I took the sleep test and it showed that I would stop breathing 101 times an hour," said Mr Mennusko, who

now breathes easy thanks to surgery and a sleep apnoea mask.

"It got to the point where I was falling

asleep all the time, I thought I was just

exhausted from looking after mum ... It

destroys your social life, but you don't

realise because it happens gradually.

It's like sleeping with Freddy Krueger

every night."

Now the hairdresser wants to spread

awareness of the condition.

"I've had clients who've lost husbands,

they just haven't woken up," he said.

Page 6 of 14

Medical specialist Darren Mansfield said many Australians did not understand the long-term health impacts of

poor sleep, including cardiovascular problems, depression and anxiety.

Dr Mansfield said that while digital gadgets, long working hours and a culture of getting by on little sleep

were partly to blame, the millions of Australians doing shift work in industries like hospitality, mining, health

services and transport were particularly at risk.

He joined unions in backing the report's recommendation that the federal government develop a "nationally

consistent approach to working hours".

The report also says the government should consider sleep health screenings for shift workers - a measure the

ACTU opposes, saying regulators should instead focus on making employer practices safer.

Dr Mansfield, who treats patients with sleep disorders at the Epworth Sleep Centre in Melbourne, said

working more than three night shifts a week was associated with problems, despite some workers embracing

one week on, one week off rosters. He said workers who did not get enough sleep had more accidents and

decreased work performance.

Transport Workers Union national secretary Michael Kaine said truck drivers knew "better than anyone the

deadly effects of missing sleep," facing "unrealistic deadlines" to deliver goods, forcing them into "a

precarious balance between sleeping enough to prevent a fatal crash, and staying on the road as [long] as

possible".

The union is campaigning for the return of the road safety tribunal to set pay rates for truck drivers.

For those working nine-to-five, Dr Mansfield warned that poor habits among young "night owls" glued to

their devices could lead to long-term problems like insomnia.

Sleep Health Foundation chair Dorothy Bruck said Australians needed to realise that "making do without

enough sleep is not a badge of honour or a sign of 'toughness'".

A Deloitte study considered by the inquiry estimated that inadequate sleep cost the Australian economy $66.3

billion in 2016-17, including a "loss of wellbeing" worth $40.1 billion.

The report called for the government's Medicare Benefits Schedule review, which is examining 5700 item

numbers across the health system, to consider sleep health services - many of which have no rebate.

A spokeswoman for Health Minister Greg Hunt said the government recognised the "significant burden" of

inadequate sleep and would consider the recommendations.

Shadow Assistant Health Minister Tony Zappia said the report "highlights an important issue that affects

millions of Australians, which to date has largely been ignored".

"If Labor is elected we will consider each of them in detail," he said.

[For full details of the Federal Government’s Sleep Health Awareness Enquiry Report titled “Bedtime

Reading” - goto the website below:]

https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/House/Health_Aged_Care_and_Sport/SleepHea

lthAwareness - Select Report link and open as pdf or Word document.

Page 7 of 14

Page 8 of 14

Wanted CPAP Machines & Parts for Donation. Wanted new or used any model CPAP machines, humidifiers, breathing masks and spare parts for

donation. The SAA will try to repair, refurbish and donate free or for small cost, used machines and

equipment to Obstructive Sleep Apnoea sufferers that do not have the financial means, or are ineligible

for assistance under various ACT or NSW Government Respiratory Support Schemes. We also get lots

of CPAP assistance requests from the Canberra Hospital Respiratory Unit. Any funds generated will be

used to repair and/or repurpose used CPAP equipment for distribution to those in need.

Please call Angelo Ph: (02) 62316001; Mob: 0437442372) for local pickup.

https://www.humanservices.gov.au/individuals/services/centrelink/essential-medical-equipment-

payment

Department of Human Services – Essential

Medical Equipment Payment. You can now claim $157 payable annually to you

under the DHS/Centrelink Essential Medical

Equipment Payment Scheme if you use essential

medical equipment such as CPAP and Oxygen

Respirators etc.

To be eligible you must have a Government Health

Concession card (Pensioner, Senior Health etc). You

will also need proof of CPAP usage such as a sleep

specialist medical certificate. You will need to

complete the appropriate Centrelink application form

and medical certificate pro-forma. All necessary forms

are available on-line from MyGov Centrelink or visit

your local Centrelink Office. Goto web link below>>

ANAESTHESIA AND SLEEP

APNOEA

Some thoughts for people with Sleep Apnoea

who are being prepared for Surgery.

This information is available on the Internet at

http://www.sleephealthfoundation.org.au and

select the Fact Sheets list for Anaesthesia, Sleep

and Sleep Apnea

OR If you do not have access to the Internet, send a

stamped self addressed envelope to the

SAA Inc, PO Box 1461, Tuggeranong ACT 2901,

requesting a copy to be mailed out to you.

Electricity Rebate Reminder. If you are using a CPAP machine at home, don’t forget you can apply for an electricity rebate as a user

of life support medical equipment. This also gives you priority of reinstatement after a power failure as

well as a rebate in the cost of your electricity. To those new to the use of CPAP, to obtain this rebate all

you need is a letter from your Sleep specialist or GP and to contact your electricity supplier.

Did You Know?

Most Health funds provide a medical equipment rebate. That’s right, if you have private medical insurance with Essentials coverage for such things

as dental services, physiotherapy etc, you may be eligible for a rebate on the cost of your

nasal Continuous Positive Airway Pressure breathing device (nCPAP). Most funds provide a

rebate every five years up to $500 or sometimes more depending upon your level of cover.

You will need to provide proof of treatment such as a sleep test report and a medical

certificate acknowledging your need for nCPAP medical device.

Check with your medical provider before you buy your equipment.

Page 9 of 14

Dr Grant Willson and his staff at the Sleep and Lifestyle Clinic are your specialist sleep clinicians for the diagnosis, treatment and management for Obstructive Sleep Apnoea including Home Sleep Testing (HST). New Resmed and Fisher & Paykel machines and parts are available. Also a Resmed DVA approved supplier, providing CPAP equipment for eligible DVA clients.

Page 10 of 14

Page 11 of 14

Is it tiredness or are you suffering from sleep apnoea?

Source: YourLifeChoices Magazine – May 2019

Sleep apnoea is a common disorder. However, because its symptoms occur while you sleep, it can be easily

overlooked, or mistaken for straight-up tiredness. So how do you know if you have it?

We talk to sleep physician Dr Kirk Kee, from the Royal Melbourne Hospital and Baker Specialist Clinics, to

learn why sleep apnoea needs to be on your health knowledge radar, how the condition differs between men

and women and how it's linked to chronic diseases.

What is sleep apnoea and what causes it?

There are several types of sleep apnoea, but the most common type is called obstructive sleep apnoea (also

known as OSA). When you sleep, the muscles in your body relax or even become paralysed, to ensure you

don't move around when you are asleep. This is a good thing – except when it's your airway muscles.

“In obstructive sleep apnoea, your upper airway – the area behind your mouth – narrows or even completely

blocks off because the muscles holding it relax and become floppy," says Dr Kee.

The narrowing, or blocking of your airways, which can happen up to several hundred times a night, causes

some follow-on effects.

First, you are unable to breathe, your oxygen levels fall, which creates a stress response in the body. Your

heart rate and blood pressure rise and you release the hormone adrenaline.

"Your body thinks it is being suffocated," says Dr Kee.

"Eventually, your brain partially 'wakes you up', which activates the muscles in your throat and tongue and

opens up your airway again. You then fall back asleep.

"But this can happen over and over throughout the night."

Page 12 of 14

How do you know if you have sleep apnoea? This is the tricky part. Not only do the main symptoms of OSA occur while you're asleep and unaware, but the

signs and symptoms, especially in women, can be subtle.

Turn to the medical textbooks and you'll find the typical sleep apnoea patient described as an overweight,

middle-aged male who snores loudly and falls asleep a lot during the day.

"This is not surprising because the original descriptions were all taken from studies of men," says Dr Kee.

Unfortunately, this has meant that the condition may be overlooked or missed in women.

"Women can, of course, present in the same way men do, however, we find this is less common," says Dr

Kee. "What we are increasingly learning from studies looking specifically at women is that [typical male

presentation] is not how many women with sleep apnoea present.

"Instead, women will describe a tiredness, fatigue or a lack of energy. Often, they will say they don't have

time to nap. They might also describe a lowered mood, or headaches or perhaps waking up frequently

overnight."

Being so broad in nature, these symptoms can be misinterpreted at the doctor's office and women are instead

often treated for other conditions such as insomnia or depression. Sleep apnoea might not even be considered.

"While men are twice as likely to have sleep apnoea than women, they are eight times more likely to be

diagnosed with it – suggesting that many women with sleep apnoea are being missed," says Dr Kee.

Other signs of possible sleep apnoea include:

high blood pressure (especially if it is not controlled by medications)

needing to go to the toilet frequently in the night

waking up thirsty, or with a dry throat.

What do hormones have to do with it? Research reveals that menopause greatly increases the risk of sleep apnoea. But why is this the case?

Page 13 of 14

"[The hormones] oestrogens and progesterone help make the muscles in your upper airway stay open during

sleep," says Dr Kee. "In menopause, the levels of these hormones reduce and the percentage of women with

sleep apnoea gradually increases."

What's the link between sleep apnoea and serious health issues? Large research studies suggest that having severe sleep apnoea results in increased rates of heart disease and

dementia in both men and women.

As Dr Kee explains, these types of studies are called ‘epidemiological studies’, whereby researchers study a

group of people with a disease (in this case, sleep apnoea) and compare them to people without the disease.

"When they have done studies like these, they have been able to show that patients with sleep apnoea are more

likely to have heart attacks or strokes, be diagnosed with cognitive impairment (dementia), or develop other

diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure or depression," says Dr Kee.

"Other studies have shown that people with sleep apnoea are more likely to have car accidents or miss days at

work."

What to do if you suspect sleep apnoea If you suspect you might have sleep apnoea, but don't have a bed partner – or someone who will notice you

snoring or stopping breathing – then you could consider recording a night of sleep to pick up on these clues.

"There are lots of apps for your smartphone which will do that," says Dr Kee.

However, if you have significant symptoms, then Dr Kee doesn't recommend relying on a recording, or a

partner's eyewitness account. "I have seen many patients who were 100 per cent certain they didn't snore or

stop breathing, who actually had very severe sleep apnoea," he says.

When to see a doctor If you suspect you have sleep apnoea, or you have any related symptoms – even if you aren't sure you snore –

Dr Kee says a discussion with your doctor for a referral for further investigation is a good idea.

"This is especially the case if other diagnoses and treatments have been tried and been unsuccessful," he says.

For those with significant symptoms, Dr Kee suggests talking to your doctor about seeing a sleep specialist.

"Some doctors might suggest going directly for a sleep study without seeing a specialist and in some cases,

this might be appropriate," he says.

"However, it is important to remember that if your sleep study test is 'normal' it doesn't mean your symptoms

are. Significant symptoms should prompt referral to a specialist."

"Even if sleep apnoea is not the cause [of your symptoms], being seen by a sleep specialist might reveal an

alternative diagnosis such as restless leg syndrome, circadian rhythm disorder or other issues with your sleep."

Are you concerned your tiredness might actually be sleep apnoea? Have you sought medical help before? Did

you have success in treating the condition?

"We aren't meant to go through life exhausted or sleeping poorly, so if you have concerns, talk to your

doctor!"

Page 14 of 14

Where Does Fat Go When You Lose Weight? Nutritionist // Lisa Donaldson, APD, M.Nutr&Diet, B.Edu

As an Accredited Practising Dietitian I was pretty excited to get a phone call from ‘The Surfing Scientist’

Ruben Meerman who was doing some research. He wanted to pick my brain about weight loss. Little did I

know he was calling up 150 other ‘experts’ for the same reason.

He asked me straight out and on the spot, ‘When we lose fat, where does it go?’ Immediately and

confidently I said, “It’s converted to energy and used”.

He recorded my response, said thanks… and that was it…

Turns out 98% of all ‘experts’ who were asked this same question were WRONG.

When I found out my response was incorrect, not only did I feel embarrassed, I also felt an incredible desire to

actually find out where fat goes when it’s no longer a measurable digit on the scales.

Where Fat Really Goes

So here it is… when we lose fat, it’s converted to carbon dioxide and water.

Yep, you read that right… CO2 & H2O.

We literally EXHALE the carbon dioxide and lose the water via sweat and other bodily processes. It took me

a while to process that… How could it be, that we breathe out fat? Right away I am thinking we all need to

take up meditation and yoga to simply breathe more deeply! Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as that.

The only way you can consciously increase the amount of carbon dioxide your body is producing is by

moving more. The research out of the University of New South Wales explained that by simply going for a

walk (or doing active household tasks like vacuuming and sweeping) triples your metabolic rate and as a

result, you exhale out more carbon dioxide.

So, consuming a diet that supplies less fuel than you burn (via huffing and puffing), will get that fat loss

happening… but what about those pesky fat cells?

Fat cells

When we lose fat, we are not losing fat cells. As you lose weight, the fat cells lose weight too… BUT, the fat

cells themselves never leave your body.

The only way to rid the body of fat cells is surgical removal (think liposuction… eeek!). Fat cells

unfortunately lay dormant in your body, just waiting to refill the next time you eat MORE and move LESS.

That is why people who go on drastic diets to lose weight fast, often regain the weight quickly. Especially if

they have not changed the way they approach food and exercise long term.

Take home message?

When we lose fat, it’s expelled via the body as carbon dioxide and water. But keep in mind, those fat cells

haven’t vanished. They’ve simply lost weight…just like you.

Maintaining a healthy relationship with food and moving regularly is (and always has been) the best way to

manage your weight and your health, for life.