For our company, as a professional home sleep testing service provider that recognized by Hong Kong medical professionals, we have detailed guidelines for our staff to ensure that all of our customers can receive professional and caring service throughout the home sleep test process, from choosing a sleep test to getting the result. Before taking a home sleep test, our professional sleep consultants need to understand your sleep condition and the purpose of looking for a home sleep test first. Then, analyze and help you choose a home sleep test that suits you most. After you decided which home sleep test to use, our professional technician will explain the process of home sleep test to you in detail, from how to wear the sleep test equipment to the precautions during the sleep test. If you forget the steps after getting home, you can also check the video instruction we provide. Generally, customers only need to undergo a one-night test, which is sufficient to successfully record the required sleep data. If the required sleep data cannot be recorded on the first night due to any factors, our company would also be happy to provide free multi-night test for our customers until the required sleep data is successfully recorded to ensure that the sleep test result is accurate. The sleep test result will be double confirmed by a Registered Polysomnographic Technologist (RPSGT) and a Hong Kong specialist. It will be handed over to you in about a week, and then our professional sleep consultant will explain the report to you in detail, let you know your sleep condition clearly and give you appropriate treatment advice if necessary. As a professional home sleep test company in Hong Kong, we not only provide a variety of home sleep testing services, but also provide one-stop treatment solutions for sleep disorders, such as snoring and sleep apnea, to help the public improve their sleep health and sleep quality. If necessary, after completed the home sleep test and received the doctor signed report, you can choose a professional treatment plan directly from us. We have more than 20 years of experience, guarantee to take care of the needs of all customers throughout the whole diagnosis and treatment journey.

Home sleep tests are generally safe for most people, but there are indeed some people who may not be suitable for home sleep tests. Firstly, infants and children may have potential safety hazards as there are no professional technicians present to accompany and observe them during the home sleep test. Secondly, if you have heart disease, stroke, severe respiratory diseases (such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, emphysema, etc.), severe mental illnesses (such as chronic insomnia, sleepwalking, etc.), neuromuscular diseases (such as spasms, epilepsy, etc.), or other severe health problems, you should consult a doctor before taking a home sleep test to assess whether it is suitable to complete the test at home, or whether you need to arrange a sleep test at the hospital. If you have any doubts or questions, you can also call your Hong Kong sleep test company or inform the technician beforehand to dispel your concerns and allow you to take the sleep test with peace of mind.

The duration of a sleep test typically depends on the equipment used and the purpose of the test. Generally, most sleep tests require subjects to have at least 4-5 hours of sleep time to collect sufficient data. The specific duration may vary depending on the participants’ sleep habits. Sleep test subjects should avoid any activities that may affect sleep during the test, such as going to the bathroom or drinking water. Therefore, test participants should avoid drinking too much water or beverages and use the bathroom before the sleep test to prevent any equipment falling off during the test, which may affect the results of the test.

For professional sleep tests and monitoring equipment, the adequacy of data sampling can be immediately determined upon returning the testing device. If the sleep test subject fails to follow the preparatory instructions in advance or exhibits abnormal behaviour during the testing process, leading to failed data sampling, the test subject may need to pay extra to repeat sleep test on their own. Once sufficient sleep test data is collected, it will be immediately handed over to professionals for detailed interpretation and report writing. The entire data analysis and report writing process typically takes 5-7 working days. Once the report results are released, we will contact the participate as soon as possible to retrieve the report and provide appropriate treatment plans based on the report results of the sleep disorder and sleep quality test.

On the day of the sleep quality test, please try to avoid drinking caffeinated and alcoholic beverages to prevent difficulty falling asleep at night and affecting the accuracy of the sleep test. If you are taking any medication, please inform the technician before the sleep quality test. It may be necessary to temporarily stop taking the relevant medication on the night of the test, and record it for review by the registered sleep technologist (RPSGT) and Hong Kong specialist doctors. During the sleep quality test, it is recommended to wear loose and comfortable clothing, and complete it in a good sleep environment, such as turning off the bedroom lights or turning on the air conditioning to keep the bedroom temperature cool and dry, so that the sleep quality test can be performed comfortably. In addition, you should also drink less water before bed to avoid to the bathroom in the middle of the night, because the sleep test generally needs to continuously record for 4 hours or more to obtain sufficient and accurate data for medical staff to analyse. Finally, if you catch a cold or feel unwell on the day of the sleep quality test, please do not force yourself to complete it. You should call your Hong Kong sleep test company to reschedule the sleep test after recovery.

When you choose to do a professional sleep test in Hong Kong, the testing facility generally does not require the test participant to purchase the testing equipment themselves. In our company, in addition to the sleep test fee, all necessary equipment will be provided on a rental basis, and the test subject only needs to pay a deposit with cash. Our professional technicians will prepare the equipment required for the sleep test and ensure that the test subject understands how to use and wear the equipment, making it convenient for them to take it home for testing. After the test is completed, when the test subject returns the equipment to our company, the deposit will be fully refunded. Therefore, you do not need to worry about purchasing and subsequent handling of sleep test equipment in our company.

For the home sleep test, you do not need technicians to visit your home. You only need to visit our store after making an appointment to borrow the test equipment. Then our professional technicians will guide you in detail on how to correctly wear and use the sleep test equipment in the store. We will confirm that you understand every step to help you successfully complete the sleep test. In addition, we will also share detailed instructional videos with you, so that if you forget the steps after returning home, you can still complete the test step by step according to the content in the videos. Therefore, the home sleep test is very suitable for busy urbanites, allowing everyone to easily complete the sleep test at any time according to their own schedule. Moreover, the sleep test fee is affordable, and you don't need to worry about privacy and security issues, avoiding unnecessary worries caused by strangers visiting your home.

Whether home sleep test equipment will affect sleep quality mainly depends on the design of the equipment and the test participant’s adaptability. Sleep test equipment is generally designed to be lightweight and comfortable, with the aim of minimizing the impact on the test subject's sleep quality. However, for test participants who are sensitive to the sleep environment, even the smallest device may affect their sleep quality. During the sleep test, some people may feel uncomfortable or anxious due to the presence of the equipment, which may affect their sleep quality. Before use, it is recommended that users follow the advice and careful guidance of professionals to stay relaxed during the test and minimize the interference of the equipment on sleep. In summary, although sleep test equipment itself may have a certain impact on some users, through proper selection and use, the impact on sleep quality during testing can be minimized.

When you choosing home sleep testing services on the market, you should not only focus on the price, the specifications of the sleep test device, and the recognition of the sleep test result in Hong Kong are also very important. Do not try to choose the sleep test device that does not meet the international standards, which may eventually lead you to start an inappropriate or unnecessary treatment due to the wrong sleep test data and result. According to the guidelines of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), the specifications of the sleep test device can be divided into 4 categories. Type 1 is mainly used under the technicians’ support in hospitals and sleep labs, generally known as polysomnography (PSG). Type 2 also belongs to PSG, but it can be used outside hospitals and sleep labs, using portable sleep test device, and there is no mandatory requirement to use it under the technicians’ support. Type 3 also using portable sleep test devices, but different from PSG, most of these devices cannot record sleep cycles, and can only measure some physiological data for the diagnosis of certain sleep diseases, such as airflow, heart rate, blood oxygen level, volume and frequency of snoring, etc. The final one is type 4, the data measured by this type of sleep test devices can be used for reference only, and the result cannot be used for diagnostic purposes. Next, you also need to know whether the sleep test result has been reviewed by Registered Polysomnographic Technologist (RPSGT) and confirmed by a Hong Kong specialist. Through this two-factor authentication which can make sure that the result of the sleep test is accurate, and you must have a doctor’s prescription before starting treatment, in order to purchase CPAP and other kind of medical equipment. Some companies operating with bad practices may sell related medical equipment to customers who have no doctor’s prescription. However, when medical errors occur, customers may not be able to held accountable, and cause customers to suffer financial and health losses eventually.

In the past, Hong Kong people could only take sleep tests in the hospital, but many people may think that it is unlucky to sleep in hospital bed, hard to fall asleep in the hospital, cannot make time to spend a night in the hospital, the price of sleep tests in the private hospitals in Hong Kong is expensive, long waiting times for sleep tests in the public hospitals in Hong Kong, or many other factors caused them gave up taking sleep tests and their sleep health. As a result, their health problems are not treated in time, causing other chronic diseases, and even worsening existing chronic diseases like high blood pressure. Home sleep test allows patients to complete the sleep studies in a familiar environment and the comfortable bed at their own home, which not only easier for them to accept, but also helps the data recorded from the sleep studies to be more accurate and more able to reflect the patients’ daily sleep conditions. In addition, the price of a sleep test at home is much cheaper than the private hospitals. The price of a home sleep test is only a few thousand dollars, but the price of a sleep test in a private hospital can be as high as tens of thousands, because the price of a sleep test in a private hospital includes the expenses such as hospital’s room charges and the daily doctor’s ward round fee. Even if you have purchased health insurance, extra charge may be added to the subscription fee later because of the previous claims. After all, you may think of going to a public hospital for a sleep test. The price of a sleep test in a public hospital is undoubtedly the most economical choice, however, not every public hospital in Hong Kong provide sleep studies, the waiting time for sleep studies in public hospitals in Hong Kong can be as long as 1-2 years. Therefore, home sleep testing services would be able to help those in need to know their own sleep health conditions and get proper treatment as early as possible.

The size of this pillow is (L) 24” x (W) 15” x (H) 4” (~ 61 x 38 x 10 cm).

Restore™ Neck Support & Snore Relief Pillow, as the name suggests, it is a pillow which combined the feature of neck support and anti-snoring. Its central nest-shaped design allows the head and neck to maintain a natural curvature during sleep. When the neck is properly supported, it can not only protect the health of the cervical spine, but also reduce the narrowing of the airway caused by the forward tilt of the head and the compression of the neck. When the airway becomes clear, the snoring would be improved.

An ideal neck support pillow must have a good supporting ability and can be able to maintain our natural cervical spine curve effectively: the forehead, chin and chest can form a horizontal line when sleeping on your back; and, the top center of the head to the navel can also form a horizontal line when sleeping on the side. In addition, your personal physiological characteristics and sleeping habits should also be considered when purchasing a pillow. For back sleepers, if you are strong and have a large cervical curve, you can choose a high-loft (thicker) pillow; if you are slim and have a smaller cervical curve, you can choose a low-loft (thinner) pillow, to maintain a natural curve in your neck. For side sleepers, you generally need to use a high-loft pillow to keep your spine in neutral alignment. Therefore, it is recommended to try it yourself before purchasing. When all the above factors are taken into consideration, and you are satisfied with its comfortability, it is the ideal neck support pillow for you.

Trying out an anti-snoring pillow is an important step in the purchasing process. Everyone has different needs and preferences for snoring pillows. Some people may prefer a soft snoring pillow, while others prefer a harder one. Trying out the anti-snoring pillow allows you to determine if its texture, softness, elasticity, and material meet your preferences. Additionally, trying it out enables you to personally experience the pillow's comfort and support, ensuring it fits your body's needs. You can lie down on the anti-snoring pillow to check if your head and neck are properly supported, if you feel comfortable, and if it can alleviate your snoring issues. This helps ensure that the anti-snoring pillow you choose can meet your needs.

Highly elastic fabric has good adaptability, allowing it to adjust to the shape of the user's head and neck while maintaining the shape and structure of the neck support anti-snoring pillow even after long-term use. This enables the neck support anti-snoring pillow to better conform to the user's body contours, providing personalized support and comfort. The snoring pillow quickly returns to its original shape after use, providing stable support during sleep. Additionally, the highly elastic fabric used in snoring pillows often has good breathability, ensuring a comfortable sleep and preventing excessive sweating during sleep, especially for obese individuals who suffer from snoring issues.

When selecting a neck support anti-snoring pillow, besides considering its support, comfort, and ability to effectively reduce snoring, there are also other important points to note: 【Choose the Right Shape and Structure】Different shapes and structures of anti-snoring pillows may have different effects on neck support and snoring reduction. Generally, a neck support pillow should provide proper support for the head and neck, aligning and maintaining the correct head-neck curvature. Meanwhile, an anti-snoring pillow should target the root cause of your snoring, which may include a recessed central part or special support areas.   【Consider the Pillow's Comfort】The material of the anti-snoring pillow is crucial for comfort. Each material has its own characteristics, so when purchasing a neck support anti-snoring pillow, you should choose a material that meets your preferences and needs. At the same time, it is essential to ensure that the pillow strikes a balance between support and comfort.   【Consider Personal Sleep Habits and Postures】Everyone's sleep habits and postures are different. If you frequently change positions, sleeping on your side and back, you should choose an anti-snoring pillow that caters to these positions. For example, when sleeping on your side, you may need a pillow with an appropriate height to protect your shoulder and neck, ensuring the correct alignment of your head and neck.   【Consider Personal Health Issues】If you have specific health issues, such as cervical spine problems or respiratory issues, it is recommended to consult a doctor or healthcare professional before purchasing an anti-snoring pillow. They can provide specific advice based on your condition to help you find the most suitable neck support anti-snoring pillow.   【Try It Out】Before purchasing an anti-snoring pillow, you can search online for and read reviews and opinions from other users about the product. This can give you an insight into the pillow's actual effect and comfort level. If possible, it is best to visit a store and try out the neck support anti-snoring pillow personally to ensure it meets your needs and expectations.   【Consider Price and Quality】With the increasing popularity of neck support anti-snoring pillows, there are more options available on the market, which can make choosing one overwhelming. The price range is also quite wide. Cheaper pillows may lack comfort and durability, while more expensive ones are not always the best. Therefore, it is important to strike a balance between price and quality when making a purchase.   I hope this "Anti-Snoring Pillow Shopping Guide" can help you find a satisfactory neck support anti-snoring pillow to improve your sleep and health.

First of all, remove the foam and the level inserts from the pillow cover. Then, spot clean all these parts with the clean damp cloth and air dry them. About the pillow cover, place it in a gentle wash cycle with warm water and no bleach or fabric softener. Once clean, tumble dry on low temperature.

If you are shopping for an anti-snoring pillow, it is not difficult to notice that the anti-snoring pillows on the market each have their unique features, and many of them often have special shaped designs. These special shapes and structures of anti-snoring pillows are usually designed based on the causes and related issues of snoring. Taking the Restore™ Pillow as an example, its design differs significantly from traditional pillows. One of the most obvious features is the central depression, which mainly prevents the user's head from sliding out of the pillow during sleep. It keeps the head and neck in the correct position throughout the night, prevents neck compression, ensures smooth breathing, and significantly reduces the possibility of snoring. Therefore, the special shaped pillows are actually designed to solve the snoring problem, which may include improving respiratory tract patency, supporting the neck, reducing shoulder and neck pressure, increasing personalized configurations to improve adaptability, and so on. This allows you to enjoy better sleep quality. When purchasing an anti-snoring pillow, it is recommended to learn more about its design details, try it out in our store, or consult the professional advice of a sleep health consultant.

Whether you are using a basic pillow, a neck support pillow or an anti-snoring pillow, according to the National Sleep Foundation, pillows need to be replaced about every 1-2 years. It is because our face and hair oils, sweat, drool, and other dirt can seep through and absorbed by the pillows, causing yellow stains on the surface and smell bad, most important is it would become a colony of dust mites and increasing our risk of allergy attacks. In addition, after a long period of use, the shape of the pillows will gradually be flattened, and its elasticity will be lost, which may greatly reduce the effectiveness of the pillows, especially the functional pillows like neck support pillow and anti-snoring pillow.

The pillow cover is made of breathable Recoveree Stretch Polyester, and the internal construction is made of Poly Urethane Foam.

The treatment of sleep apnea is the same as if you have myopia, astigmatism, or hyperopia. When you wear glasses, your vision is clear, but when you take off the glasses, your vision becomes blurry again; sleep apnea treatment is the same, when you use CPAP or oral appliance while sleeping, problems such as stop breathing during sleep will be improved. However, when you do not use related equipment and products while sleeping, your sleep apnea symptoms will resurface, such as loud snoring and decreased blood oxygen level, so treating sleep apnea requires lifelong management. Even if you are a mild sleep apnea patient and you plan to improve your condition on your own by making daily changes, such as losing weight and quitting smoking and drinking, these changes will need to be made throughout your life. Because if you gain weight again, drink alcohol before bed, or even develop the bad habit of smoking again, your sleep apnea problem will reappear, possibly even worse than before. Therefore, it can be said that there is no solution that can end sleep apnea so far. All sleep apnea treatments need to be sustained to achieve improvement and control results.

If your sleep apnea is caused by the structural problems such as short chin, large tongue, or enlarged tonsils, and your family members have similar congenital problems, there may be genetic factors involved. In addition to the gold standard treatment – CPAP, patients with mild sleep apnea who are born with a short chin can also try oral appliance to pull the lower jaw forward to open the narrow airway. Besides, if you have large tongue or enlarged tonsils, you can consult medical professional whether surgery is an appropriate sleep apnea treatment option for you.

Since there is a very close relationship between sleep apnea and hypertension, many high blood pressure patients, even those with resistant hypertension, will experience a decrease in their blood pressure after receiving sleep apnea treatment, especially after using CPAP. This is because people with sleep apnea repeatedly pause or underbreathe during sleep, resulting in a lack of oxygen in the body. When the body lacks oxygen, it will trigger a series of physiological reactions in the body, including vasoconstriction and accelerated heartbeat, which will lead to an increase in blood pressure. This is one of the reasons why many sleep apnea patients also suffer from high blood pressure. By using sleep apnea treatment equipment, the airway can be kept open during sleep, and oxygen can be adequately supplied to the body. The sudden and rapid contraction of the cardiovascular system and the sudden rapid acceleration of the heartbeat will be greatly reduced. When the heart is no longer overloaded, the blood pressure will naturally decrease and return to normal, the risk of other fatal cardiovascular diseases will also decrease. Therefore, a clear understanding of the causes and symptoms of sleep apnea is also a very important part of solving sleep apnea. When everyone clearly understands the sleep apnea get treated will have great benefits for overall health, sleep quality, and cardiovascular health. This will increase the public's attention to sleep apnea and obtain appropriate treatment as soon as possible.

Sleep apnea can have a certain impact on the patient's mood. In fact, the answer is not difficult to imagine. If we don't get enough sleep every day, our mood will be lower or we will be more irritable. The brain will constantly wake up the sleep apnea patient from sleep every night due to lack of oxygen. Every night, the sleep apnea patient cannot reach deep sleep to allow the body to get sufficient rest. When the sleep quality is poor for a long time, the sleep apnea patient will often feel tired and mentally exhausted, lack of energy, poor concentration, poor memory, daytime sleepiness and headaches, etc. These physical problems can affect our mood, making us emotionally unstable and causing problems such as irritability, anxiety and depression. These physical and emotional problems will also affect our lives, such as affecting study and work performance, affecting the motivation for daily social activities, and even affecting the relationship between husband & wife and sexual life, etc., which may further worsen the patient's emotional problems. If you or someone you know has any symptoms of sleep apnea or related emotional issues, you should seek advice from a doctor or professional health care provider as soon as possible. When sleep apnea is improved, it will help improve sleep quality and stabilize emotional health.

People of any age can suffer from sleep apnea, but it is generally more common in adults, especially men, because the muscles of our body will become looser as we age, and our metabolism will gradually slow down as we age. Body fat content may also increase as a result, and factors such as men's throat structure, may make adults more likely to have sleep apnea. However, sleep apnea can also appear in teenagers and even children. These are usually due to congenital structural problems, such as being born with enlarged tongues or enlarged tonsils. Nowadays, children and teenagers living in many big cities often eat high-fat and high-sugar foods, such as hamburgers and soda, coupled with lack of exercise, many of them have health problems such as overweight and obesity, which also increases the risk of children and teenagers suffering from sleep apnea. Therefore, sleep apnea can occur at every age, and it is not just a problem for adults or men. With the influence of urban people’s living habits, this disease is becoming increasingly common among younger people. If you find that you or someone close to you has any symptoms of sleep apnea, please do not hesitate to seek help from a professional medical provider, receive evaluation and diagnosis, and then receive appropriate sleep apnea treatment as soon as possible to reduce the risk of other fatal cardiovascular diseases and chronic diseases.

If you suspect you have sleep apnea, you can first check with your own family doctor or a GP you know. They can generally provide you with a preliminary assessment to understand your daily sleep status through consultation, and complete a simple STOP BANG or/and ESS questionnaire to check your risk of sleep apnea. They may also ask you to open your mouth to visually examine the structure of your throat to determine whether you need to be referred to a sleep specialist or other medical service provider for further HST or PSG sleep test. In addition, you can also directly inquire with a sleep specialist and arrange for you to receive relevant evaluations directly. This generally needs to be done in a hospital or a sleep lab, that is, you need to be stay one night in the hospital to collect your sleep data, and then the Registered Polysomnographic Technologist (RPSGT) will analyze and integrate the results, and then you can purchase relevant sleep apnea treatment equipment or products with the sleep test report and doctor's certificate. Finally, if you think your sleep apnea is caused by a structural problem, such as a short chin, enlarged tongue or tonsils, etc., you can check with an otolaryngologist who can examine the structure of your ear, nose and throat through an endoscope. If your sleep apnea is diagnosed to be from a structural problem, you may need to make further arrangements to undergo related sleep apnea surgery, such as: UPPP surgery, tonsil removal surgey, jaw correction, etc.. Therefore, whether you go to a doctor directly or seek help from a medical service provider, the most important thing is to have a detailed discussion patiently and explain clearly your sleep situation, related symptoms, and concerns, so that professionals can provide you with the most suitable assessment and sleep apnea improvement plan.

It is extremely rare for patients with sleep apnea to experience sudden death, since patients with sleep apnea are not completely unable to breathe during sleep. Also, our body has a protective mechanism, it will wake up the brain to restore consciousness when it detected there is not enough oxygen in the body, thereby informing the respiratory system to inhale air to ensure all of our organs are well-functioning. However, if sleep apnea patients do not receive any treatment, and the oxygen level of the body is always low, which would greatly increase the load of our heart and cause high blood pressure, even increase the risk of sudden death from stroke or heart disease.

If a pregnant woman suffers from sleep apnea and does not receive appropriate treatment, there must be some potential effects on the fetus. First of all, when a pregnant woman suffers from sleep apnea, her sleep quality is poor every night, which not only affects her daily life, but also makes her mood irritable, and may even lead to a significant reduction in regular exercise due to sleepiness, which in turn affects the metabolism of the pregnant woman. This may Increases the risk of developing gestational diabetes. In addition, because pregnant women with sleep apnea will continue to stop breathing during sleep, this will reduce the oxygen content of the blood in the pregnant woman's body, and the oxygen supply to the fetus will also be affected. When pregnant women and fetuses are not enough oxygen for a long time, it is not difficult to imagine that it will have adverse effects on the development and growth of the fetus. Finally, the cause of sleep apnea is closely related to high blood pressure. When the body is constantly deprived of oxygen due to suffocation during sleep, the blood vessels will contract and the blood oxygen level will decrease. At this time, the brain will send a signal to wake the patient up, and the heart will speed up to supplement blood oxygen to various organs, allowing the body to resume normal operation. When the above process is repeated every night, it will increase the load on the heart and increase the patient's risk of developing hypertension. And when pregnant women suffer from high blood pressure because sleep apnea is not treated, this may lead to negative effects such as premature birth, low birth weight of the fetus, or poor fetal development. Therefore, if a pregnant woman finds that she has any symptoms of sleep apnea, she should check with her gynecologist as soon as possible and let the doctor arrange relevant evaluation for her. As long as sleep apnea is properly treated after diagnosis, the health of pregnant women and fetuses will be greatly protected.

Sleep apnea may have some impact on a patient's sex life, depending on its severity and whether the patient receives sleep apnea treatment. If not properly treated, common symptoms of sleep apnea, such as loud snoring and stop breathing during sleep, can disturb and frighten your partner, and may reduce your partner's sexual interest in the long term. In addition, other common symptoms also include fatigue and lethargy. When patients do not take any improvement measures, they will often feel lack of energy, and may even suffer from depression or anxiety, which will greatly reduce their sexual desire, making sexual life difficult and unsatisfactory. Finally, sleep apnea may also cause erectile dysfunction in men. This is because when insufficient breathing occurs during sleep, the blood oxygen level will also decrease. When the blood oxygen content is insufficient for a long time, it will affect the function of various organs, including male sexual organs, thus affecting sexual performance. Therefore, if you suspect that you or your partner has sleep apnea, you should seek medical advice as soon as possible. In fact, improving sleep apnea will not only help improve sleep health, but also bring benefits to every part of your daily life.

Losing weight can improve sleep apnea, but it may not completely cure sleep apnea. Since the cause of sleep apnea is not only because of obesity, therefore, when a patient with sleep apnea loses weight, even if the weight drops significantly, it is difficult for the relaxed muscles and soft tissues in the upper airway to regain firmness. This means they are still at risk of collapsing down and blocking the airway when lying down to sleep. Therefore, medical professionals generally recommend that patients continue to use CPAP after losing weight. However, sleep apnea patients who intend to lose weight should not be giving up. Since losing weight and weight management are always helpful for sleep apnea, and even make the treatment more comfortable, because the air pressure level of CPAP may be reduced after losing weight. When the air pressure is no longer maintain at a high-level during sleep, the CPAP treatment should be more comfortable. If you are using Fixed CPAP, it is recommended to do a titration and sleep test again after successful weight loss, in order to re-evaluate the severity of your sleep apnea and the CPAP air pressure you need after weight loss. If the test results show that the air pressure you need can be reduced, you need to adjust the setting, and your CPAP therapy will be much more comfortable after lowering the air pressure level. If you are using Auto CPAP, the air pressure will be automatically adjusted according to your needs, you don’t need to reset the air pressure manually. If you want to know whether the air pressure has been lowered, you will not only feel more comfortable when using CPAP, it will also be shown on the CPAP usage report. Therefore, checking the CPAP usage report regularly will help you better understand your health condition and the treatment effectiveness. On the other hand, if you gain weight, it is also recommended to do a titration and sleep test again, in order to ensure you are properly treated to improve the symptoms of sleep apnea, such as fatigue, daytime sleepiness and high blood pressure. Of course, it would be great if the weight does not rebound after successful weight loss. As everyone know, keeping your weight under control at all times is good for your health.

Sleep apnea is not only associated with individuals who are old and overweight. Even though obese people and men over 50 are generally at higher risk for sleep apnea, it doesn’t mean young people, women or skinny people would not suffer from sleep apnea. First of all, the causes of sleep apnea are not only related to gender, age and weight, which may also be related to the structural problems of our nasal, throat and facial bone. Therefore, if you have deviated nasal septum, enlarged tonsils, large tongue, or short chin, you may also at risk for sleep apnea even you’re young or thin.

Tongue exercise can strengthen the strength and control of tongue muscles. Long-term continuous training may be helpful in maintaining a smooth airway, but it must be long-term and continuous training. Moreover, it is more effective to start training at a young age, because it is very difficult to tighten muscles that have been relaxed for a long time. As for whether tongue exercises are helpful in solving sleep apnea? Tongue exercise may have a small effect on improving sleep apnea, but the effect varies from person to person, especially for moderate to severe patients, it can be said to have little effect. However, tongue exercise is not a professionally recognized treatment method for sleep apnea. Therefore, no matter whether you are a mild, moderate or severe sleep apnea patient, you should follow the doctor's instructions after diagnosis, use mouthpiece or CPAP treatment to maintain a smooth airway during daily sleep. In severe cases, sleep apnea surgery may be necessary too. To improve the symptoms of sleep apnea and regain healthy sleep, so that you can have enough energy to enjoy every wonderful moment in your daily life.

Most people with sleep apnea suffer from snoring, which is caused by the collapse of loose muscles or soft tissues in the airway when lying down, narrowing the airway and even causing obstruction. Snoring occurs when the inhaled air hits the muscles or soft tissues that block the airway, which is why most people with sleep apnea have snoring at the same time. But of course, there are exceptions. We have also met many sleep apnea patients who do not have snoring. They may be born with a narrow airway, or because of the facial bone structural problems, such as short chin, deviated nasal septum, etc. These can cause breathing disorders and lead to sleep apnea. However, these conditions do not involve loose muscles or soft tissues, which means no vibration will occur, and snoring will not be caused.

Sleep apnea is a chronic disease that must be treated. If it is not treated, it will not only affect the quality of sleep due to continuous interruption of sleep, but also cause insufficient oxygen to be supplied to various organs of the body. Under the accumulative effect, the load on each organ will continue to increase, and the function of each organ may decline and weaken, increasing the risk of fatal cardiovascular diseases, such as high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes and heart disease, etc. If you already have cardiovascular disease, you are more likely to exacerbate pre-existing health problems. Therefore, sleep apnea must be treated. If you have any doubts about your health, you should consult the healthcare professionals and make an appointment for a sleep test as soon as possible.

Sleep apnea is not directly related to allergic rhinitis, but nasal sensitivity still has some influence on sleep apnea, which also depends on the severity of your allergic rhinitis. For patients with allergic rhinitis who have long-term nasal congestion, if they also suffer from sleep apnea, the nasal passages and airways will be blocked at the same time, which can aggravate the symptoms of sleep apnea. Because when the patient's airway is blocked, he or she will need to use nasal breathing to replenish the body's oxygen. Therefore, when the nasal passage and airway are blocked at the same time, the blood oxygen level will further decrease, aggravating the symptoms. In addition, when people with allergic rhinitis need to breathe through the mouth for a long time due to frequent nasal congestion, there is also a chance that the throat muscles will become loose and aging faster, which is one of the causes of sleep apnea. Finally, if people with allergic rhinitis often wake up in the mid-night due to symptoms such as nasal congestion, sneezing or runny nose, and are constantly in a light sleep stage due to sleep apnea, the combination of the two aspects will further affect the quality of sleep and make the symptoms more obvious. Whether you suffer from allergic rhinitis, sleep apnea, or both, you should seek medical advice as soon as possible so that the doctor can give you a proper diagnosis and arrange relevant solutions to help you regain healthy sleep soon.

Pillow height is definitely one of the key factors affecting your snoring. If the pillow is too high, your head and neck will lean forward during sleep, and the chin will be squeezed downward, so that the airway will be narrowed due to the folding neck, and caused snoring. If the pillow is too low and the neck lacks support, the head will lean back during sleep, and the neck will also bend backward, causing difficulty in breathing and snoring. Therefore, when choosing a pillow, you must choose one that can fit and maintain the natural curve of your head and neck during sleep. An ideal pillow should not only correct your poor sleeping posture, it should be able to improve your snoring and protect the health of your spine.

Snoring surgery generally removes the soft tissues that block the airway, but the soft tissues may regrow and make the airway turns narrow again after surgery, which means the snoring will occur again as well. Therefore, snoring surgery is not a once-and-for-all solution for snoring, as long as the soft tissues regrow, it may be necessary to undergo surgery again. In addition, snoring surgery is not suitable for everyone. Before surgery, doctor would arrange a detailed examination for patient to find out the cause of snoring and the location of the blocked airway to evaluate whether he/she is suitable for surgery. If the airway is severely obstructed, or the soft tissues that block the airway involve multiple locations, it may not be possible to remove all of them through surgery. In these cases, other snoring treatment options may be required, such as positional therapy, oral appliance therapy, and CPAP therapy.

First of all, you must need to know what causes you mouth breathing while you sleep, and nasal congestion is one of the most common reasons. When the air cannot pass through the nasal passages and our body have not enough oxygen, we will naturally use our mouth to breathe according to the defense mechanisms of our respiratory system, in order to ensure our body functions normally. If you use mouth tape or any other methods to keep your mouth shut in this situation, you will not be able to breathe through both of your mouth and nose, it can be life-threatening. However, if mouth breathing is just one of your bad habits, it does need to be corrected as soon as possible. It is because mouth breathing not only increases the risk of snoring, but also causes other health problems such as dry mouth, bad breath, and brain fog. So, will snoring be completely solved as long as I stopped mouth breathing during sleep? In fact, improving the problem of mouth breathing may not completely solve the snoring problem, but it may help to reduce the volume of snoring, because closing the mouth can change the angle of the soft palate and the tongue, so as to reduce the soft tissues vibration caused by the rapid airflow inhaled through the mouth. However, the root cause will not be solved by closing the mouth, when the air enters the narrow airway, the loose muscles and soft tissues of the throat will still vibrate and caused snoring. Therefore, if your snoring is caused by the loose muscles and soft tissues at the back of your throat, you not only have to stop mouth breathing during sleep, you may also need other snoring treatments such as oral appliance therapy and positional therapy to completely solve your snoring problem.

If your family members also have snoring problems, you can try to observe is there anything in common between you and them, such as short chin, thick neck circumference, enlarged tonsils, large tongue, chronic rhinitis, etc. These congenital and structural problems may be genetically related, and increase the risk of snoring. However, genetic factor does not mean that there is no way to solve snoring. If it is because of a short chin, you can try using oral appliance to help pull out the lower jaw and open the narrow airway to improve snoring. If it is because of a thick neck, you can also try to use anti-snoring products, such as anti-snoring pillow or side sleeping pillow, they can improve the airway obstruction caused by muscle relaxation or fat accumulation by increasing the neck support and changing the sleep position, in order to reduce snoring. In addition, some people will also consider snoring surgery. The structural abnormalities, such as enlarged tonsils, large tongue and thick soft palate, can be treated by radiofrequency ablation (RFA), in order to reduce their size, open up the narrow airway, and improve snoring. However, snoring surgery is not suitable for everyone, and there is no guarantee that it is a once-and-for-all solution for snoring, because the tissue may regrow after the surgery. Therefore, you must think carefully and consult the medical professionals before planning to use invasive surgery as the way to solve your snoring problem.

Snoring may affect the sleep quality of yourself and your partner. When the sleep quality is poor for a long time, it will affect your health over time. In fact, snoring may be a warning sign of health problems, because most of the snoring sound comes from the narrow airway, it means that loose muscles and/or soft tissues in the throat block part of, or even completely block the airway. The more severe of the airway obstruction, the louder of the snoring and the higher chance of having sleep apnea. When sleep apnea occurs (the duration of each event lasts for at least 10 seconds or longer), the various organs will experience insufficient oxygen, which will increase their load, resulting in the decline of the function of the organs, and increase the risk of fatal cardiovascular diseases, even make your existing health problems (e.g. high blood pressure) worse. Therefore, you should not underestimate the problem of snoring, and should find a solution to treat snoring as soon as possible. Medical professionals generally recommend patients with obvious snoring problem to have a sleep test before treatment to assess whether they have other health problems.

在輪班工作前，使用60分鐘 在需要夜班工作的情況下，於凌晨（午夜12:00至凌晨4:00）透過光線刺激可以令生理時鐘推後數小時，把感到疲倦的時段由凌晨或朝早，延遲到早上或中午較後時間。需要輪班工作的人士便可以在夜班工作時保持清醒；然後早上下班回家後，亦可以得到較佳的睡眠。

在晚上，使用60分鐘 過早醒來可能是由於生理時鐘的設定提前了。於晚上使用 Re-Timer™ 60分鐘，能自然地將使用者的生理時鐘推後到一個較遲的時間。換句話說，使用者會在晚上較後時間才感到睡意，並於第二朝較遲的時間才起床。

在睡醒後，使用60分鐘 難以入睡可能是由於生理時鐘的設定推後了。於早上起床後盡快使用Re-Timer™ 60分鐘，能自然地將使用者的生理時鐘提前到一個更早的時間。換句話說，使用者會在晚上較早時間便感到睡意，助您更快入睡。

在目的地的早上時間，使用60分鐘 如果您需要盡快從時差中恢復過來，您可以透過在日間接受光線的照射。這樣，可以讓身體內的生理時鐘重新調整到目的地時區的晝夜時間，使身體能夠在日間保持清醒，夜間也可以得到良好的睡眠。

輪班工作會打亂身體的生理時鐘，特別是需要在凌晨或通宵的工作。當我們在午夜至凌晨應該睡眠的時間，但身體卻要保持清醒繼續工作，於是我們會感到非常疲倦及昏昏欲睡，甚至不能集中精神；到早上下班回家之後，身體需要休息了，但生理時鐘的設定卻是清醒的時間，因此導致遲遲未能入睡。估計全球約 10% 至 20% 的勞動人口需要輪班工作，而跟據2019年亞洲區一項調查指出，輪班工作者中的慢性失眠比例約為一般市民的2倍，這不但會影響工作效率，更有機會造成嚴重事故。

睡眠相位後移綜合症 (Delayed Sleep-Wake Phase Disorder)，簡稱 DSP，是一種晝夜節律失調的睡眠疾病，患者一般會晚睡晚起，日常作息受嚴重影響。患者會較一般人認為正常的睡眠時間遲幾個小時才能入睡，致使患者需要在早上起床時非常困難，令人難以按時上班上課。若患者必需早起，就代表他可能沒有足夠的睡眠時間，最終導致日間渴睡和疲倦的問題，嚴重影響工作及學業表現。DSP 患者除非可以很夜才去睡覺，否則難以入睡。此症在青少年及年輕人中較常見，比例約 7-16%，一些人的徵狀會隨年紀增長而消失，而長期受失眠困擾的病人中，大約 10% 患有此症。 資料來源：美國睡眠醫學學會（AASM）

當我們跨越多個時區，由於身體的生理時鐘設定仍然停留在原居地的時間，與目的地的日夜時間產生差距，這時生理時鐘無法快速調整適應，便會產生比如在白天想睡覺及晚上難以入睡的情況，這種現象就是我們所謂的「時差」。其實我們的身體最終總會從時差的影響中回復過來，但可能需要數天或更長的時間。如果單純是與朋友或家人去旅行，可能早起晚起不是大問題，甚至覺得疲累可以休息一天，改動一下行程也是可以的。但是，如果您第二天便需要出席重要會議、活動，或參加比賽，您的精神狀態便大有關係了。

睡眠相位前移綜合症 (Advanced Sleep-Wake Phase Disorder)，簡稱 ASP，也是一種晝夜節律失調的睡眠疾病。與 DSP 剛剛相反，患者一般會早睡早起，與大多數人的生活作息時間不同。患者通常在傍晚已感到困倦，並且趨向於晚上6點至9點已然入睡；也因為早睡，患者趨向於凌晨2點至5點便醒過來。患者若能按自己的日常作息生活，通常問題不大；但若果需要在黃昏或晚上參加社交聚會，患者便會感到吃力，很難保持清醒。此症常發生於年紀較大的人士身上。 資料來源：美國睡眠醫學學會（AASM）

香港市面上大部分攬枕的形狀都是圓柱體的，讓您在睡眠時雙手可以環抱著，有助放鬆及增加安全感，從而改善睡眠。而側睡枕則具有治療作用，專為需要側睡治療的人士而設，例如：打鼾、坐骨神經痛、腰背疼痛、懷孕等，大部分均以巨型的「U」或「J」字形設計，環抱著您的身體，為身體前後提供足夠的支撐，減少側睡手臂痛或肩膀痛情況，讓您在睡眠時能夠舒適地維持側睡。

其實大部分人都適合使用側睡枕，只要其高度適合您，讓您在側睡時身體能夠保持自然的生理孤度就可以了。如果您有下背部疼痛的問題或正在懷孕，在選購側睡枕或孕婦側睡枕推薦時，需要留意其長度能否延伸至您兩膝之間，如果不能，您或許需要另外加一個挺身的枕頭放在兩膝之間，這有助防止髖關節和膝關節塌陷的機會，有助保護您的脊椎健康，讓脊椎在睡眠時仍能保持水平線，以改善睡眠導致的腰背疼痛不適，或孕婦經常在睡覺時出現的腿部抽筋問題。

側睡時，由於肩膊及手臂長期受壓，影響血液循環，可導致睡覺時／睡醒後出現肩膊及手臂痺痛的情況。如果要改善「側睡肩膀痛」及「側睡手臂痛」問題，可以使用楔形床墊，把身體微微抬高及傾斜大約10度左右，以分散側睡時集中在肩膊及手臂位置的壓力。若楔形床墊設有讓手臂穿過的伸展空間，更能夠進一步預防手臂因側睡時受壓而造成的麻痺不適。

側睡枕其改善打鼾的原理與改善睡眠窒息症的原理大致相同。由於打鼾與睡眠窒息症均與狹窄的呼吸道有關，因此透過側睡，讓咽喉鬆弛的軟組織或肌肉下塌在呼吸道壁，而不是懸垂在呼吸道中央，將有助減少呼吸道受阻的機會，所以理論側睡枕上對改善打鼾及睡眠窒息症均有幫助。根據美國睡眠醫學學會（AASM）的建議，除了呼吸機外，輕微至中度的睡眠窒息症患者也可以考慮嘗試姿位（側睡）或牙膠治療。睡眠窒息症可增加患上嚴重心血管疾病的風險，如果懷疑自己患上，應盡快向醫生求診，接受專業的檢測，並了解適合自己及有效的治療方案。

「側睡肩膀痛」或「側睡手臂痛」是由於身體的重量在側睡時全部集中在身體一側，當肩膀及手臂長時間被壓著，肩膀及手臂的血液循環將有可能因而變差，導致醒來時出現痺痛的情況。因此，如果您大部分的睡眠時間都處於側睡，建議您選購枕頭時以側臥的睡姿親身試用，以確認枕頭有足夠的支撐力，承托您的頭頸，以減輕肩膀及手臂的負擔。同時，您亦可以考慮使用楔形床墊，透過微微抬高上半身，進一步分散集中在肩膀及手臂的壓力，以改善及舒緩「側睡肩膀痛」或「側睡手臂痛」的疼痛不適問題。

由於地心吸力的關係，當我們仰睡時，舌頭或咽喉鬆弛的軟組織便會塌下來，阻擋部分呼吸道，當呼吸時，氣流湧入狹窄的通道，令軟組織產生震動，便會造成響亮的鼻鼾聲。相反，當我們側睡時，咽喉鬆弛的軟組織或肌肉則會倒塌在呼吸道壁，而不是懸垂在呼吸道中央，這樣可以有效減少其產生震動的機會，鼻鼾聲自然得以改善。因此，有效的側睡枕需要為身體前後提供足夠的支撐，同時能夠舒適地讓您的身體整晚維持在側睡的姿勢。

大部分孕婦在懷孕的中後期都會因胎兒的重量不斷增加而出現腰背疼痛，特別在睡眠時，如果習慣仰睡的媽媽，更會被胎兒整晚壓著腰背，因此推薦需要使用孕婦側睡枕來舒緩其不適。而有效的孕婦側睡枕一般都會採用橫跨全身的「U」或「J」形設計，這樣才能夠舒適地環抱及保護著媽媽的肩頸，為媽媽身體前後（腹部及背部）提供足夠的承托，減少腰背的負擔；把孕婦側睡枕較長的末端部分夾在雙腿間更有助分散身體的重量和壓力，減少抽筋的情況發生。

When sleeping on the side, the weight of the whole body will be concentrated on one side of the body. Due to long periods of being compressed, blood circulation in the shoulder or arm areas may be weak and result in soreness when waking up. If you generally spend most of your sleeping time on your side, we recommend you try the pillow while lying on your side, and evaluate whether the pillow has enough support for your head and neck before purchase.

Most people can use side pillows, as long as the height is suitable and the body maintains a natural physical posture when sleeping on the side. If you have lower back pain, make sure the length of the side pillow stretches between your knees before making a purchase. If it doesn't, you may need to put a firm pillow between your knees. This helps prevent the hip and knee joints from falling and helps protect and maintain your spine natural posture during sleep. Therefore, lessen back pain caused by sleeping.

Most pregnant women in the middle and later stages of pregnancy will suffer from low back pain due to the growing weight of the fetus, especially during sleep. If the mother is prone to sleeping on the back, the weight of the fetus will press on the lower all night. The design of the side pillow spans the whole body, comfortably hugging the neck and shoulders, and also provides sufficient support for the front and back of the body (abdomen and back). Hence effectively reduces the load on the body. Clamping the side pillows between the legs helps to disperse the body's weight and pressure, and also decreases cramps from occurring.

When sleeping on the side, the weight of the body presses on the shoulders and arms, affecting blood circulation. Shoulder pain may result when sleeping or after waking up. If you want to improve the above problems whilst side sleeping, you can use a wedge pillow and slightly tilt your body up by about 10 degrees to disperse the pressure on your shoulders. If the wedge pillow has a tunnel for the arm to pass through, it can prevent the arm from becoming numb and uncomfortable.

When we sleep on our back, the soft tissue of the tongue and throat will collapse backward due to gravity, partially blocking the airway. When we breathe, air rushes past the soft tissue causing vibrations which results in loud snoring. When we sleep on our side, the soft tissue and muscle of the throat will slump onto airway's sidewall instead of hanging in the middle of the respiratory tract. And effectively reduces the chance of vibrations and snoring will naturally improve. Therefore, a useful side pillow needs to provide sufficient front and back body support. It should also be comfortable and keep your body in a side sleeping posture all night.

Most bolster pillows on the market are cylindrical, allowing both hands to hug the pillow while sleeping. This helps relaxation and increases a sense of security, thereby improving sleep. The side sleeping pillow has a therapeutic effect and is specially designed for people who need side sleeping treatment, such as snoring, sciatica, lower back pain, pregnancy. Most of them are designed in a giant "U" or "J" shape which encircles the body to provide enough support for the front and back of your body so that you can comfortably maintain a full night sleeping on the side.

The principle of side pillows for improving snoring is similar to the improvement of sleep apnea. Since both snoring and sleep apnea are caused by the airway becoming narrower, sleeping on the side allows the soft tissue or muscle of the throat to fall on the airway's side instead of hanging in the centre. Reducing the chance of the airway becoming obstructed, and theoretically helps to improve snoring and sleep apnea. According to the recommendations of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), in addition to CPAP machines, patients with mild to moderate sleep apnea can also choose positional therapy (sleeping on the side) or Oral Appliance Therapy. Sleep apnea can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. If you suspect that you are suffering from sleep apnea, you should visit and consult a doctor as soon as possible. Request for a professional sleep test, and understand suitable and remedial therapy plans available.

一個保護脊椎的枕頭必須擁有良好的承托能力，能夠有效維持頸椎在自然的生理弧度：在仰睡時，額頭、下巴至心口能呈一條水平線；在側睡時，頭頂中心至肚臍亦能呈一條水平線。除此之外，選購時亦應該考慮到個人的生理特徵和睡眠習慣。如果習慣仰睡，同時身形健碩，頭頸弧度亦較大，可選用較高的枕頭以保持脊椎正常的生理曲線；相反，身形纖瘦，頭頸弧度較小，則可選用較矮的枕頭。如果習慣側睡，一般則需要選用較高的枕頭，才能保持頸椎與脊椎成一直線。因此，一般建議購買前先親身試用，當集齊以上因素，同時又兼顧到睡眠時的舒適度，就是適合您的理想護脊枕頭了。

止鼻鼾枕頭中央窩形的設計能夠讓頭頸在睡眠時仍然保持正常的生理弧度，當頸部得到應有的承托，就能夠減少頭部前傾擠壓頸項，導致呼吸道變得狹窄的情況，當呼吸道變得暢順，打鼾情況自然能夠得到改善。

A pillow that protects the spine must have solid supporting ability and be able to maintain the natural curvature of the spine effectively. When sleeping on the back, the forehead, chin and chest should retain a horizontal line. When sleeping on the side, the centre of the head and the abdomen should be a straight line. When considering purchasing a pillow, the individual's physical characteristics and sleeping habits should also be considered. Factors include if you are accustomed to sleeping on your back, have a large build, and an extended neck curvature, you can choose a higher pillow to maintain the ideal curve of the spine. On the contrary, if you are thin and the neck curvature is smaller, you can choose a flatter pillow. If you are used to sleeping on the side, you generally need to choose a higher pillow to keep the cervical spine in line with the vertebra. Therefore, it is generally recommended to try out a pillow before buying. After considering the factors stated above and testing the pillow for comfort, you will end up with the ideal therapeutic pillow customised for you.

The cavity contour allows the head and neck to maintain a normal curvature during sleep. When the neck is well supported, it reduces the head being leaned forward and the neck being pressured, which generally causes the airway becoming narrow. Since the airway is not blocked, the snoring will improve naturally.

根據消費者委員會指引，防塵蟎寢具保護套必須360度完全包裹着床褥或枕頭並以細密的拉鏈合上，尺寸要比包裹的床褥或枕頭略大，以免套用或拆除防蟎寢具時因過度拉扯造成撕裂或破損，失去防塵蟎的功效。由於塵蟎及其排泄物同樣有機會誘發過敏，而其大小一般分別為不少於100微米和10微米，因此防塵蟎寢具保護套的布料密度必須少於10微米，才能有效阻隔致敏原。 而日常使用的床單即使針數再高都不能阻隔塵蟎，由於線與線之間並非固定的，當我們睡眠時身體在床單表面輾轉期間會造成拉扯，線料會移位，塵蟎便有機會從隙縫中走出來。此外，日常的床單大多只包裹床褥表面及四邊，而塵蟎由於是會四處爬行的微小生物，如果不連同床褥底部一併包裹的話，塵蟎就有機會從床褥底部爬出表面，導致無法改善您的過敏問題。

枕頭是我們睡眠時其中一件非常貼身的寢具，保持其潔淨衛生對我們的皮膚及呼吸道健康都有幫助。我們的臉部與枕頭每天平均有6-8小時會貼合在一起，枕頭表面自然會沾有我們的頭油、面油、皮屑、汗水、唾液等，殘留下來的污漬不但使枕頭變得不美觀，甚至會滋生細菌以及吸引塵蟎匿藏於內部寄居，更加是導致皮膚變差及呼吸道過敏的原因之一。由於枕頭一般都有一定的厚度難以清洗，有很多枕頭亦礙於變形考量而不建議清洗，所以要保持枕頭潔淨衛生，使用枕頭保護套是推薦的方法之一，而選用同時有防塵蟎功效的防蟎枕頭套，更有助減少因塵蟎及其排泄物而誘發的過敏機會。 根據香港消委會指引，選購防蟎枕頭套時，必須選擇完全包裹著枕頭的保護套，並且需要以細密的拉鍊合上，尺寸更要比包裹的枕頭略大，以避免替換防塵蟎枕頭套時因拉扯而造成破損導致失去防蟎功效。使用防蟎枕頭套前，推薦應先清除枕頭表面的頭髮、皮屑及塵埃，亦建議配合一個全新的枕頭來使用防塵蟎枕頭套，這樣從一開始便能預防人體皮屑進入枕頭內，枕頭內沒有糧食，塵蟎自然無法生存。 此外，一般亦建議每1-2年更換枕頭一次，因為枕頭在長期使用下，形狀會漸漸被壓扁，失去原來的彈性。您可以試試看，如果將枕頭對摺後，枕頭沒有回復原來的模樣，便需要更換枕頭了。

由於防蟎寢具的原理是利用高密度的纖維布料，使塵蟎及其排泄物無法穿越布料與我們接觸。因此，防塵蟎枕頭套或者防塵蟎床套布料間的隙縫必須比塵蟎及其排泄物還要小，亦即是小於10微米。為了確保高密度纖維布料的結構不受破壞，防蟎寢具一般不建議經常清洗，每4-6星期使用約60°C溫水清洗一次便可以了。另外，建議您可以在防塵蟎枕頭套及防塵蟎床套外，套上普通的枕頭袋及床單（每星期清洗一次），以保潔淨衛生。

由於塵蟎的繁殖速度驚人，每隻成年的雌性塵蟎每日平均可以誕下1-2隻蛋。因此，當您的防蟎寢具保護套需要進行清洗時，您必須即時換上另一組新的保護套，以阻止塵蟎重新在您的寢具上聚居及繁殖。只有持續地使用防塵蟎寢具保護套，才能有效把床褥內聚居的塵蟎數量遞減。

您或許不時會把您家中的枕頭及被芯放到陽光下晾曬以殺滅細菌，亦會不時用吸塵機去除床褥表面的灰塵；但酒店的床褥、被芯及枕頭卻不能同日而語，這些寢具日積月累已儲存了大量客人的皮屑，匿藏在內的塵蟎數量可以十分驚人。因此，如果您是過敏患者，建議您可以在旅行時自攜個人的床單，市面上亦有旅行裝的防塵蟎寢具保護套，雖然無法360o全面包裹整張床褥，但防蟎床套至少可以套在床褥表面及四邊，對於短期使用亦有助阻隔大部分的塵蟎及其致敏原，從而達到減少直接接觸，以減低誘發過敏的機會。

由於大部分防塵蟎寢具保護套在經過多次洗滌後，布料間的隙縫有可能會變得不夠緊密，繼而影響防蟎寢具的效果，因此香港消費者委員會亦指出，防蟎寢具保護套並不宜經常清洗。所以，建議在防塵蟎寢具保護套的表面加上日常使用的床單及枕頭套，以便保持每星期清洗床單及枕頭套一次的衛生好習慣。

首次使用防蟎寢具保護套前，建議先使用吸塵機徹底去除較表面的灰塵（包括：我們過往掉落的皮屑），以減少塵蟎的糧食。而每次洗換防塵蟎寢具保護套時，依附在保護套表面的灰塵將會被揚起，也難保匿藏於睡房中其他地方的塵蟎，或其他致敏原會再一次散落到床褥及枕頭的表面；此外，屆時床褥及枕頭的表面也可能積存了大量因缺糧而死亡的塵蟎屍體及其排泄物，因此必須先以吸塵機清潔表面，再替換新的防蟎寢具保護套，這樣就能逐漸減少匿藏於寢具內的塵蟎及其致敏原的數量。請注意：使用吸塵機時，建議使用沒有清潔過地面的吸頭，以確保乾淨衛生；另外，如果您是嚴重過敏患者，亦建議使用附有高效過濾網（HEPA Filter）的吸塵機，以避免致敏原從吸塵機的排氣口再次飄揚到空氣中。

如果您本身屬於過敏體質，一般推薦選擇不含塑料成分的物理性防蟎寢具，雖然含塑料的床套能夠防水，但由於欠缺透氣能力，有機會加劇濕疹等皮膚過敏症狀，亦有機會因悶熱而影響睡眠質素。而推薦選購防塵蟎枕頭套及防塵蟎床套前，應先量度自己枕頭及床褥的尺寸，並選擇比自己枕頭及床褥尺寸大的防蟎枕頭套及防蟎床套，切勿選擇與自己枕頭及床褥尺寸剛好的，以免在替換時因拉扯導致布料纖維間的密度下降，影響防蟎寢具效果。此外，根據香港消委會的指引，防蟎寢具必須360°完全密封地包裹著枕頭、床褥及被芯，並必須以細密的拉鍊合上，才能確保塵蟎無法逃走出來與我們接觸。

除了床褥及枕頭外，塵蟎亦會匿藏於睡房內的布藝家品中，如：窗簾、咕𠱸、地毯及毛公仔等，可說是無處不在，但為甚麼只有床上用品特別需要使用防塵蟎保護套呢？這是由於對比起其他家品，床鋪是我們直接接觸時間最長的塵蟎溫床，每天平均6-8小時，這將會大大增加誘發因塵蟎引起的過敏症狀。因此，很多醫生如果知道您的過敏是由塵蟎所引起的話，均會建議您使用防塵蟎寢具保護套以減少大部分直接接觸塵蟎的機會。

市面上的防蟎寢具推薦主要是透過「化學」或「物理」方式來對抗塵蟎。何謂「化學性防蟎」呢？顧名思義是利用化學藥物加工而成，透過百滅寧（Permethrin）或三氯沙（Triclosan）等殺蟲劑所散發出來的化學成分驅走塵蟎及抑制塵蟎滋生。不過，如果您屬於過敏體質，這些化學成分就有可能增加誘發皮膚及呼吸道過敏症狀的風險。至於，何謂「物理性防蟎」呢？這個方式相對安全，透過科學原理，使用高密度布料讓塵蟎無法在布料隙縫間穿梭，並且有效切斷塵蟎的糧食供應，令塵蟎無法在寢具內繼續生長及繁殖。因此，專業人士一般會推薦選用物理性防蟎寢具，以改善塵蟎過敏。 此外，市面上亦有一些防蟎寢具推薦同時具有防水功能，這些防蟎寢具一般會含有塑料成分，在使用時有機會因睡姿轉換所產生的塑料磨擦聲響而影響睡眠，而且並不透氣。對於身處溫暖及潮濕的香港，使用這類含塑料的防水防蟎寢具時，有可能會覺得悶焗黏笠；如果本身有濕疹等過敏問題，更有機會刺激到皮膚而令病情惡化。所以，對於過敏體質人士，一般都會推薦他們選用高密度布料阻隔塵蟎的物理性防蟎寢具。

只要有人走動的地方，地面上的灰塵就會被揚起，因此在使用防蟎寢具保護套後，亦應每天使用吸塵機以去除掉落寢具表面的灰塵、寵物毛髮、花粉等致敏原。使用吸塵機打理寢具時，應從低吸力開始調校至合適水平，避免防塵蟎床套及保護套因吸塵機的吸力太強造成撕裂或破損；特別是防塵蟎寢具保護套，過度拉扯會影響其密度，使其失去防塵蟎的功效。

根據研究資料顯示，高達80%過敏患者及高達85%哮喘患者均對塵蟎及其排泄物過敏。而我們人生平均花了大約1/3時間逗留的地方偏偏就是塵蟎最理想的聚居地，這個地方就是我們的床褥！由於塵蟎喜歡匿藏於陰暗、溫暖及潮濕的地方，並以人體掉落的皮屑為主要食糧，床褥正正符合以上要求。床褥的厚度令光線無法滲入內部，再加上我們的體溫，以及我們睡眠時輾轉期間排出的汗水和掉落的皮屑，根本就是塵蟎的天堂。 根據美國哮喘及過敏基金會（AAFA）的資料顯示，成年人每日平均會掉落的皮屑大約有1.5克，這足以飼養100萬隻塵蟎；同時，亦有研究指出，每張床褥平均有200萬隻塵蟎。因此，如果您只單靠每日使用吸塵機去除表面的灰塵（甚至塵蟎），根本無法徹底去除匿藏於床褥內部的塵蟎，塵蟎每晚依舊會穿過您日常的床單與您同床共枕，當您無法減少與塵蟎的接觸，就有機會誘發過敏症狀。 使用防塵蟎寢具保護套，以高密度的布料360o全面包裹的防塵蟎枕頭套以及防塵蟎床套，不但有效把我們與塵蟎及其排泄物徹底分隔，亦有助減少我們皮屑掉落床褥及枕頭表面的數量，這亦表示依附在床褥及枕頭表面的塵蟎將會因沒有糧食而死亡，使塵蟎無法繼續在我們的床上生長及繁殖。當我們每日與塵蟎及其致敏原接觸的時間大大減少了6-8小時，不難想像我們因塵蟎而引起的哮喘和鼻敏感亦能因此而得到改善。

防塵蟎寢具保護套是用以包裹床上用品，包括：防蟎床套、防蟎枕頭套及被芯，以達到防塵蟎的效果，從而改善使用者的過敏情況。而防塵蟎寢具保護套主要可分為兩類：「化學性」及「物理性」。「化學性」，顧名思義就是透過在布料中加入化學物質，如：殺菌劑（biocides），以抑制塵蟎生長，但對於過敏人士來說，長期吸入這些化學物質有可能會加劇他們（皮膚及呼吸道）的過敏症狀。而「物理性」防蟎寢具推薦，則是利用科學原理，採用密度比較高的布料，讓塵蟎無法在布料的隙縫間穿梭，斷絕塵蟎的糧食供應，令塵蟎無法繼續生存，以達至防塵蟎的效果。

近年非常流行使用塵蟎吸塵機，但其實塵蟎吸塵機只能夠去除床褥表面的塵蟎，在使用塵蟎吸塵機後，不足數小時，匿藏於床褥芯內及床褥底部的塵蟎又會再次爬到床褥的表面覓食，所以即使您在每晚睡前使用塵蟎吸塵機亦無法完全阻止塵蟎與您接觸。 如果想徹底阻隔塵蟎，香港專業人士一般會推薦使用附有細密拉鍊的防蟎床套包裹床褥，推薦必須使用「防塵蟎床套」而非「床笠」，因為防蟎床套需要360°全面包裹床褥表面、四邊及底部，才能把塵蟎徹底困在防塵蟎床套內，以及有效切斷它們的糧食－人體掉下來的皮屑，這樣塵蟎自然無法繼續生存及繁殖。此外，每次替換防蟎床套時，亦建議使用吸塵機清除床褥表面因缺糧而死亡的塵蟎屍體，這樣便能進一步減少匿藏於床褥內的塵蟎及其致敏原的數量，逐漸達到杜絕塵蟎的效果。 選購防塵蟎床套的準則與選購防塵蟎枕頭套一樣，不但要完全包裹床褥並以拉鍊封口，尺寸亦應該要比包裹的床褥大，因為尺寸剛好的防蟎床套在替換時不但比較困難，更有機會在替換過程中被過分拉扯而造成破損，失去防蟎寢具推薦的功效。

In order to kill bacteria, you may take your pillows and blankets outside to dry under the sun or use a vacuum cleaner to remove the dust on the mattress. However, what can you do for the hotel’s mattresses, blankets and pillows which may have accumulated large amounts of dead skin and dust mites? If you are highly allergic to dust mites, we recommend bringing your own anti-dust mite beddings protective covers (travel set). Although they may not completely cover the entire mattress, they can provide some protection and minimise your contact with allergens.

Apart from your mattress and pillows, dust mites can reside in other places such as curtains, cushions, carpets or stuffed toys. Then you may ask, why should I use anti-dust mite beddings protective covers if it cannot totally eliminate all dust mite in my bedroom? The answer is simple! We are in contact with our bed for approximately 6-8 hours every day, allergens in bed greatly increase the chances of having an allergic reaction. Therefore, doctors recommend using anti- dust mite beddings protective covers to minimise contact with allergens.

According to some studies, over 80% and 85% allergy and asthma sufferers are allergic to dust mites and their excrement. On average, people spend about 1/3 of their time in bed. Dust mites enjoy living in shaded, warm and humid areas, feeding off dead skin to survive and reproduce. A mattress fulfils all the criteria. Firstly, it is too thick for light to penetrate. Secondly, our body temperature, sweat and dead skin will provide food and an optimal temperature for dust mites to thrive and multiply. According to AAFA (Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America), an adult sheds a daily average of 1.5 grams of dead skin. This is enough to feed one million dust mites. Other study shows that each mattress has an average of two million dust mites. Therefore, if you solely rely on a vacuum to remove the dust (and dust mites) on your mattress, you will never fully eradicate them. They will still get through your bed sheets and pillowcase and constantly surround you. When using anti-dust mite beddings protective covers, wrapping the mattress at 360 degrees not only separates us with dust mites and their excrement, but it also reduces the amount of dead skin on our mattress and pillows. This means that dust mites will starve to death and no longer reproduce. When our surrounding allergen has been drastically reduced for 6-8 hours during sleep, it is certain that our allergies will get improved.

Before putting on the anti-dust mite beddings protective covers, we recommend using a vacuum cleaner to completely remove the dust and particles on the mattress / pillow surface (e.g. our dead skin), this can help to reduce the number of dust mites and their allergens. When changing the beddings protective covers, settled dust particles, dead dust mites and their excrement may be exposed to the air and travel to the mattress or pillows, further stimulating an allergic reaction. Therefore, users must vacuum the surface of the mattress and pillows. We recommend using a vacuum cleaner head that has not been used on floors to ensure good hygiene when vacuuming beddings. Furthermore, if you are a person with severe allergies, we recommend using a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter to prevent allergy stimuli from escaping and entering the surroundings again.

Dust mites reproduce at an alarming speed, with an adult female laying 2-3 eggs each day. Therefore, when you are cleaning your beddings protective covers, you must immediately replace another set of beddings protective covers to prevent dust mites from reproducing. Only when you consistently use anti-dust mite beddings protective covers will the number of dust mites residing in your mattress drastically decrease.

Dust travels everywhere. Therefore, the bed still needs to be vacuumed daily to remove dust, animal hair, pollen and other stimuli. When vacuuming the bedding, start with a low intensity and slowly increase to prevent the bedding from getting damaged. This particularly applies to the anti-dust mite beddings protective covers, as too much stretching will affect the fabric density and the effectiveness of blocking the dust-mites.

Frequent cleaning of anti-dust mite beddings protective covers may cause the fabric to loosen and decrease the effect of blocking dust mites. Hence, the Hong Kong Consumer Council deems anti-dust mite beddings protective covers unsuitable for frequent washing. Therefore, we recommend adding bedsheets and pillowcases on top of the beddings protective covers so users can wash them weekly and maintain a good hygiene.

According to the guidelines of the Hong Kong Consumer Council, anti-dust mite beddings protective covers must completely (360 degrees) wrap around the mattress or pillows and be sealed off with a concealable zipper. To prevent over-stretching or damaging the beddings protective covers, dimensions must be slightly bigger than the mattress or pillows. Since dust mites and their excrement may be as small as 100 microns and 10 microns, the fabric for the beddings protective covers must be less than 10 microns to effectively block off allergy stimuli. Even if our usual bedsheets have a very high number of counts, it still cannot block the dust mites as the threads are not secure and will shift when we move around during our sleep. Hence, dust mites can crawl out between the thread-gaps. Furthermore, bedsheets only cover the surface and the sides of the mattress. Dust mites are micro-organisms that will constantly travel around. If the bottom of the mattress is not covered, dust mites can crawl out from the bottom and onto the surface, not helping much to improve your allergy problems.

Anti-dust mite beddings protective covers are used for mattresses, pillows and quilts to prevent dust mites from passing through with the purpose of reducing the user’s allergy problems. Anti-dust mite beddings protective covers can be classified into two types: chemical and physical. The first type is where chemicals (e.g. biocides) are added into the fabric to prevent dust mites from reproducing. However, for people with respiratory or skin allergies, regular contact with these chemicals may further intensify their allergies. For the second type, a highly dense fabric is used to prevent dust mites from escaping, cutting off their food supply and starving them.

由於牙醫倒模的止鼻鼾牙膠是根據您的牙齒而度身訂造，並且由牙醫定期更進您的治療進度，每一次覆診時亦有機會需要根據您的鼻鼾改善程度再次訂製不同尺寸的牙膠以進一步改善您的鼻鼾，因此牙醫倒模的止鼻鼾牙膠可能會比較貼合您的牙齒，但價錢一般比市面上購買的現成止鼻鼾牙膠昂貴得多。對於首次接觸止鼻鼾牙膠的客人，也許可以先考慮選購現成的止鼻鼾牙膠，以一個較相宜的價錢，體驗使用止鼻鼾牙膠的感覺後再作決定是否需要到牙醫診所進行訂製。此外，由於部分牌子的現成牙膠設有多個尺寸選擇，客人可以循序漸進地拉前下顎以改善鼻鼾，給您一個適應期，鼻鼾聲也許未能一下子得到全面改善，但相對地您的治療過程會較為舒適；相反，牙醫倒模的止鼻鼾牙膠由於是度身訂造，一般只會訂製一個能夠幫助您減少最多鼻鼾聲的尺寸，換句話說，下顎及牙齒被拉扯的力度可能會較強烈。另外，選擇現成牙膠時應注意它們所採用的物料是否安全，建議不要選購含乳膠及雙酚A的產品，由於乳膠可引致過敏，雙酚A長期使用亦有機會被身體吸收，影響健康。

鼻鼾是由於舌頭、咽喉的軟組織在睡眠時放鬆，並因地心吸力而塌下來，阻擋了部分呼吸道，令呼吸道變得狹窄。當我們呼吸時，空氣通過這狹窄的呼吸道，咽喉附近的組織或肌肉就會因氣流而產生震動，造成響亮的鼻鼾聲。因此，止鼻鼾牙膠的原理就是透過輕微拉前您的下顎，把呼吸道打開，並同時把舌頭固定在不會阻擋呼吸道的位置，以改善呼吸道狹窄的情況，減少咽喉軟組織產生震動的機會，從而改善您的鼻鼾問題。

市面上購買的倒模或非倒模牙膠大部分都是需要定期更換的，情況就如牙刷一樣，我們建議至少每半年（6個月）更換一次。如果您有夜間磨牙問題，這將會加速牙膠損耗及變形，更換的次數亦有可能因此而變得更為頻密。

由於牙膠治療是透過牙齒把裝置定位，從而把下顎拉前，打開狹窄的呼吸道，以改善鼻鼾問題；即是您的睡眠時間就是牙齒被拉扯的時間，當牙齒整晚被拉扯，牙齒有機會出現移位的感覺，您亦有可能感到下顎位置有所改變，情況就如「箍牙」一樣，其實這些感覺在牙膠治療（Oral Appliance Therapy）中十分常見。在止鼻鼾牙膠治療中，這感覺在剛起床後的數小時最為明顯，您有可能在吃早餐的時候，感到上下排牙齒在咬合時無法對準，但在一般情況下，這感覺將會慢慢消失，並回復正常。這也解釋了為何箍牙的時候，需要整天佩戴著牙套，而非每天只佩戴數小時。如果仍存有任何疑慮，您可以在使用前先諮詢牙醫的專業意見。

流口水乃屬正常現象，這是我們身體對出現在口腔的外來物產生的自然反應，這由於我們的吞嚥變得不自然，當身體察覺您吞嚥出現問題，就會分泌更多唾液，因此造成流口水的情況。以我們的經驗來說，大部分使用者的流口水問題都是非常短暫的，一般將會在數天或數星期內（適應期後）消失。

止鼻鼾牙膠其改善鼻鼾的原理與改善睡眠窒息症的原理大致相同。由於鼻鼾與睡眠窒息症均與狹窄的呼吸道有關，因此透過牙膠拉前下顎以打開呼吸道，理論上對改善以上兩個問題均有幫助。不過，根據美國胸腔學會（ATS），無論任何程度的睡眠窒息症，通常呼吸機治療的成效更快更直接，而對於同時患有嚴重心臟疾病的患者，更是最佳的治療方案。如果病人真的無法適應呼吸機治療，根據美國睡眠醫學學會（AASM）的建議，輕微至中度的睡眠窒息症患者也可以考慮嘗試牙膠或姿位（側睡）治療，以美國胸腔學會（ATS）的講法就是：「有治療總比沒有接受治療好」。根據外國的研究顯示，相對於呼吸機，牙膠能減輕部分的窒息，但不能完全控制窒息情況，治療效果也可能只達呼吸機的一半，而且成效亦要視乎牙膠把下顎拉前的多寡而定。最後，睡眠窒息症可增加患上嚴重心血管疾病的風險，如果懷疑自己患上睡眠窒息症，應盡快向醫生求診，接受專業的睡眠檢測，並了解適合自己及有效的治療方案。

鼻鼾除了由於呼吸道狹窄，咽喉軟組織產生震動而引起之外，亦有機會是由於鼻腔結構異常（如：鼻中隔彎曲）或鼻塞導致鼻道狹窄所致。如果是前者，您在使用止鼻鼾牙膠後沒有改善，您可以考慮試用側睡治療（如：側睡枕）；如果是後者，鼻腔結構問題有可能需要做手術，而鼻塞問題，您可以考慮使用鼻道擴張器、通鼻噴劑或藥物。此外，如果您的鼻塞問題是由於敏感所致，您亦應針對問題根源，減少接觸致敏原以改善您由鼻塞引起的鼻鼾問題。

兩者最大的分別是它們的治療目的，一款用作改善鼻鼾問題，一款用作保護牙齒免受磨牙傷害。因此，兩者的治療原理亦完全不一樣。止鼻鼾牙膠的原理是透過拉前您的下顎，以打開您的呼吸道，減少咽喉的軟組織產生震動的機會，從而改善您的鼻鼾問題。而磨牙護齒牙套的原理是透過包裹您的牙齒，以避免上下排牙齒因長期互相磨擦而造成的傷害。由此可見，磨牙護齒牙套並不能改善您的鼻鼾問題，它的功能只是單純地保護您的牙齒。如果您同時有鼻鼾及磨牙問題，您可以選用止鼻鼾牙膠，但需注意，止鼻鼾牙膠有可能會因您的磨牙問題而容易變形、加速損耗，所以您將需要比沒有磨牙問題的人士更常更換您的止鼻鼾牙膠，以獲得最佳的治療成效。

市面上現成的止鼻鼾牙膠通常不適合曾經確診罹患中樞性睡眠窒息症、嚴重呼吸疾病、顳顎關節障礙症（TMD）人士。如果您下巴咬合時會發出喀擦聲且／或下巴關節疼痛、您的牙齒或假牙出現鬆脫、牙齒嚴重參差不齊、正在接受牙齒矯正治療（箍牙）、使用整口假牙或患有嚴重的牙周病，亦不建議使用止鼻鼾牙膠。如果您正在考慮到牙醫診所訂製止鼻鼾牙膠，而您又存有以上的健康問題，請先向您的牙醫查詢。

最簡單的方法就是透過伴侶或家人的觀察，您亦可以透過錄音以對比使用前後的分別。市面上亦有一些免費的手機應用程式，可以記錄您的鼻鼾情況。如果想進一步專業地分析自己的鼻鼾問題及審視治療的成效，市面上亦有一些測試儀器能夠為您提供客觀的數據，包括：鼻鼾聲浪、鼻鼾頻率及不同睡姿下的鼻鼾情況等。

當使用調整下顎的止鼻鼾牙膠後，出現輕微的下顎不適乃屬正常現象。由於牙膠治療需要運用到您下顎的肌肉，情況就如您在嘗試一項從未接觸過的運動，在運動後出現肌肉痠痛的感覺一樣。以我們的經驗來說，大部分使用者的不適並不會持續超過兩小時，症狀亦會逐漸消失。如果下顎不適的情況持續不退，請立即停止使用，並盡快諮詢牙醫或醫生的專業意見。

Most custom-molded or pre-molded mouthpieces in stores need to be replaced regularly, similar to a toothbrush. We recommend replacing mouthpieces at least every six months (6 months). If you have further problems such as sleep bruxism, this will accelerate the deformation, and hence the frequency of replacements may be more.

Salivation is a natural phenomenon. It is our body's natural response to foreign objects in our mouths. After wearing the mouthpiece, the body detects that swallowing becomes abnormal and secretes even more saliva. Hence, some drooling may be experienced. From our experience, most users' excessive salivation problems are very short-lived and will generally dissipate within a few days or weeks (after time to adapt).

The most significant difference between the two is their treatment purpose. One is used to improve snoring problems, and the other protects teeth from harmful teeth grinding. Therefore, the treatment principles of the two are entirely different. An anti-snoring mouthpiece aims to open your airway by pushing your jaw forward, reducing the chance of soft tissue of the throat vibrating, thereby improving your snoring problem. The dental guard is designed to wrap around your teeth to avoid damage caused by long-term friction between the upper and lower teeth. Dental guards' primary function is only to protect your teeth and cannot improve your snoring problem. If you have both snoring and teeth grinding, you can choose an anti-snoring mouthpiece, but take note that the mouthpiece may more easily become deformed and be subject to extra wear and tear. Hence due to your grinding problem, you may need to change your mouthpiece more frequently compared with people without bruxism to get the best treatment result.

Snoring is caused by the soft tissues of the tongue and throat relaxing during sleep. The tissue collapses down due to gravity, making the airway become blocked and narrower. As we breathe, the air passes through the narrowed respiratory tract and the muscles or tissue near the throat vibrate due to the airflow. The vibration causes the loud snoring sound. The fundamental concept of the anti-snoring mouthpiece is to open the airway by slightly pushing the jaw forward. At the same time, the tongue is fixed into a position that does not block the airway. These factors reverse the narrowing of the airway and reduce the soft throat tissue from vibrating, thereby alleviating your snoring problem.

Oral Appliance Therapy pushes forward the lower jaw by using the mouthpiece which is aligned with the teeth of the patients. This opens the airway, so it becomes less congested and improves the snoring problem. During your sleep, the teeth are pushed forward all night, causing an impression that the teeth and jaw have been displaced. This sensation is similar to wearing orthodontic braces and is a frequent feeling during Oral Appliance Therapy. The feeling is most apparent immediately after waking up, and may get stronger during breakfast time that the top and bottom teeth do not feel aligned. However, in most cases, the sensation may gradually diminish. This may explain why it is necessary to wear orthodontic braces all day during treatment instead of just a few hours a day. If you still have any doubts, please consult your dentist for professional advice before use.

A custom-fit dentist mold is made according to your teeth, and the dentist will monitor your treatment regularly. During follow up visits, the dentist may re-mold the device according to your snoring condition. Changing the size of the molds can gradually improve your snoring. Therefore, custom-fit dentist molds may fit your teeth better, but the price is generally higher than prefabricated anti-snoring mouthpieces on the market. Users who are new to anti-snoring devices may wish to try and consider ready-made anti-snoring mouthpieces. They can immediately experience the feeling of using an anti-snoring mouthpiece at a reasonable price before deciding on a dentist's custom-fit mold. Some pre-molded mouthpiece brands have multiple size options, so customers can gradually adapt to the forward adjustment of the jaw to improve snoring. The snoring may not reduce instantly, but your snoring therapy will be more comfortable. On the contrary, a custom-fit mold by the dentist is generally only one size, but it will maximize the reduction of snoring. However, the intensity that the jaw and teeth being pushed forward may be higher. When purchasing ready-made mouthpieces, pay attention to the materials used and verify its safety. It is recommended not to buy products containing latex and Bisphenol A. Latex can cause allergies whilst the body may absorb Bisphenol A through prolonged contact leading to health problems.

Anti-snoring mouthpieces are not suitable for those who has been diagnosed with Central Sleep Apnea, severe respiratory disorders, Temporomandibular Joint Disorders (TMD), experience clicking of the jaw and/or have pain in the jaw joints, have loose teeth, seriously misaligned teeth, orthodontia, full dentures or advanced periodontal disease. If you are considering a custom-fit dentist mouthpiece and have above respiratory complications, please check with your dentist first.

The easiest option is through observation by your partner or family member. You can also compare the difference before and after using a recorder. There are some free mobile apps on the market that can record your snoring situation. If you want a more professional in-depth analysis of your snoring problem and review the effectiveness of treatment, there are testing devices on the market. They can provide objective data, including the snoring pitch, frequency, and likelihood under different sleeping positions.

In addition to the narrowing of the airway that cases and the vibration of the soft tissues of the throat, snoring may also be caused by nasal structure abnormalities (for example a curved nasal septum) or nasal congestion. If it is the former, and snoring does not improve after using an anti-snoring mouthpiece, you can consider positional therapy (such as using a side sleeping pillow). If it is the latter, nasal cavity structure problems may require surgery. If it is nasal congestion problems, you can consider using a nasal dilator, nasal spray, or medicine. In addition, if allergies cause your nasal congestion, you should eliminate the root cause of the problem by reducing the allergen exposure hence improving the snoring problem.

The concept of anti-snoring mouthpieces reducing snoring is roughly the same as that of improving sleep apnea. Since the narrowing of the airway may cause both snoring and sleep apnea, by adjusting the jaw forward the airway should open and in theory improve both problems. However, according to the American Thoracic Society (ATS), CPAP therapy usually yields a faster and more effective result, regardless of how severe the sleep apnea is. They also state CPAP therapy is the ideal therapy option for patients who concurrently have severe heart disease. If a patient cannot become accustomed to CPAP therapy, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) recommends patients with mild to moderate sleep apnea to consider mouthpiece or positional therapy (side sleeping). This is what as the American Thoracic Society mentions "Any treatment is better than none at all". According to international studies, mouthpieces can only partially alleviate the apnea and cannot fully control it when compared with CPAP. The therapeutic outcome of mouthpieces may only achieve half at most of CPAP, and the effectiveness depends on how much the lower jaw is adjusted forward. Finally, sleep apnea can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. If you suspect that you are suffering from sleep apnea, you should visit and consult a doctor as soon as possible. Request for a professional sleep test, and understand suitable and remedial therapy plans available.

Since the oral appliance therapy borrows the use of jaw muscles, you may experience slight jaw discomfort after using an anti-snoring mouthpiece. The scenario is similar to doing a new exercise, and muscles get fatigued after working out. The muscles then become temporarily sore after the training. From our experience, the discomfort and symptoms of most users gradually disappear and lasts no more than two hours. If jaw discomfort persists, stop using the mouthpiece immediately and consult a dentist or doctor for professional advice as soon as possible.

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根據香港大學於2002年的統計估算，香港約有六十萬人患有胃酸倒流。聲沙、喉嚨痛、久咳及哮喘，均可能由胃酸倒流引起。胃酸可刺激食道及／或氣管，如果沒有得到適當的治療，長期甚至會增加患上食道癌的機會。而治療胃酸倒流的方法一般以藥物為主，以控制胃酸產量，減低胃酸倒流進入食道的機會。 胃食道反流治療枕是一個幫助睡覺時飽受胃酸倒流困擾人士的非藥物自然療法，有效減少睡覺時因胃酸倒流而引起的火燒心及胃灼熱等不適現象。胃食道反流治療枕主要由兩部分所組成－楔形床墊及側睡枕。楔形床墊目的是把您的上半身微微傾斜抬高約10-20度，讓您的下食道括約肌（LES）在躺臥時仍然能處於胃的上方，當胃內的東西想從下食道括約肌流出，由於地心吸力的關係，東西將會迅速地回流到胃內，這樣就能有效地減少在睡覺時出現胃酸倒流的情況。由於胃是處於我們的左上腹位置，因此在使用楔形床墊時，配合側睡枕同時使用，讓您整晚維持靠左側睡的睡姿，一般能夠更有效控制及改善睡覺時出現的胃酸倒流問題。

由於胃食道反流治療枕需要把您的上半身略為抬高，角度由10多度至20度不等，對於腰部、下背部或臀部患有創傷的人士（包括：椎間盤突出、椎體融合、脊椎側彎、腰椎損傷、髖關節炎或髖關節滑囊炎），通常都會較難忍受一個需要整晚維持傾斜的睡姿，亦有可能會加劇原有傷患的問題，因此一般不建議以上人士使用胃食道反流治療枕。如有需要，建議在使用前先諮詢醫生的專業意見。

The gastroesophageal reflux therapeutic pillow requires raising your upper body slightly, ranging from 10 degrees to 20 degrees. For people with trauma to the waist, lower back or hips (including herniated disc, fusion, scoliosis, lumbar injury, hip arthritis or hip bursitis), it is usually challenging to maintain an inclined position throughout the night. It may even exacerbate the problems of the original injury. Therefore, it is generally not suggested for the above people to use the gastroesophageal reflux therapeutic pillow. A doctor's consultation is advisable before use.

According to statistics from the University of Hong Kong in 2002, about 600,000 people in Hong Kong suffer from acid reflux. Acid reflux may lead to a muffled voice, sore throat, chronic cough and asthma. Gastric acid can irritate the esophagus and/or trachea. If not treated properly, it may even increase the chance of developing esophageal cancer in the long term. The treatment of acid reflux is generally based on drugs to control the production of stomach acid and reduce the chance of acid reflux entering the esophagus. Gastroesophageal reflux therapy pillow is composed of two parts, a wedge pillow and a side pillow. The purpose of the wedge pillow is to elevate your upper body slightly and raise it by about 10-20 degrees. Since the stomach is in our upper left abdomen position, the wedge pillow together with the side pillow, keeps you sleeping on the left side throughout the night. This generally yields better treatment results.

加熱濕潤器是讓您的睡眠呼吸機治療成功的有效工具之一。對於大家普遍對睡眠呼吸機的投訴，例如睡眠呼吸機使您打噴嚏、口乾、鼻塞等，這些問題全都可以透過使用加熱濕潤器來改善。當您啟動睡眠呼吸機時，睡眠呼吸機會從您的睡眠環境中抽取空氣，並通過與鼻罩相連的氣喉將空氣直接吹入您的鼻腔或口腔。因此，您睡房的溫度與睡眠呼吸機輸出的空氣溫度大致上是相同的；我們大部分人都會在夏天開冷氣，在冬天又會開暖爐，兩者同樣會令室內的空氣變得乾燥，這亦意味著吹送到我們口鼻的風一樣乾燥！所以，無論甚麼季節，若要提升睡眠呼吸機的舒適度，我們會建議客人使用加熱濕潤器，適當地調節吹入鼻腔中空氣的溫度及濕度，減少因乾冷空氣對口腔及鼻腔所造成的刺激。

在我們的CPAP呼吸機系列當中，我們的睡眠呼吸機專家顧問會推薦紐西蘭F&P的SleepStyle™呼吸機給對聲音敏感的易醒人士。由於SleepStyle™呼吸機的機芯以三層式隔離設計，利用橡膠和矽膠等物料來吸收呼吸機運作時摩打轉動所發出的聲音。根據原廠說明書內的數據顯示，平均聲量少於35dBA，大概比冷氣機發出的聲音還要小，適合需要寧靜睡眠環境的易醒人士。

我們明白購買睡眠呼吸機絕對不是一個輕率的決定，價錢昂貴，動輒就差不多要五位數字的金額，同時又不確定自己能否適應睡眠呼吸機治療。此外，需要改變睡眠前後的習慣亦不容易，睡眠前後分別需要花時間佩戴及清洗鼻罩及其他配件，也許為忙碌的生活再添加了不少挑戰。 在使用初期，很多人亦由於害怕鼻罩會因輾轉反側而移位，因而在睡眠時不敢隨意活動，造成腰背疼痛。面對睡眠呼吸機不斷輸出的氣壓，初期亦有可能會感到難以呼吸，甚至出現鼻敏感，導致流鼻水或鼻塞的問題。如果鼻罩在佩戴時過緊，亦有可能導致頭痛不適，或在臉上留下深深的壓痕，影響外觀。 縱使有以上的擔憂，但客人必須清楚明白，使用睡眠呼吸機是治療阻塞性睡眠窒息症的黃金標準，是目前最有效的治療方法，同時有效預防因睡眠窒息症而引起的心血管疾病的病情惡化。其實只要在使用初期，有專業的醫療儀器及服務供應商為客人提供適時協助，客人用心學習使用睡眠呼吸機、鼻罩及配件的正確方法，就能大大減低上述問題的出現，亦有助客人度過適應期，順利接受睡眠呼吸機的治療。

作為一間在香港擁有超過20年售賣CPAP呼吸機經驗的合資格醫療儀器供應商，我們應該都稱得上是睡眠呼吸機專家。在我們心目中，一間可靠的呼吸機公司應該要乎合以下基本條件： （一）原廠授權代理 我們明白大家在購物前會有格價的習慣，尤其是呼吸機價錢可以由數千元到數萬元不等，但在格價同時也應該注意產品安全性問題，切勿因為貪圖便宜而選擇來源不明的水貨睡眠呼吸機。有別於日常用品或家電，醫療儀器是直接影響用家自身健康的產品，萬一水貨呼吸機內所使用的零件曾被調包，嚴重可引致治療失當。此外，當您的呼吸機出現問題需要維修或退換時，有可能無法得到原廠提供的保障及支援服務，水貨的呼吸機公司亦有可能向您收取額外的費用為您提供自家不獲原廠授權的檢查及維修服務；您更可能因為無法接收原廠的資訊，而使用了被原廠要求回收的不合格批次貨品，從而蒙受金錢及健康的損失。 （二）提供獨立模擬睡房 CPAP呼吸機價錢動輒就要數千元，因此我們一向強烈建議病人在購買睡眠呼吸機前先試用，以感受呼吸機輸出的氣壓是如何打開受阻的呼吸道，以及體驗佩戴鼻罩連同呼吸機睡覺的感覺。在試用呼吸機及鼻罩時，最好選擇設有獨立睡房的呼吸機公司，不但保障個人私隱，更重要是讓您能夠躺在床上模擬每晚的睡眠（切記是睡床，並非躺椅或沙發），同時讓您能夠獨自在睡房內聽清楚呼吸機是否寧靜。 當然，您亦可以把呼吸機借回家試用，但基於衛生理由，您有機會需要自費購買一套鼻罩；如果您打算借用多個不同型號的睡眠呼吸機回家試用作比較的話，更需要費時多次來回呼吸機公司租借及歸還。所以，最理想還是選擇一間設有獨立模擬睡房的呼吸機公司，讓您安心在內試用睡眠呼吸機後再作租借或購買的決定。 （三）提供完善的售後服務 呼吸機治療是一輩子的，因此完善的售後服務非常重要。對於初次使用呼吸機的病人，在操作上必定會遇到很多難題，透過專業睡眠顧問定期貼心跟進，不但能夠為您提供適時的協助，亦有助您更快度過適應期，確保您得到妥善及理想的治療。除此之外，擁有經驗豐富的技術支援團隊亦非常重要，能夠為您的呼吸機定期進行專業的例行檢查及保養，甚至在呼吸機出現故障時，亦能夠為您提供原廠授權的合資格維修服務。最後，在漫長的呼吸機治療旅途上，專業的教育支援服務亦是不可或缺的一部分，安排醫生講座、製作教育影片、出版及派發教育刊物、舉辦客戶交流活動等，讓您一同成為睡眠呼吸機專家，才是真正成功的呼吸機治療。

在政府給現職和退休公務員的福利中，購買睡眠呼吸機是屬於可申請發還的醫療費用。以基本型號為例，2019年的發還款項上限為$5,800，公務員只需要填妥申請表格，並連同有效的醫生紙和購買睡眠呼吸機的收據，送交衛生署即可。此外，公務員每年亦可以向政府申請津貼，以購買睡眠呼吸機的基本消耗品，包括：鼻罩、氣喉及過濾棉等，以2019年為例，此部分的發還款項上限為$1,900。申請表格可按此到公務員事務局的網站下載，或向您的醫療儀器及服務供應商查詢。

有關攜帶呼吸機去旅行的注意事項，可瀏覽我們的文章 - 《帶呼吸機去旅行Easy Job!》：https://www.sleepkinwood.com/news-2019-vol-3-travel-with-cpap

睡眠呼吸機是醫療儀器產品，它的規格比日常使用的家庭電器為高，一般家庭電器可能不用檢查或保養，只要它們能夠正常運作就可以了；但家用醫療儀器產品（如：睡眠呼吸機）就必須確保它們的運作與性能達到最佳的要求。一般檢查都會用到外置儀器，以檢查輸出的氣壓是否正常、氣流量有否因鼻罩漏氣而自動調整、呼吸機起動和運作時的聲音和震動是否正常、機身表面有沒有破損（如：螢幕、按鈕、電源線）等。因此，定期檢查睡眠呼吸機是有所必要的。

每小時窒息次數（AHI）是一種測量睡眠窒息嚴重程度的常見方法，以表示睡眠時每小時發生呼吸暫停和呼吸不足的平均值。一般來說，每小時窒息5-15次為輕度；15-30次為中度；30次以上便屬於嚴重睡眠窒息症。在正確使用睡眠呼吸機治療的情況下，每小時窒息次數應在5次或以下，表示有效改善您的睡眠窒息情況。

在我們的CPAP呼吸機系列當中，我們的睡眠呼吸機專家顧問會推薦Transcend 3迷你旅行呼吸機，由於它設計輕巧，體積只有手掌般大小，更獲得美國聯邦航空總署（FAA）認可在飛機上使用。另外，Transcend 3備有外置充電式電池，其續航能力平均能夠長達15小時，讓您毋須擔心供電問題，即使停電或露營，仍然能夠隨時隨地接受呼吸機治療。

在使用睡眠呼吸機期間接受血氧測試可以確定治療的成效，確定在使用睡眠呼吸機後，血液內有足夠的氧氣讓身體正常運作。香港的醫護人員一般會要求患者在使用呼吸機後，血氧飽和度能夠達到95-98%的理想水平；如果您在使用睡眠呼吸機後，血氧飽和度仍低於90%，就有可能需要檢查正在使用的鼻罩是否出現漏氣的問題，導致影響了睡眠呼吸機的治療成效。如果正在使用的睡眠呼吸機屬於定壓型號，更有可能需要重新調整其輸出的氣壓度數，以確保您的睡眠窒息症得到妥善的治療。

根據美國醫療護理和醫療救助服務中心（CMS）的建議，呼吸機應該每五年更換一次；美國一般的醫療保險亦支持相關建議。另外，香港政府亦允許公務員每四年申請更換一次呼吸機。

定壓型呼吸機（定壓機）會根據醫生處方的度數，整晚輸出一個固定的氣壓。定壓機的價格一般比較實惠，若患者被診斷為需要使用較高氣壓（如：10度或以上）時，自動機一般能提供較舒適的治療，同時能避免氣壓不足或氣壓過大的情況出現。 由於不同睡眠階段、不同睡姿均可能影響睡眠窒息的情況。每個人每晚的身體狀況可能都會略有不同，例如睡前飲酒或吸煙，均會使呼吸道組織更加鬆弛。而仰睡一般又較側睡更容易引致氣道阻塞。因此，近年來較多客人會選擇自動型睡眠呼吸機（自動機），這種睡眠呼吸機推薦能夠感應使用者全晚不同時間的呼吸道阻塞情況，從而自動調節至最適合的氣壓。當使用者出現氣道阻塞或窒息，睡眠呼吸機會自動增加氣壓打通呼吸道；而當呼吸道回復暢通，它又會自動減低氣壓，使用者無需再承受長期使用高氣壓治療所引致的各種不適。

大部分初次確診患上睡眠窒息症的客人，對於睡眠呼吸機都是沒有概念的。因此，我們會先邀請客人親臨我們公司，讓客人可以在模擬睡房設計的獨立房間內，親身躺在睡床上體驗使用睡眠呼吸機的感覺。如果客人在試用後願意接受以睡眠呼吸機作為睡眠窒息症的治療方案，便可以選擇即時購買睡眠呼吸機了。相反，如果客人在試用後有所顧慮，或不確定自己是否能夠適應呼吸機治療，客人可以選擇租用呼吸機，只需繳付租金、按金，以及購買一套全新的鼻罩配件，即可把呼吸機帶回家試用後再作決定。在客人剛開始購買或租用呼吸機時，我們將會密切跟進您使用睡眠呼吸機的情況，並適時提供協助。

在選購CPAP呼吸機時，最基本要先考慮您需要的是「定壓機」還是「自動機」。定壓呼吸機價錢一般比較便宜，因為定壓機整晚只會根據醫生處方的度數輸出固定的氣壓，如果您所需的氣壓度數比較高，您的口鼻就有可能因此被吹得乾涸不適。而自動呼吸機價錢一般比定壓呼吸機高，因為自動機能夠根據您的窒息情況，自動調配您所需的氣壓度數，讓您無需承受定壓機長時間的高氣壓治療所帶來的不適。 其次，您在進行睡眠呼吸機比較時，可以注意是否支援加熱濕潤器。備有加熱濕潤器的呼吸機亦有兩款，一款是外置式設計，大部分都需要額外付費購買的；亦有一款是內置式設計，相對節省空間。而加熱濕潤器的作用，顧名思義，就是用作調節呼吸機所輸出空氣的溫度和濕度，對於改善口鼻乾燥問題有很大幫助，使用時自然舒服得多。 另外，很多人進行睡眠呼吸機比較的時候，都會著重其體積大小，特別近年市面上推出了不少細小輕巧的「旅行機」，此類型的呼吸機推薦給經常需要到外地公幹或旅遊人士就最適合不過。但需要注意，旅行機運作時摩打轉動所發出的聲音一般會比家用呼吸機大，所以最好先試用再作決定。 此外，當然是比較睡眠呼吸機的功能，例如：呼氣減壓，讓您呼氣時不會與呼吸機輸出的氣壓相撞造成不適。近年，很多呼吸機更配合智能科技，推出手機應用程式及雲端遙距支援服務，讓您能夠隨時隨地掌握自己的治療進度，並且享受到更貼心的跟進服務。 最後，您可以根據個人需要，比較睡眠呼吸機價錢、品牌、產地等因素，選擇出心水的呼吸機型號，然後預約到原廠授權代理的呼吸機公司安排試用，再因應使用時的舒適度及寧靜程度來作出最終決定。

自1981年發明的持續正氣壓睡眠呼吸機（Continuous Positive Airway Pressure）以來，睡眠呼吸機一直是治療阻塞性睡眠窒息症的黃金標準，而且早已被廣泛證實及認同能夠有效消除上呼吸道的阻塞，更能夠顯著改善日間渴睡症狀。 由於阻塞性睡眠窒息症至今仍未出現能夠完全根治的方法，所以醫生普遍都會建議患者使用家用醫療儀器－睡眠呼吸機，因為使用睡眠呼吸機，患者可以避免接受創傷性的手術，功效更是立竿見影，是一種由輕微至嚴重睡眠窒息症患者都適用的治療方案。 睡眠呼吸機的原理是把氣壓從患者的鼻孔位置送入鼻腔，直達咽喉，吹開阻塞呼吸道的組織，以避免窒息的情況出現。

在我們的CPAP呼吸機系列當中，我們的睡眠呼吸機專家顧問會推薦紐西蘭F&P的SleepStyle™自動機給同時患有鼻敏感的睡眠窒息症患者。由於SleepStyle™自動機能夠根據患者的需要，自動調節輸出的氣壓度數，大大減低鼻黏膜長時間受強風刺激導致鼻敏感情況惡化的風險。另外，SleepStyle™自動機內置加熱濕潤器，並配有發熱氣喉選項，這款睡眠呼吸機推介有效幫助舒緩因呼吸機治療而引起的口鼻乾燥問題，保護敏感的鼻腔。

所有睡眠呼吸機都會有一個抽風位置，當大量氣流由這個位置進入睡眠呼吸機，塵埃和其他細小微粒會跟隨氣流一同進入機身，不但對機內製造氣壓的摩打造成傷害，更有機會導致用家身體不適。因此，抽風位置需要有一張高密度過濾棉以隔絕塵埃進入機身內，使機內的摩打和用家的呼吸道均得到妥善的保護。但當呼吸機過濾棉累積了過多的塵埃時，氣流就不能經抽風位置順利通過，用家有可能會因此感到不適（如：翳焗、無氣出等），更會增加睡眠呼吸機摩打的負荷。因此，用家必須依照生產商所發出的呼吸機過濾棉使用指引及更換方法，定期約每三個月更換一次呼吸機過濾棉。

Initially, most customers are not familiar with CPAP machine and sleep apnea. Therefore, we will personally invite them to our company to let them try our machines in a private bedroom. If the customer is pleased with the CPAP treatment, they can buy their own CPAP machine right away. However, if the customer is still unsure about the treatment, they can choose to rent a CPAP machine. This requires rental fees, deposit fees and a new set of accessories. Afterwards, they can bring home the CPAP machine and make the decision of purchasing their own later. For the first few weeks of renting or purchasing, we will keep in close touch and help when needed.

The CPAP machine is a medical product, with a high specification compared to home appliances. Therefore, it must be constantly retained at a high quality to ensure patients are receiving the best treatment. Specialized instruments are used to see whether the air pressure is normal, whether the air flow volume will automatically adjust itself if there is a leak in the nasal mask, whether the CPAP startup, functioning noises and tremors are normal and whether the machine’s surface is damaged (e.g. screen, buttons, power cables). Hence, it is necessary to have regular checkups on your CPAP machine.

Purchasing a CPAP machine is included in the welfare of refundable medical expenses for working or retired civil servants in Hong Kong. An example would be a reimbursement of $5800 when purchasing a basic model in 2019. Civil servants need to complete an application form and provide a valid medical certificate and CPAP machine receipt. This needs to be sent to the department of health to receive the reimbursement. Furthermore, civil servants can request a government subsidy in purchasing CPAP’s accessories every year (e.g. nasal mask, tubing and filter). As an example, in 2019, the reimbursement for these consumables was $1900. You may download the application form on the civil servant bureau website or ask your medical suppliers for more information.

(A) Notify Your Airline Beforehand We highly recommend messaging your airline or going on its website to confirm the details on bringing a CPAP machine before purchasing plane tickets. Every airline has different rules and guidelines for bringing a CPAP machine and it is best you know them beforehand. Also, you must notify the airline 3-5 days prior your flight what your CPAP machine brand and model is. (B) Bring Certified Documents You will be given a certificate from certified medical suppliers with details on your CPAP’s brand, model, dimensions and serial number. You should also bring a valid medical certificate and a CPAP instruction manual as evidence. (C) Bring A Conversion Plug Most CPAP machines can adapt to different international voltages. Before you board the flight, you must know that area’s plug type and bring a corresponding conversion plug. (D) Carry CPAP On Board To prevent your CPAP from getting damaged or lost during the flight, we highly recommend carrying it on board using a travel bag. During the flight, you should place the CPAP machine in front of your seat to keep it safe. (E) Airport Security When going through airport security, you should remove the CPAP machine from the travel bag and allow it to be X-rayed. This will not damage your machine.

Undergoing an oximetry test can confirm the effectiveness of the CPAP treatment, making sure there is enough oxygen in the blood for normal bodily function. Hong Kong medical professionals recommend patients to have a 95%-98% of blood oxygen saturation when using CPAP. If your blood oxygen saturation drops below 90%, check if your nasal mask is properly fitted and any excessive air leakage. If you are using a fixed CPAP machine, you may have to adjust the air pressure to ensure better treatment.

According to CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) in United States, CPAP machines should be changed every five years. This advice is further supported by many American medical insurance companies. The Hong Kong government allows civil servants to apply for a new CPAP machine every four years.

We understand that purchasing a CPAP machine is not an easy decision. It is expensive, with each machine costing around 10,000 HKD. Simultaneously, you may doubt whether you can fully adjust to the treatment. Furthermore, adapting to a new sleep lifestyle is not easy. Before and after you sleep, you must spend time putting on and washing your accessories, which puts more pressure on your schedule. During the first few weeks, many customers fear that moving too much in their sleep will cause the position of the nasal mask to shift, so they fall asleep in uncomfortable positions, causing a backache. Customers also find it hard to breathe due to the increased air pressure, leading to nasal allergies such as a runny or stuffy nose. If the nasal mask is too tight, it can cause headaches or facial indents, affecting the customer’s physical appearance. Despite the concerns listed above, customers should know that the CPAP treatment is the golden standard for improving sleep apnea and other consequential issues like cardiovascular disease. If the customer is provided proper assistance and learns how to use a CPAP machine diligently, they can avoid many of the issues stated above and smoothly transition into the treatment.

Fixed CPAP releases a determined pressure prescribed by the doctor. This machine is also more affordable than automatic CPAP. On the other hand, automatic CPAP adjusts the pressure according to the patient’s current degree of sleep apnea, making it more comfortable to use and preventing occurrence of insufficient or excessive air pressure. Different sleep stages and sleeping positions can affect the degree of sleep apnea. Smoking or drinking alcohol before sleeping will cause airway tissue to loosen, increasing the severity of sleep apnea. Furthermore, sleeping in a supine position increases the chances of airway obstruction compared to sleeping in a lateral position. Automatic CPAP can detect and adjust to the level of airway obstruction by moderating the air pressure, ensuring comfort for people undergoing long-term CPAP treatment. Hence, an increasing number of customers have been purchasing automatic CPAP.

Invented in 1981, CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) is a widely recognized method for treating obstructive sleep apnea. It is the golden standard for improving sleep apnea and other afflictions, such as sleepiness syndrome. Unfortunately, there is no one-off solution for obstructive sleep apnea. Nowadays, doctors strongly advice patients to use CPAP. CPAP is a very efficient method, successfully combating against various degrees of sleep apnea. The theory of CPAP is where an increased air pressure is released into the patient’s nasal cavity and throat, forcing away the tissue blocking the respiratory tract and keeping the airway open, preventing the occurrence of asphyxia.

All CPAP machines have a vent hole which sucks in air to the machine. Along with the air, other fine particles may also go into the machine. This may not only damage the machine’s motor, it will also cause discomfort for the user. Therefore, a high-density filter is placed in front of the vent hole of the machine, protecting the motor and user. Over a period of time, the vent’s efficiency may decrease due to accumulation of dust particles in the filter. Hence, users should follow the guidelines of the manufacturer and regularly change their filter.

AHI is a scale used to indicate the severity of sleep apnea and is presented by the number of apnea and hypopnea events per hour of sleep. An AHI of 5-15 is classified as mild, 15-30 as moderate and 30+ as severe. If your AHI has been lowered to 5 or less after your CPAP treatment, this means you have successfully improved your sleep apnea.

A heated humidifier is an effective tool in CPAP treatment. Customers commonly complain about how the CPAP machine leads to sneezing, a dry mouth and a stuffy nose. These issues can be reduced by using a heated humidifier. When using a CPAP machine, it will extract the surrounding air and release it through the customer’s nasal mask and tubing. Most of the Hong Kong people have a habit of using air-conditioner during the summer and heater in the winter. Both appliances cause the surrounding air to become very dry, meaning the air released through the nasal mask is equally arid. A heated humidifier can adjust the surrounding air to a more comfortable humidity and temperature, lowering the customer’s oral and nasal discomfort.

鼻罩需要每天清洗。而鼻罩的頭帶、可清洗的鼻罩過濾棉（視乎鼻罩款式）、睡眠呼吸機的氣喉，以及下巴托（如適用），亦需要每星期浸洗一次。 【清洗方法】 將氣喉、鼻罩的軟墊部分、鼻罩頭帶（請先把魔術貼貼好）、可清洗的鼻罩過濾棉（視乎鼻罩款式）及下巴托，放入已稀釋的肥皂水內，浸洗約2-3分鐘（不要超過10分鐘），然後以清水徹底沖洗乾淨，再放置在清爽的地方徹底風乾。如果在使用前，配件仍未完全乾透，可以用風筒的冷風吹乾。避免使用洗衣機及乾衣機，以減低配件變形的機會。

市面上有各式各樣不同的鼻罩，主要分為罩鼻式、插鼻式和口鼻全面罩。鼻罩需要配合個人的面形及感覺，選購鼻罩時，應親身到門市試用。根據我們多年的經驗，超過80%的客人都是選擇罩鼻式的，由於它設計輕巧，容易適應。如果不喜歡束縛，同時呼吸機所需的度數較低的客人，可以考慮使用插鼻式；但是如果您有鼻敏感的問題，插鼻式的鼻罩便有可能加劇鼻敏感的症狀，造成鼻乾或流鼻血的情況。如果有嚴重鼻塞或經常張口睡覺的客人，則可以考慮口鼻全面罩，以改善氣壓從嘴巴洩漏的問題。

我們一般會建議客人至少每年更換一套鼻罩。客人亦可以根據鼻罩老化的情況來作判斷，例如：鼻罩軟墊的柔軟程度和頭帶的彈性；如果鼻罩老化問題嚴重，將會造成鼻罩漏氣的問題，令治療效果大大減低。 根據美國醫療護理和醫療救助服務中心（CMS）的建議，呼吸機鼻罩應該每三個月更換一次。而美國一般的醫療保險，亦支持每六個月（半年）更換一次呼吸機鼻罩，以確保治療成效。另外，香港政府一般亦允許公務員每年申請更換一次呼吸機所需的消耗品（包括：鼻罩、鼻罩頭帶、呼吸機喉管、呼吸機過濾棉等）。

呼吸機的加熱濕潤器水兜需要每天清洗，在使用清水及溫和的肥皂清洗乾淨後，必須再用蒸餾水沖洗一次，並即時用抹手紙把它抹乾，再放置在清爽的地方徹底風乾，以避免水兜表面產生水垢；另外，要特別注意水兜邊緣的軟膠部分，如有積水，有可能會滋生霉菌。切記不能放置在陽光直接照射的地方，亦不能以高溫烘乾。如果遇上潮濕的天氣，可使用風筒的冷風、風扇或抽濕機。清潔時，切勿使用漂白劑、消毒抗菌的洗手液或其他含刺激化學成分的清潔劑。

初次使用時，建議對著鏡子佩戴鼻罩。首先，把頭帶套在頭上，再把鼻罩軟墊放置在口鼻位置（視乎鼻罩款式），最後用雙手調節頭帶的鬆緊，太鬆有機會造成漏氣的問題，但如果太緊亦會造成不適，影響治療效果，甚至損壞鼻罩的結構。因此，剛好貼面就可以了。調節頭帶鬆緊時，必須雙手同時拉動，以避免左右不平衡的情況出現，甚至可能會因而導致鼻罩漏氣的問題。

The nasal mask and water chamber need to be cleaned daily. The tubing, chin strap (if needed), headgear and mask’s washable filter (depending which type of nasal mask) need to be cleaned weekly. 【Cleaning the Water Chamber】 After a daily cleansing of the water chamber with water and mild soap, customers must wash it again with distilled water and dry it with a paper towel. Then, they must place it in a cool area to dry. This will prevent scale dirt from happening. Furthermore, note the silicone ring at the edge of the water chamber. Accumulation of stagnant water may cause mold to form. Also, do not place it in a location of direct sunlight or dry it in high temperature. When the weather is humid, customers can use a hairdryer (set to no heat), fan or dehumidifier to dry the water chamber. Do not use bleach, antibacterial hand sanitizer or other stimulating chemical detergents to clean it. 【Cleaning Other Accessories】 Place the tubing, nasal mask cushion, headgear (make sure the Velcro straps are stuck together), washable filter (depending on the type of nasal mask) and chin strap in diluted soap water. Submerge for about 2-3 minutes (not over 10 minutes) and wash away all residue with water, placing it in a cool area to dry. If the accessories are not completely dry, a hairdryer (set to no heat) can be used. To prevent damaging the accessories, avoid using a washing or drying machine.

There are many types of masks on the market. They are classified as nasal masks, direct nasal masks and full-face masks. Masks depend on how the customer feels when they wear it, which is why we highly recommend customers to try on masks before buying it. According to our experience, more than 80% of customers prefer nasal masks because of its lightweight and adaptable design. If you dislike a restrictive design and have a low prescribed pressure, consider using a direct nasal mask. But note that this may cause a dry or bleeding nose if you have chronic nasal allergy. If you have a severely blocked nose or open your mouth when sleeping, consider using a full-face mask to prevent pressure leakage.

Initially, we recommend you put on the nasal mask in front of a mirror. Firstly, place the headgear on your head and the cushioning between your nose and mouth. Finally, adjust the straps on your head. If the mask is too loose, air will leak out. If the mask is too tight, the customer may feel uncomfortable, which will affect the treatment and damage the nasal mask. Do note that you must use both hands when adjusting the straps. This prevents an imbalance in the left or right side, which leads to more air leakage.

In general, we advise customers to change their nasal mask annually. Customers can also change their nasal mask depending on the condition. For example: If their nasal mask has aged severely, it will cause air leakage, reducing the treatment’s efficacy. According to CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) in United States, nasal masks should be changed every three months. The average American medical insurance supports changing a nasal mask every six months. In Hong Kong, civil servants can apply to change their nasal mask accessories annually. This includes a nasal mask, headgear, tubing, and filter.

呼吸機背部的抽氣位置應保持空氣流通，不可有任何雜物遮擋。 抽氣位置應放上過濾棉/過濾紙，並需定期更換，以將空氣中的塵埃隔離；否則，塵埃會被抽入機內，損壞呼吸機的摩打，產生噪音，嚴重可能會引致氣管感染。 使用鼻罩時，不應出現漏氣的情況。 鼻罩應每天清洗，保持清潔；否則，容易造成皮膚敏感或氣道感染。 相關產品：睡眠呼吸機

初用呼吸機時，鼻腔未能適應氣壓而引致的正常現象，可向醫生查詢處方的滴鼻藥水以改善鼻水的情況。 相關產品：睡眠呼吸機

定壓型呼吸機（定壓機）會根據醫生處方的度數，整晚輸出一個固定的氣壓，從患者鼻孔位置直達鼻腔、咽喉，吹開阻塞組織，以避免窒息的情況出現。定壓機的價格一般比其他類型的呼吸機較為經濟實惠，但舒適度就相對偏低。 當患者被診斷為需要使用較高氣壓（10度或以上）時，自動機一般能提供較舒適的治療，同時能避免氣壓不足或氣壓過大的情況出現。 相關產品：睡眠呼吸機

如出現眼乾/眼痛，應該是因為鼻罩貼近眼睛的位置出現漏氣。您可以嘗試把耳朵上方的頭帶略為拉緊；亦可能是頭帶或鼻罩尺碼過大或過小，您或需考慮更換合適您的配件。 相關產品：睡眠呼吸機

不同睡眠階段、不同睡姿均可能影響睡眠窒息的情況。每個人每晚的身體狀況可能都會略有不同，例如睡前飲酒或吸煙，均會使呼吸道組織更加鬆弛。而仰睡一般又較側睡更容易引致氣道阻塞。 自動型呼吸機（自動機）能感應使用者全晚不同時間的呼吸模式，而自動調節至最適合的氣壓。當用者出現氣道阻塞或窒息，呼吸機會自動增加氣壓打通呼吸道；而當呼吸道回復暢通，又會自動減低氣壓，患者無需再承受長期使用高氣壓治療所引致的各種不適。 相關產品：睡眠呼吸機

如出現口乾/舌乾，很大機會是因為您張口睡覺，您可考慮使用下巴托改善相關問題。 相關產品：睡眠呼吸機

自1981年發明正氣壓呼吸機以來，呼吸機一直是治療阻塞性睡眠窒息症是黃金標準，而且早已被廣泛證實及認同能有效消除上呼吸道的阻塞，更能夠顯著改善因睡眠窒息症而引起的日間渴睡症狀。 阻塞性睡眠窒息症至今仍未出現能夠完全根治的方法，而醫生普遍都會建議患者使用家用醫療機械儀器－睡眠呼吸機，因為使用呼吸機，患者可以避免接受創傷性的手術，功效更是立竿見影，是一種由輕微至嚴重睡眠窒息症患者都適用的治療方案。患者只需透過長期使用呼吸機以控制病情，一般建議每晚使用不少於4小時。而睡眠呼吸機主要可分為兩類：定壓機及自動機。 相關產品：睡眠呼吸機

選購呼吸機時，主要的考慮因素包括： 機身重量是否合適？ 寧靜程度是否滿意？ 如經常需要出外旅遊/公幹，呼吸機有沒有提供國際電壓？ 您是否需要使用加熱濕潤器以減低喉部及鼻腔的乾涸情況？ 當然，選擇一個沒有負擔壓力的價錢亦是重要一環。其次要考慮的就是選擇一個合適的鼻罩/全面罩，合適的配件絕對有助用機更事半功倍。 相關產品：睡眠呼吸機

兒童患上睡眠窒息症及鼻鼾，可能會引致明顯的行為及學習困難、專注力差、過度活躍，智商甚至會較平均的低。兒童患上睡眠窒息症亦會導致高血壓。有報告更證實患有睡眠窒息症的兒童晚上睡覺時，需要消耗更多精力，如不及早診治，絕對會影響他們的身心發展。 相關產品：SALINplus™微米鹽空氣淨化機

大部分患有這種睡眠疾病人士，在減磅後，情況都會有所改善，呼吸機的度數也能夠減少；若屬輕微患者，甚至有根治的可能。 不過，同時亦有很多有睡眠窒息情的肥胖人士，因上呼吸道長期有脂肪積聚，減磅後，上呼吸道的肌肉組織可能因此失去彈性，變得鬆弛，這樣在晚上睡眠時，仍會因肌肉鬆弛而引致氣道受阻。因此，減磅後，窒息情況仍然有存在的可能。 但總括而言，減磅對整體的心肺功能始終都是百利而無一害的。 相關產品：睡眠呼吸機

若體型非過胖，卻有睡眠窒息情況的人士，通常會有以下特徵，而有部分特徵從面部輪廓也可知悉，這些特徵容易引致咽喉狹窄，增加患上的機會： 上顎骨扁平 下顎骨細小（下巴短且窄） 上顎面長而窄 扁桃腺肥大 吊鐘肥大 舌頭肥大 相關產品：ZQuiet止鼾器

睡眠窒息症患者當中，有八成半同時患有高血壓！事實證明兩者之間有非常密切的關連。 心血管疾病是全球頭號殺手，每年可致超過一千七百萬人死亡。心臟專科醫生指，應及早控制「三高」等慢性疾病；若晚上呼吸不順、血壓偏高、鼻鼾聲大，需及早求診。因為高血壓患者好大機會同時患有睡眠窒息症，而睡眠窒息症亦會大大增加患者患上冠心病及中風等風險！ 香港心臟專科學院院士陳柏羲醫生亦表示，高血壓與睡眠窒息症之所以息息相關，皆因睡眠窒息症令患者缺氧，血管張力減低，導致血壓升高，從而引發高血壓病情加劇。所以，一般只要連續12個月使用治愈睡眠窒息症的睡眠呼吸機，即可讓七成頑固性高血壓患者減低對藥物的依賴，並有效降低血壓。因此，建議高血壓患者接受睡眠測試。 延伸閱讀：【頑固性高血壓易睡眠窒息】 相關產品：家中睡眠測試、睡眠呼吸機

鼻鼾是阻塞勻睡眠窒息症的特徵之一，而香港學童中，有超過百分之十五患有鼻鼾。兒童患上睡眠窒息症最常見的原因是由於增殖腺扁桃腺肥大，這情況最常在3-6歲時發生；肥胖亦是另一重要原因，過胖兒童患睡眠窒息症的機會較正常體重兒童高出10倍！其他患病原因包括：唐氏綜合症、頭骨異常、神經肌肉紊亂發喉軟化。 相關產品：SALINplus™微米鹽空氣淨化機

肥胖人士在睡眠時，頸部附近的脂肪組織會壓迫氣管等呼吸道，阻礙呼吸氣流通過，引起打鼾、呼吸不足，嚴重甚至會出現呼吸暫停的情況，亦即是屬「阻塞性」。肥胖更是促使高血壓惡化，或是引發糖尿病及心臟病等併發症的導火線。 延伸閱讀：STOP BANG 自我睡眠檢測問卷 / ESS渴睡指數測量表

依據身高與體重的比例判斷的BMI體重指標，是最常被用以判定是否肥胖的方法。根據世界衛生組織（WHO）為亞洲區訂定的指標，亞洲成年人標準的BMI範圍是18.5-23，而25以上已為肥胖。 延伸閱讀：STOP BANG 自我睡眠檢測問卷

嚴重性是根據AHI指數（指：每小時睡眠中出現的全窒息及半窒息次數）及缺氧程度來決定。患有明顯症狀的病人一般的AHI都在20次或以上，而最低的血含氧量亦可能少於80%。 相關產品：家中睡眠測試

Each MedCline J-Shaped Therapeutic Body Pillow comes with a white premium velvet pillowcase that can be removed and washed in a washing machine with cold water. If needed, you can use a non-chlorine bleach. It can be tumble dried on low heat (but the process should not be too long, and it should be taken out of the machine as soon as the drying cycle is complete). Additionally, you can purchase a separate premium velvet cover from the original manufacturer, which is available in three colors: white, gray, and blue. The pillow itself cannot be washed in a washing machine. If necessary, you can gently clean it with a towel, but remember to ensure it is thoroughly dried before placing it back into the pillowcase.

The time and process for everyone to adapt to the MedCline J-Shaped Therapeutic Body Pillow are different. For some people, it needs time to adapt to using the pillow, while for others, the transition may be very easy. If you encounter difficulties in adapting to the pillow, try to be patient and give yourself some time to let your body adapt to the new support method. You can also use the traditional pillow and the MedCline J-Shaped Therapeutic Body Pillow alternately, and then gradually increase the time of using MedCline J-Shaped Therapeutic Body Pillow until you are fully adapted.

Most pregnant women will experience low back pain due to the increasing weight of the growing baby, especially in the last phase of the pregnancy. If he pregnant women are used to sleeping on their backs, which is not hard to imagine that the big belly with the growing baby will press their lower back throughout the time asleep. Therefore, pregnant women can use pregnancy pillows or bolsters to ease the discomforts of pregnancy. In addition to low back pain, many pregnant women also suffer from severe snoring during pregnancy. This may due to the changes of the hormones and the body weight, which can narrow the upper airway and cause trouble breathing. This not only reduces the blood oxygen level that may affect the development of the fetus, but also increases the risk of gestational hypertension due to hypoxia. Therefore, many medical professionals recommend that pregnant women use pregnancy pillow or bolster to help them sleep on their left side during sleep, so as to improve the blood circulation of the body, to keep the airway opens, and improve the overall sleep quality of pregnant women. When choosing pregnancy pillow or bolster, you can consider the shape first. An effective pregnancy pillow or bolster is generally full-length and “U” or “J” shaped design, so it can comfortably support and protect the pregnant women’s shoulders, neck, back and baby bump, to reduce the burden on the lower back. Also, the long limb of the body pillow should be able to position between the knees, to help disperse the weight and pressure of the body, so as to reduce the occurrence of pregnancy leg cramps. Secondly, you should also aware the design details of the pregnancy pillow or bolster, it better has removable and washable pillowcases to ensure the pillow’s hygiene. Last but not least, it is necessary to pay attention to whether the pillow is made of outer seam and sewn with any buttons, which may cause a foreign body sensation and feel uncomfortable during use.

MedCline offers two size options for side-sleeping pillows in Hong Kong. Those with a height of 5'1" or below can choose the smaller size, while those with a height of 5'2" or above can choose the medium to large size. Additionally, we recommend customers to visit our store to try out both sizes in person before purchasing to compare which one fits more comfortably and suits their body shape. When purchasing, please note that the longer side of the J-shaped side-sleeping pillow should extend sufficiently between your knees. At the same time, the gap between the long and short sides should provide just enough support for your body front and back. If the space is too wide, it will not stably support your body to maintain side sleeping. Conversely, if the space is too narrow, it may affect your comfort and even breathing during sleep. Therefore, in addition to referring to the manufacturer's height recommendations, we also recommend customers to visit our store for a personal trial.

Due to the force of gravity, when we sleep on our backs, the tongue and the loose soft tissues of the throat will collapse, blocking part of our airway. When you breathe, air rushes into the narrow passage, vibrating the loose soft tissues, and causing loud snoring. However, when we sleep on our side, the loose soft tissues or muscles of the throat will collapse on the wall of the airway instead of hanging in the centre of the airway, which can effectively reduce the vibration caused and reduce snoring. Therefore, when purchasing side sleeper pillows, you must pay attention on its effectiveness, which should be able to provide sufficient support for the front and the rear of your body. At the same time, it should be allowing your body to comfortably maintain the side sleeping posture throughout your time asleep. Also, the height of the side sleeper pillow should be able to adjust freely to help you take pressure off your shoulders and hips which caused by side sleeping.

The principle of MedCline J-Shaped Therapeutic Body Pillow for improving snoring is much the same as for improving sleep apnea. Since both snoring and sleep apnea are related to the narrowed airway, using bolster and side sleeper pillow to help maintain side sleeping posture throughout the time asleep allows the loose soft tissues or muscles of the throat to collapse against the wall of the airway instead of hanging in the centre of the airway, which will help reduce the possibility of airway obstruction. So theoretically, MedCline can also help to improve snoring and sleep apnea. According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), in addition to CPAP, people with mild to moderate sleep apnea may also consider positional therapy (side sleeping) or oral appliance as one of the treatment options. Remarks: sleep apnea can increase the risk of developing serious cardiovascular disease. If you suspect that you have sleep apnea, you should seek medical advice as soon as possible to receive professional sleep test, and understand the most suitable and effective treatment options for you.

The small-sized MedCline J-Shaped Therapeutic Body Pillow is 45" long, 18" wide, and 5" height. The medium-to-large-sized pillow is 50" long, 22" wide, and 6" height. The longer and shorter sides of the pillow can be placed in front or behind based on personal preference, but the longer side must be place between the knees.

We believe that buying the MedCline J-Shaped Therapeutic Body Pillow is similar to buying a traditional pillow, and it is necessary to try it out personally to find the one that suits you best. Our store has multiple independent simulated bedrooms, where customers can visit in person. Our customer service staff will explain the correct usage of the pillow to you in detail and arrange a trial for you. There is no limit on the trial time for pillow, allowing you to slowly experience the comfort which brings to your sleep. If you are interested, please reach us at 31060033 or WhatsApp 66269538 to make an appointment for a trial at our store.

Actually, there is a big difference between bolster and side sleeper pillow. Most of the bolster on Hong Kong market are cylinder-shaped, for hugging or cuddling while sleeping, helping you to relax and feel secure, so you may fall asleep faster. Side sleeper pillows are mainly designed with a 3D structure to fit your cervical curve when you sleep on your side, so as to protect your spine health. There are various choices of pillows on the Hong Kong market, and MedCline J-Shaped Therapeutic Body Pillow is a rare combination of bolster and side sleeper pillow. It is not only designed for people who already have a habit of sleeping on their side, but also for those who need positional therapy to improve their health*, and help people change their sleeping positions from sleeping on their backs, stomachs or other sleeping postures to side sleeping. Therefore, MedCline not only has the cylindrical design from the traditional bolster, but also upgraded to full-length and J-shaped design, providing proper support for your back to knees, allowing you to maintain a good side sleeping posture whole night, and reduce the possibility that you will rolling to your back or into other sleeping positions unconsciously during sleep. In addition, it also gives enough support to your head and neck, as well as helps you take pressure off your shoulders and hips which caused by side sleeping. *People who need positional therapy to improve their health, the health problems include snoring and low back pain. In addition, it is also suitable for pregnant women to use as pregnancy pillow or side sleeper pillow, which helps to improve the snoring problem caused by the hormonal changes during pregnancy and relieve the low back pain caused by the weight of your growing baby and uterus.

In fact, most people are suitable for using the MedCline J-Shaped Therapeutic Body Pillow. As long as its height allows you to maintain the natural curves of your spine when sleeping on your side, it is suitable for you to use as a bolster and a side sleeper pillow. If you have lower back pain or are pregnant, when purchasing a bolster or a pregnancy pillow, you need to pay attention to whether the length of the bolster or pregnancy pillow is able to position between your knees; if not, you should add an extra pillow and put it between your knees, this will help align your neck, hips and body for neutral joint positioning in the ideal side-sleeping position, in order to protect the health of your spine, relieve the low back pain caused by side sleeping, and avoid leg cramps during pregnancy.

This may be due to the fact that you often eat big meal before going to bed, and often drink carbonated beverages or drinks containing stimulants such as caffeine and alcohol. These poor eating and living habits will increase the secretion of gastric acid and the production of stomach gas. In addition, if there is not enough time for the stomach to complete the digestion process after meal, and lie down to rest directly during the digestion process, based on the fact that LES will open from time to time after meal to release the stomach gas, while the body is lying down, especially when sleeping on your back or sleeping on the right side, the stomach will be higher than the LES, causing gastric acid to easily flow back up from the LES to the esophagus. That’s why acid reflux is always occur when you lie down and sleep. If your sleep quality is often affected by acid reflux, it is recommended that you consult a doctor as soon as possible to alleviate the symptoms of acid reflux through prescription drugs or positional therapy (sleeping on left side).

Acid reflux can affect social life, mental health, daily sleeping and eating. The discomfort caused by acid reflux includes chest pain, heartburn, nausea, cough or painful swallowing. The acid reflux process can be very torturous, so patients may be afraid of eating, worry that acid reflux may occur again after each meal, or even feel embarrassed about the possibility of nausea and vomiting after eating , so they are unwilling to attend social gatherings, affecting their social life, and will also have a certain impact on personal emotions and psychology in the long run. In addition, long-term gastric acid reflux, the teeth may also be damaged by stomach acid, leading to problems such as tooth decay and bad breath, which will also affect the appearance. Lastly, because acid reflux has a higher chance to happen during sleep, because when we sleep on our backs and on the right side, the stomach is higher than the LES, with weakened function of the LES, stomach acid is easier flow back up into the esophagus, causing discomfort such as heartburn, unable to enjoy a good sleep, and then affecting the performance of school, work or daily life during the daytime. Therefore, if you have been suffering from acid reflux for a long time, do not take the problem lightly and seek professional medical advices for acid reflux as soon as possible.

Doctors usually perform gastroscopy on patients to check whether the patient has esophagitis caused by gastric acid reflux into the esophagus, and evaluate the severity of esophagitis; in addition, gastroscopy can also rule out other digestive system diseases, such as: peptic ulcer, gastric cancer and esophagus cancer, etc. Secondly, the use of Proton Pump Inhibitor (PPI) for examination is also a common diagnostic method. This method can achieve the therapeutic effect at the same time, because when the patient takes the prescribed PPI for about 2-4 weeks, and the symptoms such as heartburn are resolved, which means the patient had acid reflux. On the contrary, if the symptoms persist, other health problems may be involved, and further medical examinations may need to be arranged.

According to a research report published by The Hong Kong Society of Gastrointestinal Motility in 2020, the percentage of physical discomfort caused by acid reflux at least once a week has increased significantly by 39% between 2011 and 2017. It is estimated that every 17 people in Hong Kong have 1 person suffers from acid reflux, and the total number may be as high as 428,000. As for GERD, with a prevalence rate of 3.8%, it is estimated that it also affects more than 200,000 adults in Hong Kong, which deserves our attention.

If acid reflux often occurs during sleep, you need to review your diet and living habits first, avoid eating 2-3 hours before going to bed, and avoid drinking carbonated beverages or stimulant drinks containing caffeine and alcohol before going to bed , to reduce gastric acid secretion and stomach gas production. Then, you may take a doctor-prescribed medication before bed to suppress the amount of gastric acid secretion and reduce the chance of gastric acid flow back up to the esophagus. If the power of drug does not last all night and the problem of acid reflux still occurs during sleep, you can use a side sleeping pillow to help you sleep on the left side, or use an acid reflux relief pillow (or wedge pillow) at the same time, tilt and lift the upper body slightly, to keep the LES above the stomach to reduce the chance of gastric acid flow back up into the esophagus during sleep.

On the night of the home sleep apnea test, you should reduce water consumption before going to bed to avoid going to the toilet in the middle of your sleep, which may affect the test result. You should also avoid drinking caffeinated or alcoholic beverages, and avoid strenuous activity, to prevent insomnia or affect sleep quality. You should not take sleeping pills as well, since medicines may affect the accuracy of the test result. During the home sleep apnea test, it is recommended to turn on the air conditioner to keep the sleeping environment dry and comfortable. You don’t need to try keeping yourself in a single position all night long, you can change your sleeping positions you want as your daily sleep. Please remember that at least 4 hours of sleep data must be recorded (calculated after falling asleep) for a successful test result. If you have a cold or the flu or any other illnesses, you should make a new appointment after your recovery. If multi-night sleep test is required, a new battery must be replaced each night to prevent sleep data from being recorded due to battery drain during the test.

As some sleep test devices on the market do not meet the international standards, and the reports have not been manually reviewed by a Registered Polysomnographic Technologist (RPSGT), those reports maybe just simply automatically generated by a computer program, which means that there are some data should not be counted, such as the events before falling asleep or going to the toilet in the middle of sleep, will also be counted in the report. This may affect the accuracy of the result, and this is why those companies’ offers are cheaper. In addition, the companies with cheaper offer may not submit the reports to the Hong Kong specialists for confirmation, so the accuracy of the results cannot be verified. Therefore, please don’t ruin your health and make decision which just based on the price, you should do researches and seek medical advice before the home sleep apnea test. If you are looking for a home sleep test, here are some friendly tips about how to choose a good one: - It is essential to know if the sleep apnea testing device meets the international standards. - You must need to understand the sensitivity and specificity of the sleep apnea testing device. - It is important to know whether the recorded sleep data has been manually reviewed by a Registered Polysomnographic Technologist (RPSGT). - You must also need to know whether the sleep apnea test report will be reviewed and signed by a Hong Kong specialist for confirmation. - It is important to understand if the sleep apnea test cannot be successfully completed on the first night, will that company offer a free multi-night backup test until the required sleep data is successfully recorded. - You must need to know whether there are professional biomedical engineers and technicians provide you with technical support, explain the operation of the device and the whole sleep test process in detail. - Last but not least, it is necessary to know whether there is a professional consultant to explain and analyze the content of the report to you after completing the sleep apnea test. If you have any questions when choosing home sleep testing services, please call our professional sleep health consultant at 6188 3890 (Sharon).

Many customers only focus on the price when choosing a home sleep apnea test. Of course, the price is important, but what is more important must be the accuracy of the test! The sensitivity and specificity of the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) of our home sleep apnea test compared to the in-lab sleep test are 100% identical. This means that our home sleep apnea test can successfully and accurately define whether a patient has sleep apnea. In addition, it is also necessary to pay attention to whether the report of the sleep apnea test is recognized by Hong Kong medical professionals, which means the sleep apnea test report must be signed and confirmed by a Hong Kong specialist. This is very important for the future treatment of the customers, and it will help the medical professionals to follow up the progress of the treatment to ensure that you have received a proper treatment and no unnecessary medical products were misused. If you are looking for a home sleep apnea test, it is important for you to keep in mind the above practical tips.