I keep reading about Pur-sleep

floppysleeper · Post by **floppysleeper** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 6:04 pm

What the heck is it?

BadBreath · Post by **BadBreath** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 6:10 pm

Take a look here:

http://www.pur-sleep.com/

floppysleeper · Post by **floppysleeper** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 7:07 pm

Okay....I am going to try it. I know that smells work for me. I smell a good roast beef and gain 10 pounds lol.

StillAnotherGuest · Post by **StillAnotherGuest** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 6:56 am

I am just so not crazy about the use of this stuff for 6-8 hours a night. Namni Goel of Wesleyan University demonstrated that simply 4 snorts of lavender before bed had beneficial activity, so why is more assumed to be better?

More importantly, she also noted that

Current depressed state affected mood response, with lavender increasing anger in depressed subjects only. In addition, depressed subjects and men, whether or not depressed, exhibited diurnal mood variation, with better mood in the evening; the former group also showed more evening energy. All subjects were more confused in the morning than evening. Season also affected transient mood; winter/spring-tested subjects reported more vigor than fall-tested subjects. In addition, summer-tested subjects showed more tension in the morning, whereas fall-tested subjects showed the opposite pattern in the evening. In all subjects, lavender increased fatigue, tension, confusion, and total mood disturbance, and it decreased vigor. The study showed that both chronobiological (seasonal and time-of-day) and clinical factors modify discrimination and mood response to odors. Brief lavender odor presentation may serve as a nonphotic method for altering mood in young depressed and nondepressed adults particularly during the fall, a time of heightened discriminability.

in

Olfactory Discrimination and Transient Mood Change in Young Men and Women: Variation by Season, Mood State, and Time of Day

I read your posts on the other forum, so I'm suggesting that a little caution might be exercised here. There's plenty of information out there that supports aromatherapy, but direct infusion over prolonged periods may be another issue.
SAG

Pam · Post by **Pam** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 7:21 am

Hi Floppysleeper,

I've only been on cpap for 3 weeks and pur-sleep for almost 2 weeks, and it has really helped me.

As far as the university study goes, I would not consider the results of it until I knew how many subjects was tested, was it 5, 100, or 1,000. The smaller the amount of subjects the less reliable the results. Also for how long was this study done? That will also make a difference. The study also only tested lavender.

Having said that, it is true we do not know the longgggggg term effects. But for me the benefits I get from using pur-sleep far out weighs any possible negative effects in the farrrrr future. It would be like mabye I shouldn't take some of my prescription medications because of the possible side effects. Do the benefits out way the possible side effects?

I wonder also if this wouldn't fall into the same category as scented candles (which I burn throughout my home all day long). Have for years and no negative effect yet.

Have a great day, God bless you and yours
Pam[/u]

SleepGuy · Post by **SleepGuy** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 7:58 am

Hey SAG--I just would like to note that Dr. Goel was looking specifically at the therapeutic effects of lavender on sleep. In the study, dosage was an important variable. In other studies focusing on the role of aromatics in memory creation during sleep and the ability of aromatics to cause people to wake up, aromatics have been applied during sleep in a variety of ways. But all of those studies are studying the effects of olfaction on sleep in the clininical sense--they measure brain waves including through fMRI processes.

The pur-sleep products are not marketed as being therapeutic in the same sense as over-the-counter sleep aids etc. To be sure, there may be therapeutic benefits (such as in the case of lavender) but that's not the focus of the products. The pur-sleep products are intended to diffuse a small amount of a pleasant aromatic in order to make the xPAP experience more tolerable. Many people are bothered by stale air and plastic smells and the pur-sleep products effectively cover up those smells and create a more pleasant and comfortable environment. Most people find that they are more comfortable with their equipment and are able to relax better with pur-sleep.

The idea is not much different than playing pleasant music to mask xPAP noise. There are studies that pleasant music may stimulate and relax the brain in positive ways during sleep (anyone familiar with Suzuki music theory understands that) but that effect would not be the primary point of using music to cover up xPAP noise.

And again, we're talking about extremely small amounts of aromatics--1 to 2 drops. The aromatics are gone in the first hour or two, with perhaps an extremely small amount of residual smell. This application is very similar to using a few drops of lavender essential oil on one's pillowcase, a longstanding aromatherapy practice.

For anyone concerned about essential oil safety--the risks of being exposed to a few drops of essential oil--I would invite you to look up what most people consider to be the leading work on the subject: Essential Oil Safety by Robert Tisserand.

goose · Post by **goose** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 12:14 pm

Hey Floppysleeper --
I've been using the Pur Sleep for about 6-8 weeks now with no noticeable adverse affects. The way it is used is essentially the same as a stick of incense without the smoke (I am a habitual incense burner), or some of those room deodorizers that you plug in.
It is not "in line" to the air stream, the intake just picks up the fragrance the same way your nose would naturally. I don't believe it could be considered a "direct infusion" in any way (I would be very careful with any "system" that had an inline diffuser!!!).

I for one appreciate the Pur Sleep system so that I don't have to smell the plastic odorl of my equipment, hose and mask. For me, the fragrance only lasts a couple hours with some residual in the pad (as sleep guy has said in his post), but that small residual keeps the plastic odor in check.

Give it a try and let us know how it works for you!!!
cheers
goose

lilsheba · Post by **lilsheba** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 3:13 pm

Do it do it do it get the pur-sleep. I've been using it a few weeks and I love it. And the smells are wonderful. I've had zero problems. Some are worried about it being harmful to cats, but my cats don't even bother with it...so as long as you either A: don't have cats or B: they don't go near it it's all good.

StillAnotherGuest · Post by **StillAnotherGuest** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 7:11 pm

Pam wrote:As far as the university study goes, I would not consider the results of it until I knew how many subjects was tested, was it 5, 100, or 1,000. The smaller the amount of subjects the less reliable the results. Also for how long was this study done? That will also make a difference. The study also only tested lavender.

There were a total of 169 subjects, 98 women and 71 men (mean age ± SD, 19.3 ± 1.6 y) participated, with different subjects studied at different times of the year.

Having said that, it is true we do not know the longgggggg term effects.

I am in a situation that requires me to have the answer to that, or at least a reasonably good explanation. I think a good way to look at product safety would be to look at PFTs. As noted in my other response,

What Would You Look For

Objectively, I think it would be of great help to study Pulmonary Function Values in those people who are using EO this way. The two areas of concern would be the alveolar surface (monitored by diffusion) and airway involvement (monitored in flowrates such as the FEF25-75%). Especially if there is a heated humidifier as well.

But for me the benefits I get from using pur-sleep far out weighs any possible negative effects in the farrrrr future. It would be like mabye I shouldn't take some of my prescription medications because of the possible side effects. Do the benefits out way the possible side effects?

There are plenty of other ways to safely and effectively adminster aromatherapy. Further, it should only be one facet of an overall program of sleep hygiene. Maybe even combine stuff like a warm bath with lavender-scented soap.

Yeah, I keep bringing up lavender, but that's the one that seems to have the most supportive data on it. (Hey, doing double-blind studies is tough with EO. You think a blindfold would prevent you from telling the difference between water and lavender?)

The Aromatherapist told me a bunch of other sleep-promoting EOs - jasmine, chamomile, mandarin, bunch of herbs, forgot what... maybe there's a ginko EO.
SAG

sleepycarol · Post by **sleepycarol** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 7:24 pm

Becareful when using lavender as it can trigger some people's asthma so if you have asthma I would suggest you try it prior to using at bedtime. It really plays havoc with my asthma and I can not tolerate even small amounts of lavender.

SleepGuy · Post by **SleepGuy** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 9:42 pm

SAG, I would also note that aromatic molecules, by definition, are extremely small and, according to Tisserand in "Essential Oil Safety" are readily absorbed through lung tissue into the bloodstream. There is no mention by Tisserand or any other sources I have consulted regarding essential oil safety of essential oils "collecting" in lung tissue or otherwise interfering with pulmonary function because the molecules are so readily absorbed into the body. To be sure, one must be careful with aromatherapy precisely because the compounds are absorbed through the lungs and into the bloodstream.

It is interesting that products like Vicks that have been on the market for generations and are intended to be inhaled all night aren't also at issue under your rationale. Perhaps there have been some pulmonary function studies on those products that would be relevant, with the caveat that many applications of Vicks also contain petroleum jelly and other fatty acid bases that certainly could be implicated in lipoid pnemonia (a form of lung damage/disease caused by exposure to fatty acid oils, which (unlike essential oils) do collect in the lungs. In fact, there's a recent study about lung damage caused from breathing hot oils from microwave popcorn. Of course none of those concerns apply to essential oils which are "oils" in name only because they are hydrophobic.

StillAnotherGuest · Post by **StillAnotherGuest** » Wed Sep 26, 2007 4:24 am

SleepGuy wrote:There is no mention by Tisserand or any other sources I have consulted regarding essential oil safety of essential oils "collecting" in lung tissue or otherwise interfering with pulmonary function because the molecules are so readily absorbed into the body. To be sure, one must be careful with aromatherapy precisely because the compounds are absorbed through the lungs and into the bloodstream.

It is interesting that products like Vicks that have been on the market for generations and are intended to be inhaled all night aren't also at issue under your rationale. Perhaps there have been some pulmonary function studies on those products that would be relevant, with the caveat that many applications of Vicks also contain petroleum jelly and other fatty acid bases that certainly could be implicated in lipoid pnemonia (a form of lung damage/disease caused by exposure to fatty acid oils, which (unlike essential oils) do collect in the lungs.

Ahhh, lipoid pneumonia. There's a subject that brings back memories....

Welcome to Cpaptalk, SAG!

Of Course I Respect Your Views, You Idiot!

Those were the good ol' days...

But you're right, that wouldn't be the mechanism for potential lung damage.
SAG

SleepGuy · Post by **SleepGuy** » Wed Sep 26, 2007 5:38 pm

SAG, that war happened before my time - I hadn't ever read those threads till this morning and I've been chuckling about some of those posts all day. Where's Ric when you need him for a good belly laugh?

azaloune · Post by **azaloune** » Thu Sep 27, 2007 5:27 pm

Back in July, I answered a request for people struggling with treatment to test pur-sleep. I received a diffuser, 2 pads, and 3 oils to test drive. I had such good luck with it, when my husband began his Bi-PAP treatment; I ordered and paid for the deluxe starter kit with all the flavors.
We both use our own favorite scents each night. We love it. While we don’t use it every night, we do use it most nights. Sequoia likes the Spice scent, I like Clear, Deep, Comfort, Peace, and Cream. I love the Paradise and Rosa as flavors for other uses in other rooms, just to freshen things up. I have used both of them on an oil diffuser at work. I have a high stress job, so, it is important to use anything to keep the world calm around me. They work very well to keep co-workers from tearing each other’s hair out.

I use a combination of 2 oils together most of the time. Clear and Deep together is my favorite, I also like Comfort and Cream together as well as Clear and Peace together.

I have used lots of essential oils in the last 2 decades, before they were available lots of places. I love these for their calming and sleep assistance. I can see me using them for a long time to come.
I have lots of friends & family that are on CPAP, I am thinking about buying the 3 oil starter kit for birthday presents next year.

I recommend this product for anyone who loves smelling scents other than sterilized, filtered air.

Thanks SleepGuy for a Great Product!!

kavanaugh1950 · Post by **kavanaugh1950** » Thu Sep 27, 2007 11:46 pm

By all means try the pur sleep. I have been using it for a year or so and I hate sleeping without it. The scents are so soothing. I like clear, especially when my nose is stuffy. spice is a lovely scent and reminds me of thanksgiving dinner smells. I absolutely love deep, its a lime and licorice smell and I find it very refreshing. I think you will really enjoy the product and the service at pur sleep is great. pat

I keep reading about Pur-sleep

I keep reading about Pur-sleep

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