Why CPAP?
“I have actually known I had sleep apnea for a number of years, I just didn’t do anything about it,” says Bill, a CPAP user. “Waking up that second morning in the lab was amazing. I felt like a ten-year old who had polished off a pot of coffee. I couldn’t believe how completely refreshed I felt! It was truly like the difference between day and night.” Sleep determines what you can get out of your day. It can affect how well you think, react, work, learn, and get along with others. Like Bill, many with sleep apnea have simply lived with it, sometimes for decades never seeing the benefits of a restful night. CPAP is the easiest and safest way to get your days back.
CPAP stands for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure. As the name suggests, it applies pressure to the airways thereby opening them and enabling unhindered breathing. The two components of CPAP therapy is the CPAP machine and the mask. The machine supplies the pressure and the mask ensures a comfortable seal to allow the pressure to be applied. The mechanism is simple, thus there are no side-effects to this treatment and is completely safe.
There are three main types of masks: Full-face masks, nasal masks, and nasal pillow masks. Full-face masks cover both the nose and mouth which is necessary for CPAP users who breathe from their mouth when sleeping. Nasal and nasal pillow masks only cover the nose. Nasal pillow masks are more minimal and simply have a cushion that fits under the nostrils while nasal masks fit around the nose. The extra structure of a nasal mask is beneficial for someone who moves around a lot in their sleep while the minimalism of the nasal cushion masks is beneficial for those who want the full field of view for reading or watching TV. It leaves the top of the nose free for glasses. This variety of masks allows comfortable usage of CPAP for all kinds of people and uses.
The significance of obstructive sleep apnea is largely understated. According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine in 2017, at least 12 percent of adults in the U.S have obstructive sleep apnea. Of those, 80% are undiagnosed. Like for Bill, CPAP can bring new energy to the days of this 80%. It also reduces risk of sequelae, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. Because it is effective and safe, if you suspect you have obstructive sleep apnea treat yourself with CPAP therapy!