Wednesday, January 18, 2017

CPAP Equipment

When a person with sleep apnea considers all the options for treatment they may be tempted to not choose any of them. The options are limited, CPAP Equipment and dental appliances are required to be used every night, or painful surgeries with no guarantee of success can be very discouraging.
It is important to remember that there are consequences of not receiving treatment.  Untreated sleep apnea increases the risk of: heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure, decreased productivity at work, decreased attentiveness at home, increased automobile accidents, and sudden death.

It is estimated that only 10% of patients with sleep apnea are being treated. Most of the remaining 90% know that they have a problem, but choose not to receive treatment.   The problem of refusing treatment is a personal one, but, does impose significant risks to all of us when someone affected with untreated sleep apnea decides to drive.

The question needs to be asked, if you suffer from sleep apnea, can you really afford not to take action and get proper treatment before it is too late?



CPAP Equipment

Continuous positive airway pressure or CPAP is the most popular form of treatment for sleep apnea. The primary goal of treatment for sufferers of sleep apnea is to hold open their airway so it does not collapse during sleep. Other forms of sleep apnea treatments such as surgeries and dental devices forces of moving tissues in the airway.

The CPAP machine is a little larger than a shoe box and uses air pressures to hold open the tissues of the airway during sleep. CPAP equipment devices deliver air through nasal or face-mask under pressure. When a person breathes, gentle air pressure holds the palate, throat, and nose tissues open. Most CPAP equipment patients report that they feel the pressure, but, can breathe easily. The CPAP machine blows air through a short tube to the mask. The air can be humidified, heated, or at room temperature depending on the patient. To me SoClean is a good brand. You can read SoClean CPAP cleaner reviews online for making a good decision.

The apnea mask must be worn snugly in order to prevent air leakage.   It is held in place by straps or “head gear”.  There are number of different apnea mask types, all designed with the idea of delivering the best comfort to the patient with the most popular being nasal masks, nasal pillows, and full-face masks.

BiPAP Equipment

Bi-level positive airway pressure (BiPAP) devices were designed for people who have difficulty tolerating the higher pressures of CPAP equipment. It works in a similar fashion to a CPAP in that is delivers air pressure during sleep. However, the Bipap also not only delivers a pressure during inspiration, but lower pressure at expiration as well. The result of which allows the person to not feel like they are breathing against high pressure at the time of exhalation.

BiPAP equipment primarily used  in situations for sleep apnea patients that require high pressure to keep their airways open or for patients diagnosed with Central Sleep Apnea, a rare form of sleep apnea caused by neurological deficiencies.




Auto-titrating CPAP Machines or "Smart CPAPS"

The auto-titrating CPAP machine is a new development in treating sleep apnea. Also known as "smart" CPAP machines, these make adjustments in pressure throughout the night.  Different levels of pressures are required for different levels of sleep apnea and sleeping position. The goal of auto-titrating CPAP is to have the lowest possible pressure for each sleep level or position.

Special sensors adjust corrective air pressures depending on the level of apnea or hyopnea episode. A nice benefit is that if a higher pressure of air is not needed, due to a person's sleep position or the similar, then the air pressure is reduced accordingly. In other words, the machine does not remain at one specific high level of pressure. The only real disadvantage of auto-titrating CPAP is that leaks may occur as the result of a sensors underestimating airflow pressure.

CPAP Equipment Effectiveness 

CPAP equipment therapy has proven to be effective in helping sleep apnea patients improve their overall sleep apnea condition by decreasing apnea episodes, reducing sleeplessness, and improving cognitive functioning tests scores.  Not to mention, when someone finally gets a good night’s sleep they improve their driving test scores and reduce the number of car accidents!

It is important to note, that when properly adjusted and tolerated, CPAP equipment therapy is 100% effective in reducing or eliminating sleep apnea.