Valentin Bosioc
One condition affecting sleep that existed even decades ago is sleep apnea. If you’ve heard about it or are suffering from it yourself, you’re probably familiar with CPAP therapy. Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) is a treatment method for obstructive sleep apnea. Sleep apnea, the interruption of breathing when asleep, is a serious problem, and CPAP therapy can prevent its adverse consequences.
The CPAP Machine
A CPAP machine is a small box with a motor fan inside and a mask connected to it via a hose. The fan draws the air in the room, pressurizes it, and then delivers to the person for his specific needs via the mask. Even with the interruption of breathing, the person’s body can still have a steady supply of oxygen thru the CPAP machine. The machine also features an air filter to eliminate any air impurities such as dust and smoke.
Benefits Of Using A CPAP
Sleep apnea interrupts not only your breathing but also your everyday life and health condition. In the same way, CPAP therapy doesn’t just enhance your breathing during sleep, but it also makes your day better and improves your life. Here’s how:
- Concentration: The most severe cases of sleep apnea can cause brain tissue damage. This can have adverse effects on your concentration level and memory, among others. With the help of CPAP therapy, you can improve your ability in thinking, concentrating, and making decisions. These positive effects further enhance your productivity at work and everyday life.
- Alertness: Among the symptoms of sleep apnea are sleepiness and fatigue apparent especially at daytime. By eliminating breathing pauses while asleep, CPAP therapy can help restore your sleeping pattern and increase your sleep time. This will result in a more refreshed feeling and higher energy levels.
- Snoring sound: During sleep, CPAP keeps your airway open, thereby reduces or eliminates snoring sounds. While you might not benefit from it directly, your partner will surely love a more peaceful and quieter environment.
- Emotional stability: Severe sleep apnea, when left untreated, increases the risk of depression. By helping you improve your mood after sleep, CPAP therapy can help reduce such risk, improving your life quality in general.
- Medical expenses: Last but not the least, CPAP therapy benefits your finances by improving your overall health. Sleep apnea is a serious condition not just on its own; it can also lead to many other health problems. Health risks due to sleep apnea can require more doctor visits and therefore, shelling out of more money. Using CPAP will significantly decrease your medical expenses related to the condition.
Preventing Health Risks
Sleep apnea poses a lot of health risks to an individual. Using a CPAP machine to treat it can also protect you from the following serious risks:
- Diabetes: Improved sleep enhances insulin sensitivity. As sleep apnea is related to insulin resistance, treating sleep apnea can help you steer away from diabetes.
- Stroke: Stroke is considered a leading cause of mortality and morbidity and is also a health risk that sleep apnea can cause. In simple terms, stroke is defined as the sudden loss of brain function, occurring when a blood vessel in the brain is blocked or ruptured. People with sleep apnea are more prone to stroke than those without it. Reduce the risk by treating your sleep apnea with CPAP.
- Heart disease: Because it causes a person to have breathing pauses while sleeping, another risk of sleep apnea is heart disease. Interrupted breathing causes blood pressure changes and reduces the oxygen level in your blood. Untreated sleep apnea increases the risk of death due to different heart problems such as coronary artery disease and congestive heart failure.
CPAP therapy is the standard treatment for sleep apnea. Make an effort to improve the quality of your sleep and increase your sleep time by getting help from one of the professionals at similar places like RestoreSleep. Don’t compromise your sleep and health in the long run.
Eunice Sully
Eunice Sully aspires to help her readers understand any topic she tackles, no matter how complex. It’s this drive that continues to motivate her to try to excel in her work, and as a result her articles always end up becoming entertaining and informative at the same time. As a writer contributing for RestoreSleep, Eunice tackles her topics with an added creative flair that she’s developed through years of experience.
