mybonsecours
Looking for a good night's sleep?
A Continuous Positive Airway Pressure machine (or CPAP) helps a person with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea breathe more easily by increasing air pressure in your throat. CPAP is the most effective nonsurgical treatment for obstructive sleep apnea. It is the first treatment choice and the most widely used.
how does it work?
A CPAP machine increases air pressure in your throat so that your airway does not collapse when you breathe in. When the airway isn't allowed to collapse during breathing you will sleep better and more deeply throughout the night.
what to expect
Your CPAP machine may have the following:
- A mask that covers your nose and mouth
- A mask that covers your nose only-called nasal continuous positive airway pressure, or NCPAP (this type of mask is most common)
- Prongs that fit into your nose
The most common problem with CPAP is that people do not use the machine every night. Or they take off the mask during the night because it becomes uncomfortable. Even one night of not using the machine can make you sleepy the next day
It may take some time to get used to the machine. You may want to talk to your doctor about trying a CPAP machine that will start with a low air pressure and slowly increase the air pressure as you fall asleep. This kind of machine can help reduce discomfort caused by too much constant pressure in your nose.
Take some time and discuss with your doctor any discomfort you're experiencing or any worries you have.
