Everyone has probably heard about OSA (Obstructed Sleep Apnea) and Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) therapy. Their friends, family members, co-workers, or neighbors may have obstructed sleep apnea and have talked about their experiences using a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure machine. But what is Continuous Positive Airway Pressure or CPAP?
CPAP therapy considers the best way to treat OSA and has been readily available for at least thirty years. It refers to the pressurized oxygen that is delivered using a unique delivery system that uses a particular type of mask. Individuals suffering from sleep apnea can receive prescriptions for the air pressure setting from professionals like sleep specialists. They can also receive prescriptions for specialized devices and add-on equipment used as delivery systems.
For more info about OSA, visit this site to find out more.
What are CPAP machines?
This type of device is basically a box that has a motorized fan. The fan is pretty quiet and can draw air from the room. The device will gently pressurize the air and deliver it to a setting that meets the user’s needs. The oxygen intake section of the device has a small filter to eliminate the intake of smoke, dust, and other impurities in the oxygen. The user can replace the filter as much as necessary.
Another important part of the device is the humidification chamber inside the box. It is where water is warmed to help humidify the pressurized oxygen before it is delivered to the user. Moist and warm air can soothe the upper airway and nasal passages and helps prevent discomfort and swelling that can usually happen while using this kind of therapy. Although using a humidifier is a good option.
It brings relief for most patients that are using Continuous Positive Airway Pressure therapy who live in arid or dry climates or who wake up with parched mouth, throat, or nasal passages. The chamber is very easy to keep clean and can last the lifetime of the device itself. For more info on this topic, check out CPAP Machines Canada at Liberysleep.ca and other related sites.
A hose connecting the device to the mask is attached to the machine. It is a lightweight and flexible tubing that is usually heated to minimize condensations that can collect inside the box while the humidifier is turned on. It is long enough – more or less six feet long – to provide users with a full range of motion during their sleep. These hoses can wear and tear over time, and individuals should replace them as needed. That leaves the Continuous Positive Airway Pressure mask.
It is usually said that the success of the therapy often rests on how well-fitting and comfortable the mask is. These things come in different sizes and shapes to suit the different types of facial landscapes. Masks wear out sooner or later and should be replaced regularly. Continuous Positive Airway Pressure devices are pretty compact and can easily fit on standard coffee tables or nightstands. They are very easy to keep clean. With regular care and maintenance, it should last a lifetime.
How do these things work?
Individuals who have sleep apnea have issues with keeping their airways open to breathe normally as they sleep. Usually, the soft tissue in their throat, as well as the oral cavity (for instance, the tongue or tonsils), collapses or relaxes, closing off the space required for oxygen to move through their nose to the lungs.
It can lead to pauses in breathing that can occur consistently enough, as well as long enough, to deprive the body of the oxygen it badly needs to deliver to every organ in the body. Our brain can sense the drop in oxygen supply in our body and will force an awakening.
But some individuals can experience more than one hundred pauses and awakenings every hour in one night. It is no wonder why some individuals with severely obstructed sleep apnea feel very tired all the time. If the interrupted breathing pattern is not treated, it can create long-term health issues for the individual.
The Continuous Positive Airway Pressure device was created to help individuals keep the mentioned pauses from happening. It delivers a stream of pressurized oxygen through the mask and tubing as a type of pneumatic split to help them prevent collapses due to obstructive sleep apnea. By helping to keep the patient’s airway open and firm, the pressurized oxygen provides the support needed for them to breathe freely, as well as without any obstruction.