Sleep Apnea and CPAP Treatment

Sleep apnea is a possibly severe sleep disorder whereby an individual’s breathing recurrently stops and starts. People with unattended sleep problem stop breathing during sleep, sometimes up to hundreds of times. The stops in one’s breathing mean that the rest of the body and the brain may not receive enough oxygen. Moreover, People who snore loudly and often feels tired after a whole night’s sleep may have sleep disorder, and there may be some snorting or choking sounds when the breathing restarts. The disorder interferes with the regular sleep hence the affected person will experience sleepiness as well as feeling tired most of the day. In children, the disease may cause hyperactivity. The earliest cases of sleep condition dates back to over 2000 years ago which were discovered by author Charles Dickens.

Types of Sleep Apnea

  • Obstructive sleep apnea– this is the most common type that occurs when throat muscles relax. The risk factors associated with this form include allergies, being overweight, enlarged tonsils, small airways and a family history of the condition.
  • Central sleep apnea– in this form, the brain fails to alert the muscles to breathe due to respiratory control center instability.
  • Complex sleep apnea syndrome– also called treatment-emergent central sleep disorder happens when an individual has both central sleep apnea as well as obstructive sleep apnea.
    The treatment of this sleep disorder may include changes is lifestyles, breathing devices, mouthpieces, and surgery. Lifestyle changes involve losing weight, avoiding alcohol, sleep on one’s side as well as stopping smoking. CPAP machine is one of the breathing devices that a person with this sleep disorder can use. If not attended to, sleep illness can increase the risks of stroke, heart attack, heart failure, diabetes, obesity motor vehicle collisions and irregular heartbeat.

CPAP Treatment

CPAP came into existence in the 1970s through DR. Sullivan. The doctor developed a device using a breathing mask, vacuum cleaner type engine, and hoses that gathered air from the close environment and compelled it before it got into the patient’s upper airway. He gave the device the name Continuous positive airway pressure. This is a type of positive airway pressure (PAP) ventilator that uses continuous mild air pressure to enable the airways to open in individuals who cannot breathe spontaneously on their own. CPAP machine can continuously apply positive airway pressure throughout a person’s breathing cycle. Hence, the ventilator does not cycle in machine, and no added pressure is provided above the CPAP levels, and the patients must start all the breaths. CPAP treatment is the leading sleep syndrome therapy.

Medical Uses of CPAP Machines

CPAP machine usually is used for persons with breathing difficulties such as sleep apnea. Moreover, the CPAP can be used to treat infants born before term with lungs not fully developed. For example, the doctors can use the CPAP machine in children with respiratory distress syndrome. Moreover, CPAP machine helps in improving the survival as well as decrease the need for lung steroid treatment in preterm infants with not fully developed lungs. The therapy uses specifically designed machines to deliver an endless flow of pressure. Some machines possess other features such as heated humidifiers. CPAP is obstructive sleep apnea’s most effective treatment whereby the device’s mild pressure prevents the airway from becoming blocked or collapsing.

Benefits of CPAP Machines

The machine can help reverse or prevent severe consequences of obstructive sleep apnea. Thus, THE treatment can help individuals to protect themselves from such serious health risks such as heart disease and many others. Sleep disease is connected to several heart problems because of reduced oxygen to blood organs, thus changes in blood pressure. The changes in blood pressure make the heart strain and causing congestive heart failure, irregular heartbeat as well as coronary artery disease. By using CPAP machine to treat the sleep disorder, one can improve their lives as well as making their days better. The treatment helps one to enhance daytime alertness as well as concentration. Moreover, untreated sleep illness can lead to depression hence the CPAP machine treatment can help improve one’s emotional stability.

Valley Sleep Therapy is your one stop shop for CPAP, AutoPAP and BiLevel CPAP machines. Browse our online store or visit us in Mesa, AZ today!

Valley Sleep Center Mission:

The mission of Valley Sleep Center is to deliver excellence in patient care. To achieve this goal, each of our facilities is dedicated to becoming the leading independent sleep diagnostic testing facility serving its community.

About Our Accreditation

AASM Accreditation of Sleep Disorders Centers is a voluntary process for the assessment of sleep programs. By achieving accreditation, a sleep disorders facility, stand-alone provider of Home Sleep Apnea Testing or Durable Medical Equipment provider demonstrates a commitment to the provision of quality diagnostic services and/or long-term management of sleep patients.