Sleep Apnea

Treatments for Obstructive Apneas, Getting used to CPAP

Posted on 10. Dec, 2009 by admin in Treatments for Obstructive and Mixed Apneas

The use of CPAP requires some motivation and perseverance. A few minutes are needed before going to bed each night to wash the face so the skin is clean and will not be irritated by the mask, and a few more minutes every morning to wash the mask. In addition, one simply needs to make a commitment to use the system each night for reasons of better health and longer life.

CPAP users generally are willing to put up with the inconvenience once they experience the results. In one follow-up study of 20 CPAP users after about a year,  were still using their CPAP all night, every night. Such a high degree of compliance with the treatment reflects the users’ enthusiasm for its effectiveness.

The main drawbacks of CPAP are related to its clumsiness, its effect on sleep, and its tendency to cause nasal irritation in some people. Some people can get used to wearing the mask in just one or two nights; others may take several weeks. The air pump motor makes a fanlike sound that a few CPAP users find to be too loud, but most do not object to it; their bedmates generally find CPAP much easier to sleep with than explosive snoring.

People who use CPAP regularly occasionally stop using it for a while, but they generally return to it quickly because their apnea symptoms promptly return. In fact, after using CPAP and then sleeping without it, many people report that they had never been so aware of the choking they experienced with each apnea event. Now if they sleep without CPAP, they dream that heavy weights have been placed on their chest or they awaken feeling suffocated, so they are not often tempted to give up their CPAP.

When used all night, every night, CPAP provides positive results that are close to an instant cure. After beginning to use CPAP, most people report that within days they feel better than they have felt in many years. They report sleeping better, feeling rested in the morning and alert during the day, and having the energy to do the things they have been longing to do.

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Tags: CPAP, Obstructive Apneas, Treatments