CPAP

It’s 2:00pm in the afternoon and are you tired? You’ve had 8 Hours of sleep last night and the night before, and your driving your car in a busy traffic situation and you can hardly keep your eyes open. Does this sound like you?

You’ve felt tired lately so you make sure you are getting a good nights sleep, yet when you wake up you are still tired and its hard to concentrate during the day. You would rather take a nap. Does this sound like you?

Above are some common but less serious symptoms of Sleep Apnea.  THERE IS HELP! and in the Ann Arbor, Michigan Area there are many providers of quality equipment and services for a person to consider. Oxygen Plus is one of these quality providers.  With a little investment in time and the willingness to give CPAP Therapy a chance to work most people in a short time begin to see the light of day experiencing better moods and productivity. Below is a brief description of “What Sleep Apnea is and how CPAP Therapy can be used to treat this symptom”.

CPAP Therapy is a method of treating Obstructive Sleep Apnea by stinting the airway passage open so as to minimize or eliminate the onset of Apnea or Hypopnea episodes during sleep. Obstructive Sleep Apnea occurs when the muscles or tissue in the back of the throat relax causing the airway to become impaired. This results in a drop of blood oxygen level which causes temporary arousals from sleep.

The most common indicator of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is daytime sleepiness. Snoring is commonly associated with OSA however is not necessarily an indicator. A Sleep study otherwise known as a Polysomnogram (PSG) test is necessary to titrate the patient to determine if the person has OSA and what the correct air pressure setting should be to treat the individual.

During the PSG test the patient has the opportunity to try different masks to find the most appropriate. There are three basic types of CPAP masks. A full face mask which covers the nose and mouth, a nasal cushion mask which covers only the nose, and a nasal pillow mask with which the nasal interface is achieved by pursing the mask only against the nostrils of the patient. The nasal pillow mask is typically the least invasive of the three. The shape of a persons face, the presence of facial hair, the shape of the head as well as the determined pressure setting are some of the factors considered when choosing a CPAP mask.

A CPAP machine generates a prescribed cm of H2O pressure. This pressure setting is set by an approved equipment provider based on a physician’s prescription as recommended by the PSG test. There are several manufacturers of CPAP machines and each have a similar set of options to aid in patient comfort and compliance to choose from. Many CPAP machines include a “passover” type or heated humidifier. Humidifiers are included as an aid to patient compliance and comfort.

In addition to CPAP machines, which is defined as: continuous positive airway pressure, there are Auto PAPs and Bi PAPs. Bi PAPs allow a separate pressure setting for the inhalation and exhalation. This is to help patients who will not tolerate continuous pressure and is often prescribed after compliance can not be achieved via the use of CPAP. Auto PAPs can be both continuous and bi level. The Auto PAP constantly searches for the correct pressure level by analyzing the patients breathing patterns.

Mild, occasional sleep apnea, such as many people experience during an upper respiratory infection may not be important, but chronic, severe obstructive sleep apnea requires treatment to prevent sleep deprivation and other complications. The most serious complication is a severe form of congestive heart failure called cor pulmonale.

Successful treatment of OSA though the use of PAP therapy can provide the patient with improved mood and quality of life, a higher degree of work productivity and improved vehicle safety. Proper education, good equipment, a quality mask fit, and a provider that gives good follow up support will help those who suffer from OSA be successful in their treatment program.