By using the CPAP machine, many lives has been made better. It’s a great equipment that works well for many people but not everyone can tolerate it or need it. Here, your questions about CPAP will be answered.
So, what happens if you don’t use your CPAP machine? Your sleep apnea may no longer be controlled and continue to worsen, actively disrupting your body’s functionality which may lead to other dangerous conditions that will be listed below.
- Here’s what might happen if you don’t use your CPAP machine:
- Death
- Sleep apnea interrupts breathing that can affect the heart and the brain which can lead to sudden death during sleep.
- Difficult breathing
- Sleep apnea can occur when there is an obstruction in the airway or the brain is unable to function well that helps the body breathe, causing difficult breathing.
- Snoring
- If there is an obstruction in the airway, the muscles around the throat may vibrate and cause snoring.
- Worsens other illnesses
- Being unable to breathe well during sleep disrupts your entire body’s functionality and eventually attacking the other diseases a patient may already have.
- Heart problems
- With sleep apnea, you are more prone to heart problems such as heart failure or heart attacks. This is due to the lack of blood oxygen levels.
- Irregular heartbeat
- Due to the low blood oxygen levels or the air is unable to reach your heart, it can lead to an abnormal heartbeat or pauses in breathing during sleep.
- Stroke
- Similar to heart problems
- Depression
- Being unable to breathe well during sleep and get the proper rest can mess up your emotions or eventually lead to depression.
- Weight gain or loss
- Sleep apnea messes up your body’s hormone production. You can end up gaining weight faster due to sleep apnea.
- Diabetes
- Having sleep apnea disables the body’s ability to control the sugar level which can lead to diabetes.
- High Blood Pressure
- Sleep apnea can potentially cause or worsen hypertension in people.
- Increases ADHD
- Being sleep deprived decreases the person’s ability to focus, worsening conditions such as ADHD.
- Headaches
- The lack of air that enters the brain can lead to other brain problems, but usually results in morning headaches.
- Daytime sleepiness
- Difficulty breathing at night can lead to restless sleeps, making you feel the need to stay asleep even during the day because your body couldn’t rest well at night.
- Insomnia
- Difficulty in breathing can lead to insomnia. Instead of waking up randomly at night, you will end up being unable to sleep.
- Seizures
- Sleep apnea patients are more prone to seizures during sleep compared to epilepsy patients without sleep apnea.
- Irritability
- When you are sleep deprived, you will unconsciously lose control of your emotional stability. You can become irritable or easily frustrated with sleep apnea.
- Poor memory
- Sleep apnea causes sleep deprivation which may lower your brain’s performance as it affects the brain activity, causing poor memory in patients.
- Respiratory diseases
- Sleep apnea is a respiratory disease that may cause other diseases or worsen them.
- Driving accidents
- The lack of concentration and daytime sleepiness can lead to driving accidents when you have sleep apnea.
- Death
As you can see, sleep apnea can be really scary and should not be taken lightly. If left untreated, it can lead to fatal situations such as death. This is exactly why you should continue using your CPAP machine.
What happens when you use your CPAP machine?
But what happens if you actually do use your CPAP machine? In case you are wondering, here’s the answer.
- Lessen daytime sleepiness
- Sleep apnea can make it difficult to fall asleep at night. If you use CPAP, you may prevent this.
- Anti-snoring device
- Using a CPAP mask can control snoring tendencies. Sleep apnea patients are often loud and constant snorers but with CPAP, now you can sleep better.
- No more morning headaches
- Sleep apnea also causes headaches. CPAP users report better mornings without headaches after using CPAP.
- Avoid heart failures
- May lead to fatal conditions such as brain damages or even death, CPAP can prevent heart failures caused by sleep apnea.
- Avoid heart attacks
- Sleep apnea can trigger heart attacks and can also be severely threatening however, this can be prevented by using the CPAP machine.
- Stop irregular heartbeats
- Irregular heartbeats worsens the ability to breathe and it can trigger anxiety but CPAP can bring your heartbeat pattern back to normal.
- Prevent stroke
- Getting hit by stroke can leave permanent damage that may lead to paralysis. Sleep apnea can also be the cause of stroke but the help of CPAP machine can lessen the risk of stroke.
- Improved control for emotions
- Sleep apnea can cause irritability and mental or emotional problems because it affects our physical health and our brain but CPAP can prevent it.
- Helps the body control your hormones
- Being sleep deprived can actually trigger diabetic tendencies! This is because your hormones will lose control due to lack of sleep which can be prevented or fixed by CPAP machines.
- Avoid uncontrolled weight gain or loss
- Sleep apnea also messes with the body’s hormones, causing the patient to usually gain weight uncontrollably. For rare cases, patients lose weight too. CPAP machines can prevent this.
- Avoiding high blood pressure
- Aside from your physical health, hypertension can also affect your mental health and relationship with people around you including your work. CPAP treatment can prevent this.
- Better ability to focus and memorize
- Sleep apnea reduces your ability to focus and worsens ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), but using CPAP machine can improve your ability to focus!
- Avoid driving accidents
- People with sleep apnea are prone to daytime sleepiness and can get sleepy while driving or lose focus which can lead to accidents, using a CPAP machine can prevent that.
- Wake up with full energy
- With sleep apnea, your energy will be reduced since you are unable to sleep well. The CPAP machine can fix that for you.
- Eliminates risk of seizure
- Sleep apnea patients are more prone to seizures during sleep compared to epilepsy patients without sleep apnea.
- Reduce medical expenses
- Untreated sleep apnea can lead to worsened health conditions or bring in other risky illnesses that can be prevented by using a CPAP machine, this way, you can avoid extra medical bills.
When to use your CPAP machine
- When you snore heavily
- Maybe, it can be a sign of fatigue but snoring loudly and usually can be a sign of sleep apnea.
- Sudden weight gain or loss
- Losing control of your weight can be a sign of sleep apnea.
- Gasping for air during sleep
- The feeling of drowning without knowing it and suddenly you’re out of air.
- If you have insomnia
- Having trouble going to sleep because you have breathing problems that you may not notice
- If you experience hypersomnia
- Having trouble staying awake in the morning because you were unable to sleep well due to your sleep apnea
- Waking up with a headache
- Sleep apnea can disturb your body’s “charging” state. Since you can’t sleep well, your body will use energy for means that can help you breathe which may lead to headaches.
- Waking up with a dry mouth
- With sleep apnea, the person tends to snore and keep their mouth open when gasping for air which leads to a dried up mouth once we awaken.
- Decreased ability to focus
- Sleep apnea can give lack of sleep which will also result in difficulty to focus on anything
- Feeling uncomfortable
- Your lack of energy due to sleep apnea can make you feel uncomfortable and irritable without your knowledge
- Suddenly stop breathing during sleep
- Your housemates should notice this and tell you about it. Sleep apnea can disrupt breathing that may last for up to 10 seconds which is already risky.
What are CPAP machine alternatives?
If there is a reason why you don’t want to use your CPAP machine or you simply don’t need it and are looking for other solutions, don’t worry, we got you. Here’s a list of CPAP machine alternatives.
- Rapid Maxillary Expansion
- For children with obstructive sleep apnea. This process places an expandable brace on the roof of the mouth that increases the width of the upper jaw (maxilla).
- Jaw Advancement Surgery
- For teenagers and adults. This process will surgically break the jaw bones, moved forward and then fixed properly with screws and plates and will change the person’s facial structure or profile.
- Surgical Airway Advancement
- Similar to the 2nd example. Bones of the upper and lower jaw will be repositioned in a way that will relieve airway obstruction.
- Nasal Strips
- Nasal strips are one of the earliest tools used to treat conditions like sleep apnea and its symptoms such as snoring.
- Oral Appliance
- Oral pieces can help with sleep apnea and snoring, they are custom made to make sure it prevents the obstruction in the airways and counter sleep apnea and snoring.
- Avoid sedatives before going to sleep
- Certain sedatives can cause snoring. Consult a medical expert to determine what type of sedative may be the cause.
- Treat chronic allergies
- Some allergies can trigger obstruction in your body’s airways and may cause you to have sleep apnea and cause you to snore. Treat or avoid triggering your allergies to avoid snoring.
- Try to avoid overworking yourself.
- Sometimes, simply going to sleep while totally exhausted can make our muscles relax too much to the point that it can lead to snoring.
- Avoid drinking liquor before bed.
- Excessive liquor can also relax the muscles that will lead to snoring. Limit alcohol consumption or avoid drinking too much before going to sleep.
- Sleep with your head elevated.
- When the head is not properly elevated, the tongue can fall back and block the air passage, causing the tissues to vibrate and snore.
You can also use an anti-snore pillow which will keep your head in proper place that can prevent you from snoring. Sleeping in a chair or a recliner chair is also an option.
- When the head is not properly elevated, the tongue can fall back and block the air passage, causing the tissues to vibrate and snore.
- Try to sleep on your sides.
- Sleeping flat on our backs can cause the tongue to fall back and block the airways. It can also make the muscles relax and cause snoring.
You can read about: “How to prevent sleeping on my back” to learn how you can keep sleeping on your sides.
- Sleeping flat on our backs can cause the tongue to fall back and block the airways. It can also make the muscles relax and cause snoring.
- Get plenty of exercises.
- Lack of physical activity can cause our body’s functionality to drop. This means that we need the right amount of exercise to keep our body “awake” and functioning even as we sleep.
This is important so we can stop snoring “naturally”.
- Lack of physical activity can cause our body’s functionality to drop. This means that we need the right amount of exercise to keep our body “awake” and functioning even as we sleep.
- Stop or limit smoking.
- If your body inhales the smoke, it can cause the muscles inside to swell or become irritated, potentially blocking the airways and causing you to snore.
Those who are also exposed to secondhand smoke can be prone to snoring, so avoid getting near smoke as much as possible.
- If your body inhales the smoke, it can cause the muscles inside to swell or become irritated, potentially blocking the airways and causing you to snore.
- Drink enough water.
- When we are dehydrated, the throat becomes dry which makes the vibrating tissues sound louder and produces snoring. Stay hydrated to prevent snoring!
- Eat a healthy diet.
- Our diet plays a huge part in our health! You should also avoid eating heavy before sleeping, if you go to sleep on a full stomach, your muscles may not work as it should.
Focus on eating healthy foods!
- Our diet plays a huge part in our health! You should also avoid eating heavy before sleeping, if you go to sleep on a full stomach, your muscles may not work as it should.
- Sleep on time.
- Not getting the right amount of sleep and not sleeping early can cause the body to become dysfunctional and snore.
Avoid depriving yourself with sleep and you can stop snoring.
- Not getting the right amount of sleep and not sleeping early can cause the body to become dysfunctional and snore.
- Lose weight.
- Being overweight or obesity will cause difficulty in breathing. The excess fat will get in the way of the air passages, causing tissues to vibrate and cause snoring.
