CPAP machines are one of the most effective equipment that can help treat sleeping conditions like sleep apnea but getting one can be costly. Before buying and using one, learn everything about it in this article!
So, can you use your wife’s CPAP machine? No, it is medically recommended not to share your partner’s or anyone else’s CPAP for everyone’s safety.
There are plenty of disadvantages that may happen if you use your wife’s CPAP, or anyone else’s CPAP. Health experts recommend not sharing a CPAP with anyone since it can end up worsening your illness.
Your wife’s CPAP is custom and made just for her so it may not work the same way when you use it.
Even if you use a different mask or your own mask, it is still not encouraged by doctors.
Treatment for sleeping conditions such as sleep apnea will be different depending on the cause and the person itself. Who knows, maybe you don’t really need the CPAP machine at all.
If that is the case, then sharing your wife’s CPAP machine may be useless and it might also end up affecting your health or your wife’s health.
It is not recommended to share CPAP machine with another person even if you will be using a different mask. The air you are breathing will be shared with each other.
You might also need a different kind of air pressure or different type of treatment. Instead of risking it, it’s best to get properly diagnosed first and ask your doctor if sharing your wife’s CPAP equipment is safe.
Sharing a health equipment can lead to infection, irritation or worsening the existing illnesses any of the users already have.
It’s not a good idea to share the same health equipment even if it is your wife. The best thing you can do is consult your doctor and get your own CPAP machine.
CPAP machines of today are smaller in size so fitting them in one room may not be a problem.
In this case, you might end up wondering what can you do since you can’t use your wife’s CPAP machine. If you are snoring or have sleep apnea, there are plenty of alternatives that you will learn about as you read on.
What to do if you can’t use your wife’s CPAP machine
If you already know that you can’t use your wife’s CPAP machine, maybe you should check out the CPAP machine alternatives that exist today. There are plenty of choices, so check this list that I made for you.
- 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.
- It might take months to recover.
- Surgical Airway Advancement
- Similar to the 1st 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.
Nowadays, there are newly developed nasal strips that you can try.
- 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.
- Get your own CPAP machine
- Getting your own CPAP machine that doesn’t need to be shared is also an option, especially if your doctor recommends it.
- Avoid sedatives before going to sleep
- Certain sedatives can cause sleep apnea. 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 cause sleep apnea.
You can also use an anti-snore pillow which will keep your head in proper place that can prevent you from having sleep apnea. 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 cause sleep apnea.
- 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 sleep apnea.
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 sleep apnea.
- 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 sleep apnea.
- 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 and have sleep apnea.
Those who are also exposed to secondhand smoke can be prone to sleep apnea, 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 and have sleep apnea.
- Drink enough water.
- When we are dehydrated, the throat becomes dry which makes the vibrating tissues sound louder and produces snoring or sleep apnea. Stay hydrated to prevent sleep apnea!
- 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 be prone to sleep apnea.
Avoid depriving yourself with sleep and you can stop sleep apnea.
- Not getting the right amount of sleep and not sleeping early can cause the body to become dysfunctional and be prone to sleep apnea.
- 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 sleep apnea.
- Mouth exercises
- There are certain mouth, lips and vocal exercises that can help prevent sleep apnea and snoring. Check out “How to Stop Snoring Exercises” to learn more.
Why you need to use your own CPAP machine
But why do you need your own CPAP machine? Other than it guarantees more safety and health protection, there are benefits when you get the right CPAP machine for yourself.
You will get the right air pressure your body needs and can tolerate and do wonderful things for your health. Check this list of positive effects your own CPAP machine can offer to you.
- 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.
- Avoid 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
- Worsens the ability to breathe
- Can trigger anxiety
- CPAP can bring your heartbeat pattern back to normal.
- Prevent stroke
- Can leave permanent damage
- 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.
- Avoid depression
- Not an easy condition to treat, sleep apnea can cause mental problems but CPAP can prevent that
- Avoiding the risk of diabetes
- Leaves you prone to more heart attacks
- Avoiding high blood pressure
- Aside from your physical health, this can also affect your mental health and relationship with people around you including your work. CPAP treatment can prevent this.
- Avoid worsening ADHD
- Sleep apnea reduces your ability to focus which is what happens when you have ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)
- Having a lack of control to focus can lead to frustration
- 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.
- Avoiding the risk of seizures
- Sleep apnea patients are more prone to seizures during sleep compared to epilepsy patients without sleep apnea.
When do you need to use a 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.
Related Questions
Has anyone ever died from sleep apnea?
Yes, you can die from sleep apnea. Approximately 40,000 people die from sleep apnea or conditions complicated by sleep apnea while 22 million people continue to suffer from the sleeping condition.
Sleep apnea is recognized as an accompanying disease which means it is usually paired with another disease or causes another disease to appear and the diseases will worsen each other, eventually leading to death.
Can you take a sleeping pill with sleep apnea?
No, it is not recommended to take sleeping pills when you have sleep apnea. Sleeping pills will cause your body’s muscles to relax and make your sleep apnea worse than it already is.
With the drug’s effect, it can lead to fatal conditions leading to death during sleep which is why it is not encouraged to use sleeping pills regardless of what type of sleep apnea you might have.
