CPAP therapy are one of the most effective treatments made to help sleeping conditions like sleep apnea. Before buying one, it is important to learn everything about it and I’m here to help you out with that.
So, can you use a CPAP without a sleep study? No, you can’t use a CPAP machine without a proper sleep study. There is a way to use CPAP without one, but there are many kind of risks that you might face.
A sleep study is needed in order to get a doctor’s prescription that validates your need to purchase and use a CPAP machine. Otherwise, you are not able to legally buy and use a CPAP machine.
Yes, there is a way for you to use or buy a CPAP machine without doing a sleep study and without prescription, however, all of the legitimate companies that sell CPAP machines would require a prescription.
Which means you most likely will be able to buy from unlicensed producers or companies that will not demand a doctor’s recommendation.
Another thing is, you can’t include your insurance when buying the CPAP.
Most insurance companies cover CPAP machine costs, but they will need a doctor’s prescription obtained through sleep studies to see if you qualify for the insurance benefits.
Buying a CPAP machine without a sleep study can be dangerous because you might end up getting the wrong air pressure that your body needs and can tolerate.
Even if you do know the right air pressure for your body, the CPAP machine you will use is not guaranteed to be working as it should since you may not be buying from licensed sellers.
The world we live in today are full of deceptions which is the sad truth. Fake machines or replicas exist everywhere and accidentally buying and using one can lead to actual accidents that may hurt your health.
Just because there is a way for you to use a CPAP machine without a sleep study doesn’t mean you should.
It is, after all, best to be safe than sorry.
But what exactly are the reasons why you shouldn’t use a CPAP machine without a sleep study and prescription? There are plenty of reasons why and you will know about it as you read on.
Why you should use a CPAP with a sleep study
Let me tell you about the pros and cons of using a CPAP with and without a sleep study. Some of these are already mentioned above, but it’s better to show the difference properly.
| Using CPAP with a Sleep Study | Using CPAP without a Sleep Study |
| Receive the right diagnosis | No proper diagnosis |
| Use the right equipment | You may not need CPAP machine, you might need another form of treatment |
| Save money using insurance | Risk spending more money than you should |
| Guarantees safety and durability | Fake machines may explode easily or expose you to more danger |
| Learn and use the proper air pressure | End up using the wrong air pressure and worsen your health |
Clearly, you should just do a sleep study, it’s harmless and non-invasive. It also doesn’t take that long to get the results. Let me explain the advantages in detail.
First, you will receive the right diagnosis. Treatment for conditions like sleep apnea will be different depending on how worse it is, what causes it and such.
You might have another disease that’s causing your sleep apnea and you won’t find out about that unless you get the right diagnosis from a sleep study.
The sleep study can also determine what kind of machine you need, what type of mask and such should you use for better recovery.
You wouldn’t know if you actually need an oral appliance, not a CPAP machine.
With insurance active, you can also save money for the other costs. Instead of using a CPAP machine without a sleep study, you end up saving money and avoid the other risks too.
It is safer to buy with a trusted source than buying from an unknown one. Again, those who will allow you to purchase the machine without prescription are probably illegal traders.
A fake machine may have less durability while a legitimate CPAP machine can last up to 7 years! And who knows, a fake machine might also end up exploding while you’re using it. That’s scary, right?
Lastly, you definitely need the right air pressure or otherwise, your CPAP machine won’t work even if it’s legitimate. You might end up hurting yourself if you use the wrong air pressure.
What else can be good? Well, buying with a doctor’s prescription obtained through a sleep study can also help you replace the machine in case it’s wrong or doesn’t work.
The company referred by your doctor from the sleep study will cooperate with you.
You can also regularly visit your doctor for checkups to monitor the improvement of your health.
Without a sleep study, you won’t have access to these privileges.
How using a CPAP with a sleep study helps
With a sleep study, your CPAP machine will work wonders for you. It is one of the most commonly used treatment methods since it is very effective for many people.
See this list of benefits of using the right CPAP machine with the help of a proper sleep study.
- 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.
As you can see, there are a lot of benefits that a CPAP machine can provide! But this will only work perfectly as long as you do a proper sleep study to make sure a CPAP machine is what you need.
Related Questions
Is it safe to use a used CPAP machine?
No, it is not recommended to use a used CPAP machine. The machine can be defective and it has been exposed to a different living condition with different air around it.
Even with a different mask, you might end up getting exposed to other illnesses. It is safer to buy a brand new CPAP machine and with a doctor’s prescription that can be obtained after a sleep study.
Can I use my wife’s CPAP machine?
No, 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.
