The main benefit of using a CPAP machine is the comfort or relief it provides during sleep, but there are also more advantages that you must know of. Don’t worry, you’ll learn everything about CPAP machines here!
So, what are the benefits of using a CPAP machine? Check out this list of 16 positive effects a CPAP machine can provide for its users!
- 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.
Clearly, CPAP works effectively and the only downside for it is the older versions with limited mobility. But what else is there to know? When do you need these benefits? Learn more about CPAP as you read on.
When do you need the benefits of using CPAP machine
Obviously, you need the benefits of using this machine when you have sleep apnea. But, how do you know if you have sleep apnea? If you’re not ready to go to your doctor, let me tell you about the common symptoms.
- 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.
You must still keep in mind that a formal medical check up or a sleep study can be done to properly determine if you have any sleeping condition that requires the help of CPAP machines.
How using a CPAP machine can provide benefits
The CPAP machine is short for “continuous positive airway pressure”, it provides the air to keep the patients breathing during sleep because sleep apnea is caused by an obstruction in the airway or inability to breathe.
It happens when the brain fails to send the right signals to your muscles that enable you to breathe. This is called “central sleep apnea”.
If your difficult breathing is caused by your anatomical features such as a narrow throat which can make breathing difficult, it is classified as “obstructive sleep apnea”.
Both can be improved by the CPAP machine so if you have any of those sleeping conditions, immediately consider the use of CPAP machine.
The machine comes with a mask which can be different depending on the user. It can be a half or full-faced mask. It is attached to the machine using wires that is long enough to ensure the user can move.
However, this is the problem found by most of its users that cannot tolerate the mask is attached to the wire. For them, it makes sleeping even more difficult.
In this case, you may also learn about the other options you can use for treating conditions such as sleep apnea.
How long should you use a CPAP machine to get the benefits
The average hours of sleep using CPAP machine is 6 to 7 hours each night.
According to health experts, using the CPAP machine for at least 6 hours will help reduce the long-term health risks of obstructive sleep apnea.
This means that it is the minimum recommended amount of sleep that sleep apnea patients should get using the CPAP machine.
Some people may extend their usage up to 8 hours, which is completely okay, but it’s less likely.
More and more people only sleep for about 6 hours a day as they reach adulthood.
CPAP works as long as you use it but there are also times when patients reported withdrawal benefits.
For example, if you’ve been using CPAP therapy for quite a while and you suddenly stopped using it for the meantime, you may experience an improvement with your comfort and health.
The sleep apnea may stop as well, but it is usually temporary.
Symptoms will come back if you don’t continue using CPAP as you sleep.
The reason why some people cannot tolerate using it longer than 6 hours is because of the fact that there is usually limited movement during sleep.
Older versions of CPAP machine uses a mask that is attached to the machine using a wire or a cord that is not long enough to help give room for the patient to move.
But today, more people are becoming comfortable in using CPAP for 6 hours and longer because the newer CPAP machines are smaller, quieter and provides more mobility compared to before.
There are even “wireless” CPAP masks that are being developed until today which can probably help sleep apnea patients use the machine and sleep with it for more than the average 6 hours.
Related Questions
Do I need to use CPAP therapy forever?
Usually, you have to use CPAP therapy as long as you have sleep apnea.
The answer to this question depends on what causes your sleep apnea. Sleep apnea treatment differs depending on the cause. It is recommended to consult your doctor to determine how long you need CPAP therapy.
Sleep apnea does not go away by itself, but there are certain conditions that can be permanently cured through surgeries.
Can you lose weight by using a CPAP machine?
Yes, if you have sleep apnea, using a CPAP machine can help you lose weight.
Sleep apnea increases the risk of uncontrolled weight gain. Being sleep deprived causes the body to produce more hormones that makes you want to eat more than you usually do.
This is to restore the lost energy your body wasn’t able to get during sleep. But by using CPAP machine, you get the right amount of energy your body needs during sleep and prevent uncontrolled weight gain.
