Stress is one factor that could ruin a sound sleep. However, while it’s a usual thing for most, especially the adults, there are certain situations wherein such sleep could not be attained by one due to some problems and disorders. These could even become not just life-damaging but also life-threatening. One good example is the “sleep apnea”. Cases involving people who suffers from temporary interruption of breathing or stops due to some blockage of airways. Such situations affect a person who would have several awakenings per hour. Headaches, chest pains, nasal congestion, chronic snoring and choking during sleep are just some of the symptoms of sleep apnea.
The growths of statistics regarding people who are affected by the said sleep-disordered breathing are alarmingly increasing. In fact, according to variety of researches, millions of Australians are suffering from sleep apnea, and hefty portion of them have cases of moderated and severe obstructive sleep apnea which could lead to several health problems including a cardiovascular disease, chronic heart failure stroke and more.
As a relief, the continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine is currently used by sleep apnea patients for respiratory ventilation to cure such sleep-disordered breathing ailment. It’s characterized as a compact instrument equipped with a nasal pillow or a CPAP mask. Relatively, to gain the maximum advancements of using the said machine and to fully recover from sleep apnea, it’s also important to properly use a CPAP mask during sleep. Below are some helpful tips to consider:
When a sleep apnea patient finds a good fit of CPAP masks, it would be much better if he or she would start using the said machine even before bedtime. This action would allow some room for adjustment since getting into such therapy has a tendency to make a person feel uncomfortable during its initial stage. Turning a CPAP machine’s ramp and wearing its mask would start an air-flow which is low in pressure. A patient could do this while watching TV, for example. Also, one could start by wearing the said machine during a nap prior to an 8 hour sleep.
Securing that there are no air leaks and other nuisances, a patient could obtain the utmost benefits of CPAP machine if he or she would strictly comply with an average of 6 hours straight sleeping every night. This is to obtain best results particularly the reduction of some long-term risks caused by sleep apnea. Accordingly, one could prevent the falling of CPAP mask on the floor by adjusting its machine’s pressure or by choosing to refit and also replace the mask, if necessary, with the assistance of such equipment’s supplier or with a sleep technician.
To ensure the proper usage of CPAP masks, a patient should make sure that it’s fitted comfortably but not overly tight. It should fit the nose and cheeks just fine without creating any pressure which contributes some irritations in the latter. Of equal importance, keeping a CPAP mask clean should be very sleep apnea patient’s concern. There are appropriate cleaning solutions available in stores for that, but combining water and soap would do the trick. After cleaning, drying a CPAP mask should be out of direct sunlight and should be repeated on at least a weekly basis. On the other hand, if these steps would not succeed, there are nasal mask liners to alleviate any types of nuisances.
It’s vital for every sleep apnea patients to follow the discussed worthy advices regarding the proper usage of CPAP masks. If enough carefulness and adherence would fail, a person may suffer from additional nuisances not just from an uncomfortable fit but also with air leakages, skin irritation and hardships of adapting to a new sleeping experience. Sleep apnea is curable by using a CPAP machine as an example of durable medical equipment.
