A CPAP machine, also known as a continuous positive airway pressure machine, is a device that delivers air through your mouth and nose to maintain an open airway. It's typically used by people who have sleep apnea or other breathing problems during sleep. Continuous positive airway pressure can improve your sleep, reduce daytime sleepiness and fatigue, improve your mood, and even help you live longer.
The machine is fairly simple. It consists of a mask that fits over your nose and mouth and is connected to a hose that connects to a blower. The blower helps push air through the hose and into your airways, keeping them open. The machines are designed to fit over your nose and mouth like a nasal cannula or face mask. It should seal around your nose and mouth so that air can't leak in or out. The hose connects to the blower, which blows air into your airways. This encourages your lungs to expand and keeps your airway open.
Sleep specialists are made differently, depending on your Continuous Positive Airway Pressure machine type. Most units have a hose and blower, but some models use filters or other fine instruments to help deliver the air. Some continuous positive airway pressure machines have motors that vibrate the mask to make mouth and nose breathing easier. Some models connect cables to other equipment, such as a pillbox or alarm clock.
APAP, or Auto-titrating Positive Airway Pressure, machines sense when your breathing patterns change and adjust their pressure level in response. This helps keep airways open while you sleep and can improve overall comfort. BiPAP is a combination of pressure from the APAP machine and a lower level of pressure support from a backup breathing mask. The backup mask comes into play when a patient's airflow dips below a certain level, causing the airway to collapse. The BiPAP machine will then prompt the patient to switch back to APAP mode by increasing pressure in time for the next inhale. APAP and BiPAP differ from continuous positive airway pressure because they are not used for obstructive sleep apnea and are typically used for people with central sleep apnea. These machines must be prescribed by a sleep specialist.
People commonly use a continuous positive airway pressure machine to improve breathing and decrease sleep apnea. They may also use it to treat other breathing problems, such as snoring or sleep-related breathing disorders. Continuous positive airway pressure machines should be used while you're sleeping and not on an empty stomach. Continuous positive airway pressure machines are used in a variety of ways. You can stay under their effects all night or set the unit to give you the effect for a certain time. Many people use a continuous positive airway pressure machine for several years and then switch to oral or other forms of treatment. Talk to your doctor about how you should use the machine. Some people prefer setting it for a certain length, while others prefer to use it all night.