Treating Sleep Apnea
If you suffer from sleep apnea, it can significantly interfere with the quality of your sleep and your overall health. This chronic health condition is typically associated with snoring, but it’s much more serious. Individuals with sleep apnea stop breathing during their asleep, preventing them from achieving an adequate amount of deep sleep. Moreover, the condition increases susceptibility to high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke. If you suspect that you have sleep apnea, you should talk to your doctor as soon as possible to discuss treatment options.
Sleep Study
To diagnose a person with sleep apnea, a doctor will typically order a sleep study. You’ll spend the night in a facility where you’ll be hooked up to machines that will monitor your breathing. It will track how many times your breath is interrupted throughout the night and how long you stop breathing at a time. Your doctor will review the results of the study to determine the severity of your condition. A specialist may use sleep study results to evaluate the best settings for a CPAP machine.
CPAP Use
A CPAP machine administers “continuous positive airway pressure” that prevents your respiration from stopping while you sleep. Wearing a CPAP can take a little getting used to, but it will help you achieve more restful sleep and you may notice an appreciable difference in how you feel when you wake up.
CPAP Maintenance
CPAP machine’s components need to be cleaned daily and replaced regularly. If you need to get CPAP supplies San Diego CA, find a provider who stocks all of the replacement parts and filters that are unique to your system.
CPAP Readings
When you use a CPAP machine, you’ll have to meet periodically with a specialist who will review data from your machine. He or she will check to see if you’re using the machine regularly and make sure that it is working optimally.