Have you ever had one of those days when you just wanted to lie down and fall straight to sleep? Everything seems to go so well, until you abruptly wake up in the middle of the night. Yet, what’s more, you feel a heaviness in your chest and a shortage of breath. You decide to brush it off, but is that really a good idea? Believe it or not, over 18 million Americans alone have been diagnosed with a similar condition, and it is expected that over 9 million Americans have not even noticed this problem. This shared condition is sleep apnea [1].
Sleep apnea is a chronic and progressive sleep disorder, involving breathing irregularities. There are two main types of sleep apnea disorders: obstructive and central. Obstructive sleep apnea is when physical factors such as tonsils or skin flaps periodically block the airways causing irregularities in breathing patterns. On the other hand, central sleep apnea is when the autonomous nervous system fails to signal the body to breathe during sleep. Both of these disorders, if not properly treated, can have very negative long term effects due to the progressive lack of oxygen. Over time, issues such as high blood pressure, depression, as well as an increased risk in heart attacks and strokes are all prevalent. As you can see, sleep apnea can turn very dangerous if not treated properly. Fortunately, a solution exists in a form of a therapy called Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) [2].
So what is CPAP and how does it work? Since the main issue with sleep apnea is that the irregularities in breathing are causing a lack of oxygen in our system, the goal of CPAP therapy is to compensate for the oxygen deprivation. By providing a continuous, yet gentle, stream of air pressure through our nose and mouth, with a mask, our body receives a constant amount of much needed oxygen. The mask is connected by tubing to a larger apparatus that is responsible for collecting oxygen and redirecting that air towards the mask. The CPAP therapy procedure was first introduced by Dr. Colin Sullivan in 1980, but it wasn’t until 2014 that CPAP machines were widely commercialized. Nowadays, CPAP machines cost around $300 to $500, and can be purchased from many popular online retailers [3,4].
So, although CPAP machines aren’t exactly affordable at the moment, with further research, more accessible machines will definitely begin to emerge. Are you experiencing any of the mentioned symptoms? If you are, then talk to your doctor and take control of your sleep.
References:
- Novasom.com. N. p., 2017. Web. 28 Feb. 2017.
- Smith, Philip et al. “Indications And Standards For Use Of Nasal Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) In Sleep Apnea Syndromes”. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine 150.6 I (1994): 1738-1745. Web. 28 Feb. 2017.
- “Sleep Disturbance And Psychiatric Disorders: A Longitudinal Epidemiological Study Of Young Adults “. Sciencedirect.com. N. p., 2017. Web. 28 Feb. 2017.
- “The Biologic Effects Of Grounding The Human Body During Sleep As Measured By Cortisol Levels And Subjective Reporting Of Sleep, Pain, And Stress | Abstract”. Online.liebertpub.com. N. p., 2017. Web. 28 Feb. 2017.