When it comes to controlling sleep apnea, few options can prove more effective than a CPAP machine. By providing a continuous flow of pressurized air all night long, a CPAP machine helps keep your airways open. This in turn prevents the periodic interruptions to breathing that can cause you to awaken dozens of times in a single hour.
With prescribed CPAP therapy to prevent such awakenings from occurring, it’s only natural that you would awaken far more refreshed and rejuvenated in the morning.
But using a CPAP machine isn’t just going to help you get a better night’s rest. Studies have found that it can also help alleviate other conditions that are associated with sleep apnea. Compliance with your prescribed therapy can go a long way in improving your overall quality of life — day and night.
CPAP Machines Found to Reduce Chronic Cough and Heartburn
Individuals who experience sleep apnea are three times as likely to experience acid reflux, in part because of how their body tries to “breathe harder” to counteract the airflow obstruction of an apnea event. This makes acid reflux worse by opening the valve between the food pipe and the stomach, which allows reflux to reach the esophagus.
However, a recent study found that when people used their CPAP machine regularly, they were 42 percent less likely to experience heartburn at night. Along with the decrease in acid reflux, individuals who were compliant with their CPAP therapy were also able to reduce morning cough with mucus and their risk for chronic bronchitis by four times. Other side effects linked to these conditions, such as wheezing or belching at night, were also reduced.
The study’s authors also noted that CPAP therapy could also potentially help improve symptoms during the day as well, offering much-needed relief for individuals who struggle with heartburn and acid reflux in addition to sleep apnea. By following prescribed CPAP therapy, you can improve breathing comfort day and night.
Sleep Apnea and Asthma
Asthma and sleep apnea are also closely connected — but a CPAP machine can help with this, too. Using a CPAP machine can increase the size of the bronchial tubes while also making them less sensitive and less likely to become irritated. Using a CPAP machine has also been found to reduce the risk for nighttime asthma attacks.
When you use a humidifier to add moisture to the pressurized air delivered by a CPAP machine, sleep apnea therapy can be especially effective at minimizing potential asthma-related complications that can result when sleep apnea goes untreated. While CPAP therapy doesn’t “cure” asthma, it can reduce its severity in individuals with sleep apnea.
The Benefits of Quality Sleep
CPAP treatment doesn’t just help improve breathing conditions that can be affected by sleep apnea. By ensuring you get a full night’s sleep (without interruptions), a CPAP machine allows you to go through a full sleep cycle, meaning you’ll experience necessary sleep stages such as REM sleep and deep sleep. Going through a full sleep cycle is crucial for your physical and mental recovery after the events of the day.
For example, we’ve all felt a little grumpy and fatigued after a single night of poor sleep. But with obstructive sleep apnea, that can quickly compound when you sleep poorly night after night. Untreated sleep apnea has been linked with an increased risk for depression and anxiety, which can significantly interfere with your daily life. Increased irritability and difficulty concentrating can hurt family relationships and performance at work. Yet by using your CPAP machine so you can sleep soundly through the night, these risks can be greatly reduced.
The same is true of other physical ailments linked with sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea has been linked with an increased risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. Being able to enjoy a full night of uninterrupted sleep can make a powerful difference in keeping these other serious health ailments under control.
Of course, this isn’t to say that using a CPAP machine is going to solve every health problem that is remotely connected with obstructive sleep apnea. Conditions such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease are also influenced by your weight and overall fitness — quite often, your doctor will recommend additional lifestyle changes to further improve your overall health.
Still, there’s much to be said for the benefits of following prescribed CPAP therapy guidelines. Making the use of a CPAP machine a consistent part of your nightly routine can go a long way in improving your overall health (or helping you maintain good health). Add these benefits to greatly improved sleep, and you’ll wonder how you ever got by without one!
Sleep Better and Feel Better with a CPAP Machine!
The benefits of using a CPAP machine to control sleep apnea go far beyond putting a stop to nighttime breathing interruptions. With proper use, a CPAP machine can help address a variety of side effects related to this condition so you can enjoy a higher quality of life both day and night!
While CPAP machines and other related equipment can be costly without health insurance, they don’t have to break the bank. At No Insurance Medical Supplies, we offer CPAP machines and other equipment at significantly discounted prices off of MSRP so you can get the quality treatment you need. With free shipping on orders of $99 or more and available financing on select orders, getting a quality CPAP machine has never been easier.