Patients who suffer from sleep apnea, a condition that interrupts natural breathing patterns during sleep, often rely on machines to improve their breathing. Two of these types of machines are the original CPAP and modified BiPAP, which use air pressure to keep critical airways open and functioning.
Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea suffers repeatedly stop breathing while they sleep, sometimes for seconds or minutes at a time. This condition results in a constant fatigue as patients do not get restful sleep and are frequently awoken with headaches, snoring, and discomfort.
Continued, untreated apnea can result in high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, heart attack, stroke, and irregular heartbeats. The continual fatigue makes routine daily functions, such as driving a vehicle, much more dangerous.
This condition is especially common in overweight men who are more than 50 years old, but can be found in people of any age, gender, or weight.
CPAP
'CPAP' stands for 'continuous positive airway pressure.' This device pushes air continuously through tubes into a mask that is fitted around the patient's mouth and nose. This air pressure keeps air passages open so that patients can continue breathing normally.
When prescribed a CPAP machine, patients must attend an overnight sleep study where doctors observe their degree of apnea and adjust the CPAP's pressure to be most effective at reducing apnea without causing discomfort.
CPAP Pros & Cons
While CPAP machines are effective for many apnea sufferers, they are bulky, loud, and sometimes very uncomfortable. Some patients find themselves unable to sleep altogether when using a CPAP machine because of the discomfort of having to exhale against sustained air pressure. The noise can disrupt the sleep of patient and partner, also.
Regular CPAP use can result in chronic nasal congestion, dry mouth and throat, chapped lips and skin irritations. These symptoms can be reduced through consultations with a respiratory therapist, who can ensure that the mask and pressure are properly fitted to the patient.
BiPAP
The BiPAP machine provides an improvement on its predecessor, the CPAP. Created in the 1990s, 'bi-level positive airway pressure' machines reduce many of the discomforts associated with nighttime breathing machines. BiPAPs are more expensive than CPAP models and are not necessary upgrades for many sufferers. However, patients with congestive heart failure, lung disorders, and atelectasis will find a BiPAP very beneficial over the alternative.
BiPAP Pros & Cons
BiPAPs are more expensive than CPAP machines but offer additional benefits. BiPAPs use advanced technology that allows the machine to measure the user's breathing and reduce pressure during exhaling. This increases the ease and comfort of breathing.
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