Many treatments are available and include devices that assist in opening the airway. The sleep apnea devices consist of a tiny medical pump as well as a tube attached to a mask that is worn around the mouth, the nose or both. The machines for sleep apnea pump controlled amounts of air pressure into the airway, thereby holding open the muscles that relax similar to how air expands balloons.
Sleep apnea machines can be found only upon a physician’s explanation and require Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval. The doctor of the patient decides the quantity of pressurized air given, based on the type and degree of sleep apnea.
Many types of sleep apnea devices are available. The most popular of sleep apnea equipment is CPAP which stands for continuously positive airway pressure. A CPAP is usually as big as a shoebox but often smaller. The machine is connected to the facemask using the flexible tube. It functions by pumping air into the tube at a large enough pressure to avoid instances in sleep apnea.
Another form of sleep apnea devices is VPAP which is also known as adjustable positive pressure. Also called bi-level or BiPAP This machine makes use of an electronic circuit that monitors the patient’s breathing and give two pressures. The higher one is applied to inhale, whereas the lower pressure is used to exhale. VPAP also known as BiPAP is more costly than CPAP and can be employed for patients with other respiratory issues, or suffer from difficulty breathing against pressure.
Another alternative is APAP which is also known as automated high-pressure airway. Recently accepted by the FDA the sleep apnea device is equipped with pressure sensors and computers that constantly examines the patient’s breathing. APAP will then adjust the pressure when the patient’s breathing patterns change. The types mentioned are: APAP is by far the most advanced and could be the most costly.
The features available on sleep apnea devices include ramps that permit patients to start their night’s rest at low pressure and “ramp” it up as sleep gets deeper. Sleep apnea devices also come with a humidifier heated. The humid, warm air can help prevent sleep apnea-related events, can help with breathing and reduce the negative effects of dry throat and dry mouth after waking. Some sleep apnea equipments are able to record how often a patient is using the CPAP. Other machines can record whether the patient had any sleep apnea-related events during the use of the sleep apnea device. The doctor of the patient is able to access this information to determine the efficacy of treatment.
A compliance motor added to machines for sleep apnea provides independent evidence to ensure that the user is receiving enough peaceful sleep. With sleep apnea devices that have this feature, the user could be required to bring the device to the sleep center to download the data or transmit the data using a phone modem that is included by the machine, which doesn’t need Internet access.