Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that affects five to ten percent of Americans. Though sleep apnea is more common in men, both men and women can have it. This sleep disorder can have severe consequences unless treated correctly. Letting sleep apnea go untreated for an extended period can cause additional serious health concerns. Read on to learn more about what sleep apnea is and how you can treat it.

What is Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea disorder causes breathing to repeatedly stop and start during sleep due to obstruction of the throat muscles. When someone has sleep apnea, they often wake from sleep gasping for breath because they are not getting enough oxygen to their lungs or their brain.

What are some of the signs and symptoms of sleep apnea? Sleep apnea may result in loud snoring, morning headaches, difficulty staying awake during the day, excessive daytime sleepiness, and difficulty concentrating.

These symptoms may not seem dangerous, but they all have the potential to be harmful to your health and wellness. For example, those with excessive daytime sleepiness or daytime fatigue may have a hard time concentrating while working or they may fall asleep at inopportune times. People with sleep apnea are at increased risk to be in a motor vehicle or workplace accidents because of their drowsiness.

Sleep apnea can also lead to other serious health concerns such as high blood pressure, heart problems, type 2 diabetes, and liver problems. High blood pressure and heart problems are a result of the drop in blood oxygen levels which occurs when you have sleep apnea. Having sleep apnea can also increase your risk of developing insulin resistance which will result in type 2 diabetes.

Sleep apnea is a serious disorder, and when left untreated can cause numerous medical conditions or complications. If you or someone you may have sleep apnea be sure to consult a doctor right away to treat your sleep apnea properly.

Using a CPAP Machine to Treat Sleep Apnea

There are a few different ways to treat sleep apnea. You can treat sleep apnea with upper airway surgery, dental appliances, and lifestyle changes. However, the most common way to treat sleep apnea is by using a CPAP machine.

A CPAP machine or continuous positive airway pressure machine is something you use at night when you are sleeping. This machine prevents your airway from closing which helps get air into your lungs. That means it enables you to get a restful night’s sleep, and it helps you avoid the serious symptoms and risks of sleep apnea.

How does a CPAP machine work? A CPAP machine consists of a CPAP mask, tubing, air filters, and a humidifier. The machine draws air in through the filters, pressurizes it, and then delivers the air to you through the tubing and mask. CPAP machines work to relieve the symptoms of sleep apnea because the air hits your throat at a specific pressure. This pressure keeps your airway from closing during sleep. You do have to wear your CPAP machine every night when you sleep for it to provide you with relief from sleep apnea.

Cleaning Your CPAP Machine

Since you use your CPAP machine every night, you have to be sure you are correctly cleaning and maintaining your machine. Your CPAP machine can collect various germs and bacteria from frequent use. If you do not clean your CPAP machine regularly, you could be breathing in those germs and bacteria. A dirty CPAP machine can lead to airway irritation, a sore throat, skin irritation, and even a respiratory infection. To avoid these problems, you will want to clean your CPAP machine on a regular basis.

How should you clean your CPAP machine? There are different ways to clean your CPAP machine, but the easiest way is using the VirtuCLEAN CPAP cleaning device. This cleaning device will do all the cleaning for you, and it will get rid of 99.9% of germs and bacteria.

How does this work? To use the VirtuCLEAN CPAP cleaner, you simply put your CPAP mask in the VirtuCLEAN bag, attach the tubing to the VirtuCLEAN device, and turn the machine on. Then, the VirtuCLEAN cleaning device will clean your machine for you in just 30 minutes using ozone.

Sleep apnea is a serious disorder that can lead to excessive daytime sleepiness and other medical issues, but it can be treated using a CPAP machine. However, if you are managing your sleep apnea with a CPAP machine, you will want to be sure you are cleaning it regularly using a CPAP cleaning device like VirtuCLEAN.