Sleep apnea can be a serious medical condition, but it is treatable. Learn more about what sleep apnea is and how you can treat it below.

What is Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea is a disorder where a person’s airway collapses and causes their breathing to stop and start while they are sleeping. This stoppage of the breath often results in a person waking, so it is very disruptive of a person’s sleep. Sleep apnea affects five to ten percent of adults in the United States, but for many people, their condition goes undiagnosed. That is why it is important for everyone to understand the signs and symptoms of sleep apnea.

Some of the signs and symptoms of sleep apnea include excessive daytime fatigue, early morning headaches, poor concentration, persistent snoring, and choking or gasping for air during sleep. If you or someone you know has these symptoms, you should consult a doctor so that they can help you determine whether or not you have sleep apnea.

If you do have sleep apnea, you do not want it to go undiagnosed or untreated because it is a serious condition that can lead to other health issues. Complications that can arise from sleep apnea include high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, heart problems, daytime fatigue, and liver problems. Of all of these conditions, daytime fatigue may not seem noteworthy, however having excessive daytime fatigue can get in the way of you living your life to the fullest. The possibility of these health conditions is why it is essential to get sleep apnea diagnosed and treated correctly.

How is Sleep Apnea Treated?

There are a few different ways that sleep apnea is treated. Some people work to make lifestyle changes to improve their sleep apnea. These lifestyle changes could include weight loss and quitting smoking. In extreme cases, sleep apnea is treated through surgery. However, the most common way to treat sleep apnea is with a CPAP machine.

A CPAP machine, or continuous positive airway pressure machine, allows you to keep your airway open and prevent it from being obstructed during sleep. A CPAP machine is made up of a mask, hose, filters, and a humidifier. This machine brings in air from the room, pressurizes it, and delivers it to you through a hose and mask. The pressurized air prevents your airway from closing which keeps your breathing steady, and it allows you to sleep through the night without the symptoms of sleep apnea.

Every person with sleep apnea is a little bit different. That is why each person must meet with their doctor to figure out the best air pressure options and to find a mask with a perfect fit. CPAP therapy is most successful when the air pressure and mask fit are adjusted to your individual needs. Using a CPAP machine is a great way to treat sleep apnea. If you use your CPAP machine every night, it will eliminate the symptoms of sleep apnea. However, you must take into account the need for regular cleaning and maintenance on your CPAP machine. Learn more about this below.

Taking Care of Your CPAP Machine

To correctly treat sleep apnea, you must use your CPAP machine every night while you sleep. However, using your machine every night allows it to collect dirt, dust, germs, and bacteria. That means it is necessary to clean your CPAP machine regularly. If you do not clean your machine regularly, you can ingest germs and bacteria, which may cause you to get sick.

A dirty CPAP machine can cause problems like airway irritation, running nose, sore throat, skin irritation, respiratory infection, and more. You can avoid these problems by ensuring that you clean your CPAP machine regularly.

How should you clean your CPAP machine? There are a few different options for cleaning your machine. You can wash your machine with soap and water. However, this can be a time-consuming process, so many people decide to use a CPAP cleaning device instead.

Using a CPAP cleaning device like VirtuCLEAN is a quick and easy way to maintain your CPAP machine. With VirtuCLEAN, all you have to do is put your mask in the VirtuCLEAN bag, attach the VirtuCLEAN cleaning device to your tubing, and turn the VirtuCLEAN device on. Then, the CPAP cleaning device does all the work. VirtuCLEAN cleans your CPAP machine with ozone in just 30 minutes, killing 99.9% of germs and bacteria. The VirtuCLEAN CPAP cleaner is a quick and easy way to make sure your CPAP machine is spotless, so you don’t get sick from using it.

If you think that you or someone you know may have undiagnosed sleep apnea, be sure that you make an appointment with a doctor. Sleep apnea can be a serious condition, but it is treatable with CPAP therapy, and you can keep your CPAP machine clean and working with peak efficiency with VirtuCLEAN.