Living with the CPAP Mask can be an arduous task, but with effort, over time using the CPAP Mask will become natural and easier as your body gets used to it.
To truly understand the problems of the CPAP Mask, you must first understand what CPAP therapy is.
What is CPAP Therapy?
Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (also known as CPAP) is the best non-surgical treatment which is currently available to people who suffer from a medical condition known as Sleep Apnea.
What is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep Apnea is a dangerous medical condition where a blockage of the respiratory tract or a failure of the respiratory muscles (because of damage to the brainstem) results in apnea attacks wherein the person suffering from it will stop breathing for 10 seconds or more. This results in vacillation of both the carbon di-oxide and the oxygen levels of the body, which will further cause secondary medical conditions such as high blood pressure, stokes, and in extreme cases even death.
CPAP involves the pumping of pressurized air into the patient’s air tract to prevent the above from happening. The pressurized are will effectively prevent the collapse of the respiratory tract, thereby ensuring the smooth flow of air to the body.
Problem of CPAP Therapy
The majority of problems of CPAP therapy arise because of the use of pressurized air. Pressurized air is harder to breathe in and subsequently much harder to breathe against (when breathing out). This along with the fact that a mask has to be placed continuously over the face every single time you sleep results in the dis-continuation of CPAP therapy by many people.
Problems of the CPAP Mask
The major problems of using the CPAP Mask are:
- Comfort: This is the primary and most common problem which most people face when they newly start with CPAP Therapy. Comfort levels of using a CPAP mask are not the highest because of factors such as added weight, claustrophobic feeling upon usage. But these problems can be overcome these days by using the correct type of mask. Many are available which are easy to use, made of light weight materials, designed to be smaller and fit directly into your nostrils, thereby reducing the claustrophobic feeling which many users suffer from.
- Noise: When breathing into the mask, the pressurized air as it passes through the tubing, CPAP mask will cause a lot of noise to be produced which some people feel irritating, an obstruction to a good nights sleep. But todays masks are designed with special materials to reduce this noise as well.
How to Live with the CPAP Mask?
In the end, living with the CPAP Mask comes down to a lot of effort, research, and persistence from your part. It will take a few months of hard work to find the CPAP mask which fits you perfectly, the settings which provide you with the most comfort, so stick with your therapy and you will succeed.
