Positive airway pressure (PAP) is one of the most common treatments for sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a breathing disorder that affects 3 to 7% of the population. Positive airway pressure is a way to offset the breathing difficulties that these patients have throughout the night. There are two types of machines that can assist with sleep apnea treatments. One is called a CPAP and the other is called a BiPAP. We are going to talk about the difference between these two and which one to use in which situations. 

What is CPAP Therapy?

CPAP therapy is a treatment path that is used to treat obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Obstructive sleep apnea is a medical condition and sleeping disorder that causes your throat muscles to relax, your airway to become obstructed by your tongue or tonsils, and you to stop breathing. This leads to many subsequent arousals throughout the night, referred to as an apnea event. 

Obstructive sleep apnea can be mild or severe:

• Mild OSA: 5-14 apneas per hour of sleep
• Moderate OSA: 15-30 apneas per hour of sleep
• Severe OSA: 30+ apneas per hour of sleep

When you stop breathing and rouse this much throughout the night (anywhere from 40 to hundreds of times throughout the night), the natural result is severe sleep deprivation. As a result, your life may be shorter, unhappier, and less performant than if you treated your sleep apnea.

This is why CPAP therapy is so important. In CPAP therapy, you use a CPAP machine to gently push air into your airway to keep it from collapsing, allowing you to continuously breathe while sleeping. 

For individuals diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea who use a CPAP machine on a daily basis, common issues arise that may interfere with quality of therapy. Especially for individuals who are about to, or have just started using a CPAP device, typical problems that CPAP machine users run into are important to know about. Continue reading to learn about 6 common problems and their solutions.

CPAP, standing for continuous positive airway pressure, is a commonly prescribed sleep therapy for individuals suffering from obstructive sleep apnea. With almost 22 million Americans suffering from sleep apnea, CPAP therapy is the most widely used method to curb the negative side effects of sleep loss. However, its use may not be straight-forward. Continue reading to learn more about commonly asked CPAP therapy questions. 

What is a Travel CPAP Device?

• Are TSA friendly
• Can be FAA approved for in-flight use
• Are easy to disassemble and reassemble
• Portable! They fit into a carry-on bag

One of the reasons they are more travel friendly is that they tend to:

• Use smaller tubing
• Have fewer components
• Are battery powered, and don’t require power cables

Travel CPAP machines are made specifically for traveling, and though they are a bit more expensive than regular CPAP machines they are not made to “replace” your regular CPAP.

Should You Travel With Your CPAP Device?

Traveling is often a hassle, and your CPAP device takes up a lot of space. Additionally, people with CPAP devices may wonder if they even can even travel with their CPAP device. Because of this, people with sleep apnea can be a bit...neglectful in being diligent about traveling with their CPAP device. Nonetheless, it remains important to wear your CPAP every night.

So, can you travel with your CPAP device? Yes. Should you travel with your CPAP device? Most definitely. Here's some useful information to know about traveling with your CPAP device.

We are so excited to let you know about the latest technology for people with sleep apnea. Ultra-portable, compact, seamlessly integrated, and superior quality are just a few of the adjectives used to describe the NEW DreamStation Go by Philips. Anchorage Sleep Center is proud to introduce you to a new portable CPAP machine which delivers on all of the features sleep apnea patients desire in a unit. The newly released Philips DreamStation Go is the perfect size and portable without lacking in effectiveness or functionality. Here are some advantages of the DreamStation for individuals who have sleep apnea.

It’s not surprising that the week of Thanksgiving was chosen as GERD awareness week, especially with our tendency to indulge in a little too much of everything!  GERD. or gastroesophageal reflux disease, is a common disease that affects millions of Americans.

Are you or a loved one a CPAP user? They are the mainstay treatment for significantly improving sleep apnea, but up to 50% of people stop using them within one year. Why? One reason is how daunting the maintenance of their equipment is. At first, it might seem overwhelming but understand with time it will become as routine as brushing your teeth. 

Is it time to upgrade your CPAP?