Benefits of Using a CPAP Machine to Improve Your Well-Being

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is responsible for causing pauses or interruptions in your breathing usually because your throat or airways collapse for a moment or something temporarily blocks them. A continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine is the most commonly recommended device for treating sleep apnea disorders. This machine sends a steady flow of pressurised air into your mouth and nose as you sleep, helping to keep your airways open and breathe normally.

How Does a CPAP Machine Work?

The CPAP machine’s motor generates a continuous stream of pressurised air that passes through an air filter into a flexible tube. This tube brings purified air into the CPAP mask that’s tightly sealed around your mouth or nose. While sleeping, the airstream from the CPAP machine pushes against any blockages you might have, opening your airways so that your lungs get plenty of oxygen. This process helps your breathing process and makes sure it doesn’t pause. Consequently, you don’t wake up constantly to resume breathing.

If you’re still not sure whether you should invest in this type of machine, you can always sign up for CPAP trials to see if CPAP therapy will help treat the symptoms of your obstructive sleep apnea.

Health Benefits of Using a CPAP Machine

Better Heart Health

Sleep disorders such as sleep apnea can increase stress on the heart as the levels of oxygen in your blood decrease. As a result of the hard breathing when your body tries to wake up and restore airflow, adrenaline is released into your bloodstream. This adrenaline level might stay elevated for a while, resulting in high blood pressure, heart disease, and irregular heartbeats. What’s more, having less oxygen could also contribute to increased carbon dioxide levels which increase the pressure in your chest and increase inflammation. These physical changes could cause the walls of your heart to become thicker as your heart will have to work harder to pump less-oxygenated blood, leading to a reduced heart function.

Higher Energy Levels

One of the most significant sleep apnea symptoms is pronounced daytime fatigue. People dealing with sleep apnea often feel like they’re overtired due to not getting enough sleep. Since sleep apnea blocks your airways, your body works harder to restore airflow, disrupting your sleep cycles. As your sleep cycles become interrupted, your body becomes unable to get the proper amount of restorative sleep for mental and physical healing. This is why people experiencing sleep apnea usually wake up feeling achy, tired and possibly even moody. When starting CPAP therapy, some patients immediately feel an increase in their energy levels, while others notice a significant difference in just a couple of weeks.

Lower Risk Of Diabetes

Sleep apnea can also be the cause of the development and worsening of type 2 diabetes because oxygen deprivation directly impacts glucose metabolism by increasing glucose resistance and inflammation. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) can also be the cause of decreased glucose sensitivity and glucose effectiveness as the glucose synthesizing hormone becomes deregulated.

Nevertheless, many studies have shown that with the use of a CPAP machine, glucose homeostasis can be improved with minimised levels of glucose resistance and better metabolism regulation. Studies made recently have also shown that people undergoing sleep apnea therapy found it easier to manage type 2 diabetes.

Faster and Easier Weight Loss

If you’re looking to reduce a few kilos, giving CPAP trials a chance might be a good idea. It’s well known that lack of sleep can easily make you demotivated and too tired to exercise. It can also increase sugar cravings to boost energy and can disrupt your hormones. Sleep apnea lowers the levels of the hormone which signals you that you feel full, and consequently may cause you to keep eating. It also increases the levels of the hormone that tells you that you’re hungry.

However, once your body becomes more balanced, chances are, you will experience the willpower and energy to become more active, exercise more, eat healthier and resist sugary foods.

Better Skin

We all need our beauty sleep! Without enough of it, the stress hormone, cortisol, is released in bigger amounts and excessive amounts of it can break down collagen. This is not good for our skin because collagen keeps the skin firm and smooth. Sleep apnea may also reduce the production of collagen.

But who says you should settle for wrinkles and lacklustre skin? You can use your CPAP machine to regain that youthful glow and rosy cheeks. Research has shown that consistent usage of CPAP can lead to reduced facial puffiness, redness, and lines.

Improved Romance and Intimacy

Sleep apnea is also linked to erectile dysfunction (ED), so better sleep can be an important factor in improving your romance. ED might be caused by the restricted oxygen and lowered levels of testosterone, which make it much harder to achieve a healthy erection sufficient for sexual intercourse. What’s more, the fatigue and stress caused by obstructive sleep apnea may cause even more complications in the bedroom. However, research has shown that treating sleep apnea might result in getting healthier erections.

Fewer Headaches

One of the most frustrating symptoms of sleep apnea is waking up with headaches – the lack of oxygen in the blood can cause throbbing pain around the brain. As your body becomes more oxygen-deprived, your blood vessels dilate to improve circulation. However, without enough oxygen, carbon dioxide is recycled in the bloodstream and can cause irritation. This might put you in a vicious cycle of migraines and pain, waking every morning with a headache.