Individuals diagnosed with sleep apnea are generally prescribed a machine to help them sleep and to reduce or eliminate their episodes of sleep apnea. Two types of machines are common, including CPAP and BiPap machines. The differences are slight in appearance and function, yet significant.
A continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine provides a steady stream of air that is forced by a small compressor through tubing and into a mask worn by the patient. It stabilizes the patient's airways and prevents them from collapsing during sleep and also forces air into the patient's lungs, making the patient breathe. It is a very effective way of treating sleep apnea and improves a patient's sleep and breathing which in turns improves his or her physical and mental health.
Some patients, however, find the continuous flow of a CPAP machine to be bothersome or that it even creates an entirely different breathing crisis. If a patient has weakened lung muscles due to illness or age, he may be unable to breathe out completely against the continuous flow of air. It is for patients such as this that BiPAP machines were invented.
A BiPAP machine provides bilevel positive airway pressure, instead of steady pressure to the patient's lungs. The settings allow the air pressure to be lowered during exhale and raised during inhale. This makes it easier to breathe out while still supplying the necessary intake of air.
A doctor will diagnose a patient with sleep apnea after extensive tests, including a sleep study. The sleep study requires the patient to spend the night in a special medical lab that is set up as a bedroom. The patient is monitored by machines and medical staff while extensive readings are taken. The doctor is then able to confirm the sleep apnea and will prescribe either a CPAP or BiPAP machine. The decision which to prescribe and what the settings will be are determined by the results of the sleep study.
Both the CPAP and BiPAP machines are covered by most insurance or may be purchased or rented by the patient. If the patient finds sleeping with the machine troublesome, he will be advised to wait a few days to allow himself to become adapted to it. If problems still persist, the settings may need to be adjusted. A second sleep study may even be required if, after some time, the patient develops new problems.
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