CPAP Education

After an in-home sleep study has been completed, and returned to us, it is then interpreted by the board-certified sleep physicians working with us. If the patient is not familiar with what the sleep doctor is looking for, they may feel slightly vulnerable. It can be unnerving to feel poorly and not know what is going on to cause it. In order to put nervous patients a little more at ease, here are the indicators our sleep doctors are looking for when reading the results of an in home sleep study.

There are three main types of CPAP masks - full face masks, nasal masks, and nasal pillow masks. Each of the three mask options has the same basic components: mask frame, headgear, and cushion. Since the CPAP mask is the interface between you and your CPAP machine, it needs to provide a comfortable fit. Otherwise you’ll be less likely to keep it on all night and your obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) treatment will be less effective. Don’t worry, the best CPAP mask for you is out there, read on to find out how to find it.

We get it, CPAP equipment expenses can add up, and it's tempting to try to save money by ordering products on Amazon, eBay, Facebook, and Craigslist. While it may seem like a harmless way to reduce some of the financial load associated with CPAP therapy, it may end up costing you more money in the end, not to mention there are serious health risks involved.

Ask around about people’s favorite CPAP machine and you’re bound to run into folks who swear by an APAP instead. They’ll tell you it’s life-changing. They’ll tell you they couldn’t stand regular CPAP. They may even claim an APAP device means you don’t need to see a doctor for sleep apnea. (Spoiler alert: Yes, you do.)

Yet the regular old CPAP still remains the most commonly prescribed treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). What gives? If APAPs are so popular, why do they still make CPAPs? Well, it turns out there are some very good reasons for both. Today, we’ll take a look at the difference between APAP vs CPAP, and which is better for you.

The content in this blog was medically reviewed by Michelle Worley, R.N., a seasoned medical advisor who has worked as a clinician for over 20 years in the sleep-related medical field.

Mouth breather; a condition so bad it’s become an insult. Maybe that’s because mouth breathing can cause bad breath, brain fog, and chronic fatigue? Yet if you also suffer from sleep apnea, mouth breathing can be dangerous, leading to a loss of air pressure and reducing the effectiveness of your CPAP therapy. 

Luckily, for CPAP users the solution can be as simple as finding the right CPAP mask!

If you’re having difficulty breathing due to sleep apnea, the last thing you want to do is spend all night sucking germs and pathogens into your body! Yet if you use a dirty CPAP machine that’s exactly what you’re doing.

The content in this blog was medically reviewed by Michelle Worley, R.N., a seasoned medical advisor who has worked as a clinician for over 20 years in the sleep-related medical field.

CPAP therapy is considered the gold-standard in treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), because it’s safe, non-invasive, and– most importantly– effective. But as with any treatment options, it does come with the risks of side effects.

The side effects of CPAP use are generally mild, but they can be annoying enough to make some people give up on their sleep apnea treatment. Thankfully, these symptoms are also easy to treat, so before you give up on CPAP try out the solutions below.