How a CPAP Machine Improves Your Sleep

Nasal pillow style mask

How can putting something on your face at night help you sleep better?  The answer is actually pretty simple:

You can get used to wearing something new, but you will never get used to your airway closing off.

The Sleep Disorders Center at RNI has been prescribing CPAPs for over fifteen years.  We have seen these invaluable devices improve greatly, making them easier to use and stick with than ever before. And RNI patients love theirs.

What is a CPAP?

CPAP stands for continuous positive airway pressure. It is a non-invasive, non-surgical way to gently part the tissues of the airway and allow air to flow freely.

The patient wears a small, soft mask on his or her face. This mask is hooked up by flexible hose to a CPAP unit, which is a small, quiet box.  The CPAP simply delivers air pressure to prop the airway open during sleep.  The pressure required is small enough that the patient breathes normally.

CPAP features minimize discomfort

The CPAP has come a long way since Dr. Rowe became one of the first board-certified sleep medicine doctors in Kansas City.  The latest machines are better, quieter, and smaller, and there are now dozens of very comfortable masks to choose from.

Many machines include a heater/humidifier, which can make the air more comfortable and reduces drying-out of tissues.

Modern CPAP machines also use a number of subtle tricks to make them easier and more comfortable to use. When you first lie down to sleep, the CPAP unit uses a lower air pressure that allows the patient to breathe easily in and out.

After the patient falls asleep, the pressure is adjusted to keep the back of the airway open during sleep. The CPAP is set by the doctors to use the minimum amount of pressure necessary to keep an individual’s airway open, and no more.

Modern machines can actually sense when the airway begins to close, and make adjustments on the fly. In so doing, it can keep the patient apnea-free in all stages of sleep and in all body positions.

Patients with sleep apnea not only get a good night’s sleep on CPAP therapy, but also prevent long-term damage to their heart and body that could be caused by lack of oxygen and poor sleep.

See Kansas City’s original sleep experts

The Rowe Neurology Institute has been a leader in sleep disorders diagnosis and treatment for many years, and we remain independent from hospital chains today. To conveniently schedule an appointment at either of our locations, in Lenexa, KS, or Northland Kansas City, please call (913) 894-1500 or click on the button below.