Several different brands and designs of CPAP masks exist. There are nasal masks that fit over the nose and full face masks that fit over both the nose and the mouth, usually preferred by those who tend to breathe through their mouths when they sleep. Nasal “pillows” are inserted into the nares and provide the least claustrophobic effect. With so many choices here are some things to consider before choosing the mask that is best for you.

Do you have a nasal blockage of any type? If you answer yes, then you will probably be better served to use a full face mask as mentioned in the above section.

Do you naturally breathe through your nose or your mouth? Choosing a mask that fits your needs based on this answer will aid in a more natural transition to CPAP therapy.

Do you breathe through your nose and your mouth? Using a full face mask will allow mixed delivery of air to both your nose and your mouth as your breathing patterns change during the night.

Do you ever feel claustrophobic? If so, a mask that provides a free field of vision may suit you better. Masks with obtrusive interfaces may not work well for you.

Do you scuba dive or snorkel? An oral mask slips into your mouth in a similar manner to what you are used to with a diver’s mouthpiece.

Are you comfortable with the feel of a hat or a cap? Masks with headgear are similar in feel to wearing a hat. They are generally lightweight and comfortable.

Would you prefer the freedom of little or no headgear? If so, a direct nasal or oral mask may work for you the best.

Using CPAP to treat sleep apnea can change your life for the better in so many ways. You will feel rested during the day. Your blood pressure can get under control. You will have energy and a desire to get out and enjoy life again. Your organs will get the oxygen they need while you sleep at night. But to enjoy all of these benefits you must choose the best path to success with your machine. This begins and ends with CPAP masks.

For most people who snore, the medical consequences are not severe. But for an estimated 5 out of 100 individuals, it is a sign of obstructive sleep apnea.

In addition to snoring, some other symptoms are excessive daytime sleepiness, restless sleep, high blood pressure, being overweight and waking up gasping for breath. Even if you don’t have high blood pressure during the day, you could have it when you first wake up due to the lack of oxygen you get when you do not breathe properly. If you awaken with headaches, this is a good indicator that your blood pressure is high due to respiratory disturbances during your sleep.

After being evaluated by a sleep specialist, if you are found to have sleep apnea, the best treatment for you is a sleep apnea machine, also known as a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine. This is simply a device that sits on your bedside table and delivers air pressure to you via a mask over your nose and mouth.

A CPAP machine will hold your airway open and allow you to breathe like you should. Using a sleep apnea machine will ensure that your oxygen levels stay where they should while you sleep. It will also help you to achieve a restful nights sleep so that you feel refreshed the next day.

There are serious consequences of leaving sleep apnea untreated. A CPAP machine is the optimum choice to maintain your health and overall well being.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)

Central Sleep Apnea (CSA)

Mixed Sleep Apnea (MSA)

The three main categories, or types, of Sleep Apnea will be discussed in more detail below. Sleep Apnea is commonly and effectively treated with CPAP therapy (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure). Keep in mind that this is not a comprehensive treatment on the subject of Sleep Apnea. For more information please reference the citations at the end of the article or speak with your doctor.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)With Obstructive Sleep Apnea, the soft tissue of the upper airway collapses during the night and slows air intake, eventually eliminating air intake altogether. When oxygen intake is reduced or eliminated and blood oxygen levels fall significantly, the brain sends an emergency signal to wake up and resume a normal breathing pattern. This process can happen as many as a few hundred times a night for some people with severe OSA. The use of a CPAP machine either drastically reduces these “apneic” events or eliminates them altogether. This results in the restoration of a normal breathing pattern and the CPAP user is able to achieve deep, REM(3) sleep, allowing the body to do routine maintenance and restore many healthful functions in the body.Central Sleep Apnea (CSA)Central Sleep Apnea is similar to OSA in its final effect on the sufferer, however, the mechanism of oxygen reduction is different. The principal mechanism of oxygen reduction in CSA is due to a failure of the brain to send a proper breathing “signal” to the muscles that control the breathing process. This type of Sleep Apnea is more rare than OSA and according to the Mayo Clinic accounts “for less than 5 percent of sleep apneas.”(4) Even though CSA is different in function than OSA, the outcome for the sufferer is the same–reduced oxygen intake through out the night, failure to reach deep sleep cycles and general fatigue throughout the day. Fortunately, in most cases, CSA can be treated with the same equipment that is used for those that suffer with OSA. Most CPAP, BiPAP and APAP machines have sophisticated circuitry which allows for the detection of different types of apneas, allowing the machine to adjust to the needs of the user throughout the night.Mixed Sleep Apnea (or Complex Apnea)According to the National Institutes of Health, Mixed Sleep Apnea is defined as a combination of both Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Central Sleep Apnea. The technical explanation for Mixed Sleep Apnea according to the NIH is as follows: “intervals of ten seconds or longer during which there was a complete cessation of airflow accompanied by an absence of respiratory effort in the early part of the apneic episode and a resumption of respiratory effort in the latter part.” Basically, this means that a CSA-related apneic event occurs, followed by an OSA-related apneic event. Interestingly, according to the study by the NIH, the sequence of events is always from CSA to OSA and never in reverse. In other words, the brain fails to send a signal to breath, resulting in an apneic event, followed by a collapse of the airway that further impedes oxygen flow. This makes sense, as it would not seem vary likely that an airway collapse related to an OSA-type event would cause the brain to misfire a breathing signal, however, a misfire by the brain would include the muscles involved in breathing and may lead to a loss of good muscle tone in the upper airway.

(1)http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/sleep-apnea/sleep-apnea(2)http://www.sleepapnea.org/info/index.html(3)http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/guide/sleep-101(4)http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/central-sleep-apnea/DS00995

However, what many people do not realize is that there are also a surprisingly large and rising number of children who suffer from sleep apnea, with estimates revealing that roughly 2% of all children suffer from obstructive sleep apnea.

When it comes to children sleep apnea merits particularly close attention as at this crucial stage of growth and development apnea can cause memory, IQ and learning difficulties.

In a lot of cases obstructive sleep apnea arises to a large degree from overweight and the first line of attack in treating the problem is thus to shed a bit of weight. But, this is not always as easy as it sounds and frequently fails to ease the problem sufficiently.

For a lot of children the next stage is the use of an oral appliance while sleeping. These oral appliances must be custom made for the child and fitted by an orthodontist and are intended to hold the lower jaw in a position which ensures that the throat remains open while the child sleeps. Again improvement is not always satisfactory with an oral appliance and a lot of children are far from happy wearing them.

The best option when it comes to treating obstructive sleep apnea is the continuous positive airway machine which provides a steady stream of air by way of a mask which the child wears during sleep sleeping and which maintains an open airway.

CPAP machines have proved to be very successful but, as with most treatments, they will only produce sound results when they are used properly and here we come up against a particular problem with children.

In a recent study a number of children having CPAP treatment were followed for six months to see just how closely they followed the advice given for using their CPAP machines. The children were subjected to sleep studies at both the beginning and end of the study period and both they and their parents were questioned by the researchers about their use of the machines. In addition, the machines that were used in the study were all fitted with meters which recorded the use of the machines.

The study found that more than three quarters of the children did not make use of their machines as intended every night and that even those children who used the machines consistently were using them for only about 5 hours a night which was not sufficient to gain the maximum benefit from their use. Possibly most importantly, taking into consideration the fact that many of the children in the study were very young and thus required parental supervision to ensure the correct use of their machines, the study showed that the overwhelming majority of parents overestimated their child’s use of the system by in the region of two hours each night.

At this point, although it is clear that many children are not enjoying the maximum benefit of CPAP treatment, it remains unclear just why they are not using the system properly and further studies are underway to see just what improvements are possible for treating obstructive sleep apnea in children.