Use Your CPAP Machine to Reduce Cardiovascular Risks

Have you been diagnosed with sleep apnea? Are you supposed to use a CPAP machine throughout the nights to make sure your breathing never stops? People with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are usually prescribed a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) to keep them breathing throughout every hour of the night. According to a recent study, it has been found that the use of a CPAP machine can actually prevent high blood pressure and reduce the risk of cardiovascular issues in adults. If you have been diagnosed with OSA, it is important to use your CPAP machine every night.

The study about OSA and CPAP machines was conducted by the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. The study followed nearly 50 adults that were recently diagnosed with the obstructive form of sleep apnea. The researchers followed the before and after three months of CPAP therapy. Compliant subjects were listed as those that used the CPAP machine more than 4 hours per night. After 3 months of continuous therapy, patients saw improvements in their blood pressure and less stiffness in arteries. OSA has the potential to kill you because it results in shallow or paused breathing and even the collapse of an airway.

According to the head researcher of the study, Claudia Korcarz, “we were surprised by how rapidly we saw improvements in patients’ arterial tone and how quickly those benefits were lost after discontinuing therapy.” Just like with other ailments like severe allergies or arthritis, OSA can be helped but not cured with the use of a CPAP machine. The positive effects on your heart and blood pressure will only last in conjunction with continuous use of the machine.

Also, it is worth nothing that patients with low-compliance, which is defined as less than 4 hours of use per night, did not get the benefits of better cardiovascular health. At FusionSleep we understand that just above 25 percent of patients with sleep apnea do not comply or tolerate CPAP therapy. There are solutions that can work for you and potentially save your life.

Contact us today if you have been diagnosed with OSA and you need a treatment solution that will help you. If you have any concern about your sleep or believe you have a sleep-related breathing disorder, schedule an appointment with our sleep experts today. FusionSleep is dedicated to finding long-term solutions that help the estimated seven percent of the population effected by sleep apnea.