Doctors recommend continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), as one of the ways of treating sleep apnea. Your doctor may recommend CPAP after assessing the severity of your condition. This machine will assist you to sleep comfortably at night without any complications. It’s therefore essential to know a few details about how to choose the best machine for sleep apnea. In your shopping, consider the following.
A proper fit
For the effectiveness of your CPAP treatment, you should select a mask that’ll fit correctly on your mouth and nose. When choosing your ideal mask, make sure it properly fits on your face. Additionally, check the straps that hold the mask in place and ensure they are not too lose nor too tight. If you chose straps that are too tight, they’d affect your comfort, and too loose straps will break the seal.
Easy to clean
Considering you’re using the CPAP as your breathing aid all night long, it’s essential to make sure you can easily clean the mask. Note condensation from your humidified air and breath can clog the CPAP machine. This environment created by the condensation is ideal for the growth of bacteria and other pathogens. Thus there is a need to clean your mask often to limit the growth of pathogens.
Noise
Though all CPAP machines are designed to emit as little noise as possible during use, some are better than others in this task. The amount of noise the machine produces while at work can affect your quality of sleep. It’s vital to make sure you choose a device that will produce the least amount of noise. This is very important for especially if you’re a light sleeper.
Humidifier
Some CPAP machines have detachable humidifiers while other has in-built humidifiers. With the detachable humidifiers, you can remove them from the machine and add water, for the in-built humidifiers, you have to pour in water. The capacity of the humidifiers is also critical. The larger the capacity, the more you’ll use the machine without refilling water.
Style
CPAP machine masks come in different styles; you can get several options such as headgear designs, nasal pillows, etc. As you shop for the right mask, consider your preference and lifestyle. What works for another individual may not work for you. Thus take your time to choose something you’ll be comfortable to use. If you choose one design and it doesn’t please you, you can switch to a different one.