How to Sleep With a Breathing Machine
Obstructive sleep apnea is a condition that prevents quality sleep due to an inability to breath properly while at rest. According to Stanford University sleep apnea can lead to more serious conditions such as heart attack, stroke or heart disease. Sleep apnea is treated with a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure, or CPAP, machine. It is a breathing machine that circulates the room air through a mask that the sleeper wears over his or her nose. Sleeping with a CPAP machine can take some getting used to, but there are ways to make the process easier.
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Instructions
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Sleeping with a CPAP Machine
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Place a night stand that is bed-high as close to your side of the bed as possible. In order to allow maximum movement with a CPAP machine, it helps to have it level with your head as you sleep.
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2
Adjust the CPAP mask so that it is snug but not too tight. A CPAP technician may have already adjusted it for you, but when you are in your own bed, you may need some fine tuning.
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3
Turn on a regular room fan at the low setting. Point the fan away from the bed if you do not need air circulating around you for comfort, but make sure it is close enough so you can hear it. The low-level and familiar humming of the fan will help to offset the sound of the CPAP machine and allow you to sleep. After a while, you will no longer need the sound of the room fan to help you fall asleep with the CPAP going. A CPAP machine is not very loud, but if you are not used to sleeping with constant air circulating sounds, it can be difficult to fall asleep at first.
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Check for air leaks in the mask when the CPAP machine comes on. Air leaks can keep you awake by pushing air into your eyes. To fix a leaky mask, simply adjust it to make it tighter.
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5
Place the CPAP hose across your shoulder and avoid pinning it under your arm. The CPAP hose is long enough to allow your head to move side to side throughout the night so do not feel as though you have to stay in one place all night long. The rotating connection to the mask will allow the hose to move freely as your head moves.
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Tips & Warnings
The fan supplies a constant and familiar sound that can offset the sound of the pulsating CPAP machine and will help you sleep. It is a trick used by people with tinnitus to help them sleep over the high-pitched hissing that goes on in their ears. If you sleep on your stomach, have the hose lay on your pillow and running across the back of your bed. This will allow the hose to spin easily with the mask.
Do not sleep with the mask too tight. A tight mask will leave deep marks on your face that will not go away for hours. If you need to make the mask too tight to prevent air from escaping, then take the mask back to the CPAP technician and get a replacement.
