{"id":3727,"date":"2018-11-08T12:33:21","date_gmt":"2018-11-08T12:33:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/goodnights.rest\/?page_id=3727"},"modified":"2019-06-24T01:12:35","modified_gmt":"2019-06-24T01:12:35","slug":"types-of-sleep-apnea-masks","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/goodnights.rest\/types-of-sleep-apnea-masks\/","title":{"rendered":"Sleep Apnea Masks: Which One is the Right Fit for You?"},"content":{"rendered":"
Jump to:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
First things first: How do you know if you need a sleep apnea mask? Don’t leave this to chance and Googling! If you suffer from snoring, see a healthcare professional and discuss treatment options with your doctor.<\/p>\n
You may just be an occasional snorer, or have mild sleep apnea that can be managed by\u00a0a less complicated sleep apnea mouthpiece<\/a>.\u00a0Obstructive sleep apnea is fairly common, but an official diagnosis is a must.<\/p>\n Using a sleep apnea mask is often part of what is effectively a lifestyle change. Unlike most sleep apnea mouthpieces, you\u00a0would only be able to use\u00a0sleep apnea masks\u00a0in conjunction with some type of positive airway pressure (PAP) machine.<\/p>\n This therapeutic\u00a0mask and machine setup\u00a0will need consistent cleaning and maintenance, and can be costly and unwieldy. On top of this, a sleep apnea mask that’s not compatible with your body and the way you sleep won’t be as effective. This is precisely why there are so many different sleep apnea mask variations on the market.<\/p>\n Before we tackle the different kinds of sleep apnea masks—and the machines to use them with—we\u00a0should\u00a0to take a step back and gather more information. As we’ve stressed above, it’s important to\u00a0consider the path that would lead someone to have pick out a sleep apnea mask for themselves! Taking care of your sleep health is essential, but\u00a0you don’t want to end up investing in something you don’t need.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Snoring is caused by vibrating parts of the body’s respiratory system caused by breathing while asleep. This phenomenon can be completely harmless, but in some cases it may also be a primary sign or symptom of a sleep disorder called obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).<\/strong><\/p>\n To put things into perspective: Almost half of all adults in the US suffer from snoring<\/a>, but only 25 million\u00a0adults report having\u00a0obstructive sleep apnea.<\/p>\n While even occasional snoring can be a cause for concern, it’s not advisable to assume that you have OSA just because you snore loudly. We say this all the time, but only because it’s always true: Consult a doctor and get an official diagnosis.<\/p>\n The other extreme is just as bad! Self-medication can be dangerous, but ignoring red flags and symptoms is also a no-no. If your snoring bouts are consistent or getting worse, don’t go for the wait-and-see approach. Any sign of OSA should always be taken seriously, as it is a sleep disorder that can lead to life-threatening complications if left untreated.<\/p>\n OSA\u00a0is a\u00a0sleep disorder that is characterized by\u00a0routine impairment of breathing during slumber due\u00a0to blockage of airflow within the body.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n The difficulty in breathing can and quite often leads to sleepers taking unconscious steps to increase air intake. This, in turn, results in easily recognizable symptoms like heavy mouth-breathing or loud snoring. Choking and gasping for air are also common.<\/p>\n Obstructive sleep apnea can cause discomfort in the form of irritations due to dry mouth and throat, as well as frequent sleep interruptions and night awakenings. Overall, the reduced air intake also reduces the amount of oxygen circulated within the body—this affects the body’s entire well-being.<\/p>\n Other symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea include excessive daytime sleepiness and\u00a0bouts of microsleep,<\/a>\u00a0as well as\u00a0many effects of poor sleep: difficulty concentrating, headaches, lack of focus, and even moodiness.<\/p>\n The cause of obstructive sleep apnea can also be as simple as a physical predisposition.\u00a0People with smaller air passages, a larger tongue, or a deviated septum\u00a0may be more prone to having OSA.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Obstructive sleep apnea is essentially a physical issue, after all. It makes sense that the way someone is built would affect the chances of them developing OSA. Due to this, obese and overweight people may also be more likely to suffer from sleep apnea. Surprisingly, some eye disorders may also be considered\u00a0risk factors for OSA<\/a>, too.<\/p>\n Something that’s not often highlighted is the role of sleeping positions in occurrences of snoring and sleep apnea. While treating OSA is usually not as simple as changing from back sleeping to side sleeping, the position you sleep in can significantly impact air intake<\/a>—and the loudness of your snoring.<\/p>\n Age and sex have something to do with it, too. Statistics conclude that more men than women have OSA.\u00a0Cases of the sleep order also increase the older an age group is. Taking all of this into consideration, the profile of a person most at risk of developing obstructive sleep apnea is an obese male that is middle-aged or older.<\/p>\n OSA—especially if left untreated—will increase the risk of developing diabetes, as well as cardiovascular health problems like irregular heartbeats, hypertension and heart disease. Heart attacks and strokes are more likely, too.<\/strong><\/p>\n We already know that obstructive sleep apnea negatively affects the body’s oxygen levels. This contributes to a whole host of problems:\u00a0higher heart rate and blood pressure,\u00a0greater levels of inflammation-causing and blood sugar-elevating chemicals in the\u00a0body, and overall more stress to the heart.<\/p>\n Diabetes, hypertension and obesity are already often comorbid with obstructive sleep apnea.<\/a>\u00a0If you suffer from one, chances are that you may have an increased risk of developing the others, and of suffering from serious heart diseases, too.<\/p>\n Mild sleep apnea may be treated with a basic weight loss plan and a change in sleep habits. More severe cases may need help from sleep apnea mouthpieces. The most extreme types of obstructive sleep apnea may benefit from surgery or some type of positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy.<\/strong><\/p>\n You may be scared of being diagnosed with\u00a0OSA because you don’t have to have to wear a sleeping mask for sleep apnea. Don’t fret! Sleep apnea treatments without mask and machine use do exist. Ask your doctor to go through all the available options with you.<\/p>\n Common sleep apnea mask alternatives you’ll come across will include mouthpieces like tongue retaining devices (TRDs) or mandibular advancement devices (MADs). Many anti-snoring devices on the market<\/a>\u00a0today may actually be used to ease the pains brought about by OSA! Just note that anti-snoring products may simply provide palliative care—that is, they may treat the symptom but not the disorder itself.<\/p>\n PAP therapy is a typical method of treatment because it provides the\u00a0great relief in terms of air intake, without being as invasive as surgery. It is often the next step taken if oral appliance therapy for sleep apnea proves insufficient. In some cases, the two may be combined! Some PAP therapy setups can accommodate oral appliances to provide specific treatments for very complicated cases of OSA.<\/p>\n Let’s learn more about PAP therapy below.<\/p>\n Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) therapy is the most common of its kind used to treat obstructive sleep apnea. A CPAP setup—consisting of a mask, tube and machine—is needed to administer the therapy, which works by using a constant flow of air to keep your throat and other breathing passages open while you sleep.<\/strong><\/p>\n CPAP is so ubiquitous that sleep apnea masks are almost always called CPAP masks, even though other PAP therapies may also be able to use them.<\/p>\n Important to note: A CPAP machine\u00a0isn’t cheap! It can be beyond your budget if you don’t have insurance. A CPAP machine can set you back thousands of dollars—not to mention the cost of accessories and maintenance.<\/p>\n An interesting counterpoint to the cost of a CPAP machine is its popularity. Because it’s a common way to manage obstructive sleep apnea, there’s a whole industry out there that supports it. Competition is healthy, and you’ll be able to find many budget alternatives if you look hard enough.<\/p>\n With a CPAP machine, the air pressure is—as the name implies—-continuous as it is constant. The air is pressurized by the motor within the machine, sent up through the connected tube, and administered via the mask fitted over the sleeper’s nose or whole face.<\/strong><\/p>\n Some CPAP machines have a built-in ramp feature that works by gradually increasing air pressure over a set period of time. This is is a comfort setting meant to make it easier for sleepers to adjust to CPAP therapy.<\/p>\n Other comfort concessions are reflected in the various designs of available masks for sleep apnea machines. Some CPAP machines also come with a humidifier that can reduce the common side effect of nasal irritation that develops with regular CPAP therapy.<\/p>\n Also referred to an oxygen mask for sleep apnea or a CPAP mask,\u00a0a good sleep apnea mask\u00a0should fit snugly over the sleeper’s nose and\/or mouth. The edges of the mask should form a seal and should have no part that lets the pressurized air leak out.<\/strong><\/p>\n Mask leaks are a common problem, and are attributed to ill-fitting or loose masks, as well as natural oil and dirt buildup. What happens when there’s a mask leak? You’ll hear the air leak out\u00a0and you’ll feel the air pressure change.\u00a0If you’re asleep when it happens, your rest\u00a0may be interrupted and you may wake up.<\/p>\n To avoid or fix leaks, you may try the following: adjust the straps of your sleep apnea mask, turn on the ramp feature of the CPAP machine, and make time for regular sleep apnea mask cleaning. You may also need to consider changing masks completely if the problem is the mask’s age or incompatibility with your face shape.<\/p>\n It\u2019s worth noting that there are a few cases when a sleep apnea mouthpiece can also be (part of) a CPAP mask\u2014and therefore may be synonymous to a sleep apnea mask. For certain cases, a doctor may work in conjunction with a dentist to create a custom mouth device for sleep apnea that can be directly attached to a CPAP machine.<\/p>\n Apart from CPAP, other PAP therapies that a doctor may recommend for obstructive sleep apnea include autotitrating positive airway pressure (APAP) and bilevel positive airway pressure (BPAP or BiPAP).<\/strong><\/p>\n Positive airway pressure therapy is actually a generic medical term for any form of sleep apnea treatment that depends on artificial air pressure meant to support and prevent the collapse of airways while the patient is asleep. Almost all PAP therapies require the same three parts: mask, tube and a machine with a motor.<\/p>\n APAP is not constant or continuous, but reactive. APAP machines will automatically raise or lower the air pressure it uses to ease the symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea throughout the night. APAP machines\u00a0can sense\u00a0changes in your breathing and adjust accordingly. This is very useful if you’re prone to seasonal allergies, colds or respiratory infections.\u00a0Most APAP machines have a simple CPAP setting, too.<\/p>\n BPAP is sort of a hybrid. It uses two alternating and different levels of air pressure. Pressure rises when you breathe in, and decreases when you breathe out. BPAP setups are often recommended after CPAP and APAP therapies prove incompatible. Cases of obstructive sleep apnea comorbid with other breathing disorders may also benefit from BPAP.<\/p>\n There are three main types of sleep apnea masks, based on the coverage they offer: the nasal mask, the nasal pillow mask, and the full face mask.<\/strong><\/p>\n Let’s run through the three kinds of sleep apnea masks below and find out what makes each one unique.<\/p>\n The sleep apnea\u00a0nasal mask is one of the oldest, most prevalent and popular designs available. The mask itself is supposed to cover and create a seal around the entire nose. The\u00a0part that delivers the air to the sleeper should rest between the upper lip and the nose. Most nasal masks for sleep apnea include cushions made of softer material—like gel or silicone—to guard against irritation in places where the mask touches bare skin.<\/p>\n<\/a>How Is Snoring Different from Sleep Apnea?<\/h2>\n
<\/a>What Is Obstructive Sleep Apnea?<\/h2>\n
How Do You Develop Obstructive Sleep Apnea?<\/h3>\n
What Are the Consequences of Having Obstructive Sleep Apnea?<\/h3>\n
What Are Common Obstructive Sleep Apnea Management and Treatment Options?<\/h3>\n
<\/a>What Is Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Therapy?<\/h2>\n
How Does A CPAP Machine Work?<\/h3>\n
How Does A Sleep Apnea Mask Work?<\/h3>\n
What Are the Other Types of Positive Airway Pressure Therapy?<\/h3>\n
<\/a>What Are the Different Sleep Apnea Mask Types?<\/h2>\n
<\/a>1. Nasal CPAP Masks<\/h3>\n