CPAP users understand the importance of sleep apnea therapy to their health and well being. Today, CPAP Central would like to remind you that keeping yourself healthy involves keeping your CPAP equipment clean and up-to-date.

 

Maintaining and replacing supplies is important. Over time your supplies like the mask, headgear, tubing, filters and chin strap get unsanitary and become unhealthy for continued use. These supplies are not meant to last forever!

 

CPAP supplies are disposable.  Most masks are made with plastic and silicone with the headgear being made from neoprene, a synthetic rubber.  Over time these supplies break down and replacements are expected.

 

Bacteria is no one’s best friend.  As your mask gets used it needs to be cleaned regularly with mild soapy water and left out to dry in direct sunlight. Remember, the older the mask, the more bacteria in the mask, tubing, and quite possibly you!

 

If you have to constantly rearrange your mask or tighten it down for the best possible use, you can harm yourself in the process.  If you start to get red sores on your face, more than likely it is time to replace your mask and headgear.

 

Dirty filters are a mess and if you ignore them by not replacing them, your CPAP will turn into a mess too!  CPAP machine filters NEED to be replaced on a regular basis.  If not replaced, the buildup can cause the machine to overheat and not work efficiently, thus damaging the motor.

 

After you clean your equipment you can put it in the sunlight to dry, but don’t keep your supplies there.  Leaving your CPAP supplies in direct sunlight will break them down even quicker causing you to spend more time and energy getting new equipment.

 

At CPAP Central, not only can we help you stay well supplied with your CPAP equipment, we can also help you keep it clean! We sell mask wipes, tube cleaning systems and the SoClean sanitizer, which cleans your entire CPAP system while it is assembled!

Obesity is a risk factor to sleep apnea. It is safe to assume that a healthier living will translate into a reduced risk of developing sleep apnea. This is also true if you’ve already been diagnosed. Eating healthy has been shown to help to reduce the severity of sleep apnea and increase the effectiveness of your CPAP therapy. CPAP Central wants you to understand why having a healthy diet, while diagnosed with sleep apnea, has many benefits.

 

CPAP therapy helps treat your sleep apnea.  You get in a usual routine every night of putting on and turning your equipment on and cleaning your equipment regularly.  Do you have a healthy routine for your diet?  Your health habits can factor in to the effectiveness of your CPAP treatment.

 

Eating the right things at the right times can also help your therapy. For example, eating spicy foods or other foods that trigger activity in your metabolism for dinner may keep you up, which doesn’t allow your therapy to work for as long. Also, avoiding foods with caffeine in them, like chocolate, or foods with neurostimulants in them, like bacon and cheese, will help you fall asleep faster at night.

 

You also need to pay attention to what you are drinking. Just like with food, anything with caffeine in it like coffee, tea, or soda should not be consumed in the hours leading up to going to bed. In addition, drinking alcohol before going to sleep poses two problems. First, it loosens the soft tissue in the airway more, increasing blockage. Second, your CPAP machine is set up for typical sleeping conditions. You breathe differently after consuming alcohol which doesn’t allow for ideal treatment conditions.

 

One thing to remember while eating and drinking as a sleep apnea patient is to determine if the food or drink you consume is healthy or not.  If you have to think about it, you should probably put it down!

 

At CPAPCentral.com we want everyone to experience better sleep, better health, and a better life, remember healthy eating and healthy sleep go hand in hand.

Trying to find the right CPAP mask can be a challenge in addition to trying to get used to pressurized air being pushed through your airway. It has to fit your breathing style, whether you’re a mouth or nose breather. Then it has to have the right level of comfort, allowing you to fall asleep while staying in place and providing you with the air you need for your treatment. Combine that with trying to find the right tension for your straps so that your mask is neither pressing into your face nor falling off at night, and it may take awhile to find the right combination.

 

CPAP masks come in many different shapes, sizes, and fits.  CPAP Central offers several different types of masks for your sleep apnea therapy:  nasal, full face, nasal pillow and total face masks. Here’s a little bit more information about each mask:

 

• Nasal CPAP Masks – Nasal Masks help users who primarily breathe through their nose. A chinstrap can be used to help keep your mouth closed in-case you breathe through your mouth too.  Nasal masks have a seal that goes around your nose shaped like a triangle.
• Full Face CPAP Masks –A full face mask covers both your nose and your mouth with a triangle shaped seal. This is great for users who breathe through either or both their nose and mouth during their sleep.
• Nasal Pillow CPAP Masks –This mask helps people who suffer from claustrophobia, but still allows them to receive CPAP therapy, breathing through their nose.
• Total Face CPAP Masks—Many people have trouble getting their CPAP masks to fit because of facial hair, dental work, nose structure or dentures. These issues can be addressed through the use of a Total Face CPAP Mask.

 

It may take some time to find exactly the right CPAP mask for your situation. If you need help picking one out, contact the experts at CPAP Central. We’re available via live chat Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. EST.

September is Healthy Aging Month and it is a time to support people exercising and staying healthy as they grow older.  Part of staying healthy is getting regular checkups from your doctors or specialists. At CPAP Central, we encourage you and the rest of your family to get checked for sleep apnea, one of the leading causes of sleep deprivation and other health issues.  Not getting enough sleep is unhealthy and if you’re not sleeping well, you may have sleep apnea.

 

Men are more commonly diagnosed with sleep apnea than women are.  Most men, women and even children go through years living with sleep apnea undiagnosed and untreated.  Not diagnosing or treating your sleep apnea may be affecting you and the rest of your family without you even realizing it!  We know you may not be a fan of going to the doctor, but it may help you feel better.

 

Encourage your family members to get a sleep test ordered by their doctors.  Sleep tests are painless and require no preliminary tests.  Don’t worry, there are no needles involved and this is the only test you can actually sleep through! Could you use a sleep test too?  Check with your doctor to see if you can schedule yours at the same time of someone else in your family.

 

Healthy Aging Month is all about having a positive outlook on your health and starting habits that allow you to live longer. Help your family understand the importance of getting screened for sleep apnea.  Ask questions such as if they snore or wake up multiple times at night.  It may shock them how often they do it during the night, which may encourage them to get tested.

 

If you have sleep apnea and need to get started with your CPAP mask, tubing or comfort accessories, let CPAP Central help with you today with picking out the right equipment for your needs.