CPAP Use for Sleep Apnea
Having a good night’s sleep is even more critical as research shows. However, those suffering with the condition of snoring or sleep apnea can be putting their heart at risk for decreased oxygen as well as their brain health.
In a recent article from EasyBreath, research shows that CPAP usage of 4 hours or more lead to an improvement of the heart. The study also showed that CPAP Use for sleep apnea of less than 2.5 hours did not result in improvement. Read the rest of the article below.
The heart is called a vital organ for a reason. Duh, without your heart, you’d be dead. But our heart is responsible for a number of imperative physiological functions – like pumping blood and oxygen to the rest of our organs. This is why obstructive sleep apnea can be so damaging – there is a definitive link between the sleep disorder and the development of hypertension and other potentially lethal cardiovascular issues – including the risk of dying from a sudden heart attack. Now, a new study suggests that CPAP compliance is essential in reducing these cardiovascular risks.
Sleep apnea is dangerous for our heart and cardiovascular system – the system responsible for making sure our body has a healthy supply of oxygen – because it literally deprives the body of oxygen. Each time you struggle for breath, you are causing this deprivation, which ultimately causes your blood pressure to elevate – this is called hypertension. Hypertension can lead not only to cardiac failure, but also other issues – such as stroke and aortic aneurysm. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine wanted to know if CPAP compliance had anything to do with preventing hypertension and reducing cardiac complications as a result of sleep apnea.
They observed 47 adult patients with a median age of fifty years or younger who were recently diagnosed with sleep apnea. They not only tested them before CPAP treatment, but also after. The researchers’ results were remarkable. Patients who complied with CPAP therapy more than 4 hours a night showed huge improvements in blood pressure – they also showed improvement in peripheral arterial tone and stiffness, which are two things doctors look for when determining how healthy someone’s heart is. On the other end of the spectrum, low-compliance test subjects didn’t see any results when they received less than 2.5 hours of therapy.
What does it all mean? Basically, high compliance is the key to benefitting from CPAP treatment.
This content was originally published here.
