Doctor, do I have to wear this CPAP for the rest of my life?
Yes, you may just have to wear that CPAP for the rest of your life. Those are hard words to say and even harder words to hear. The fact is the more mild your sleep apnea and the less pressure you need to open your airway, the better chances you have of getting off of CPAP. It may take some life style changes or even undergoing surgery– but it has been done. The problem is that not every one has mild sleep apnea. Allot of us take high CPAP pressures to hold open our airways.
Let me try to explain why everyone needs a different CPAP pressure to open their airway. Think of your airway as a balloon. Some balloons are hard to inflate and hurt your cheeks, others will inflate slightly easier. An airway that is obstructed may not even begin to inflate until you get into the upper pressure ranges. Your weight and the severity of your obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are the two main factors that play a large part in how high of a pressure you may require for your CPAP machine. The pressure acts like a splint or cushion of air that holds open what gravity is trying to close. Yes gravity plays a large role...