What is the CPAP machine that US President Joe Biden uses to manage his sleep apnea?

But, what exactly is sleep apnea? According to Dr Ravi Kumar Jha, Pulmonologist, Fortis Escorts Hospital, Faridabad, it is one of the most underreported but dangerous diseases, which is treatable if recognised and diagnosed properly. “It is majorly due to weight gain, wherein there is fat deposition all over, especially around the neck,” Dr Kumar said.

Dr Sanjay Gupta, Senior Consultant, Department of Medicine, Manipal Hospitals, Dwarka added it is a relatively common condition these days and is mostly found in obese people.

Explaining how it occurs, Dr Gupta shared, “Those with sleep apnea, when they sleep, their palate (ie the roof of their mouth) relaxes, which causes a pause in breathing, called apnea in technical terms.” Because this apnea occurs in their sleep, the disease is called sleep apnea.

He added that these pauses in the breathing cycle lead to recurrent falls in oxygen levels while sleeping, as a result of which you can also develop issues related to hypertension, and eventually diabetes and cardiac diseases. This can also lead to death by cardiac arrest. “You know how we say someone died in their sleep? Chances are they had undiagnosed sleep apnea, which led to their death,” Dr Gupta said.

It is one of the most underreported but dangerous diseases (Source: Pixabay)

According to Dr Kumar, once you have developed sleep apnea, a CPAP machine or BiPAP (ie bilevel positive airway pressure machine) is the immediate treatment, in most cases.

Dr Gupta explained that both of these machines work by pushing a force of air into your mouth and nasal cavity, which does not let your airway close, as it would have in patients with sleep apnea.

While a BiPAP machine delivers different levels of air pressure, once when you inhale and once when you exhale, a CPAP machine delivers a fixed air pressure throughout. “Which machine you need can be determined by a sleep study,” the expert said.

Further, Dr Gupta said that these machines will not only improve your sleep quality but also reduce the chances of developing hypertension or diabetes caused by sleep apnea as “when you don’t sleep well, your arteries become stiff, putting you at risk of these issues.”

Even though the diagnosis of this disease is dependent on a separate test, there are warning signs you must watch out for, experts suggested. “If a patient has obstructive sleep apnea, it is likely that they dose off multiple times during a day without even realising it,” Gupta said.

If undiagnosed, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) can cause agitation, irritability, and cardiac arrhythmias, he said. “You might even fall asleep while driving or handling heavy machinery so it is advised to stay away from both till you have a handle on your problem.”

Though snoring is a symptom of the problem, it is not always a warning sign as people tend to snore even when they’re tired, Gupta pointed out.

With adequate diet, and weight loss, the disease can be treated, even without any machine, Dr Kumar added. “The patients must avoid any processed food, or high-sugar diet, and should try to reduce carbohydrate intake. Plenty of water also helps, but maintaining your protein intake is very important,” he said.

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