How CPAP is linked to a healthy brain
Sleep apnea is dangerous for your brain, especially your memory because it deprives the body of oxygen during sleep. Each time you struggle for breath during the night due to your obstructive sleep apnea, you get less oxygen in your system.
Sleep apnea reduces your time spent in REM sleep and the amount of oxygen going to your brain at night. The time spent with lowered oxygen levels and lack of REM sleep leads to deterioration of white matter in your brain. White matter is necessary for your brain to complete retrieval tasks like accessing memories in the brain’s grey matter areas. Left unchecked, this can then lead to a number of other dangerous health problems, including reduced memory function and morning headaches.
Study findings on CPAP and cognitive function
The good news is, using CPAP may help both sleep apnea and brain health at the same time. Researchers have found that, for people with sleep apnea, using CPAP will:
- Increase REM sleep by 78%
- Improve oxygen levels
- Recover daytime functioning and improve spatial navigational memory
In one study, CPAP users even began to regrow lost white matter in their brain thanks to a full year of CPAP. Staying compliant in the long term allowed for a reversal of the negative consequences of sleep apnea.
How to stay compliant and improve brain health
By now you’re wondering – how can I make sure my CPAP is giving me these benefits? There are a few ways to ensure your CPAP is giving you the best CPAP therapy possible – and therefore helping your brain health too.
Here are 4 tips to make your CPAP experience comfortable and stay compliant:
1. Make sure you have working supplies.
When your supplies are old, the therapy will become less and less effective. Because this happens slowly over time, most folks end up not noticing it. Instead, they will tighten their mask a little more, thinking they just need the seal a little closer.
Eventually this leads to over-tightening that can cause pain, marks, and the annoying “hot mask” feeling. The less comfortable your CPAP supplies are, the harder it is to stay compliant and get your CPAP benefits. You can avoid this by replacing your supplies with fresh ones regularly on the recommended, insurance-backed schedule.
Your CPAP supplies could be yours for $0! Allow us to check with your insurance provider for you to find out what is covered (for free!). Click below to get started:
Are your supplies due for a replacement? Check out our standard insurance replacement schedule below:
2. Make sure you have settings that match your needs.
Newer CPAP machines are now auto-titrating, meaning they adjust to your needs breath-by-breath to give the most effective pressure needed all through the night. Even better, they have automatic comfort settings to keep you compliant every night of the week. The premiere auto CPAP choice is ResMed’s AirSense 11 AutoSet, which offers:
- Humidification: 7 levels of humidity and an optional heated tube ensures you don’t dry out
- EPR: Expiratory Pressure Relief reduces pressure upon exhale, avoiding high pressure mask leaks
- AutoRamp: Starts your sleep therapy at a low pressure so you fall asleep more comfortably
- Humidification: 7 levels of humidity and an optional heated tube ensures you don’t dry out
- EPR: Expiratory Pressure Relief reduces pressure upon exhale, avoiding high pressure mask leaks
- AutoRamp: Starts your sleep therapy at a low pressure so you fall asleep more comfortably
Upgrade to the AirSense today for just $399 down and 0% APR!
3. Keep your supplies sanitized.
Bacteria buildup on your mask can make you sick or weaken your mask seal. Weak seals and CPAP illnesses are big barriers to compliance, as they make using CPAP much more of a chore. That’s why keeping your mask and hose clean can be the difference between intolerable and effective CPAP therapy. The Sleep8 CPAP cleaner will keep your supplies sanitary and fresh. The Sleep8 makes cleaning easy with:
- Ozone technology: Kills over 99% of harmful viruses, bacteria, and mold
- One-click cleaning: Just press a button and let the Sleep8 do the rest
- Complete compatibility: No adapter needed to use with any mask and machine
- Ozone technology: Kills over 99% of harmful viruses, bacteria, and mold
- One-click cleaning: Just press a button and let the Sleep8 do the rest
- Complete compatibility: No adapter needed to use with any mask and machine
Save $100 when you buy the Sleep8 today!
If buildup on your mask is a common issue for you, try our Mask Wipes for daily use!
4. Use a mask that seals well.
Finding the right mask for your face can be frustrating, but newer masks are designed to fit more people every day. If leaks from your mask are giving you trouble, the AirFit N30 Nasal Mask will be a great change. Unlike other masks that seal up over and around the bridge of your nose, the AirFit N30 will seal around the bottom of your nose and also provides:
- QuietAir™ technology: Diffused venting breaks up exhaled air so it’s spread out lightly
- QuickFit™ elastic headgear: Slip it on and off like a pair of swim goggles to fit right out of the package
- Single side-clip and split bands: Added adjustability, allowing you to loosen or tighten the headgear
- QuietAir™ technology: Diffused venting breaks up exhaled air so it’s spread out lightly
- QuickFit™ elastic headgear: Slip it on and off like a pair of swim goggles to fit right out of the package
- Single side-clip and split bands: Added adjustability, allowing you to loosen or tighten the headgear
Save $20 on the AirFit N30 today!
Don’t miss out on your insurance coverage! Find out if the AirFit N30 is covered today:
Sources:
“Apnea-Induced Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Disruption Impairs Human Spatial Navigational Memory” by Varga et al. Journal of Neuroscience. 29 October 2014.
“Brain damage caused by severe sleep apnea is reversible” by American Academy of Sleep Medicine September 8, 2014.
