If you have OSA – Obstructive Sleep Apnea – a CPAP machine can change the way you sleep… and live. People with OSA should never forget that they actually stop breathing at least once during the night.  They sleep poorly and their blood oxygen levels are lower.  OSA has been associated with an increased risk for many health problems, including hypertension, heart disease, mood and memory problems — even problems driving.

What Can CPAP Therapy Do for Me?

A study in the journal SLEEP suggests that CPAP therapy can do more that improve sleep. Patients who regularly use a CPAP machine:

• felt significantly less fatigue throughout the day
• had much more energy
• felt considerably less daytime sleepiness — especially those who were previously over fatigued.

Scientists aren’t certain how and why CPAP therapy can have these additional positive effects, but they think that CPAP may reduce inflammation, which in turn reduces fatigue.  This is encouraging news for people who have OSA — and even better news for people who are already using CPAP machines to improve the quality of their sleep.

A CPAP machine is not as attractive as a new lamp or stylish art in the bedroom. But in addition to changing the way a person with OSA sleeps, it can also help people feel less fatigued and have more energy throughout the day.

We already knew that CPAP improves the quality of sleep of many people — and saves their partners from listening to hours of snoring and other loud breathing noises. Just a few more reasons for people with OSA use their machines every night.