Cepap (CPAP) sleep apnia (apena) treatment

CPAP or CEPAP is an abbreviation for Continous Positive Air Pressure. It is based on a continous flow or air pumped into the lungs of the sleep apnia (apnea) or snoreing (snoaring) patient.

This will keep the airway open and prevent any obstruction or collapse which is what normally leads to the interrupted breathing and the following brutal restart. The CPAP machine has proven very successful as treatment of sleep apnea.

What Is CPAP (Cepap)?

Continuous Positive Airway Pressure or CPAP in short (sometimes CEPAP), is usually delivered in the nasal airways through a mask or via pillows. The specially designed CPAP mask will not do the breathing for you, instead there is a pressure of air which will help keeping your airways open when you do breathe. The airways would otherwise collapse due to excess tissue, deformed airways (jaw, tongue etc) or other reasons - that is if you have sleep apnea. CPAP (cepap) is generally regarded as the most effective treatment (except surgery) for sleep apnia and snoring. Snoreing (snoaring) and apnea are often connected.

When you suspect that you have a sleeping disorder, or when you are diagnosed with sleep apena, you otolaryngologist may choose treatment with CPAP (cepap). This means that you will probably wear a mask every night, connected to a CPAP device. In the course of the treatment, you may also be required to change parts of your lifestyle to avoid the factors that may have triggered or affected the condition. This could mean changes like weight control (diet, exercise), giving up smoking etc.

CPAP efficiency in sleep apnia treatment

Except in some cases where the sleep apnea is due to severe obstruction in the nasal airways, CPAP enjoys near 100% success rate in treating the symptoms of sleep apena. It is important to understand though, that it doesn't cure the sleep apnea, it merely treats the symptoms and offer a very good relief.

Some patients have problems wearing the CPAP nasal mask every night, often due to feelings of claustrophobia or it may be when travelling. In these cases, surgery may be the only remaining option. Full summary of sleep apnia surgery here.

Sleep apnea and snoring surgery

In the old days, which in this case is pre-1980, before the CPAP machine and filter was invented, the normal treatment of snoring or sleep apnia was to perform a tracheostomy (sleep apena surgery). That is when the surgeon opens a hole into the windpipe and inserts a vented tube. The tube is left open at night but closed daytime (or you would not be able to speak). CPAP revolutionized the treatment of sleeping disorder such as snoring or sleep apena. The method made it possible to treat the disorder efficiently without resorting to surgery.

Except in a few cases where there is a difficult nasal obstruction, it has been found that Cepap (CPAP) is almost 100% effective in the treatment of snoring (snoreing, snoaring) and SA. CPAP will not actually cure the disease, but since it almost totally removes the problem (the symptoms of sleep apnea), it has had a great success rate and acceptance. In rare cases, if you find that CPAP - cepap - does not work for you, surgery may still be necessary to cure and treat sleep apnia.