My Life and Sleep Apnea

One problem with the CPAP mask that I haven’t heard much about is claustrophobia. The mask can be cumbersome for most at the beginning because it is so unnatural to have a mask on your face while you are sleeping. I wrote about my experiences in an earlier post, but for some, the problems might be a little more frightening. Claustrophobia is a panic disorder that causes anxiety from the fear of enclosed places. Most sufferers fear the lack of movement that a tightly enclosed place puts them in or they fear a lack of oxygen. Training the patients to identify their fears and change their behaviors is the most common treatments. Sleep Apnea patients who are claustrophobic due to their CPAP mask can find relief by wearing it during the day for a few hours to adjust to the feel and the sound of the machine. They can also try out nasal pillows where tubes are inserted into the nostrils without having any straps on their face. Relaxation exercises might also be tried to control t...

Everyone that has been diagnosed with sleep apnea has probably tried using a cpap mask . While some find it a life saver others view it as a torture device. It definitely isn’t a natural feeling to wear a mask to bed, especially a mask that pushes air into your mouth or nose. If you are thinking about using a cpap mask here are a few things you might want to know about them. The cpap mask can either be full face or just fit over your nose. If you breathe through your mouth then the full mask is for you. One of the reasons I didn’t like the cpap was the noise that it made. Fortunately this issue has been addressed by many of the companies that manufacture cpap machines. One of the fears that I had when I wore a cpap was what if the power went off . Having a beard with a full face mask can be a problem. It is difficult enough to get the mask to fit without any leaks but having beard makes it much worse. Even if you can’t sleep the whole night with the mask on some rest with the ...