Sleep deprivation can have a variety of symptoms, including sleepiness during the day, fatigue, irritability, headaches, lack of concentration, weight gain, mood changes, and others.

Two of the most common sleep disorders, sleep apnea and snoring, can be treated using CPAP, or Continuous Positive Airway Pressure.

Sleep apnea is a disorder which causes a person to stop breathing for short periods (10 seconds or more) during their sleep. Sleep apnea may be caused by a restriction of the airways, or it may be caused by a lapse in the signals from the brain which trigger breathing. Sleep apnea can cause serious symptoms, in some cases even cause death, if it is not treated. Snoring is not technically a disorder, but as everyone knows, it is an aggravation!

As mentioned earlier, Continuous Positive Airway Pressure is an effective treatment for both snoring and sleep apnea. However, CPAP is only effective for treating sleep apnea when it is caused by a restriction in the airways (called Obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA). Sleep apnea may also be caused by a break in signals from the brain to breath.

CPAP, or Continuous Positive Airway Pressure uses a special machine to feed pressurized air to the patient via a special mask. By keeping the airflow at a set pressure, the patients airways are kept from being restricted. The air pressure is normally set by a sleep technician at a sleep clinic. Once the machine is set, the patient may use it at home. The correct pressure is determined by the pressure that removes the most incidents of apnea or snoring.

CPAP is very effective in treating sleep apnea or snoring. In many cases, the condition can be completely mitigated.