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Want to Know Why You Should Clean Your CPAP?
By: Robert S. Rosenberg, DO, FCCP
People who use CPAP are 32% more likely to get pneumonia, in part due to poor CPAP maintenance.
More than 22 million people in the United States suffer from sleep apnea. We know that the most common form of this condition — obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) — is more than just a nuisance; multiple studies show that disrupted sleep is connected to greater risks of dangerous diseases and conditions, including:
- Heart disease
- High blood pressure
- Stroke
- Type 2 diabetes
There are many other diseases that OSA is associated with, and it plays an outsize role in seemingly unrelated issues, too. For example, those with OSA are five times more likely to have an auto accident than people who don’t have OSA. And it’s not just the patient who endures interrupted sleep; often their partners are sleep deprived, as well, and then end up suffering from some of the same complications of sleep deprivation.
Why cleaning the CPAP is important
In my Sleep Medicine practice, almost all of my patients with OSA are prescribed a CPAP to treat their condition. It’s one of the most reliable and effective sleep apnea treatments available, and…
