CPAP Clinic Sleep Blog

Understanding your sleep health, sleep apnea and CPAP therapy

CPAP Nasal Masks and the Other Components of CPAP Machines

Do you know what a CPAP machine is? Better yet, do you know what CPAP means?  CPAP stands for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure. Basically, CPAP is a kind of air pressure used to help someone who has difficulty breathing, most often used for those suffering from sleep apnea.

Oops, that’s another medical and technical term! Once again, in simpler terms, sleep apnea is a sleep disorder characterized by breath interruptions. This condition happens when a person’s air passage is blocked, usually by the tissues in the throat.

CPAP Machine

The CPAP machine was developed by Dr. Colin Sullivan in 1981. This Australian researcher, together with his colleagues Berthon-Jones, Issa, and Eves, “invented” this mechanism primarily for the treatment of sleep apnea. Early CPAP machines were large and bulky, but today, they are getting more compact, making them easy to transport. While early CPAP machines were only used in the hospitals, today, they are widely used in the homes of patients. You can even rent CPAP – in Toronto or elsewhere- nowadays.

So what does a CPAP machine look like? What are its components?

The CPAP machine is divided into three major parts. Let’s discuss them one by one.

1. The Flow Generator. This is the heart of the machine, and it is the part responsible for providing the airflow pressure.

2. The Hose. Obviously, this part is responsible for connecting the interface (discussed below) with the flow generator.

3. The Interface. This is the part that you put on your face and which introduces the airflow pressure into your system. The most common interfaces are CPAP nasal masks, nasal pillows, and full-face masks.

Different Types of CPAP Masks

CPAP nasal masks are perhaps the simplest among the three interfaces considering that they only cover your nose. In essence, the pressure goes through your nose, down to your throat, and to your lungs. Among the three, CPAP nasal masks are also the most comfortable.

Contrary to CPAP nasal masks, full-face masks cover your whole face. If you are a bit claustrophobic, you may not want to use this interface. Full-face masks, however, are great at preventing you from breathing through your mouth. Sleep apnea patients must breathe through the nose to keep a “close pressure system.”

There are also nasal pillows. CPAP nasal pillows are also known as lip-seal mouthpieces. Their interface is made up of a “pillow” (a small tube) and a set of straps that keep it in place right below the nostrils.

CPAP Clinic – healthcare at your home

We serve Greater Toronto Area in Canada.

Contact: 1-877-430-CPAP(2727) or info@CPAPClinic.ca

Do you want to rent CPAP in Toronto? CPAPClinic.ca can help you with that. Visit the site too for great selections of CPAP nasal masks in Toronto, or perhaps CPAP nasal pillows in Toronto.

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