It's been a while, but I'm pretty sure that the first HMO I got treated at used an auto-titrating CPAP initially, just to see if I was a candidate for a sleep study. The machine can sense when you stop breathing, and adjust the pressure accordingly.
It's not always as easy as just strapping on a CPAP and seeing if it works. There are at least two major kinds of sleep apnea: Obstructive (which is the most common) and Central (where your nervous system "forgets" to breathe). Using a CPAP with central sleep apnea can cause serious problems.
There are several different things that can cause poor sleep. So just giving them a machine may miss some important things.
Also, CPAP machines can really screw with your blood chemistry.
I used a CPAP for a three or four years. Overall I had better quality sleep, but there were lots of difficulties and some very long stretches where I think I was much worse off for using the machine.
Depending on the type of sleep apnea a CPAP can make it worse.
Oh, you can sometimes find CPAP machines at swap meets and craigslist, if you look around. I've ended up with three of them, and should probably sell one or two. I know it's still a pain to get a mask, though.
It's not always as easy as just strapping on a CPAP and seeing if it works. There are at least two major kinds of sleep apnea: Obstructive (which is the most common) and Central (where your nervous system "forgets" to breathe). Using a CPAP with central sleep apnea can cause serious problems.
There are several different things that can cause poor sleep. So just giving them a machine may miss some important things.
Also, CPAP machines can really screw with your blood chemistry.
I used a CPAP for a three or four years. Overall I had better quality sleep, but there were lots of difficulties and some very long stretches where I think I was much worse off for using the machine.
Depending on the type of sleep apnea a CPAP can make it worse.
Oh, you can sometimes find CPAP machines at swap meets and craigslist, if you look around. I've ended up with three of them, and should probably sell one or two. I know it's still a pain to get a mask, though.