Using a CPAP machine to treat sleep apnea and get better rest
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- With the White House recently announcing that President Biden has started wearing a CPAP machine, many are left wondering just how common this is.
KDKA's John Shumway went looking into the incredibly common device that millions of Americans use.
The CPAP machine keeps air moving into your wind pipe and is the most common treatment for sleep apnea, a condition where you actually stop breathing while you are sleeping.
It's certainly not something anyone tries to do, but for a large percentage of the population, it just happens.
"The estimates vary from anywhere from 10% to 30%," said Dr. Daniel Shade, Director of the AHN Sleep Disorders Center.
The American Medical Association estimates 30 million people in the U.S. have sleep apnea -- so the president has lots of company.
"Sleep apnea is just a a condition where your upper airway (and I consider that your nose to your windpipe) ignite time for lots of different reasons. It gets floppy and actually closes down," Dr. Shade said.
That airway can close for 30 seconds to a minute before your reflexes open it up and get you breathing again, and it can happen in the healthiest of people.
Dr. Shade says that over time, sleep apnea can be a life-threatening condition as it can impact heart function, metabolism, and glucose control.
When you have untreated sleep apnea, it can affect memory by causing sleep deprivation, which is a huge topic.
A CPAP machine helps keep air flowing and helps prevent it from happening in the first place.
"You're gonna feel better in the morning," Dr. Shade said. "You're not waking up. you know as much. You're not getting all of those disruptions to your sleep, so your performance is better, your mood is better, and you're have better control of some of these metabolic issues that we were talking about."
The machines also help stop snoring to those of relief in your home.
There are some stereotypes that sleep apnea is only a problem for older people and those who are overweight, but Dr. Shade says people of all sizes have it. While it's more prevalent as people get older, children can get sleep apnea and it's not uncommon to see younger people in their 20's and 30's with it as well.
