Do CPAPs Even Work for Sleep Apnea?

If you've been prescribed an expensive, cumbersome CPAP machine, you might want to know if it actually works. And while sleep doctors insist CPAP is the standard of care, out there in the real world, it's a little more complicated.

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[SciShow]

Note: Upon upload this video had a misread of a line saying CPAPs are "Not much better than nothing" when the line was supposed to be "Much better than nothing." We've edited the video to remove that mistake!

[McMintyMP]

My sleep apnea was so bad the doctor seemed legitimately concerned about me dying and I was 29 at the time. I can't live without my CPAP it's the best thing ever.

[Eontologist]

My CPAP has greatly improved my quality of life!! I have very severe OSA and putting the mask on/feeling the pressure has become part of my nightly wind down routine. It’s somehow very comforting/relaxing and I fall asleep so much faster now too which is wild!

[AluminumHaste]

I personally know 5 people who are on CPAP, and they ALL had their quality of sleep DRASTICALLY improved.
One guy was so bad, he would fall asleep while on support calls, while waiting for peoples' routers to reboot.
Since getting his CPAP he's back to normal.

[danicamargarit]

I've been with my husband for over 15 years...he's been snoring LOUDLY and choking in his sleep the entire time. He got diagnosed with OSA years ago, we got a cpap machine, and he never used it... until 6 months ago. He got dx with high blood pressure. I told him that he now MUST use the machine. I didn't care how uncomfortable it was. I got used to sleeping while pregnant and/or breastfeeding so he could get used to breathing all night with a mask.

The difference has been INCREDIBLE. Not only is HE sleeping better, but I do too!!! I didn't even realize it, but I spent most of my night monitoring his breathing, kicking him when he didn't take a breath for over 10 seconds. We both sleep soundly now.

[cosumel]

I had undiagnosed apnea for decades. I almost died twice from seizures in my sleep. Now that I have a cpap, I don’t have to stay caffeinated all day just to stay awake, and don’t wake up a dozen times a night. Your mileage may vary, but it has been a huge improvement in my life.
To put a fine point on it, before the cpap, I stopped breathing for at least ten seconds at a time 61.5 times per hour. After, it is 0.6 times per hour.

[thebadbuttonbespokecorsets]

My spouse has finally stopped snoring and it lowered blood pressure for us both. Him, because he's actually getting real sleep, and me, because his snoring was keeping me from sleeping.

[gmnn]

I scored 97 events per hour when I got mine. I was falling asleep while driving, which was extremely dangerous. The change was instantaneous. I've been using it for a couple of years now and I don't care what any study can say, for me it's a life saver.

[miribmakesitbetter]

I was diagnosed with OSA in 2016. You can pry my cpap out of my cold, dead hands. I don't even care that much about the long term health benefits, it fixed a symptom that had been attributed to my depression for 20 years -- lethargy, difficulty accomplishing things, which turned out to be caused by daytime sleepiness, not depression.

I just last week had to do a new sleep study to qualify for insurance to pay for a new cpap machine. I slept without cpap for one night and was exhausted for almost a week. The sleep I got the night after that sleep study was heavenly. So even if cpap doesn't fix long term health issues it still makes a massive difference for me. I travel with it. I went camping last summer and bought a battery backup and a solar panel to recharge with for the camping trip. It's incredible.

And yes it was annoying for the first week or two, and occasionally still is. But I get good, restful sleep that refreshes me, which is priceless.

[entercreativename]

Nurse here! One of my earliest patients during nursing school was a gentleman who had sleep apnea. After losing almost 100 pounds (he did great on that!), he decided that he no longer needed his CPAP machine without having another sleep study. Problem was, by that point, even with the weight loss, his sleep apnea had worsened enough to have made his heart rhythm change to atrial fibrillation, which is where the first chamber of the heart just jiggles, and it can cause the blood in that chamber to clot, leading the clot to break off causing heart attacks, strokes, and the same in the lungs (known as pulmonary embolism). He unfortunately had that clot break off and landed in the hospital after a heart attack. So, for now, if you're someone who was told to use a CPAP, even with lifestyle changes and improvements, it's still good to get a follow-up sleep study to see what changes happened with the lifestyle improvements.

[metallikat]

I had terrible apnea when I was 20. I finally got hired into my job and got insurance, got a sleep study, and a CPAP, and I got to feeling so much better. 20 years later, I could NEVER go without it.

[gigaherz_]

Whatever the case may be for the science. My friend was given one of these machines, and he's noticed a massive change in the quality of his sleep and his ability to focus while working.

[ArbitraryConstant]

Anecdotal but after I got my CPAP I went from barely squeaking by at work, barely staying awake in the afternoons or in meetings, to completely crushing it. I got a promotion and an award for one of my projects. I also had neighbors that used to bang on the wall because I was snoring so loud and that stopped. I use it consistently and I really feel awful if I miss a night.

[SecondaryChuckle]

CPAP is great because I can pull the covers over my head for extra cozy warmth in the cold dry winter while still getting fresh slightly-warmed humidity-controlled air.

[tridoc]

I am a dentist and my wife is a dentist board certified in dental sleep medicine. This is a really great video, especially on your discussion of efficacy versus effectiveness as it applies to the two options. Nice work!

[DbeeSapphire]

Using a CPAP with the Resmed AirFit P10 nasal pillows makes an amazing difference in comfort and non leakage for me. I also customized the strap using a thin tubular stretch material. This lessens the overwhelming feeling of too much apparatus on one’s head. And it comes in pretty colors 😊

[Crochet_bro]

Yes. The danger of sleep apnea isn't suffocation. It's the damage it does to your heart. With less oxygen coming into the body the heart has to work harder to keep your body oxygenated. After I started using mine I felt so much more rested and my blood pressure improved

[SinisterMD]

As a primary care physician OSA is quite a bit more common than people think and once treated can have significant beneficial effects for the patients. There is even something referred to as a "CPAP high" when people who use it finally get a good night's sleep and feel fantastic the next day. Thanks for explaining the differences in the studies and why we see those.

[xyzxyzxyzxyzxyzxyz]

Without CPAP, I have 50 breathing stops per hour. With, I have 4. Within a day, I stopped falling asleep at work or while sitting down. I lowered my blood pressure. My stress levels improved, heart variability improved. Life quality improved radically.

I use my CPAP machine extensively and at every opportunity. It took some time to get used to, but now I won't try to sleep for a minute without it.

I don't care that I get allergic reactions to the medical silicon in the face mask. I simply will not try to sleep without it. When I accidentally falls asleep without my mask, I will wake up jetlagged and stay in a really bad mood for several day.

A CPAP machine is the signle greatest improvement for my life out of all modern inventions I know.

[Nino-xpdf]

My partner uses a CPAP and it has improved both our lives so much! I used to wake up because he practically stopped breathing, it was scary. Few years ago, he had to have some surgery and the anaesthesiologist asked a bunch of questions beforehand and basically urged him to get this checked out in a sleep laboratory. That's how we found out it was a rather severe issue. I'm forever grateful to that doctor for taking the time!