Why An Air Purifier Will Help with Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea, which causes restless, unsatisfying sleep followed by less productive waking hours is increasing dramatically. Obesity, smoking, and reactive airways in the body (airways that are already irritated by asthma, allergies, and environmental factors) are part of the reason.
For many, it can be so hard to breathe at night that they wake up continuously. (Many times it is the spouse who can provide the most accurate description of the ragged sleeping habits.) A normal respiratory pattern is interrupted by the soft tissue of the airway relaxing upon deepening levels of sleep and obstructing the airway passage. This leads to more strenuous chest movement trying to suck in air but none will come until finally either a buildup of carbon dioxide occurs, or a fall in the blood oxygen level triggers a survival instinct arousal gasp. Either way, the person wakes up, which is disconcerting for them and for those sleeping nearby.
This situation is exacerbated by irritants in normal household air that further inflame and cause swelling of the already limited space in the airway passage. Many doctors recommend the use of CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) devices to help with sleep apnea. The CPAP devices have very small filters in them which users may erroneously believe will eliminate irritants from the air they're breathing through the device. However, the effectiveness of in-line CPAP filters is limited by the resistance the filters add which increases the work of breathing. An example of how this works is the use of high grade environmental masks for home sanding. They keep the sand out but make breathing much harder work.
The most effective way to eliminate the irritants in the air from aggravating an already delicate airway must come from cleansing the environment of the CPAP user. Remove the irritants from the air before the person wearing the CPAP device breathes it. The tiny filters in the CPAP cause resistance which makes breathing difficult, but if the air going through is already clean, the CPAP user is greatly benefitted.
In many cases, a CPAP user has already spent a considerable amount of money for the device. In some cases, it may not be necessary if the air in the bedroom is sufficiently cleaned. Or, the person with sleep apnea may be able to use the device less. It is indisputably helpful to clean the air as much as possible for anyone with respiratory issues, but with sleep apnea, it is critical.
Sleep apnea can greatly affect one's lifestyle and when present with other risk factors such as heart disease can lead to dangerously low oxygen levels in the blood. This means that if you or a loved one has coronary heart disease, the oxygen supply to the heart is already compromised, so the need to provide air that has been cleansed of irritants is even more important.
