CPAP Pillows: Do They Really Help?
CPAP pillows are specially designed to relieve mask pressure and help manage tubes for a better fit and night’s sleep. A better fit means you will not need to tighten the mask to prevent leaks so much that is is uncomfortable and leaves lines on your face.
The ergonomic butterfly type designs help to better align the spine and keep you head and neck aligned with proper posture to avoid neck strain. This can provide better comfort, ease of neck pain, better mask efficiency, and a more restful night sleep that will have you feeling better the next morning.
These specialty medical pillows seek solutions to problems commonly experienced by cpap, bipap and apap users. The accommodation of all mask styles and spinal ergonomics makes these pillows a good choice for pap users and non pap users as well. They can provide cooling relief, especially for side sleepers as well as tube management to prevent tube and mask dropping or pulling.
The pillows can help with those that experience painful jaw disorders or accommodate dental appliances, as well as offer a better stomach sleeping solution with cutout designs that can be used to minimize torsion of the head and neck.
Specially designed cpap pillows can help minimize interference with the full or nasal mask while side sleeping, preventing leaks and reducing pressure points. This helps to increase the effectiveness of cpap therapy by maintaining a secure contact throughout the night. Because side sleeping is the best position for reduction of airway interference, pillows that accommodate masks need to be contoured in a way to avoid mask contact. Considering side sleeping must compensate for the shoulders compared to back sleeping, a variety of height or lofts is beneficial in choosing the best pillow for you.
Reducing interference of the mask is important to help eliminate leaks. Leaking decreases medical efficiency by reducing intake. Leaking can also cause increased noise which can be annoying to you and your partner. Leaks can cause irritation and lead to dry eyes and nose in the morning.
Sleep apnea refers to temporary cessation of breath during sleep. It is often caused from airway obstruction due to a small throat, over-relaxed throat muscles, enlarged tonsils, excess weight, and other medical conditions that interfere with normal breathing.
Cpap users often complain of neck pain, headaches, drowsiness, brain fog, and other symptoms. Cpap pillows can provide many benefits over standard pillows that can make using a cpap, bipap or apap more comfortable and increase health benefits.
It is always difficult to find a single pillow that does it all. People often look for new pillows after using one for a while and can’t seem to find one that suits your needs all the time. Like regular pillows, sometimes it is good to have a couple that you can switch according to your condition or needs at particular times.
A 2016 study indicates a specially designed pillow with cut-outs improved comfort and may result in longer sleep duration and prolonged CPAP use because many sleep apnea patients report removing their mask if they wake up in the middle of the night. The authors conclude, “A higher degree of comfort during the night might improve sleep continuity and treatment adherence in the long term.”