Difference between CPAP and VPAP

Health and Wellness » Sleep Apnea Care in India » Difference between CPAP and VPAP

Getting correct information on difference between CPAP and VPAP proves helpful to a person, so that they can choose the best one for the sleep apnea disorder. For this, internet helps an individual as plenty of useful guidelines are easily accessibly that can be sensibly put to use to get the best possible results to treat the sleeping disorder in humans.

What is Sleep Apnea and How do CPAP and VPAP help to Manage it?

The word apnea is derived from the Greek word that means 'want of breath' wherein, sleep apnea is the cessation of breathing that occurs during sleep. A person actually stops breathing for around 10 seconds that may take place for about five times in an hour. In this disorder, CPAP and VPAP machines are generally used as a ventilator as it has an apt alarm system to help the person to manage the mixed and obstructive sleep apnea disorder.

What is CPAP?

CPAP stands for 'continuous positive airway pressure therapy' wherein, a machine is used to treat a patient suffering from sleep apnea that is OSA disorder. CPAP machine helps the person to breathe more easily during sleep. The basic function of a CPAP machine is to increase the air pressure in the patient's throat. This helps the person, so that the airway does not fall down when the person breathes in. Thus, it could be concluded that CPAP acts as a mask to cover the nose and mouth of the person who suffers from the problem of sleep apnea.

What is VPAP and How does it Differ from CPAP?

VPAP stands for 'variable positive airway pressure' which is also called bi-level positive airway pressure. It differs from CPAP in its functioning. VPAP possesses the capability to identify and accordingly provide the amount of air required by the patient at different times during night. On the other hand, CPAP provides a steady stream of pressure that depends on the total pressure amount advised by the physician.

While making use of the CPAP therapy, the patient must take care of the 'complex sleep apnea' that usually occurs while applying the therapy. It is advised to take proper precaution not to have over or under ventilation. Besides this, natural pause in breathing should not be allowed. The patient's spontaneous breathing is governed by the sophisticated support rate for VPAP machine. The backup rate will be automatically calculated as per the natural respiratory rate of the patient.

A VPAP machine depends on the breathing style of a patient. When the patient breathes, he/she requires comparatively high level of pressure to avoid snoring and ultimately sleep apnea problem. While exhaling, the patient requires less amount of pressure. As a result, a VPAP machine is found to be more expensive as compared to the CPAP machine wherein, the insurance companies simply do not cover the cost for such devices in their policies.

Usually, a disruptive sleep apnea affects a large number of Americans and people across the world as the disorder leads to depression, fibromyalgia, excessive sleep during daytime, hypertension, heart attack, stroke, muscle pain and morning headaches. For these side-effects, there are a lot of sleep apnea breathing machines in the market that are easily accessible. You can visit a local shop or simply order any of the devices from the official website of the manufacturer or the dealer to get the machine of your choice from the available stuff to manage sleep apnea disorder. You can also take the assistance of a physician to get a correct suggestion as per your requirement which is usually given after determining your exact condition and suffering of sleeplessness. However, it is essential to consider their functions separately, so that the best results can be achieved to get sound sleep.