Sleep Apnea Facts
Due to the stress of everyday life these days and the fact that more and more people are overweight, many more people are being diagnosed with sleep apnea. The sleep apnea pillow is just one of many sleeping aids available on the market, but before I continue with the sleep apnea pillow review, I will explain in a bit more detail about the condition itself.
Basically, Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is an interruption in breathing while sleeping; usually when snoring. While the body's mechanisms automatically kick-start breathing, it is the side effects that are a worrying factor. Untreated, OSA can lead to a number of life-changing illnesses like a stroke or heart attack for example and drivers are seven times more likely to have an accident due to lack of concentration and daytime sleepiness. Treatment can consist of attending a sleep clinic for a sleep apnea evaluation.
Sleep Apnea Evaluation
After a positive sleep apnea evaluation, a doctor will usually recommend an appliance called a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure machine (C.P.A.P.) to help the person sleep better and keep from stopping their breathing during the night. There is mixed opinion about some of the facts published especially about C.P.A.P. machines. While some people believe that C.P.A.P. machines are a great invention, on the other hand others have a hard time with them because they can be a little claustrophobic and there are others who just can't get used to the air rushing in their nose. There appears to be no middle ground with these machines, either users love them or hate them; however at the moment they are the best of the treatments available and have been proven to work well on most cases..
There are other devices available such as nasal strips and mandibular advancement splint (MAS) but it is recognized worldwide that the C.P.A.P. machine is the best and gives the best results.
Sleep Apnea Aids for C.P.A.P.
It is nigh on impossible for a person using a C.P.A.P. machine to sleep on their stomach with-out pushing the mask to the side of their face. This means they must find an alternative comfortable position, either sleep flat on their back or on their left or right side. As a result, a number of companies have manufactured aids such as special pillows to enable a better sleeping position while wearing a mask that is an essential but sometimes a problematic part of the C.P.A.P. machine.
These pillows are designed especially to help someone wearing a C.P.A.P. mask be more comfortable and thus get a better nights sleep. Many C.P.A.P. users toss and turn a lot or have to re-adjust their mask. It has been found that using these pillows reduces wakening events considerably.
A large number of these pillows are contoured, with a variable amount of grooves and indentations for the mask, the person's ear, forehead and chin in order to keep them still, as any moving about can sometimes cause the mask to dislodge from the nose and mouth creating noisy air leaks which more often than not wakens the user. Mask discomfort is the most common complaint people have when using the C.P.A.P. so a pillow can bring welcome relief.
Graham Burt is an established article writer and has 38 articles on different topics published at Ezine Articles. This particular article is derived from Graham's personal experience of the condition. His sleep apnea pillow review website; [http://sleepapneapillowreview.com] has an extensive review of sleep apnea pillows.