27 Dec The Role of Stress in CPAP Therapy Toronto
While stress does not cause sleep apnea directly, it can make you more susceptible to it. If you are the type of person that usually tosses and turns in bed and has a hard time sleeping at night, it can be related to stress in your life. Lack of sleep also adds to this stress so it’s a never-ending loop that is hard to get out of. When you combine stress, insomnia and CPAP therapy Toronto together, it will be harder to stick with the treatment plan.
Sleep Apnea and Stress
Many people have a hard time sleeping due to stress or depression. Poor sleep and stress often become a cyclical issue that never seems to end. Although there is no direct link right now between sleep apnea and stress, there is ongoing research that suggests that there may be a relationship between them that hasn’t been discovered yet. There are a lot of things we still don’t know about sleep apnea and we wait for more studies to show results in order to reach conclusions about this health condition.
CPAP Treatment Toronto and Stress
If you’re the type of person that gets very stressed at night and finds that it is interrupting your regular breathing patterns, turn off the CPAP machine, get up and walk around. When you’re stressed you are often taking very shallow breaths and they are very quick in succession. CPAP machines, on the other hand, deliver an air pressure that is regulated according to how you would regularly breathe at night. If you are taking shallow breaths due to stress, you’ll find the machine very difficult to tolerate. It’s best to put your CPAP therapy Toronto on hold for approximately 15 minutes until you can regain relaxed breathing again.
CPAP therapy Toronto devices also send out the air pressure with specific times between these releases. If your breathing is very fast, the CPAP treatment Toronto simply won’t work for you. It’s time to get more relaxed and then try to use the machine again.
If your breathing isn’t affected by your stress level you can go ahead with your CPAP therapy Toronto. You may find that the soft white noise that is emanating from the machine puts you in a more relaxed state. You may also discover that the regular release of air pressure is relaxing and helps you relieve some of the stress you have been holding onto.
Feeling Stressed When Using CPAP Devices Toronto
There are some individuals that find it very stressful when they first start using CPAP devices Toronto. This is especially true for people that are prone to getting claustrophobic reactions. The best thing you can do if this applies to you is to start slowly with the device by using it during the daytime hours for short times. Sit back, relax and watch a good TV show while you have the CPAP machine on. Try to extend the amount of time you can wear it until you feel like the stress of using one has lowered.
A lot of people practice using their CPAP devices Toronto during the day even if they don’t have any problem with claustrophobia. It is a good way to get used to having a mask on your face and it allows you to experience the air pressure that you would be feeling at night. At some point you’ll see that you don’t even notice that you have it on since it has become a part of your regular routine and feels completely normal to wear.
3 Categories of Stress
Stress comes in a variety of different forms but it can also be classified into three main categories including episodic acute stress, acute stress and chronic stress.
Episodic acute stress – When a person experiences many moments of acute stress, they can start to accumulate over time. People that carry heavy burdens due to their day-to-day lives often try to feel better by adapting unhealthy behaviours such as drinking alcohol frequently, binge eating etc. Episodic acute stress can also lead to heart disease, insomnia, depression, relationship problems and troubles with work performance.
Acute stress – This stress type is associated with short-term moments of dread or panic. You may narrowly miss being in a car accident, for example, which causes you a lot of stress. Even though this stress may only last for a fleeting second it can be extremely powerful and hard to deal with afterwards. This stress can increase your heart rate and your blood pressure, which can cause anxiety, sadness and irritability. In most cases acute stress symptoms subside in a short amount of time and have no bearing on your CPAP therapy Toronto.
Chronic stress – More and more people are experiencing chronic stress these days due to the pandemic and its far-reaching effects. More individuals are falling on hard times financially and the pandemic has been long-lasting. There are many things that can cause chronic stress including trauma, abuse and poverty. If you experience chronic stress you should discuss this with your doctor to find out whether or not it will affect your CPAP treatment Toronto. In most cases, it will prove to be helpful since a good night’s sleep is always beneficial for people that have chronic stress.
Stress is especially difficult to deal with and when you aren’t getting enough sleep it will contribute to your stress levels. Try to find ways to reduce your stress by looking for one that works for you. You will find a lot of recommendations on the Internet but don’t give up if you find that the first one you try doesn’t work for you. Stress is very individual so you may have to try a few different recommendations until you find the one that suits you the best. In the meantime, keep up with your CPAP therapy Toronto unless you have been told not to by your physician.
If you have any questions about CPAP therapy Toronto or CPAP devices Toronto please visit our website at cpapmachinestore.ca. You’ll find a lot of helpful information available on our site and we also offer the latest machines and CPAP supplies to sleep apnea patients across the country.