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Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy for obstructive sleep apnea
Continuous positive airway pressure therapy (CPAP) uses a machine to help a person who has obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) breathe more easily during sleep. A CPAP machine increases air pressure in your throat so that your airway does not collapse when you breathe in. When you use CPAP, your bed partner may sleep better, too.
You use CPAP at home every night while you sleep. The CPAP machine will have one of the following:
- A mask that covers your nose and mouth.
- A mask that covers your nose only—called nasal continuous positive airway pressure, or NCPAP (this type of mask is most common).
- Prongs that fit into your nose.
See a picture of
CPAP 
.
You may want to try similar machines that have automatically adjustable air pressure or air pressures that are different when you breathe in than when you breathe out.
| By: | Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: July 9, 2009 |
| Medical Review: | E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine Mark A. Rasmus, MD - Pulmonology, Critical Care Medicine, Sleep Medicine | |
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