Do they force air in? Wouldn’t that be super uncomfortable
In: Biology
They don’t *force* air in.
Air pushes on things. Normal pressure is about 14 psi, meaning that the “weight” of air on one side of a US quarter is 10 pounds! But we don’t notice that because it’s pushing the other side the same amount.
Similarly, your airways get pushed by pressure. If you’re not breathing, the pressure inside and the pressure outside balance each other, and it doesn’t matter. But when you’re inhaling, the pressure in your airway drops, so that the outside pressure tends to squeeze your throat slightly. In obstructive sleep apnea, that can close the airway. And if you can’t breathe in, then you have nothing to breathe out.
Standard sleep apnea machines use CPAP, which means continuous positive airway pressure. They blow air into your throat, so that even when you’re inhaling, the pressure in your airway is greater than the pressure in your bedroom. Therefore, your throat remains inflated even as your lungs are sucking air out of it.
This can, but shouldn’t be, uncomfortable when you’re inhaling.* The problem comes when you’re exhaling, because the machine is working against you. But even so, the airway remains inflated.
Different kinds of machines can mitigate the problems: BPAP can make it easier to exhale, and APAP can reduce/eliminate any discomfort experienced while inhaling.
But none of these machines are ventilators. They don’t force air into your lungs. They only assist.
Footnote/Edit: The machine may be uncomfortable in other ways, e.g., you have to wear a mask over your face, connected to a hose, which itself is connected to a machine, which makes noise.
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