Being diagnosed with Covid-19 is a terrifying experience on itself, but especially so if you have underlying health conditions, such as sleep apnea. So, many sleep apnea patients who receive a Covid-19 diagnosis are quite worried that their CPAP therapy might make the symptoms worse.

However, no evidence suggests that CPAP therapy aggravates Covid-19 symptoms. That’s why many doctors recommend that sleep apnea patients don’t stop their CPAP therapy even when going through their coronavirus recovery.

Covid-19 Patients Needs Enough Sleep

Regardless of a COVID-19 diagnosis, the person’s overall health depends on getting enough sleep. A number of studies have shown that there is a strong link between sleep and boosted immune function.

Sleep apnea patients have to deal with an obstructed airway which hiders sleep as well as recovery. Thus, people are extremely tired, their immune system is weakened, which makes them more prone to infection.

On the other hand, CPAP therapy helps alleviate sleep apnea symptoms with a continuous flow of pressurized air. As a result, their airways are open which allows them to quickly recover while sleeping.

Even though many people are tempted to stop their CPAP therapy while recovering from Covid-19, this can only increase the risk and make the symptoms even worse.

Important Tips After Covid-19 Positive Test Result

If you have obstructive sleep apnea and your Covid-19 test is positive, you have to take a couple of things and precautionary tips into consideration.

Washing Your Hands

One of the most important things you can do to protect yourself from coronavirus is to wash your hands effectively and regularly. So, make sure you wash your hands with warm water and soap before touching your CPAP equipment.

Self-Quarantine

Positive Covid-19 test means that you should be self-isolating in a room to prevent the spread of the virus. This also means that your CPAP machine should be in the room so you can prevent exposure to other people.

Cleaning CPAP

Keeping your CPAP machine clear is very important if you want to have effective therapy. Make sure you clean and sanitize your machine, mask, and hose which will protect you from spreading the virus.

Replacing Accessories

You should regularly replace your CPAP accessories, including the mask, filters, and the hose. Germs are more likely to develop if your filters are dirty and your mask is old.

Adapting CPAP Machines for Non-Invasive Breathing Assistance

Many doctors have determined that to keep the pandemic under control and improve the recovery rates, they have to modify CPAP machines. Thus, by trying this out to help out breathing, doctors have discovered that modified CPAP machines could be used to treat COVID-19 patients.

Using a CPAP mask is a less intrusive and more comfortable method for patients with milder symptoms. So, CPAP has proven to reduce the likelihood of hospitalization for coronavirus and minimize the need for ventilators for hospitalized Covid-19 patients. Italy and China have been using CPAP machines to treat coronavirus infections.

There is no evidence that shows that people who have sleep apnea are at higher risk of developing coronavirus.