Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) therapy is generally considered to be the “gold standard” treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a condition where breathing stops periodically during sleep due to blocked airways. CPAP works by delivering a constant flow of air into the airways to keep them open, allowing uninterrupted breathing throughout the night.
But some social media influencers are cautioning against long-term use of CPAP, arguing it makes people into “lazy breathers” as a side effect. This is the idea that if you have assistance breathing during the night, then you’ll eventually lose the ability to breathe without assistance during the day because your muscles and brain will become complacent.
Don’t trust everything you see on Tik Tok. This is simply not true. Use of CPAP does not make you a “lazy breather.” Not only does the scientific evidence support the use of CPAP to improve daytime breathing, but the claim itself is illogical because CPAP makes the muscles work harder to facilitate breathing.
1. Scientific Evidence Contradicts the “Lazy Breather/CPAP Claim”
Proponents of the idea that CPAP causes people to become “lazy breathers” are generally not medical practitioners, or at least not practitioners of evidence-based medicine. There is actually no scientific basis for this claim. In fact, the scientific evidence strongly suggests the opposite. In studies where people suffer from severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), CPAP treatment has consistently been shown to improve breathing function1.
2. CPAP Does Not Give Breathing Muscles a Rest
The “lazy breather” theory is illogical because CPAP actually makes the diaphragm and other breathing muscles work harder in some ways. The device creates continuous air pressure which means exhaling, or breathing out, is actually slightly more work with CPAP than without CPAP. This is especially true at higher settings. The muscles that facilitate breathing get more of a workout than normal when breathing out. The other problem with the “lazy breather” theory is that the airway is obstructed in sleep apnea, so even with positive air pressure, it takes work to breathe. Just because CPAP helps people breathe better, doesn’t mean it gives their breathing muscles a break in the same way a wheelchair gives one’s legs a break–it doesn’t.
Conclusion
While CPAP therapy helps alleviate symptoms of sleep apnea and improves sleep quality, it doesn’t make you a “lazy breather.” In fact, it helps restore normal breathing patterns during sleep, which can have positive effects on daytime functioning and overall health.
Overall, CPAP therapy is an effective and safe treatment for sleep apnea when used as prescribed. It promotes better breathing during sleep and can improve daytime alertness, mood, and overall quality of life.
Source
- Srivali, N., Thongprayoon, C., Tangpanithandee, S., Cheungpasitporn, W., & Won, C. (2023). The use of continuous positive airway pressure in COPD-OSA overlap syndrome: A systematic review. Sleep Medicine.
