There are millions of people all over the world that use supplemental oxygen each day and night to treat a variety of respiratory conditions ranging from cystic fibrosis, pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and many others.
If you’re someone who has been prescribed oxygen use, then it’s completely normal that you might be wondering how you are going to be able to keep your oxygen running as normal throughout the night. This is where we come in to lend you a helping hand.
In this guide, we are going to be taking a closer look at how you can go about keeping your oxygen on while you are asleep.
There are many mistakes that many people find themselves making when using oxygen throughout the night, and we’ll be showing you how to avoid them.
So, just keep on reading to discover everything you need to know about safely using your oxygen throughout the night, as well as how to keep it turned on!
What Are The Main Benefits Of Sleeping With Supplementary Oxygen?
Before we get any further, we think that it would be a good idea to explore some of the main benefits that come along with sleeping with supplementary oxygen if you have been prescribed it. Let’s take a look below:
- More alertness: The first main benefit of sleeping with supplementary oxygen is improved alertness and overall cognitive functioning due to better sleep quality.
- Strengthened immune system: Another main benefit of using supplemental oxygen is the ability to enjoy a strengthened immune system thanks to an increase in sleep quality and length thanks to the assistance of the oxygen.
- An improved long-term prognosis: While it is true that many respiratory conditions can have the potential to gradually get worse over time, making sure to manage it with lifestyle changes such as using supplementary oxygen can help to decrease symptoms and increase overall health.
How To Keep Oxygen On When Sleeping
Now that we have covered some of the main benefits that come along with using supplementary oxygen throughout the night, we are now going to be providing you with some more insight into how to effectively use your oxygen while sleeping.
Let’s take a look at them below:
1. Discuss Your Concerns With Your Pulmongologist
Even though it’s important to make sure that you are doing your research, your first line of contact for any issues or concerns that you might have regarding your supplementary oxygen should always be with your pulmonologist or similar healthcare provider.
Besides being able to determine whether or not you’ll even need to have oxygen while you are sleeping at night, they will also be able to provide you with an in-person demonstration of how to effectively use your concentrator and tube to ensure that your oxygen stays running safely and efficiently while you are asleep.
2. Familiarize Yourself With Your Oxygen Machine
After you have spoken with your pulmonologist and they have determined that sleeping with oxygen is going to be the right treatment for you, then the next way that you can help to ensure you are using your oxygen correctly throughout the night is to get familiar with how your oxygen machine works.
At the time of writing, there are currently two main machines that are used to provide supplemental oxygen: a CPAP machine and a BiPAP machine.
Once you have determined which one you have, you are then going to need to go ahead and make sure that the CPAP/BiPAP is compatible with your oxygen concentrator, as this will help to ensure that it stays running throughout the night.
In addition to that, we also highly recommend that you take the time to check that your oxygen mask is compatible with the tube and that it does not have any damage, otherwise you might have a limited supply of oxygen.
3. Sleep Close To The Concentrator
Last but certainly not least, the final way that you can help to ensure that your oxygen will be able to stay on throughout the night without any issues is to sleep as close as you can to the concentrator.
By having it right next to your bedside, there are many benefits that you will be able to enjoy.
The first benefit that you will have from sleeping with your concentrator close to you is a more comfortable and restful sleep as you won’t have to worry about the tube accidentally disconnecting from changing positions or moving around.
Along with this, opting to sleep close to the concentrator will also help to prevent the oxygen tube from becoming damaged or compromised, which will help to make sure that you are going to be able to enjoy a constant flow of oxygen while you are getting your rest.
As a side note, if you share a bed with someone, then we recommend that you ensure to keep the concentrator next to your side of the bed in order to prevent the tube becoming tangled or damaged from the other person that you are going to be sharing the bed with.
Final Thoughts
You’ve made it to the end! After reading through this guide, we hope that we have been able to clearly share with you all of our top tips for keeping your oxygen turned on throughout the night.
By making sure to follow the guidance that we have provided you with throughout this guide, you should find that you are able to use your oxygen safely and effectively while you sleep.
But, if you are still in need of further guidance on how to use your oxygen safely while you are sleeping during the night, we recommend reaching out to your pulmonologist for further assistance.
Thank you for reading, and we hope that this guide has been helpful to you. Goodbye for now!
