If you are a sleep apnea patient and use CPAP therapy, you should be ready for emergencies where there would have no regular power available. To meet such eventualities, you should invest in solar panels and battery storage.
For the past few weeks, California is witnessing regular rotational blackouts. Even in the past, California has witnessed a serious power crisis between 2000-01. Sleep apnea patients who are taking CPAP therapy may find themselves completely helpless if caught in a blackout in the night time. This is very much a real possibility now as peak power demand in the city is outstripping supply.
How Do Solar Panels Help People with Sleep Apnea Using CPAP Therapy?
You can buy a high watt solar panel system for charging your CPAP battery. You just need to spread the solar panels facing directly the sun and connect it to the CPAP battery. In about 8 to 10 hours, the solar panel would fully charge the battery.
The solar panel is very easy to operate. All you need to do is spread it facing the sun. It will draw energy from the sun and charge your CPAP battery. Solar panels are able to draw energy from the sun even on cloudy days when the sun may not be seen prominently.
Benefits
If there is a power outage and you are not able to charge your battery, solar panels will charge your CPAP device and you can have a good night’s sleep. You may also need the solar panel to charge your CPAP device during your outdoor adventure.
Easy To Use Solar Panels?
The solar panels capable of recharging your CPAP device are lightweight and powerful. They can charge your CPAP battery in 8 to 10 hours. The process to recharge the CPAP battery is very easy. You just need to connect the solar panels to your battery and let the panel sit facing the sun. Most solar panels are made using green technology and are carbon-footprint friendly so you will be helping the environment in the process.
Solar Panels and Sleep Apnea
Is there a link between solar power and sleep apnea? Yes, if you are suffering from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and use CPAP (Continuous positive airway pressure therapy), solar power can be a topic of interest for you. CPAP is a device that comes in the form of a mask that sleep apnea has to wear during his sleep.
The mask has a CPAP component that supplies air at high pressure near the patient’s nose during his sleep. This ensures there is enough air at high pressure in the face region including the nose and the throat that the patient does not have to struggle to breathe the air in. There is a continuous supply of air at high pressure for the patient to be able to breathe comfortably.
How Is CPAP Related to Solar Power?
CPAP is powered by a rechargeable battery. For this device to continuously work for the entire duration when the patient is sleeping, it needs its battery with adequate charging.
In normal circumstances, the battery can be charged through power outlets in the day for use at night. You may need solar power to charge the CPAP battery. This is a possibility when there is a power outage or when you are on a hike and sleeping outdoors.
What is Sleep Apnea?
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a serious problem that prevents a person from having a sound sleep. The problem is caused due to the weakening of the breathing muscles that mostly lie in the throat region.
If the person is suffering from this problem for a long time, the lack of a good night’s sleep can lead to many problems, especially related to the health of the heart.
While a milder version of OSA can be treated and managed by adopting a healthy lifestyle, the more serious form of the condition needs medical interventions.
Of all the treatments available, CPAP is considered to be most effective as it improves air circulation right in the face, near the nose, and the throat.
It helps the patient’s breathing system as air at a higher pressure makes its way through the nose and the mouth down to the throat and lungs without breathing muscles having to make any serious effort. CPAP manages to keep the patient breathing.
It’s a delicate balance between the patient’s need for air and the CPAP working on its battery. If the battery gets discharged with no option to recharge it, the patient may suffer a difficult time trying to sleep.
But if the patient has battery storage, he can recharge his CPAP device easily and manage to tide over the crisis.
Solar Panels and Battery Storage
Solar power is a source of clean energy as it provides non-grid energy. From average homes to municipal bodies, everyone is aware of the advantages of solar panel installations. They are also using it wherever it is possible. Except for the installation cost, it provides you electricity at much lower costs compared to no solar panels.
Over time, it pays for itself and recoups the installation cost in about 5 to 7 years. There are good reasons for the greater adoption of solar power technology by more people and households.
An important upgrade in the overall solar power technology is battery storage. This device allows you to store power generated by your solar energy system and use it when you need it. In normal circumstances, your solar panels generate electricity and store in the batteries attached to the system.
Once the batteries are fully charged and your solar panel is still producing electricity, you can store the additional electricity in battery storage. You can use the battery storage when the normal batteries attached to your solar panels are completely discharged.
You can also sell additional electricity to the grid and earn some money or credit. Using battery storage is an excellent way to tap the maximum amount of energy from your solar installation.
Final thoughts
Sleep apnea is a respiratory disease in which the person stops breathing for a brief period during his sleep. One of the treatments for this condition is the use of CPAP masks. To keep the CPAP working even during California blackouts or during outdoor hiking, you should use solar panels + battery storage in case of emergencies.
