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← Back to Sleep Health homeThe O2 SleepWell Laboratory, leveraging its facilities at Cura Day Surgery and its trained sleep technologists, offers a specialized service called the Positive Airway Pressure Nap, or PAP-NAP. This is an intervention designed to prepare you for treatment if you have been diagnosed with a sleep breathing disorder, particularly Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). The service can be provided in the comfortable setting of the SleepWell Laboratory in Cura or through an in-person visit to your home, a hospital, or a hotel.
The PAP-NAP is a supervised daytime trial of CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) therapy. It is a short session where you work one-on-one with a trained sleep technologist to help you become comfortable with the mask and the pressurized air used for treatment. It is often described as a “test drive” for patients who have fears of pressurized air.
Unlike a diagnostic sleep study (Polysomnography), the PAP-NAP is not primarily a titration or diagnostic test. Its main focus is on patient acceptance and adherence to CPAP therapy. It is specifically used to help patients overcome common barriers to treatment, such as:
It is typically advised for patients diagnosed with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea.
The PAP-NAP is a short session conducted during the day, usually lasting between 60 and 180 minutes. The procedure includes several steps:
Preparation and Counseling: The sleep technologist provides education, assesses any emotional barriers, and addresses fears, anxiety, stress, or embarrassment related to using the mask.
Mask Selection and Desensitization: You are exposed to multiple mask types (nasal mask, nasal pillow, and oronasal mask) in various sizes, allowing you to select the most comfortable fit. The session incorporates relaxation, deep breathing, and desensitization techniques.
Daytime Trial: You start with the mask on, without pressurized air, followed by pressurized air under auto-PAP settings (typically minimum of 4 cmH2O and maximum of 15 cmH2O). While the goal is to feel comfortable enough to nap, the primary focus is not on determining the precise pressure setting, but on promoting comfort.
The information gathered during the PAP-NAP is invaluable for improving treatment outcomes, even though it is not traditional sleep data.
Predicting Compliance: The PAP-NAP intervention has been shown to result in better short-term CPAP adherence and compliance (especially achieving adherence rates above 90%) compared to simply starting a trial without the nap session. This helps the doctor gauge the likelihood of success.
Optimizing Mask Selection: Patients who undergo PAP-NAP are often more likely to confidently choose nasal masks over other options. Selecting the proper mask interface is a crucial factor in determining good long-term compliance.
Reducing Residual Symptoms: Studies show that patients who received PAP-NAP had a lower residual AHI (a measure of remaining breathing events after treatment) during their subsequent CPAP trial.
This personalized coaching ensures you feel ready and motivated to start and stick with the necessary long-term CPAP therapy.
Interested in this service or want to know if it's right for you?