CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) therapy

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is a breathing therapy used to treat obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), where a child stops breathing for short periods during sleep. Symptoms can include night waking, bedwetting, hyperactivity, poor concentration, and daytime tiredness.

OSA may be caused by large tonsils or adenoids, cleft palate, muscle weakness, obesity, narrow airways, or lung disease.

CPAP works by delivering constant pressurised air through a mask to keep the airways open. Unlike bi-level therapy, CPAP provides the same air pressure when breathing in and out.