Try to think back, and remember what your daily routine looked like before you started suffering from symptoms associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pneumonia, asthma, heart failure, cystic fibrosis, or sleep apnea…

Around 70 million people in the United States suffer from some form of sleep disorder such as narcolepsy, insomnia, or obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). These conditions can appear anytime during our lives and they have a significant impact on our general health and well-being.

Choosing a portable oxygen concentrator can be tricky because there are a lot of options out there. So best way to begin is by narrowing down your options based on a few components we will discuss in this article.

Most chronic respiratory conditions are considered “debilitating.” What this means is that they have a tendency to make the patient weak and physically incapable of certain tasks like rigorous exercise. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one such condition because it prevents carbon dioxide-rich air from escaping the lungs upon expiration. This results in frequent breathlessness, chest pain, fatigue, and more.

If you’re a respiratory patient with a condition such as COPD, pulmonary fibrosis, or cystic fibrosis, you’ve likely accepted change as a normal part of your life. Being able to implement treatments into your life such as pulmonary rehabilitation, supplemental oxygen therapy, and an improved diet routine is never easy, but it is essential if you want to feel better and improve your long-term prognosis.

Think about your daily routine, it likely involves a number of different activities that range from resting, to moving around and doing chores, exercising, reading, and of course sleeping. If you are using oxygen therapy at home your oxygen flow requirements may vary from the morning to afternoon, from day to day, depending on the season. Even if you need oxygen all day and all night the rate at which you need oxygen may not be consistent.

If you have more severe symptoms associated with COPD or you have overlapping conditions that restrict the proper amount of oxygen getting through your lungs, you likely need a continuous supply of oxygen flow. This means that you need oxygen delivery from your oxygen concentrators to be constantly flowing, even if you are not taking a breath.

It's hard to imagine the feeling of being breathless until you’ve experienced it yourself. Your lungs gasping for breath, and unable to prepare proper blood oxygen levels is not only uncomfortable, but unbearable and terrifying.

If you have a respiratory impairment like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or pulmonary fibrosis, you’re probably used to carefully planning your day-to-day life. From following your treatment plan to scheduling doctor’s appointments, you need to have an acute understanding of your medical needs and how to address them.

If you have COPD or any respiratory or circulatory disease that inhibits your lungs or heart from producing enough oxygen for your body you have probably been prescribed supplemental medical oxygen. Oxygen treatment increases the amount of oxygen that flows into your lungs and bloodstream. If your COPD is severe, and your blood oxygen levels are low, getting more oxygen can help you breathe better and live longer.

You have a lot of options when it comes to choosing a method for oxygen treatment, and ultimately your decision should be made adhering to your doctor's prescription recommendations and then addressing your personal goals and financial responsibilities. This article will help you in determining how to weigh your options.