President Joe Biden Uses CPAP Machine to Treat Sleep Apnea, Reminding Us of the Importance of Regular Check-Ups and Awareness of Health.

President Joe Biden has been using a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine at night to help with sleep apnea, the White House said Wednesday. Sleep apnea is a potentially serious but common condition in which breathing can stop and start in the night. It is caused by obesity, aging, or facial structure, and is thought to affect roughly 30 million people in the U.S., though only about 6 million are diagnosed with it.

The 80-year-old president, who is the oldest person ever to hold the nation’s highest office, has a long-disclosed history with sleep apnea. However, it did not come up during his most recent physical in February. People with the condition stop breathing, sometimes for up to a minute and hundreds of times each night, then awake with loud gasping and snoring.

A CPAP machine is a motorized device that pumps air through a mask to open a sleeper’s airway. When Biden was vice president, doctors noted he had an irregular heartbeat probably linked to apnea. The American Medical Association recommends CPAP machines for people with sleep apnea, as it is the most effective treatment for the condition.

Biden’s use of the CPAP machine is a reminder of the importance of getting regular check-ups and being aware of one’s own health. Sleep apnea can be a serious condition, but it is treatable with the right diagnosis and treatment.