CPAP Clinic Sleep Blog

Understanding your sleep health, sleep apnea and CPAP therapy

CPAPClinic Talks About Quick Winter CPAP Humidity Tips!

CPAPclinic Talks About Quick Winter CPAP Humidity Tips!

 

Setting the humidity on your CPAP can be confusing throughout the year, especially when the seasons change or if there is a significant change in your sleeping area or location.

If you have been sleeping with your CPAP for any length of time you are aware of changes in the comfort of the air blowing at you. When you are in one room for a period and then change your sleeping location you might be aware of changes, like:

  • Little or no heat is coming through the tube.
  • Cold nose or skin.
  • Dry nose or dry mouth.
  • Itchy nose or face
    …and so on.

 

So, what happened to your CPAP humidifier as you went from the comfort of your room into another?

There is a simple explanation. And it has to do with where you sleep. Humidity in sleeping areas change and are largely variable in nature.

 

What caused all of this?

When there’s a lack of humidity in any environment in one room versus another, items in that environment become dry, like your nose, face, etc. If a window/door is left open during CPAP use. The air will be even drier if a ceiling fan or freestanding fans are running, etc.

 

Why does this happen?

As air moves around its capacity to hold moisture decreases because water vapor is spread out and evaporates or it is scattered enough not to condensate. Plus the temperature of the air is changing as it moves.

 

So what does this have to do with CPAP?

CPAP blows the air from inside your room to you. So whatever air conditions are inside your room will affect your CPAP experience, unless your CPAP humidifier is properly adjusted.

This practice means:
– warmer water in your water chamber
– a higher heat setting in your CPAP humidifier
– a tubing wrap or the addition of a heated circuit tubing.

Any or all of these quick changes can help you get proper humidity in drier room conditions.

If those changes don’t help, do this:

  • Turn ceiling fan settings on low
  • Close or leave door(s) and  windows(s) partially open

 

So what is the bottom-line?

When your sleeping location changes, take a moment to assess what might affect humidity in your sleeping area.

Here’s a checklist of what to possibly affect/modify:

  • Open window(s) (close them)
  • Closed window(s) (close them)
  • Open door(s) (close them)
  • Closed door(s)
  • Ceiling fan(s) (put on low speed)
  • Air conditioning (put on minimum high setting for some humidity to be in the air)
  • CPAP heat setting (it goes up during winter, down during summer)
  • CPAP humidifier setting (same as CPAP heat setting)
  • Water level inside your CPAP humidifier chamber (should be less than maximum)

The above list is by no means complete, but it serves to remind that CPAP humidity can and should be tended to both outside of and inside of the CPAP unit.

You can now enjoy a better sleep knowing how to affect humidity!

Questions?

Call 1.877.430.2727 for help.

Written and Edited by Bill Bistak B Sc.,SEO/SEM Spc, CRT

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