10-04-2023, 02:17 PM
CPAP air is stuffy, and I want to whine about it.
I can't sleep. Not like I sleep well without the CPAP either, but at least there was the illusion of sleep.
I can't get used to breathing in warm, moist air. It was recommended that maybe I should increase my pressure a bit to get more airflow. That made my head feel like a balloon being blown up and put pressure in my ears. I've tried different masks, humidity off...I can't make it cooler in the house because I have children who will be too cold. I can't get over breathing in such stuffy air.
What am I supposed to do? What else can I try? Maybe I'm just too claustrophobic to adjust to this thing. I am trying. I swear I am. Any other advice is welcome. I'm so tired.
RE: CPAP air is stuffy, and I want to whine about it.
If you are using the humidifier, turn off the heat and place ice cubes in the tank.
- Red
RE: CPAP air is stuffy, and I want to whine about it.
I’ve done the ice cube thing, but I thought the humidifier was supposed to be on for that. So I’ll try the ice cubes and turning it off tonight. Thank you! I hope that helps.
RE: CPAP air is stuffy, and I want to whine about it.
When I was still using my CPAP, I turned off the humidifier and the heated hose. The air was plenty cool and I never had to resort to ice cubes.
RE: CPAP air is stuffy, and I want to whine about it.
Filling it with frozen coffee is out I guess...
Mask Primer
Positional Apnea
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEBSITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
RE: CPAP air is stuffy, and I want to whine about it.
Just turn off the humidifier
RE: CPAP air is stuffy, and I want to whine about it.
I had a similar experience when getting started and will echo the comments from previous users, turn all the heating and humidification off.
You can look up the programmed mask leakage of your mask, it's in the manual that came with it. If you can tolerate a different mask with a higher pass-though (programmed leak) it will help. I found that full face masks generally pass more air and didn't give me the smothering feeling despite being larger and covering more of my face. Might be a consideration for getting started if you can tolerate it.
I had to bump up my base pressure to get more flow, from 4 to 7 (with EPR), humidification and heated lines off (in March, in Michigan).
When I first started if I turned all that stuff on, I felt like someone was smothering me with a pillow. I've gotten used to it and now run the humidifier all the time, but it took months to get to that point.
RE: CPAP air is stuffy, and I want to whine about it.
Also, change your filter regularly, I do mine monthly. It may be my imagination - it probably is - but the air feels "fresher" when I change it.
RE: CPAP air is stuffy, and I want to whine about it.
The filters are completely washable. I know that they're not all that expensive, but they are so easy to clean. Just run some hot water, a drop of liquid dish soap, and give it a light finger massage for about 30 seconds or so. Rinse and pat dry with a paper towel and you are done.
I can't see paying for something that can be easily cleaned.
