CPAP when you have a cold?

[JaneAM]

Hi - Two and a half months into using a CPAP, and I've picked up a rotten cold. So - do you keep using the mask right through nights of sneezing and coughing? It seems like I am just recycling the germs. I try to take the mask off when I realize I'm going to cough, but don't always make it.

Thanks in advance for any words of wisdom!

[MitchS]

I just keep using the cpap and wash the mask everyday.

[chill]

You are not going to re-infect yourself - you already have the cold!

[srlevine1]

My last cold was unpleasant and uncomfortable, to say the least, so I consulted my physician. The first questions were: was I having trouble breathing?, did I have a significantly sore throat?, did I have significant mucus drainage (and what color? -- light yellow/brown OK, green -- not OK), was I coughing?,and was I using pillows? He told me to use a saline spray before bed, a non-medicated throat lozenge for a sore throat, change to a full face mask if I had significant issues with nasal blockage, use the humidifier, and suggested an OTC remedy that did not conflict with my normal meds to loosen and thin phlegm.

He told me to call him in five days if things were not getting better, to keep using the CPAP. And above all, keep the mask and machine clean.

Four more unpleasant days and I was on the road to recovery.

Check with your doc always if you have heart or lung issues. Make sure you ask the doc about the newer pneumonia shot and annual flu shot. If you are on Medicare, both are without cost.

Hang in there -- this too shall pass.

[trish6hundred]

Hi JaneAM,
I continue to use my machine and mask when I have a cold.
I hope you get over your cold, soon.

[klv329]

The show must go on! It's been quite cold season so far.

I'm afraid of not using the cpap during a cold or otherwise.

Nasal rinse, and maybe afrin in one nostril usually works. I use nasal pillows, but I should have a full face mask as a cold back up, but so far I haven't finalized that precaution.

Sometimes a mouth rinse of half water and half hydrogen peroxide if there is a sore throat. Sometimrs twice a night if I wake up. Seems to help.

Colds suck.

[PaulaO2]

Wash the mask a little better each morning and let it air dry.
Consider turning the humidifier up just a little but sometimes too much can be just as bad as too little.
Consider using a nasal rinse. I use the Ayr squeeze bottle and a pre-mixed powder. Rinse out just prior to sleep and again when I first wake up.
If I am really sick with cold or flu, I will get a new hose and switch out the cushions on the mask. Probably is not necessary but it makes me feel better. Kinda like changing the sheets.

The best thing for recovery from any illness is sleep. So use your CPAP!

[Sleeprider]

It's easier to sneeze with nasal pillows than a full face, but I have always used the therapy with any cold or illness. It actually seems to relieve the symptoms. Imagine, we actually have a humidifier built in every night!