CorruptAlligator - CPAP Problems

[RNeil]

A weather app will only tell you the relative humidity outside. It will not tell you the humidity inside. You can get devices that will do that.

My weather app is saying that the outside temperature is 42F and the relative humidity is 50%. But the psychrometric chart says that if you heat that air to 70F and maintain the same absolute humidity, the relative humidity would be 18%. That is why we need to add humidity in the winter.

[munson]

Hello. New board member here. I've been using a BiPap for about 5 years. My current machine is a Dreamstation with humidifier, heated tube, and Dreamwear Nasal pillow mask.

Room humidity is very important for comfortable sleep, whether or not you use a machine.  In winter when we heat the house the humidity drops very low, unless you have a whole-house humidifier, which I will have in my next house. 

The humidity in my house was so low I was running out of water before waking, then getting the burning smell in the mask, which did wake me up.  I purchased a humidifier for our bedroom. 

"Elechomes Warm and Cool Mist Humidifiers, SH8820 Top Fill 5.5L Humidifier for Large Room Bedroom Plants with Remote Control, 20db Ultra Quiet, LED Display, 600ml/h Max Humidity, Auto Shut-off, White"  $99.99 at Amazon.

It shows the humidity in the room, and lets you set the target humidity. I set it at 50% and it uses about a gallon of water keeping up. The result is that the BiPap water now lasts until I wake up, and I never have dry mouth. (I don't think I ever breathe through my mouth as long as my BiPap is working properly.)  My wife who doesn't have apnea sleeps better, too. 

If you want to check your humidity before you buy, get this little meter, which I also have:
"ThermoPro TP49 Digital Hygrometer Indoor Thermometer Humidity Meter Room Thermometer with Temperature and Humidity Monitor Mini Hygrometer Thermometer"  $7.00 at Amazon.

Good luck!

[munson]

Anyone know how it works on Auto?  Does it have some kind of sensor to sense the humidity of the room and adjusts accordingly?

My Dreamstation has a humidity sensor, and can be set for automatic or manual levels.

[munson]

Does anybody know how dry air effects the nasal passage ways?  Does dry air inflame it and as result cause constriction?  Is there a good webpage with a detailed explaintion?

The mucus membranes in your nasal passages need to stay moist to function properly. Dry air causes all kinds of problems. If your nose gets too dry scabs will form and you make experience bleeding. This has happened to me.

Some people use sprays like Afrin, which has a drug to help with allergies, but the best thing to use is a saline nose spray.  Indoor humidity in winter is usually very low, so the saline spray is very helpful. I find the humidifier in my Dreamstation to be essential.

I'm not a doctor, but I play one at the office.

[CorruptAlligator]

So recently obtained a pule oximeter watch, the Contec CMS50F, and been wearing it at night for the last 2 nights to measure my pulse and Oxygen level.  The issue is, my AHI shot up from .6 to 2 as I started wearing the Oximeter watch.  Could it be the Oximeter watch?  I notice I wake up a lot since I started wearing the watch.  Coincidence? Could it be the sensor on my finger waking me up?

[staceyburke]

Anything that is different causes me to have disruptive sleep. I change a pillow - change mask (with the exact same model- change of bedding. It does not matter, until I get use to it my sleep is not as good. Having a probe on my finger would (and does) cause me to be more restless and AHI go up some.

[Big Guy]

I used a pulse oximeter device a few months ago overnight. My sleep doc ordered it. Once I got it all attached and stuff, I went right to sleep and no problems. 

I credit that to my stint in the military. You learn to sleep wherever / whenever it's allowed. I caught zzzz'z in the most improbable places. 

[CorruptAlligator]

Anything that is different causes me to have disruptive sleep. I change a pillow - change mask (with the exact same model- change of bedding. It does not matter, until I get use to it my sleep is not as good. Having a probe on my finger would (and does) cause me to be more restless and AHI go up some.

Update:  I slept last night without the sensor on my finger, and my AHI went back down.  I think the presense of the sensor on my finger wakes me up during the night.  Way back I borrowed the pulse oxymeter watch from my dr's office, and I noticed I woke up several times the night I was using it.  

I must have had similar issues with my mask for awhile until I got used to it.  I find this interesting.

I used a pulse oximeter device a few months ago overnight. My sleep doc ordered it. Once I got it all attached and stuff, I went right to sleep and no problems. 

I credit that to my stint in the military. You learn to sleep wherever / whenever it's allowed. I caught zzzz'z in the most improbable places. 

I used to be like that, but I've become a sensitive sleeper as I got much older.

[CorruptAlligator]

I've been noticing my nose being a bit stuffy after I wake up, and it may have some correlation to my sleep quality the night before.  

I  have my climate control on Auto, but should I change my setting to higher humidity?  The obvious issue is, what is my humidity setting on auto?

What other solutions do you guys recommend? Could my tubing temperature being at 70 effect the humidity level even if on Auto?

It seems I'm suseptable to sinus congestion, do you guys recommend nasal pillow masks or stay with full-face F20?

[Big Guy]

Ah yes......the good ole days. I remember them well.