[Health] Sleep apnea has ruined my life.

[SideSleeper]

I know members here use things for cleaning all the time that are not recommended by the manufacturer but seem to do OK--cleaners (wipes included) with bleach, alcohol or disinfectants are included. I don't have oily skin or hair and wash my whole mask frame only every 6 months or so. The F20 Air Touch mask just needs a going over with a wipe and I clean out the connecting swivel the same way. Wash the hose, tank, and swivel once a week--takes about 5 minutes. When using a cushion with latex, not foam, I wash it and any other small plastic parts with soap and water daily.

[mesenteria]

I could see cleaning a mask daily into which my mouth was depositing something like saliva, but the hose and reservoir don't need daily cleaning.  Maybe once a week if your skin starts to crawl, but that would be it.  Same for the headgear.  I clean my headgear about once a month, hot water and Dawn, rinse well, hand to dry in the outdoors.

Honestly, city tap water is safe to drink, and it's safe to leave in your machine until it gets low and you have to replenish.  It's treated, for crying out loud!  Lighten up on yourself.  

Only on the prairies or other places where the water is quite hard, out of wells for example, you would probably do best to empty it each morning.  Otherwise you might get deposits.  If you use a softener, and it is working properly for the grains of hardness in your water supply, I don't see what the problem is.

[CorruptAlligator]

Yeah, I was using distilled water for awhile per DME instructions, and after awhile I decided to forgo it. I found out that it's a wasted effort that the difference really doesn't matter. We have a tap water filter here due to tap water not being consumable. I just use the filtered water, although not distilled.

The important thing is to pour out the left overs in the morning, and place it upside down and air dry it. I think every so often, you soak it in vinegar. People may be concerned with the smell of vinegar, but once you rinse it out and dry it, vinegar doesn't smell. Usage of vinegar saves trips to picking up distilled water.

For those afraid that tap water maybe consumed though humidifier. You shouldn't worry about that. The humidified vapor that is inhaled is pretty much vapor or distilled water since the heating the water to humidify is the process of distilling water.

Honestly, I didn't see much of a difference of mineral build-up from using strictly distilled water.

[Big Guy]

Yup, regular tap water and White Vinegar to rid the occasional mineral build-ups, does a great job. I never have a residual smell left over form the vinegar.

[Ratchick]

Yeah I use regular tap water for my humidifier (though I do have a couple of bottles of deionized stuff, but honestly, after the first few breaths I don't even notice a difference). I wipe my mask for a few seconds with the free mask wipes that come with my mask inserts (because I'm using the F20 AirTouch memory foam ones right now) and I just dust off my machine while generally cleaning. I only bother to properly clean the tank when it starts to get a bit crusty, and otherwise I just empty, quick rinse and refill. It takes less than a minute. Beyond that, I only bother washing tube covers, mask covers, headgear etc when it's grubby, but it doesn't get grubby that fast.

It genuinely only takes me a minute or so, most days. Then maybe once a month or so (or when needed) I rinse out the tube and change the filter (if needed). Again, only takes a minute to run the brush through, rinse and hang it up to dry. And considering how much sicker I am without it (even with APAP/CPAP not controlling all of my symptoms) that's by far worth the time.

[clownbell]

To return to the subject - -

@ OP -- With all respect, are you a milenial? Whine, whine about a therapy that can improve the quality of your life? Things don't need to be operating-room sterile. Just good-and-clean is fine. Get over your attitude and buckle down and do the job. You have a "first world problem." Folks in the third world would likely love to be in your shoes. Consider a gratitude journal.

[SarcasticDave94]

Nice comment. Although I think OP has left the building, probably after I said differences in attitude makes a big difference.

Virtual

[WakeUpTime]

Yes, I agree, sleep apnea is awful. A relative of mine said to me "your sleep apnea is worse than cancer" - and she's had two different kinds of cancer. She ultimately beat them both, but she says that the curse of sleep apnea is permanent. She pities me.

Having said that, there's only one thing that's worse than living with sleep apnea - that is living with UNTREATED sleep apnea. That can be a life of perpetual torture.

I make the clean up part of my daily shower routine. After a shower, Dawn on the tank, tube and mask, quick wash-rinse, done in 2 minutes. Hang to dry near an blowing air filter in the home. That's my routine.

It's regrettable that this annual multi-billion dollar industry keeps going without a better solution. But for now, it's the breath of life.

P.S. The conspiracy side of my wonders how and why sleep apnea is becoming so prevalent in society. Yes, there's an element of awareness that is bringing out significantly more diagnoses. However, I'll always wonder if there is something, yet unknown, that humans are doing/digesting/breathing-in that is making this more and more common.

[Ratchick]

*waves* Hi. Not the OP, but Millenial here (well, Xennial). With respect, we're two gens past Millenials now and I'm in my mid-40s. Or should I reply with "Ok, Boomer."?

[sheepless]

"Yes, there's an element of awareness that is bringing out significantly more diagnoses."

that and because many of us continue to trend toward being heavier & less active, producing more obstructive apnea.

afaik cpap's only been around since the mid '80s & then only for obstructive apnea. central apnea, or awareness of it, seems to be ticking up, but even now is still way under-treated. there's room there for the appearance of ca becoming more common in time.