Nasal congestion Humidifier settings

[SnoringInOregon]

Might I suggest that snarky answers (the ones that go beyond sarcasm and humor) have no place in a polite discussion among forum friends.

Fair enough, I'll save my snarkiness for the cpap talk forum.

No one really knows anything about an individual because that is the point of a probability calculation.

 

I'll try to make my point again using a different analogy.

Let's say I'm concerned about getting lung cancer. Then, clearly, the first questions are along the lines of: Am I currently a smoker? Was I previously a smoker? How bad a habit? How long ago did I quit?

A person's probabilities and outcomes are probably 10x worse if they are a long-term smoker. The personal odds depend on whether or not a person engaged in a certain behavior. And to most people the personal odds are much more relevant than "a probability calculation" for the population as a whole.

In probability, Bayes' theorem is fundamental. And it's based exactly on behavior or conditions that might be related to the event. Quoting the very first paragraph of Wikipedia on that:

Bayes’ theorem describes the probability of an event, based on prior knowledge of conditions that might be related to the event. For example, if cancer is related to age, then, using Bayes’ theorem, a person’s age can be used to more accurately assess the probability that they have cancer, compared to the assessment of the probability of cancer made without knowledge of the person's age. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayes%27_theorem

[Koolbreeze]

I got a really bad sinus infection this past Spring. I went to 2 different MDs, 2 NPs, 3 different ENTs, and had 2 CT scans before it was all said and done. Now more than 6 months later, it's still not 100% clear but it's very close. I can say the Neti Pot and SinuPulse machine has been a god send. I think rinsing my sinuses helped as much if not more than any of the half dozen antibiotics I took. Through that entire time, I was paranoid and used only distilled or bottle purified water. I even used it for rinsing and cleaning the equipment. I clean the SinuPulse every week with diluted bleach and rinse it with distilled water.

I've been using the CPAP 3 weeks now and have used maybe 2 gallons of distilled water in it, most of which I poured out. I guess mine just doesn't use much water in our humid climate. There is no way I'm putting tap water in mine when distilled water is so cheap and readily available. Each to the own though.

[OpalRose]

Koolbreeze,
I agree with you. I have used distilled water since day one, and cleaning is not a chore. Just use dawn soap and rinse well. I also rinse with distilled water. Guess I’m paranoid.

I don’t use a Neti pot, but use the nasal rinse with the squeeze bottle, and only use distilled water.

[Koolbreeze]

Koolbreeze,
I agree with you.  I have used distilled water since day one, and cleaning is not a chore.  Just use dawn soap and rinse well.  I also rinse with distilled water.    Guess I’m paranoid.

I don’t use a Neti pot, but use the nasal rinse with the squeeze bottle, and only use distilled water.

I started out with the Neti Pot, then went to the squeeze bottle and then ultimately to the Sinupulse machine. I still use a squeeze bottle when I'm out of town and such. I'm trying to wean myself off nasal rinsing, but it's so refreshing it's hard to stop.

[CB91710]

I've been using the CPAP 3 weeks now and have used maybe 2 gallons of distilled water in it, most of which I poured out. I guess mine just doesn't use much water in our humid climate. There is no way I'm putting tap water in mine when distilled water is so cheap and readily available. Each to the own though.

There's no need to fill it to the top.
Even my sleep doc said that most of us (addressing the class when our machines were issued) would only need to fill our humidifiers to the halfway mark.

Personally, I run mine high, and often sleep 9-10 hours on weekends and will go through 3/4 of the tub, so on those nights, I fill it completely.
Work nights, I use half or less and that's where I fill it to.

Distilled water isn't expensive, but like any water, there's no need to waste it, particularly when paying for it.

[CB91710]

Koolbreeze,
I agree with you.  I have used distilled water since day one, and cleaning is not a chore.  Just use dawn soap and rinse well.  I also rinse with distilled water.    Guess I’m paranoid.

I don’t use a Neti pot, but use the nasal rinse with the squeeze bottle, and only use distilled water.

For me, the squeeze bottle doesn't do as good of a job at flushing the upper sinuses as the pot does.
My wife likes the bottle, but I prefer the pot.

I do use warm tap water with the Neti Pot.  It's a saline solution, and it is not being inhaled.   Our noses and sinuses are designed to filter, and we constantly inhale a LOT of bacteria from the air every day.

[srlevine1]

I'd love to read some high level summaries of studies about respiration problems caused or exacerbated by CPAP. Do studies exist? Is there easily understood information out there?

I'm not a hypochondriac in general. But I worry a lot about my machine forcing air into my lungs every night. That's why it's a touchy subject for me.

Is this the type of literature you are looking for?

http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/40/Suppl_56/P3833 

CPAP systems can be contaminated by microbes, increasing the risk of respiratory infections. Humidifiers can add a higher risk. Our study evaluates upper respiratory tract colonization and respiratory diseases related to CPAP with or without humidifier. 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/28966735/ 

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the standard treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), with limited data about the prevalence of respiratory infections and microbial colonization in these patients.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16236866

The convection-type humidifier produces water vapor but does not aerosolize the water. We conclude that bacteria, other microorganisms, or even solutes that may be contained in the water cannot be transported into the air and thus will not be deposited in the lung. In order to avoid respiratory tract infections, sterile water is not required, at least in this particular humidifier. We suggest that nonsterile tap water is probably a safe alternative.