08-07-2021, 02:42 PM
New CPAP user here with a question about my elbow
Howdy! 
I just started using CPAP a couple days ago. I've always been a light sleeper. The slightest itch or noise can keep me up for hours, so I was half expecting not to get a single minute of sleep with a pressurized mask strapped onto my face. Well after a lesson of trial and error over the first night or two (and then reading some seriously helpful advice thanks to apneaboard), I was pleasantly surprised to find not only do I fall asleep with this thing, I wake up feeling more refreshed than I ever did in the months prior to this. That kind of tells me how much I needed this. It's not perfect, I still wake up several times to fiddle with the mask, I'm getting lots of 'CA' events in the data, but I know I'm still adjusting so I'll give it more time and just keep plugging away for now. I think it's working wonders already.
Anyway, on to my question: For those with a ResMed masks that have the 'quiet' elbow, any tips on daily washing that little part? I kind of swish mine around in a bowl of soapy water in the morning then rinse under the tap, but even after leaving it on a towel to dry all day I can still shake lots of water out of the tiny holes. The wadded material in the exhaust port seems to soak it up like a sponge. Am I doing it right? Would it be okay to blast it with a hair dryer to blow the water out immediately after washing? TIA
I just started using CPAP a couple days ago. I've always been a light sleeper. The slightest itch or noise can keep me up for hours, so I was half expecting not to get a single minute of sleep with a pressurized mask strapped onto my face. Well after a lesson of trial and error over the first night or two (and then reading some seriously helpful advice thanks to apneaboard), I was pleasantly surprised to find not only do I fall asleep with this thing, I wake up feeling more refreshed than I ever did in the months prior to this. That kind of tells me how much I needed this. It's not perfect, I still wake up several times to fiddle with the mask, I'm getting lots of 'CA' events in the data, but I know I'm still adjusting so I'll give it more time and just keep plugging away for now. I think it's working wonders already.
Anyway, on to my question: For those with a ResMed masks that have the 'quiet' elbow, any tips on daily washing that little part? I kind of swish mine around in a bowl of soapy water in the morning then rinse under the tap, but even after leaving it on a towel to dry all day I can still shake lots of water out of the tiny holes. The wadded material in the exhaust port seems to soak it up like a sponge. Am I doing it right? Would it be okay to blast it with a hair dryer to blow the water out immediately after washing? TIA
