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+--- Thread: [Equipment] Is there an Auto CPAP machine that does NOT light up at all? (/Thread-Equipment-Is-there-an-Auto-CPAP-machine-that-does-NOT-light-up-at-all)
Is there an Auto CPAP machine that does NOT light up at all? - willo - 11-24-2018
Q: Is there a CPAP machine that doesn’t display any light at all during the night, either as a setting or by default?
If they all light up, are there any that use amber/red light instead of white/blue light?
DETAILS ABOUT WHY I ASK (because I always write long posts in an era of TLDR)
I am using a DreamStation as described in my UserCP settings.
I’m pretty new to CPAP, but have had 40+ years’ experience of SLEEPING.
I’m oddly sensitive to many things. One of those things is ambient light during the night. Light interupst my sleep. I often wake up during the full moon, for example, because too much light seeps in around my blackout curtains.
The DreamStation has an unpleasant pulsing white LED when it is plugged in but switched off, but that (thank GOD!) disappears once I’ve turned on the therapy. If I get up at night to use the bathroom (check on my kids, etc.~happens most nights), I shut off the machine and then the horrible white light blasts out trying to share My Info. I think this behavior is impacting my quality of sleep in the second half of the night.
I don’t use my phone/iPad at night for the same reason, so this isn’t specific to the CPAP. I even cover my (adjustable brightness, already on lowest setting) clock face with a hankie to dim it further, though its orange LEDs are less arousing than white/blue light.
Perhaps a travel CPAP exists with no display? But I’d still prefer to record my data!...
RE: Is there an Auto CPAP machine that does NOT light up at all? - Walla Walla - 11-24-2018
Take a small piece of card board and cover the screen. You can use one piece of tape at the top so it can be flipped up and down. Easy fix.
RE: Is there an Auto CPAP machine that does NOT light up at all? - SarcasticDave94 - 11-24-2018
Maybe if you have space in a nearby dresser or desk drawer, put the CPAP in there. A smallish hole in the back to allow the hose and power cord to enter, and there should be enough air to operate OK.
RE: Is there an Auto CPAP machine that does NOT light up at all? - foxfire - 11-24-2018
I also am very sensitive to any light at all in my bedroom, I use black electrical tape over any stray LED indicator lights (like on the power brick) and a piece of black-out fabric over the machine display.
RE: Is there an Auto CPAP machine that does NOT light up at all? - OMyMyOHellYes - 11-24-2018
"often wake up during the full moon, for example, "
You don't notice anything else like longer teeth or extra hair everywhere, I hope.
RE: Is there an Auto CPAP machine that does NOT light up at all? - razormarsh - 11-24-2018
Light sensitivity has to be tough. I understand that you could possibly get your own place to your liking but going to a motel or going camping would have to be out of the question. I like the cardboard taped over the light idea.
RE: Is there an Auto CPAP machine that does NOT light up at all? - jaswilliams - 11-25-2018
Later versions of the dreamstation firmware enable the light sensor so the screen dims at night take a look at this thread http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Thread-DreamStation-firmware-updates-Use-at-your-OWN-RISK&highlight=Dreamstation+firmware
RE: Is there an Auto CPAP machine that does NOT light up at all? - OpalRose - 11-25-2018
Have you considered a soft eye mask at night?
RE: Is there an Auto CPAP machine that does NOT light up at all? - Ockrocket - 11-26-2018
I struggle to sleep because of light sensitivity as well.
My CPAP is the PR DreamStation.
It is placed on the floor under the side of the bed, and a chest of drawers buts up against the side of the bed as well, so some of the light is blocked.
I also put a box of tissues on the floor in front of the screen to block more of the light ( the tissues are vital because CPAP irritates
my sinuses very badly and I suffer a very runny nose and sneezing episodes at times during the night )
The blinds in the bedroom are not overly light proof - so I have two different eye masks, one that goes over the CPAP mask frame in such a way that it still sits against my face to block the light, and another that I use when sleeping without using my CPAP.
My sleep quality has vastly improved since I started using the eye masks, and I can even sleep in the daytime in the back of the car when I need a nap on a long highway trip.
RE: Is there an Auto CPAP machine that does NOT light up at all? - willo - 11-28-2018
Thanks for suggestions, everyone.
Lycanthropy seems to have been ruled out by how much of my hair has fallen OUT since I developed an autoimmune condition.
Furniture might be a long term solution given that I will have to completely rearrange my bedroom (and replace some furniture) if I ever want to so much as use the humidifier with my DreamStation. (The front part alone just fits in my tiny space.)
My bed is currently on the only (short) wall without a baseboard heater, and, until I have a bed with a sturdy headboard, I don't feel safe moving it and its soft coverings that will fall down onto a heater. Once that's addressed, I'll probably buy a much larger bedside table that can hide the CPAP and accommodate the full device. Right now? Not really. If I'd gotten the CPAP in summer, I'd have moved the bed already and started shopping for furniture...
The DreamStation manual specifically forbids both placing the machine on carpet (which I have) and putting it near a heater, so the floor doesn't work, either. (Nor am I always nimble enough to reach far enough to push the button down there, or bend knees to get there if I get up out of bed. Stupid arthritis.)
I have worn an eye mask for years, but I'm not finding that it plays nicely with my CPAP masks. It works better with the one that pokes me in the nose, but seems to channel air into my dry eyes with my more comfortable, less well fitting under-nose model. That, and it is one more thing to wrap around my head, which is still irritating the hell out of me. (Silk cap to protect fragile hair, CPAP mask, fit glasses back on to read before bed, then, when tired, try to get eye mask into place without directing cold air at my eyeballs... Grr!)
It'll have to be cardboard and tape for now, I suppose. I would totally upgrade the firmware if I owned the device, but I don't want to be accused of damaging someone else's property if I brick the machine.
I still say it is an obvious failure at the design level to make a NIGHT TIME USE device emit blue light at all during its normal operation. It's not necessary, so why do something known to negatively affect sleep quality... for patients with a SLEEP PROBLEM?!?
