Dryness with CPAP

 

Are you suffering with a dry mouth and/or nose from using CPAP?  If your mouth is dry, you just might need to use a full face mask (one that covers mouth and nose). But, should you already be using a full face mask and your mouth is still dry, or if you are experiencing nasal dryness, irritation, and/or bleeding, your next step is to humidify the air you are breathing.

 

Most, if not all, modern PAP machines come with an integrated humidifier system. Make sure your equipment provider has included the humidifier with your unit.  However, if you have a machine that does not have a humidifier made specifically for it, there are "free standing" humidifiers that can be added to your CPAP.  Many people ask whether or not a room humidifier will work. Unfortunately, unless you have your room humidifier set to "swamp" level, there still will not be adequate moisture reaching your airway from the air traveling through the PAP machine.

If you are already using a humidifier but still experiencing dryness, try raising the humidifier setting.  The warmer the air, the more moisture it can hold.  With traditional tubing, you might experience condensation (or rain-out) as the moist air travels through the cooler tubing.  The result may be an accumulation of water in your mask.  While this will not cause you to drown, it can be noisy and uncomfortable and is a sign that you are not getting all of the needed moisture to your tissues. There are a couple of solutions to this problem as well.

 

The least expensive solution is to insulate your tubing. There are several products on the market which are designed to do this. We carry two products: Snugglehose, and a quilted cover with a zipper made by PAPillow. People have reported that adding a tubing cover reduces rain-out significantly, while making the tubing softer and less medical looking.

The more expensive, but probably ideal solution is to add heated tubing to your PAP machine. Currently there are three PAP machine series on the market that are designed to accommodate heated tubing:  the Icon series by Fisher & Paykel, the S9 series by ResMed, and the System One series by Respironics.  Heated tubing makes a huge difference in the quality and amount of humidity that reaches your nose and mouth.  If unable to get adequate relief with a standard humidifier and tubing, consider purchasing a PAP machine with heated tubing. For those of you who are utilizing insurance coverage for your sleep apnea supplies, be sure that your physician specifically requests heated tubing on your prescription.

Breathing warm, moist air is more natural for your body and warm air actually carries more water particles to your nose/mouth than cool or cold air.  Making a few adjustments can help ease the pain and discomfort caused by a dry airway and will ensure that you are reaping the full benefits of your positive airway therapy.

 

Icon