Using a CPAP machine during the winter can be downright miserable at times. The dry air can make you wake up with an itchy throat and irritated nasal passageways. The chill can have the opposite effect, giving you a runny nose or making you feel stuffed-up. Then there’s the upper-respiratory infections that seem to be everywhere this time of year.
CPAP Central is here to help. Today, we would like to offer you three ways you can combat the CPAP winter blues:
- Humidity is your friend
While humidity can be associated with negative things such as mold and damaged household goods, in the winter time it can be a CPAP user’s best friend. It can eliminate those sore throats and dry noses that you experience during the dead of winter. If your CPAP machine doesn’t come with a humidifier, chances are you’ll be able to add one to it.
- Heat the air up.
This is also where humidity can come into play. When the air is cold, your nose will do its best to warm it up before it enters your lungs. This means more blood will go to your nasal passages, since the blood makes things warmer. Unfortunately, additional blood will also encourage mucus production, leaving you stuffed-up.
A heated humidifier combats this by making sure the air coming in from your CPAP machine is already warm by the time it hits your nose. Sometimes, though, the air becomes cooled again as it travels up your tube, causing a rainout effect. Heated tubing will mitigate this.
- Don’t stop using your CPAP machine if you’re sick.
We know it can be miserable to use your CPAP machine when you’re sick, but you can actually prolong your illness if you stop. Your body needs rest to fight infections, and if your sleep is interrupted by OSA, you’re not going to get adequate sleep. You can also agitate some symptoms further by not using your CPAP machine.
At CPAP Central, we want your sleep apnea therapy to be as pleasant as possible. Stop by our online catalog today to see our full line of humidifiers, heated tubes and CPAP comfort items.