Thread: A Question For People Who Are Already CPAP or BiPAP Users ........

I've been using a CPAP machine quite successfully for nearly eleven years. Until a few years ago, I lived at Southport in SEQ where it rarely got below 10 degrees centigrade on a winter's night. Condensation (sometimes called "rain out") inside the CPAP Mask was never a problem - I used an uninsulated CPAP hose without any problems. For me. using CPAP therapy is not optional. I was diagnosed with severe Sleep Apnoea in 2003. Using CPAP made me feel ten years younger once I started getting a good night's sleep. So, before anyone suggests it, not using CPAP Therapy is not an option for me.

A few years ago I moved to Toogoolawah in SEQ. Winters here are somewhat colder than on the coast, with typical overnight temperatures in Winter dropping down to 4 degrees, and much lower when we have a frost (maybe two or three times a week in winter). Because of the much lower temperatures, condensation and rain-out in the CPAP mask have been driving me crazy. I'm usually woken at around 2:00am with a mask full of water drops along with the usual popping and crackling noises that come with water in the mask. The worst experience is when I'm woken as a result of inhaling a drop of ice cold water from the mask.......

The first winter I was here, I tried insulating the CPAP hose with a knitted wool sleeve. That had a slight positive effect. I've now tried a Heated CPAP Hose (I don't want to mention any brand names here, so please don't ask), again without much success. I still get a face full of water drops sometime during the night, mostly on the colder nights.

The GP now tells me that I have low grade Asthma, and he believes it may be being caused by the cold wet air being delivered by the CPAP Machine. I had it last winter and most of spring, and then it cleared up. This year it started to come back agin starting in late Autumn. So, fixing this problem and getting rid of the condensation/rain-out from my CPAP Mask is now important for my health.

So far I've found two surefire (but not really practical) solutions for preventing the condensation forming. They are:

• Use the CPAP Machine without the humidifier. This approach definitely ensures that condensation can't form in the CPAP Mask, but if I use the CPAP without the humidifier, I wake up in the morning with very dry sore and blocked nose and sinuses, and with a very sore throat.
• The other solution I've found is to continue to use the humidifier as normal, but heat the bedroom so it stays above about 12 to 15 centigrade all night. This solution works quite well, but the electricity bill from running a fan heater or reverse cycle A/C all night, every night in winter, is scarily high. Unfortunately, this is the option recommended as a solution by the three Sleep Apnoea Specialists that I've consulted so far.

So, my question for the other CPAP users on the forum:

• What method/s do you use to eliminate or minimise the formation of condensation in your CPAP Masks ?

Looking forward to receiving your feedback.

Many thanks,

Roy