CPAP Users

Passport1

Passport1

Joined
Sep 17, 2012
Messages
4,168
Location
A Barrier Island
If you are not a naturally aspirated sleeper any longer and require a nocturnal boost to your intake manifold you might be a cpap candidate or user. I have been using a Resmed unit for >5 years and it is a quiet and capable machine. In that time if it is used ~8 hours/night that calculates to roughly 20 months of use. The maintenance has been minimal. A daily cleaning and an air filter change every 6 months is all. No adjustments, oil changes or anything. I wish cars were this reliable.

If you use a cpap do you;

Use an ozone cleaning machine
Get periodic disposable supplies
Get good results
Type of mask used
Ever use it on an airplane
Deal with a dry mouth
 
I started using a cpap [resmed] about 2 years ago. It has made quite a difference in my life and I would say almost day and night difference. I wash the parts once a week in hot soapy water or baking soda or diluted vinegar. I get the consumables replace as needed, medicare and the supplemental insurance covers the cost The unit I have has an area to add water and a warmer to add moisture to the air. I have tried a couple of different masks and found the one the Airfit F2063461 works the best for me. I love planes and flying in then as it is a miracle to me but I hate the airports so I avoid them.
 
Last edited:
I have a SoClean 2 machine that I use every few days to help sanitize it but every 2-3 weeks, I will use Dawn dish soap/vinegar/hot water and wash out the nose piece/hose as well. I've had the machine for 2 years and just last month got new nasal pillows because the other ones were starting to break. But I'm going through the VA now for sleep stuff because I can get it free instead of paying for it through private insurance and I think they send new stuff every 6 months maybe?

Great results, it's probably saved my life. I've suffered from OSA for over 10 years now and never knew what it was. Had really bad snoring and extreme fatigue/dry mouth. Now, instead of being 98/100 fatigued each day, I'm about 25/100 fatigued and don't feel hungover, foggy, etc.

I have the Resmed Autoset 10 or whatever it is and it's a big piece so I haven't used it on a plane but if I were a frequent traveler/overnight, I would look into one of the travel machines.

I use the nasal pillows as I don't think I could handle a full face mask. And as far as dry mouth, the nasal pillows help force me to keep my mouth closed so no more snoring/drying out the mouth.
 
I have a ResMed 10 auto. I dont fly international so I never need to use it on a plane. I have flown with it though.
I have camped off the grid with it. I have a deep cycle battery and cables. Works fine.

I have a UV light cleaner. IDK what its called. I probably dont use dish soap as much as I should though. I use distilled water and that seems to keep it much cleaner than my tap water from my well.

I hate it. Annoys the heck outta me. But I have pretty severe sleep apnea. So it helps immensely. Many times in winter I sleep at 10K ft in the mountains. Its unbelievable how much better I sleep up there with it.

I turn the heater way down or off, I forget where I have it set. I change the water humidity every so often. Summer it tends to flood out. Winter I need to turn it back up.

I have used the one that covers nose and mouth, I call it a nut cup, cuz thats what it looks like. Sometimes I would get to much air. Not sure if I'd stop breathing and it was trying to force me or what. And now I use the one that covers just the nose. I like the nose one better. No issues with air, I get plenty without being overrun.

Dry mouth is ALOT less then before the CPAP. Not an issue.

I dont recall when I got it, at least 5 years ago. Maybe 8?
 
Resurrecting an old post here. Never looked twice at CPAP machines or read these posts. For years I have been waking up tired, copious amounts of coffee just barely keep me going most days. This has been exacerbated by 16+ years of shift work, stress and all that goes with it. My snoring was absolutely out of control, to the point it really effected my family.

After a few doctors and numerous sleep studies, I finally got on a CPAP trial. All I can say is that I needed one of these years ago.

I feel more rested in six hours of sleep than eight or nine previous. My snoring is gone and my apneas are fractional per hour.

I got the Resmed Airsense 10 and N20 nasal mask. I opted for a bulkier mask to ensure it won't shift or lose the seal. It does quite well I must say.
 
24 year CPAP user here. I am currently using a Respironics Dreamstation with humidifier, and a Resmed Air Fit F20 Medium mask that covers the face and nose. I do not use a So-Clean or any other gizmo for cleaning the system. I clean the mask every night, wash and rinse the hose weekly, and clean the humidifier tank every week or so with vinegar followed by dish detergent and water. I change the filters every 30 day's and I use an outboard bacterial filter that connects to the output of the CPAP machine.
 
I've been using a CPAP machine for just over a year. I have the ResMed AirSense 10. I went with the AirSense 10 rather than the 11 as it was still available and has been thoroughly tested and found to be reliable.

I wash my mask, head gear and hoses every week or two with a Dawn solution. I use ordinary distilled water in the water chamber and have had absolutely no scale build up. I change the air filter every few months as it gets pretty dirty.

I'm still using the original mask and hose. I have a complete change of head gear, mask and hose on hand. I bought them on the internet because they're much less expensive. [I like to support local businesses but at 2 - 3 times the cost they have to work with me too!] I have an extra mask and have been thinking of changing it as I've noted some air escaping around the mask.

I'm sleeping through the night now, and feel about 80% better. I was having almost 60 obstructions an hour and even having some oxygen desaturation so I think using CPAP is a good idea.

We have frequent power outages here. I don't like waking up when the power goes out. Your breathing gets a lot heavier which wakes you up. Has anyone tried using a rechargeable battery between the CPAP and electrical supply?
 
chemman said:
24 year CPAP user here. I am currently using a Respironics Dreamstation with humidifier, and a Resmed Air Fit F20 Medium mask that covers the face and nose. I do not use a So-Clean or any other gizmo for cleaning the system. I clean the mask every night, wash and rinse the hose weekly, and clean the humidifier tank every week or so with vinegar followed by dish detergent and water. I change the filters every 30 day's and I use an outboard bacterial filter that connects to the output of the CPAP machine.
Click to expand...
Have you replaced the pump unit via the recall yet? I’ve had some big ResMed one (2007), got a Dreamstation circa 2015ish, and got the AirSense 10 around 2021.

If I sleep without it, rest is impossible and I wake up every 45 mins or so. I don’t feel rested even when I do use it, but a quick math check shows I’ve used CPAPs for about 4.8 years around the clock in that time (40k+ hours); I think the ResMed was the longest at around 18k hours before I got the Dreamstation. They replaced my DS pump for the foam failure recall last year but I haven’t used the new one because I got the AirSense to replace it.
 
I had the option of what I assume was the 11. It had some touch screen and no dial. The clinic said it won't work any better, just fancier, so I went with the 10. My insurance 100% covered it and will get me one every two or three years plus masks and accessories every couple of months.
 
Subie - I am currently battling Respironics regarding the replacement machine they sent me because of the recall. They sent me one of their newer models which is rated extremely poor. I told them that I want a new or refurbished DreamStation just like the one I purchased and not some substandard piece of junk that has very poor online ratings. I also told them that until they send me another DreamStation, I'm keeping my DreamStation and that I will not use the machine they sent me, nor will I send it back.

I am not worried about anything off gassing out of the machine since I've never used ozone or uV light to clean anything, so I am not too concerned about degraded sound insulation.

This is the 3rd machine I have gotten since being diagnosed with OSA. The first one I got was a Respironics REMstar that died about 4 years after getting it so I replaced it with a Fisher & Paykel unit that was really nice. Then in 2020 I got the DreamStation and I have been very pleased with it and it is extremely quiet.
 
SubieRubyRoo said:
...

If I sleep without it, rest is impossible and I wake up every 45 mins or so. I don’t feel rested even when I do use it, but a quick math check shows I’ve used CPAPs for about 4.8 years around the clock in that time (40k+ hours); I think the ResMed was the longest at around 18k hours before I got the Dreamstation. They replaced my DS pump for the foam failure recall last year but I haven’t used the new one because I got the AirSense to replace it.
Click to expand...
I am the same, I can't sleep more than a quick nap, and wake with a horrible headache and sore throat.
I had my original machine (a Resmed S8) from 2004 till last year when the power plug started messing up and shutting off randomly (would wake up unable to breathe). It still works off the DC plug, and is what I use when I camp and use a battery pack for power.
I looked at the log on it, and I had only missed like 10 nights of use in that timeframe (3 were when we had no power for 3 days, the rest were when I was working EMS and forgot to bring my machine to work). I want to say over 50,000 hours of use on it?
I got my deceased brother in laws machine (the recalled one) and have no issues with it. It is not covered under the recall since I entered the recall info under may name, and they can't find a Dr associated with me and the machine.
I have not been to a sleep Dr since my initial diagnosis in '04, so screw that. I buy my supplies myself since my insurance won't pay for it without me seeing a sleep Dr. (my primary care wrote a script for masks, but insurance denied it). I am currently using an Opus 360 nasal pillow mask I bought off Amazon. I replace parts on it every 6 months to year.
 
I'm 6'5'' and 230 pounds and I have moderate OSA. I had it even when I was 205 pounds and wore a size 32 waist.

The best method of cleaning it was a method I learned at the sleep lab. They have parts cleaner machines and they clean the devices with hypochlorous acid, which naturally breaks down into saline after 10 minutes but it is an excellent disinfectant.

32oz spray bottle on amazon is 10-15 bucks, and I rinse the tube and mask out with water, then spray it and let it sit, and rinse before bedtime. Works out fine.

I'm on my third cpap machine, I actually wore out the pump on two of them at the four year mark. I sleep 8-9 hours every night, soundly. If I even take a nap without a cpap I wake up with a burning headache.

My insurance picks up the tab for everything, so I have a medical goods company (Hiro Health, Katy TX), fedex me supplies whenever I need them. I think its probably better to replace the stuff as scheduled, you are breating in and out of this devices for a long time, just get new stuff if you can.
 
I was diagnosed with sleep apnea last year, and I had one of the 'top 10' worst cases my doctor said he had ever seen.

I use a Resmed AirSense 11 and an AirFit N30i nasal mask. It's made all the difference in the world in the quality of my sleep and I don't wake up every minute of every night feeling like I'm suffocating. I can only imagine the damage I've done to myself over the years by not having this diagnosed sooner.

The mask, hose and water tank get a weekly warm bath in dish soap with some white vinegar. Using distilled water leaves the tank spotless. I have a bunch of supplies that were sent to me and I've not seen any reason to replace anything except the air filter in the last eight months.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

S
Question for HPL EC users ...
Replies
11
Views
492
sandcritter
mbacfp
Follow up - Rethinking 5w-40 vs 15w-40 for my low use diesels
Replies
6
Views
4K
z71bill
R
2025 -- (up to 4/30/2025) YTD Totals: "Post your latest oil change"
Replies
5
Views
1K
perkz
B
Case study: Chemical cleaning stuck rings to eliminate oil burning
2
Replies
22
Views
2K
Patman
wwillson
  • Sticky
Pennzoil - Key Features and Benefits of ILSAC GF-7 Q&A - Answers
Replies
1
Views
3K
oilstained
Back
Top Bottom