This may help with congestion, as long as you don't use oxygen with your system, add a menthol drop in your humidifier or a menthol gel at the end of the hose. hope this helps.
Moon
congestion suggestion
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DreamStalker
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Sleepy-eyes
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No kidding. Check this out: viewtopic/t15515/Aromatherapy-drops.html
Chris
I'm not a Doctor, nor am I associated with the medical profession in any way. Any comments I make are just personal opinions. Take them or leave them. (justa don't gripe at me if ya donna like 'em!)
I'm not a Doctor, nor am I associated with the medical profession in any way. Any comments I make are just personal opinions. Take them or leave them. (justa don't gripe at me if ya donna like 'em!)
This was my first post in that thread. It's also in manual for the humidifier to use DISTILLED WATER ONLY.Wulfman wrote:The question comes up (in various "flavors") quite frequently.....and the answer is ALWAYS the same.
The ONLY thing that goes in your heated humidifier is DISTILLED WATER. PERIOD.
Best wishes,
Den
Den
(5) REMstar Autos w/C-Flex & (6) REMstar Pro 2 CPAPs w/C-Flex - Pressure Setting = 14 cm.
"Passover" Humidification - ResMed Ultra Mirage FF - Encore Pro w/Card Reader & MyEncore software - Chiroflow pillow
User since 05/14/05
"Passover" Humidification - ResMed Ultra Mirage FF - Encore Pro w/Card Reader & MyEncore software - Chiroflow pillow
User since 05/14/05
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DreamStalker
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Sorry for being so negative about the initiation of this thread. I suppose that new members need to be hosed on a frequent basis about what not to put into their humidifier reservoirs. After all, I too made a similar suggestion as a newbie early on.
Although some of the humidifier reservoirs can easily be replaced at minimal costs ... it is the long term effect of inhaling scented air that most feel is hazardous to health. One should weigh the risks of such hazard with the risk of going without PAP treatment cuz you have nasal congestion and don't have a full face or oral mask/interface. Life would just be too boring if it was so easy. Moral of this post --- Plan ahead to have an alternate interface if you use a nasal interface!
[/b]
Although some of the humidifier reservoirs can easily be replaced at minimal costs ... it is the long term effect of inhaling scented air that most feel is hazardous to health. One should weigh the risks of such hazard with the risk of going without PAP treatment cuz you have nasal congestion and don't have a full face or oral mask/interface. Life would just be too boring if it was so easy. Moral of this post --- Plan ahead to have an alternate interface if you use a nasal interface!
[/b]
President-pretender, J. Biden, said "the DNC has built the largest voter fraud organization in US history". Too bad they didn’t build the smartest voter fraud organization and got caught.
It works for me
I've been using a very small amount of menthol and other all natural essential oils etc. in my cpap chamber for a long time and they are marvelous. Nasal congestion is extremely frustrating as anyone using a cpap knows.
However, you must understand that essential oils (including menthol) typically have material compatiblility issues with water chamber plastics, especially when heated. It's a very small price to pay in my opinion ($15 for a new disposable chamber) for several weeks of significantly enhanced sleep.
Note that I am NOT talking about artificial perfumes and fragrances--they make me sick. I am talking about natural aromatics (essential oils). There's a huge difference between natural aromatics and artificial smells, like night and day. Very few people have actually experienced authentic, natural aromatics because of their relatively high cost.
So nothing personal to the others who have offered different opinions on this site. Natural aromatics work great in the CPAP but over a long time (weeks, months) may damage water chamber equipment, which is absolutely no problem for me. I would not put essential oils in the mask as they are rather expensive to replace if damage occurs.
However, you must understand that essential oils (including menthol) typically have material compatiblility issues with water chamber plastics, especially when heated. It's a very small price to pay in my opinion ($15 for a new disposable chamber) for several weeks of significantly enhanced sleep.
Note that I am NOT talking about artificial perfumes and fragrances--they make me sick. I am talking about natural aromatics (essential oils). There's a huge difference between natural aromatics and artificial smells, like night and day. Very few people have actually experienced authentic, natural aromatics because of their relatively high cost.
So nothing personal to the others who have offered different opinions on this site. Natural aromatics work great in the CPAP but over a long time (weeks, months) may damage water chamber equipment, which is absolutely no problem for me. I would not put essential oils in the mask as they are rather expensive to replace if damage occurs.
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Offerocker
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Re: It works for me
I am curious as to why you just don't put the oil on your nostrils? Wouldn't that eliminate all damages to equipment? A little should go a long way?SleepGuy wrote:I've been using a very small amount of menthol and other all natural essential oils etc. in my cpap chamber for a long time and they are marvelous. Nasal congestion is extremely frustrating as anyone using a cpap knows.
However, you must understand that essential oils (including menthol) typically have material compatiblility issues with water chamber plastics, especially when heated. It's a very small price to pay in my opinion ($15 for a new disposable chamber) for several weeks of significantly enhanced sleep.
Note that I am NOT talking about artificial perfumes and fragrances--they make me sick. I am talking about natural aromatics (essential oils). There's a huge difference between natural aromatics and artificial smells, like night and day. Very few people have actually experienced authentic, natural aromatics because of their relatively high cost.
So nothing personal to the others who have offered different opinions on this site. Natural aromatics work great in the CPAP but over a long time (weeks, months) may damage water chamber equipment, which is absolutely no problem for me. I would not put essential oils in the mask as they are rather expensive to replace if damage occurs.
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| Humidifier: HC150 Heated Humidifier With Hose, 2 Chambers and Stand |
| Additional Comments: Comfort Sleeve |
Respironics Auto C-Flex, HC-150, Activa, CL2 Simple Cushion, ComfortSleeve, Saline Snorter.
There are various "home remedies" for making inhalants to help with congestion. One of my personal favorites involves menthol and eucalyptus. Here's a little tip for you... unless it's made to be used DIRECTLY as an inhalant, you do NOT want to put it in your hose, your nose, or your humidifier. The reasoning here is that almost ALL of the things people talk about putting in these places, is actually made to be DISPERSED into the air. Not concentrated up your shnozzola.
Vicks is probably one of the SAFEST suggestions in terms of prolonged and rather concentrated breathing of it. It has been rubbed on chests and the edges of nostrils for generations!
HOWEVER... it is a petroleum based product and as such, it can do weird things to plastics so I wouldn't put it in my machine or humidifier anywhere. If your humidifier has a glass container, then maybe this would work, but I don't know of any with glass containers. You might still be able to put a little vicks on your nostrils and MAYBE is won't screw up nasal pillows or mask gaskets, but.... I just don't know.
So let's get back to that "dispersed into the air" part. I have, in the past, put a couple drops of menthol and eucalyptus on a crumbled up tissue, set that in a ceramic custard cup, and placed it near my machine. Not right at the air intake but let's say... within a foot.
May sound a little gross and I apologize, but I KNOW my machine will suck a dog fart from the foot of the bed where my dog is sleeping and happily blow it up my nose. So a container placed nearby will surely get the same courtesy. By doing it this way you ALSO have the option of removing the aromatic at any time. If you put it in your humidifier, hose, or nose... you have a bit more prolonged cleanup to get rid of it should it prove to be a bit much for you.
Vicks is probably one of the SAFEST suggestions in terms of prolonged and rather concentrated breathing of it. It has been rubbed on chests and the edges of nostrils for generations!
HOWEVER... it is a petroleum based product and as such, it can do weird things to plastics so I wouldn't put it in my machine or humidifier anywhere. If your humidifier has a glass container, then maybe this would work, but I don't know of any with glass containers. You might still be able to put a little vicks on your nostrils and MAYBE is won't screw up nasal pillows or mask gaskets, but.... I just don't know.
So let's get back to that "dispersed into the air" part. I have, in the past, put a couple drops of menthol and eucalyptus on a crumbled up tissue, set that in a ceramic custard cup, and placed it near my machine. Not right at the air intake but let's say... within a foot.
May sound a little gross and I apologize, but I KNOW my machine will suck a dog fart from the foot of the bed where my dog is sleeping and happily blow it up my nose. So a container placed nearby will surely get the same courtesy. By doing it this way you ALSO have the option of removing the aromatic at any time. If you put it in your humidifier, hose, or nose... you have a bit more prolonged cleanup to get rid of it should it prove to be a bit much for you.
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| Mask: Swift™ FX Nasal Pillow CPAP Mask with Headgear |
| Humidifier: S9™ Series H5i™ Heated Humidifier with Climate Control |
| Additional Comments: original pressure 8cm - auto 8-12 |
Pure essetial oils are far too concentrated to place directly into your nose, even a drop. They can cause skin irritation when used directly on the body (lavender is an exception). I've been using essential oils for years in various applications and would never recommend using them directly in your nose.
Vicks is nothing more than a small amount of essential oils (3%)--menthol, eucalyptus, camphor--mixed in petroleum jelly. And you know how strong Vics smells even at a 3% dillution.
I've also used essential oils by putting a bit on a cotton ball near the air intake. It works fine but I find that I prefer to have them a bit more concentrated (personal preference). If you put it by the air intake you'll lose 90% of the aromatic to the room so I have to use a lot more oil to get it where I like it. Also the heated humidifier does an absolutely wonderful job diffusing the essential oils inside the CPAP.
Remember that I'm only suggesting using very small amounts--no more than five drops--if you use it in the water chamber. Experiment. If it's too strong, dump out the water and try less. Or start with 1 drop and add more. If you don't like it simply wash out the chamber with warm soapy water and find a different way to manage your congestion.
All of that said I've never used eucalyptus oils or camphor (they are extremely powerful--I think one drop would be too much for me). I have had very good luck with essential oils of orange, clove, lime, lavender, sweet basil, sweet marjoram, ylang ylang, and (especially for congestion) high menthol content peppermint and lemon.
On things like this I figure that the cpap is hard enough to live with--it can't hurt to try different things that might make a difference.
Vicks is nothing more than a small amount of essential oils (3%)--menthol, eucalyptus, camphor--mixed in petroleum jelly. And you know how strong Vics smells even at a 3% dillution.
I've also used essential oils by putting a bit on a cotton ball near the air intake. It works fine but I find that I prefer to have them a bit more concentrated (personal preference). If you put it by the air intake you'll lose 90% of the aromatic to the room so I have to use a lot more oil to get it where I like it. Also the heated humidifier does an absolutely wonderful job diffusing the essential oils inside the CPAP.
Remember that I'm only suggesting using very small amounts--no more than five drops--if you use it in the water chamber. Experiment. If it's too strong, dump out the water and try less. Or start with 1 drop and add more. If you don't like it simply wash out the chamber with warm soapy water and find a different way to manage your congestion.
All of that said I've never used eucalyptus oils or camphor (they are extremely powerful--I think one drop would be too much for me). I have had very good luck with essential oils of orange, clove, lime, lavender, sweet basil, sweet marjoram, ylang ylang, and (especially for congestion) high menthol content peppermint and lemon.
On things like this I figure that the cpap is hard enough to live with--it can't hurt to try different things that might make a difference.
I'm so tempted to try to write up this suggestion in song form, to the tune of the old Schoolhouse Rock song "Conjunction Junction".
But I can't come up with something that rhymes for the first line...
Congestion suggestion, how's that infection?
No....
Congestion suggestion, essential oil injection?
Better, but no...
Congestion suggestion, big erection?
Heavens no...
Congestion Suggestion: a new direction
Hookin' up water with menthol and oil
Congestion Suggestion: genuflection
Prayin' on my knees that I won't stop a-breathin...
There's probably more, but you get the idea.
Liam, aka Lally. Indubitably.
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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): Liam
But I can't come up with something that rhymes for the first line...
Congestion suggestion, how's that infection?
No....
Congestion suggestion, essential oil injection?
Better, but no...
Congestion suggestion, big erection?
Heavens no...
Congestion Suggestion: a new direction
Hookin' up water with menthol and oil
Congestion Suggestion: genuflection
Prayin' on my knees that I won't stop a-breathin...
There's probably more, but you get the idea.
Liam, aka Lally. Indubitably.
_________________
CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): Liam
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| Machine | Mask | |
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HUMOR----
When my DME was going over my machine with me and telling me how to set it up and use it , when he was going over the water chamber part and telling me about the distilled water I asked about using whiskey or vodka instead (I was joking, cuz he was quite the humor smart ass type and we had been joking around the entire time) he told me that wouldn't work but that the people that use nebulizers soak their filters in alcohol and can get a good buzz off of it...
Yeah sorta off topic to the post here but reading it reminded me of that day so I thought i'd post it.. hehehe
--NOT ADVISABLE.. JUST HUMOR!!
When my DME was going over my machine with me and telling me how to set it up and use it , when he was going over the water chamber part and telling me about the distilled water I asked about using whiskey or vodka instead (I was joking, cuz he was quite the humor smart ass type and we had been joking around the entire time) he told me that wouldn't work but that the people that use nebulizers soak their filters in alcohol and can get a good buzz off of it...
Yeah sorta off topic to the post here but reading it reminded me of that day so I thought i'd post it.. hehehe
--NOT ADVISABLE.. JUST HUMOR!!
'DreamStalker wrote: One should weigh the risks of such hazard with the risk of going without PAP treatment cuz you have nasal congestion and don't have a full face or oral mask/interface. Life would just be too boring if it was so easy. Moral of this post --- Plan ahead to have an alternate interface if you use a nasal interface!
now youve given this newbie something to think about...not the additives to water issue, but the mask issue. I have allergies and chronic nasal allergies/congestion and am using a swift nasal pillow. I am thiking i need an alternate face mask for those times im REALLY clogged. Im just 3 weeks into this so i guess i have some more stuff to add to the list of things to get!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am new to this post,have been reading and learning for about 2 months.The first 3 weeks suffered from congestion horribly at first. Went to ENT and he checked Sinus out with a scan. Everything OK. Was advised to use a steroid nasal spray for a few weeks twice a day and a sinus nasal rinse one or two times a day. After a week I quit the steroid spray but the sinus nasal rinse has really handled the congestion problem. Also had a Resmed M CPAP machine with a supposedly heated humidifier. Visited other Medical equipment providers and finally told about the Fisher&Paykel Sleep Style 600 CPAP machine with a heated humidifier and hose. What a difference, the machine and heated hose keeps the water warm the whole time unlike the Resmed.
You do have some control of who you get your machine from, I turned my first one back in to supplier and switched to new provider who will bill the insurance. I am using the comfort lite mask II, it is not great but will have to spend my own money on a new mask which I have ordered.This new provider has ideas and willing to switch products if needed. My original provider did not know about this machine and her large company had a contract with Resmed. That is why so many people have this machine.They actually helped my doctor write the prescription because she is a young doctor and new to sleep apnea solutions.
Just thought I should share my experiences. Remember the sleep apnea study is about you. It is your right to have copies of everything done. If done at a hospital you can go to records and request documentation of any studies you have had done. You have to show ID and sign but it is your right to know.
You do have some control of who you get your machine from, I turned my first one back in to supplier and switched to new provider who will bill the insurance. I am using the comfort lite mask II, it is not great but will have to spend my own money on a new mask which I have ordered.This new provider has ideas and willing to switch products if needed. My original provider did not know about this machine and her large company had a contract with Resmed. That is why so many people have this machine.They actually helped my doctor write the prescription because she is a young doctor and new to sleep apnea solutions.
Just thought I should share my experiences. Remember the sleep apnea study is about you. It is your right to have copies of everything done. If done at a hospital you can go to records and request documentation of any studies you have had done. You have to show ID and sign but it is your right to know.
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