Great CPAP usage.... UNTIL A COLD!

I am of the opinion that CPAP should NOT be used when you have a cold.

All my fears of starting CPAP a few months ago went unrealized. I had a very nice transition and have had noticeable results.

But I've gotten a fairly mild cold this year and kept using the device until I got runny and blowy.

Now that it has abated somewhat, I am trying to get back in the swing. BAD IDEA! Seems there's just enough residual cough issue to let me get ..TO... sleep...then into DEEEEEPPP sleep and then have some sort of event be accompanied by an inability to WAKE UP!

Jeezizzz beezizz.... HORROR!

I am not enough awake to get to the shutoff button yet the thing is blowing madly into my nose and out my mouth and the lips are flapping and throat is rasping and I'm panicking ....BUT STILL ASLEEP.... a little. Enough to not be able to get OUT of the mess until....finally.....my body realizes a LOT is going wrong and gets me awake enough to rip that SOB off my face and realize where I am and what I'm doing.

Needless to say, this is a real sleep interruption.

This ever happen to any of you guys?

I guess this post is to ask if there is any way to prevent this thing (It's happened twice now in past week) or just do what my intuition says and just lay off the CPAP until all is ...FULLY.... normal.
Goofy thing is I ...miss... the stupid thing and can tell that I am somewhat tired on these days after NOT using the CPAP.

No. What you do are two things - first make sure you're not setting the humidity any higher than necessary because it can easily cause congestion, etc. and lead to (or be mistaken for) a cold. But if you do get a real cold, then you should have a full face mask (backup mask) so you can wear it, mouth breathe, and not lose therapy while you're sick. If anything, Cpap will help you get better faster than you would otherwise, except you can't keep pumping moisture in while it's going on... counterproductive, unless you do have very dry cold symptoms that need more humidity - but only you can judge that.

Napnea wrote:I am of the opinion that CPAP should NOT be used when you have a cold.
:

when I've got a cold is the only time I use the humidifier, then the extra moisture helps loosen up the thickened mucus, and lets me rest better, along the lines of taking a nice warm shower when sick, helps me breath better.

Having a cold is a miserable experience and double the misery if you are a cpap user!

The last time I had a bad cold I just toughed it out and continued using the cpap the entire time. I use a full face mask so it wasn't completely intolerable because I could mouth breath when my nose wasn't functioning anymore, but my AHI soared to 35 on my worst night due to all my congestion, so it was no fun.

You might consider getting a full face mask to have for use during a cold, being able to mouth breath might make a big difference for you in that situation.

With a full face mask and the humidifier up full CPAP is better then any cold meds you can find. Put some eucalyptus oil on a cotton ball at the air intake and you are good to sleep. You need all the good quality sleep and O2 you can get when you are sick.

Hmmm.... I don't use a full face mask....nor... the humidifier.

Think I'll try the mask first. Although it drove me friggin NUTS at the outset and I couldn't tolerate CPAP until I got the nose mask.

Thanks.

I've been battling my first really severe cold since starting therapy in June 2014. Nasal/sinus congestion set in fully after a day or two. I tried to tough it out with my nasal mask and got in a few good nights on just some Nyquil and a shot of Afrin, but the congestion was too much and I went to my full face mask, and was glad I did. Next time I'll switch off to FFM earlier in the cold evolution I really don't like doing an antihistamine more than one or two nights running.

I use an FFM. had a bout of cold and, for me, reducing the humidity on my PRS1 60 series Auto to 70% from 90% was the answer to a good sleep. So let your nose decide which one it prefers. But an FFM will allow you to breathe thru the mouth and will maintain the PAP pressure to keep most events at bay.

So you may want to play with the humidity to see, on which setting, you feel as if you are breathing better. For some people (me included), too high humidity may be suffocating.

I love, love, LOVE my CPAP when I have a cold. Currently I'm using the Whisp nasal mask, but I have the Mirage Quattro when needed. There's usually ONE night when CPAP use is next to impossible with a cold because I'm either sneezing or my nose is running like a faucet. But other than that, I sleep 1000 times better with my CPAP, and during the night with it on I don't cough or struggle to breathe. Before CPAP, a cold meant at least 3 nights sitting up in the recliner awake most of the night coughing and blowing my nose.

With asthma, a cold virus often acts as a trigger for asthmatic bronchitis, and that's when I'm truly grateful for CPAP. All day long I cough and wheeze, but I mask up at night and sleep like a baby--no coughing or wheezing. I'm very reluctant to take it off in the morning, and when I'm really sick with bronchitis I return to bed and nap with CPAP as much as I can.

When I feel a cold coming on, often turning up the humidity helps avert it--unfortunately my *&^%$ humidifier isn't working any more, so I'm getting colds more often.

Napnea,

For what it is worth, I found that when I used a full face mask during a cold, pap therapy was intolerable. With the cloth nasal mask listed in my equipment profile, using the machine bought tremendous relief to my sinuses when I had one about two months ago.

I have no logical explanation except I seem to find it harder to breath through my nose with full face masks. I know, they are for mouth breathers but I fail miserably at that.

Anyway, I just wanted to share my experience to let you know that maybe using some type of nasal mask is doable during a cold although obviously, your mileage will vary.

49er