Issues with dry mouth + humidifier - Upgrade CPAP?

[kimbo]

Hi,

I've had consistent issues with the humidifier on my S9 - some nights it works OK chamber is near empty when i wake, other nights the chamber is almost at the fill line when i wake (nearly untouched). I use a quattro air FFM and all in all my mouth is bone dry when i wake up and the dryness has led to sleep deprivation as I always wake up early very thirsty. I'm usually not able to get back to sleep once i wakeup... Have tried varying temperatures and settings without luck (have posted on that topic in the past).

I purchased my CPAP online new at a significant discount from a reputable seller. Always questioned if it was the machine that had the issue (because i got it new for so cheap think $800 for an s9 vpap auto set). Wanted to see if the issues with dryness sound like they could be due to the machine or if it's just something i need to accept as part of CPAP.

My S9 is almost 3 years old now and i'm tempted to look at purchasing an AirFlex to attempt to solve the problem. Anyone have experience if the AirFlex has an improved humidifier over the S9? Maybe someone has experience with Philips vs Resmed for humidification?

[palerider]

all the modern machines, prs1, s9, airsense/aircurve (never heard of an airflex) have humistats in them, so they provide differing amounts of humidity depending on how humid the intake air is.

[library lady]

Dry mouth is common, especially for mouth breathers. My mouth is dry as well. I started CPAP in Feb. 2014 with a new machine, and it was really bad in the beginning, not as much later on. Several things come into play so I'll mention those and lead into the solution that works for me. I didn't notice your location, but climate is a factor for the humidifier; here in Minnesota with the cold dry air outside, the humidifier uses up a lot more water. Mine runs dry every night in the winter, but in spring and summer it used very little. Last winter I used up a full gallon of water in a week; over the summer a gallon lasted a month, and in the fall that gradually lessened, and soon I will be back to a gallon a week. In a humid climate not as much water from the tank is used, and it usually varies according to the weather.

If you are a mouth breather, that will create a dry mouth that I call "cotton mouth" because that's what it makes my mouth feel like. In the summer I didn't experience dry mouth so much; didn't know if I'd gotten used to it or if I'd finally learned to keep my mouth closed. Now, I'm noticing it again, but I am starting to get used to it.

What I did, about 2 weeks after starting this therapy, was go to Target and buy a double-walled plastic mug with a handle, a lid and a straw. I fill it half-way with water before going to bed and set it on a low stool a few feet from the bed where nobody will trip over it... yet far enough away that if it does spill, it won't wreck the machine or good furniture. When I wake up needing some water, I pull the connector off the mask and go over to get water via the straw, which goes into the connector port and my mouth. This way I don't need to remove the mask and headgear. I am fortunate that the port in my Quattro Air, and now my F10, is directly in line with my mouth so that I can take a few sips of water and slosh it around in my mouth before swallowing. I did an experiment once with a disposable flexible straw by holding the mask to my face with the port out of alignment with my mouth and found that I could still get water by bending the straw. It was awkward, but it worked. One caution: take in only as much water as needed to wet the whistle... you don't want to create a need to get up to piddle during the night.

I hope this helps.