cold

[yawningjoe56]

can you answer a ? for me can i still use my cpap when i have a cold, i have been told you cannot is this true, i thankyou in advance on this matter

[Pugsy]

Did they tell you why you can't use cpap when you have a cold? Any reasoning behind that remark?

I have had my share of colds and upper respiratory infections in the past 7 years I have been on cpap and I have never missed a night using cpap because of a cold.
And I have used a nasal pillow mask even with a cold.
Now it isn't the best of sleep in the whole world when you have a cold but even without cpap when you have a bad cold the sleep isn't so great.
I just crank up the humidity (think how a hot steamy shower helps the congestion when you have a cold) and take my OTC cold meds and put on my mask and get what sleep I can get. Often I wake up with a clearer nose than when I went to bed.

[mike1953]

Yes you can.

[yawningjoe56]

they just said the cpap would not be as efffective treatment when i have a cold so i guess im good to go all air ahead lol thank you so much.

[pettyfan45]

Seeing how you have a full face mask on your profile there should no issues at all with using CPAP, though you might want to clean your mask and tube really good (daily if possible) so you aren't breathing that junk backing in and make it worse/ cause a respiratory infection.

[Pugsy]

Just because something isn't "as effective" doesn't mean it shouldn't be done or attempted at all.
That's kinda silly. Some therapy is better than no therapy at all.
No, it might not be perfect but it's still better than no therapy. The most annoying part is coughing and/or sneezing into the mask and nasal congestion doesn't have anything to do with the airway tissue collapsing behind the tongue or below it. But we would be coughing and sneezing without cpap...

Just deal with it the best you can. Take whatever OTC cold meds helps relieve your symptoms and accept that the therapy may not be ideal but it's still better than no therapy.

[palerider]

can you answer a ? for me can i still use my cpap when i have a cold, i have been told you cannot is this true, i thankyou in advance on this matter

"they" who told you that, are wrong.

when I've got a cold/sinus infection/respiratory problem, I add more humidity and it helps keep the crap loosened up, instead of clogging me up at night.

I do get fewer respiratory issues since starting cpap, so that's a nice side effect.

[yawningjoe56]

thank you all so much im going to bed with mask i hope to get a good nights sleep you have all put my mind at ease thank you all talk soon goodnight all.

[chunkyfrog]

When I have a cold so bad my nose stuffs up, I use a nasal spray (like Flonase),
and a Breathe Right strip; then I mask up as usual.
Sleep well, and fight that cold with the big gun---cpap.

[rohdej]

I find that the pressure helps open my sinuses. It may take a few iterations of mask pressure then blow nose and back. For me it is usually allergies that are that cause my issues.

[chunkyfrog]

Loratadine and a hypoallergenic filter have all but eliminated my allergies.
That, and staying indoors when mowing is done.

[Captain_Midnight]

True story.

Waaay back in 2005, the very day I picked up my new Resperonics unit to begin my xpap therapy, I came down with a type A influenza.

I was determined to make this danged cpap thing work, flu or not. And, as a poster mentions above, I learned that the pressure eventually helps breathing (side sleeping) on the uphill nostril. I learned quickly to just hang in there while gravity and positive pressure became my friends, and voila, I can breath. (I also learned to clean the gear daily when I have a resp inf)

Not only did I, after a few minutes of acclimatization, sleep better, but I do believe that my flu was shorter in duration and lower in severity that it might have been had I not been on my cpap.

Hope this is useful.

BTW, along w most successful xpap patients, I have had far fewer colds (and no influenzas) after starting w xpap. Perfect compliance might have something to do with this.

Good luck maintaining your therapy during the resp virus.

.

[yawningjoe56]

thank you so much for all your replies to this post, i did use my cpap my cold was shorter than normal, using cpap cold is going away slept really good last night, had a ahi of 0.4 and feeling really good. thank you all once again,