cpap machine noise

roncron · Post by **roncron** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 5:58 pm

Hi all,

New cpap'er here. I have spent hours browsing many of the items here, and I want to say how grateful I am for this resource, and for all of you who share your experiences. This sure makes getting started with cpap much less overwhelming for me.

I am getting ready to select my first machine. I've looked at some items here with the recommendations of the cpaptalk community and they are really helpful.

However, one thing I would like to ask is about noise levels of cpap machines. If you have a moment, please tell us

* what kind of machine you have

* how loud it is

* whether the noise is constant ambient noise or changing/oscillating. (I think my wife-to-be could easily live with constant ambient noise, but not high-pitched whining that rises and falls with my breathing)

* and most of all, whether the noise from your machine bothers your spouse/partner. Does it bother him or her enough to make them move to the spare bedroom? (or, worse yet, send you to the spare room/dog house/out house?)

Some of these questions are addressed in user reviews for specific products at cpap.com. For each machine I'm considering, there are some users that say "this is the quietest machine ever!" but other users who say "the noise thing makes keeps my wife/husband/dog/pet rock up all night!".

So I'm hoping that some of you might share your experiences.

Thanks in advance!

Best,
RonCron

momadams · Post by **momadams** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 6:15 pm

Mine isn't silent, but I find the gentle sound soothing, as does my husband.
Plus , we don't even notice the neighbors' barking dogs anymore.

Funny thing is, I often don't even hear it anymore unless I focus on it.

shari

tuna · Post by **tuna** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 6:26 pm

Mine is quiet, can't hear it unless inches from it. Works for me..

MLefholtz · Post by **MLefholtz** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 7:08 pm

My wife can't hear mine, although I can, vaguely.

The pitch changes somewhat with the Cflex, but nothing noxious to my ear.

My wife is a good sport and refers to the exhaust from my mask as her extra bit of air conditioning.

Mike

Sergey45 · Post by **Sergey45** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 7:18 pm

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kteague · Post by **kteague** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 8:00 pm

I don't have a lot of machine experience, but I have found the ResMed Spirit Auto and the RemStar M Series Pro to both be very quiet. What I have found is that the noises I do hear change with the masks. since I'm the only one hearing those sounds, I can't say if I'm hearing them internally or if another person could hear them also, but mask noise may be something else to consider.

JeffH · Post by **JeffH** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 8:06 pm

Here's our solution. They are cheaper by the box. One last a couple of years.

nightingale · Post by **nightingale** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 8:09 pm

Well I am a widow, but my teacup poodle does not complain!! Seriously, I am well pleased with my current machine--others I tried were very noisy.

Nightingale

WearyOne · Post by **WearyOne** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 8:17 pm

If you use c-flex on the machine I have it is not a constant noise, but an up and down noise as you breath. Don't know if it's the same on other machines. (Really like the machine, though.)

If you or your wife-to-be find the machine too noisy, I read a suggestion on another board that those who have used it say works great. Place a styrofoam cooler upside down over the machine, leaving holes for the hose and air intake.

Earplugs can work for either one of you, obviously, but I found that if you're the one using the machine, the earplugs can amplify the noise.

Using a sound conditioner (white noise) can help block out the cpap. Sounds weird to use one noise to block another one, I guess, but the sound conditioner noise can be a constant, even noise. A fan might also work, although probably a bit cold in the winter!

I sleep with my cat. She doesn't mind the noise, but I don't know about another human!

Pam

jabberwock · Post by **jabberwock** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 8:52 pm

I found my older RemStar Plus (no C-flex) to be very quiet at a low pressure, but when the pressure was raised, there was definitely a hum to it, but it was a constant noise.

The PB GoodKnight 420E I have been using for the past couple of weeks is not really noisy, but I found it a little harder to get used to because the pitch increases on inhale, so I tended to focus on the sound of my breathing at first. Once I get used to it I don't notice it.

Can't speak to the noise level for my partner, because I don't have one.

Bonnie

coldnose · Post by **coldnose** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 9:11 pm

I can hear my machine as I fall asleep and after I wake up, but it no way keeps me awake. When I first started on XPAP, my machine sat on top of the night stand next to me and I found it noisy at first. I've since lowered it to about 8 inches off the floor and can hardly hear it. My wife has always said that she hears my mask, not the machine (I've since switched from the Swift original to the Swift II and improved my mask noise).

When travelling and in hotel rooms with the air conditioning running I sometimes find my self wondering if the machine is even working as I can't hear it. I've even found myself checking to see if the machine is working when there is other noise in the room. As WearyOne says, a little white noise can really help.

Noise, like everything else with XPAP, it is dependent on the user, each is different, and what works for you will be an individual thing.

Good Luck and Sleep Well,

---gary

I wish you the best,

HeatherN · Post by **HeatherN** » Fri Jun 22, 2007 6:48 am

I am the partner who shares a bed with a CPAPer. I love my husbands machine. It actually soothes me to sleep. I should say though that I really don't hear his machine, it is more of the noise of the exhaust vent that I hear. Once he has it on I find I can relax and drift off knowing he is breathing! It might seem a little noisy at first but with anything new a few days into it it should become "normal". Now if I could only relax about my daughter wearing one and stop checking the video monitor in her room a thousand times a night!

nomad · Post by **nomad** » Fri Jun 22, 2007 7:31 am

Here's my solution to the CPAP noise (just so happened our headboard worked perfectly for this). You could do something similar by either buying a night stand that has adequate space, or you could fabricate a box of some sort to keep beside/ under the bed. I've been running it like this for about 3500 hours with no problems at all (and no, it doesn't get too warm in there... notice the five big air holes I cut into it). I think my next step is going to be to go to the automotive store and buy some sound deadening material (a dense foam style mat that's adhesive on one side) and line the inside of my night stand with it.

MLefholtz · Post by **MLefholtz** » Fri Jun 22, 2007 8:25 am

Nice! Very nice!!

Mike

oceanpearl · Post by **oceanpearl** » Fri Jun 22, 2007 10:25 am

Had R/T tell me that CPAP should never be above your head. Is this true and if so, why???

cpap machine noise

cpap machine noise

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