Warm air is uncomfortable...

[67tony]

If a guy felt that the humidified air, because it is heated, felt too warm to him...is there anything that might remedy this?

Would a longer hose allow the air to cool, or would that extra travel negate the humidity level?

[LSAT]

The 'guy' should try ice cubes in the humidifier.

[amos]

If you do not like warm, humidified air, then turn it off.

amos

[67tony]

If you do not like warm, humidified air, then turn it off.

With no humidification, his airway apparently gets totally dried out.

[cflame1]

so use water in the humidifier but don't turn it on... still get humidity that way.

If not enough then use a cool mist humidifier in the room

[amos]

cflame1's answer is more specific than mine. Yes, you can turn the heat off and still use the humidifier.

amos

[billbolton]

humidified air, because it is heated, felt too warm to him

Humidified air is not "heated" per se, unless you are running a heated humidifier at a very high setting, so there is clearly a lot info missing here that your haven't explainied

Cheers,

Bill

[chunkyfrog]

Unless OP's tubing is heated, any sensation of warmth may possibly be due to other causes.
Flushing may be due to any number of physical disorders, many unrelated to apnea.
Many people get flushed when they are under emotional stress.
Anger, fear, and claustrophobia are only a few of the possibilities.

[67tony]

humidified air, because it is heated, felt too warm to him

Humidified air is not "heated" per se, unless you are running a heated humidifier at a very high setting, so there is clearly a lot info missing here that your haven't explainied

Cheers,

Bill

With all due respect, I have no idea what this post means. What "missing info" have I not explained? About the only thing I can think of is that I haven't listed his machine, but I guess I assumed that most humidifiers operate with the same principle....heat the water to speed condensation, with the higher the heat setting the more amount of water that is condensed/evaporated.

I admit I am a novice, so please correct me if I am wrong, but that is the way I assumed humidifiers function. In the meantime, I will find out what machine and humidifier my friend is using.

[pap4life]

Tony..I think you have a handle on it. If you don;t want "heat" to the water in the humidifier chamber, just turn the knob to "OFF", but keep the water in the chamber. Thats called "passive humidification". The temp of the air that arrives at your nose will be the same as the room ambient temp..

[teasterday]

My machine has settings from 1-5. 1 being the coolest and 5 being the warmest. I found 1 to be just right. I get humidity but the air doesn't feel warm and suffocating. Check the manual and see. It may have similar settings.

[archangle]

If you turn off the heat for a heated humidifier, you will still get some humidity, but a lot less than with the heat on. Ice cubes will simply negate the effect of the humidifier heat and will give you less humidity until they melt.

This is an unheated "passover" humidifier. It should produce more humidty than an unpowered heated humidifier because it's designed with more surface area and baffles to make the air contact the water more.

Even if the air coming out of the heated humidifier isn't technically warmer than the incoming air, it may feel warmer due to there being more humidity. Dryer air will feel cooler as it evaporates water from your skin and mucous members. That's why a hot, humid, day feels warmer than a hot dry day at the same humidity. An unheated humidifier should cool the air as the water evaporates, so it will be cooler than heated humidifier air.

[GumbyCT]

When I first started cpap I couldn't stand what felt like cold air blowing on my nose ALL nite. I was using a FFM then. I would turn the heat on the humidifier up to compensate and while that does not (technically) warm the air some heat is transferred, no doubt, as it does indeed feel warmer.

Later I felt as tho any heat at all would heat my body up, from the inside out. I think we tend to blow off some body heat with each breath. IF you are still waking during the middle of the nite sweating, this may be why.

What I use now is a passover system with NO heat.

I use the internal humidifier (set to 0) with a hose connected to an HC-150 (set to 0). This just gives the passing air more surface area to pick up extra moisture w/o adding more heat. You do need more room this way. Mine is set up on the floor to keep things from falling.

Be sure not to use with a hose longer than 6ft as that will in fact reduce the ability of many machines to sense events and also reduces the effective pressure at the business end.

It does, however, work for me.

HTH

[NachtWürger]

If a guy felt that the humidified air, because it is heated, felt too warm to him...is there anything that might remedy this?

Would a longer hose allow the air to cool, or would that extra travel negate the humidity level?

Does he live in Michigan?

My guess is that he has it too hot in his room or is using too many covers on the bed. Most people sleep better if the room is cool. Then the heated, humidified air feels good.

He can try turning the humidifier setting down one notch each night (this reduces the temperature of the heating plate) and see if he can get to a level where the air is comfortable and his airway does not dry out.

On the other hand, I am always suspicious when people say CPAP is drying out their nose. Sans humidifier you are just breathing the same room air that you breathe all day - is his nose dry during the day?

The air has been compressed slightly but surely not enough to cause drying. My suspicions are about mouth breathing while using a nasal mask. This will cause a high flow through the nose than can cause drying. It can also make the therapy ineffective. If this is happening it must be addressed.

Would a longer hose allow the air to cool, or would that extra travel negate the humidity level?

Well if it did allow the air to cool, the humidity would condense in the hose (rainout). Dumb idea. Just turn the humidifier setting down.

That is quite a battle for first place in the central division.

[SleepingBearDoNtWake]

When you say you don't like the humid air, could you specify what mask you are using?
I used a full face mask and a nasal mask and I didn't like the humidy on my skin, it felt gross! So I just used it as a passover humidifier.
When I got nasal pillows I didn't have the humidy on my skin, but just in my nose, and I started at a very low level, and increased it over time. Now I set my dial half way.
If you don't use the humidifier what gets dry? Your nose, throat, mouth?
Nose you might be able to use some saline spray or some other products that I am sure other people could inform you on.
I don't know anything for your thoat. Except keep a glass of water by your bed, but this too is a hassle, so not really a helpful solution in my eyes.
For a dry mouth, you may be opening your mouth if you have a nasal mask or nasal pillows. You may want to try a full face mask, taping your mouth, or a chin strap.
I also use biotien toothpaste and mouth wash. It's no miracle, but it helps with my dry mouth from meds. There are other brands too, I think they are all very much alike, I have seen therabreath, and ACT mouthwash that is suppose to be made for dry mouth.
I wish I could offer more assistance, but this is all I can come up with at the moment