Can Heat/Humidity Be Too High?

Is it possible to set the heat/humidity so high on a heated hose/heated humidifier machine that it can actually increase your AHI?

If it cause inflammation it is possible.
Everybody is different - some need it high and others need it low and it also depends on the season, temperatures, room humidity and the colour of the sheets.

Unlikely at least directly.

If too much causes congestion the nose may stop up and maybe..big maybe...fool the machine into thinking nasal congestion is airway congestion and get you some flags.
Remember where the airway collapses for it to be sleep apnea...it isn't in the nose.

Or maybe too much causes discomfort and restlessness and a person has a lot of wake/semi awake/tossing and turning time on the machine and stuff gets flagged by mistake. So maybe indirectly elevating the AHI but awake events don't count anyway.

Will extra moisture actually cause the airway tissues down by the tongue and below to actually collapse more...I have never heard of it or any situation where it happened. I have never heard of moisture causing the airway tissues to get more floppy/saggy.
Sleeping position ..yes
REM sleep ...yes
Extra moisture...never heard of it and I can't think of any situation where moisture makes the airway tissue collapse more.

Sigh. I guess I'm just grasping at straws to try and get my numbers back to where they were before.

I guess I just have to accept that my numbers will probably not be as good as they were, possibly ever again, now that I have partial paralysis of my laryngeal and pharyngeal muscles...

Refresh my memory...what were they before and what are they now and which category is worse.
I can't remember and too lazy to go looking through your past threads.

Paralel wrote:Is it possible to set the heat/humidity so high on a heated hose/heated humidifier machine that it can actually increase your AHI?

I can remember posts from years past where users remarked that their AHI decreased when they reduced their humidifier settings. They felt that the heated humidity caused more nasal congestion......and if you can't breathe through your nose, you have to try to breathe through your mouth......and then your tongue can fall back in your throat and result in apneas.

In my own case, I tried heated humidity only about once or twice when I started therapy.......before I disconnected the cord from the heated humidifier plate to my machine......I didn't want to accidentally turn it on. I like breathing the cool air.


Den

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I think this is one of the many things that are just trial and error.

Can heat/humidity be too high?

Yes.

If I use heated humidity, my AHI goes up, and varies directly with the amount of heat. (Meaning the effect is related to the temp and moisture.)

I have done the experiment many, many times (sometimes inadvertently) , and it's typically the same result.

Some folks have the opposite experience; and, that's fine.

What do I do for minimum AHI and max apap benefit? Either no humidification, or humidification in passover (no heat) mode.

What might account for the differences?

I'm not sure. But just like Wulfman Den mentioned, the direct correlation between AHI and heated humidification does exist in some apnea patients, and has been mentioned hereabouts several times. (Occasionally by me.)

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I guess its worth playing with the settings a little more then and see how it goes.

Agreed to mess with the settings, but to try to do it in a controlled manner and give yourself some time (maybe 2-3 nights) at each setting, so you don't make a decision based on a fluke night. Just in case you didn't know, there is also a Classic mode where heat & humidity can be adjusted independently (the default is to adjust temperature only). It runs more humid in Classic mode, which for some folks causes rain out or even for the tank to run dry during the night (I've had neither problem, but I have a Resmed not a PR machine so its not really applicable).

As for me, the heat & humidity is never too high. I actually wish the settings went higher! If I don't max out the temperature I feel the airflow much more and it feels cold against my upper lip. If I don't max out the humidity my dry mouth upon waking is even worse. I find high heat & humidity help with congestion, although I suspect I mouth breath 90%+ of the time once asleep. I never seem to get enough air when breathing nasally while lying down. Best wishes.

tortoisegirl wrote:Just in case you didn't know, there is also a Classic mode where heat & humidity can be adjusted independently (the default is to adjust temperature only). It runs more humid in Classic mode,

Actually Classic mode in Respironics machines doesn't offer any temperature settings at all. It's strictly heat to the water chamber only...higher setting is higher heat to the water chamber and doesn't utilize any humidity sensors and more heat means more moisture output.
It's simply the way we used to do humidity for years before all the sensors and heated hoses.
It does put out more humidity though and chance of rain out is indeed greatly increased because the hose doesn't warm the air.

Paralel wrote:Is it possible to set the heat/humidity so high on a heated hose/heated humidifier machine that it can actually increase your AHI?

I'll say what others said. Set it what's best for YOU

Get a heated hose if u lack one. Without one air temp is not regulated and then condensation happens and you can breathe in large amounts of water.

The resmed s9 series with climate max hose has auto and manual

In auto, you set the air temp, and it sets a preset relative humidity to that temp. That doesn't work for me

I need humidity on 6.0 and air temp 80-86. With a humidity setting of 6 , any temp under 80 will cause rain out (condensation).

My ins won't pay for the heated tube , but if u care for it, clean it regularly, it lasts 6-9months

Pugsy wrote:

tortoisegirl wrote:Just in case you didn't know, there is also a Classic mode where heat & humidity can be adjusted independently (the default is to adjust temperature only). It runs more humid in Classic mode,

Actually Classic mode in Respironics machines doesn't offer any temperature settings at all. It's strictly heat to the water chamber only...higher setting is higher heat to the water chamber and doesn't utilize any humidity sensors and more heat means more moisture output.
It's simply the way we used to do humidity for years before all the sensors and heated hoses.
It does put out more humidity though and chance of rain out is indeed greatly increased because the hose doesn't warm the air.