essential oils

kavanaugh1950 · Post by **kavanaugh1950** » Sun Feb 18, 2007 10:48 am

I recently started using a product from pur-sleep.com, It is a diffuser with essential oils that you put on the cpap machine , I LOVE IT!!! I awaken to a pleasant scent, its not overpowering and I feel so much more relaxed when using it. I don't awaken panicked,trying to pull off my mask, smelling the vinegar solution that lingers after I clean my equipment or smelling unpleasant odors like doggy flatus which becomes intensified after being blown through the machine. I know many people say don't use scents in the cpap. I feel this is perfectly safe as you only add a drop or 2 of the oils to cotton and the scent wafts through the hose. We are scent oriented creatures, especially females. I like nothing better than the scent of mens colognes, its comforting and thats how I feel about this product. I think it would really help many new c-pappers who are having trouble adjusting to the cpap.this is just my personal opinion. maybe they can come up with a motor oil scent for the macho guys. ha!ha! pat.

bookwrm63 · Post by **bookwrm63** » Sun Feb 18, 2007 11:01 am

Hey Pat,

I also just started using the aromatherapy diffuser as well about 3 weeks ago. I also got my mother started on it. For her, it was great because she just could not relax and breathe normally and ended up taking her mask off after an hour or two. Now, she has kept it on between 4-7 hours a night. For me, I was just curious. I enjoy the fragrance as I drift off to sleep and as I wake up in the a.m. I think Bret (SleepGuy) has done a great job and offers a really nice product. I've seen threads here where it's been discussed about NOT putting anything in the water so that's why I like this diffuser system. I know he has it on eBay now as well as his website http://www.pur-sleep.com. I started with the "starter pack" which has 3 oils, diffuser and cotton pads. If anyone wants to know more, please feel free to PM me (for opinions only)..lol.or better yet, right to SleepGuy since this is his baby!

Mary

Offerocker · Post by **Offerocker** » Sun Feb 18, 2007 11:51 pm

I've also been using, but only last 2 nights due to previous sinus infection.

I'd first like to let everyone know that the container is added after the humidifier.

I have also really enjoyed using this comforting product (can't add many additional superlatives here, except greaaat!). I've noticed that I'm turning off the TV and enjoying the relaxation of drifting into a nice sleep. I think my mask may have even smiled! The container is quality, and ease of use couldn't be any better.

-SWS · Post by **-SWS** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 12:43 am

Note to self: try those oils.

Sleepless_in_LM · Post by **Sleepless_in_LM** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 5:49 pm

I also have been using it for a while. At first I thought the scents were a bit overpowering, but I found I was using too much. Now that I just use one or two drops it really is a pleasant, relaxing smell. The diffuser attaches to the humidifier so it allows for pleasant smells without putting anything in the humidifier. It has a large air passage, so it in no way effects the pressure. It is sealed with an o-ring so it does not leak. It really is a well made product.

I am very prone to waking up a lot during the night. It has nothing to do with CPAP, in fact, it is what got me tested to begin with. I am on medication to help me stay asleep, but I still wake numerous times at night. The good thing is, since starting this pure-sleep product, I know I am still waking up at night, but it seems less often and for much shorter durations. I often have to think in the morning to remember waking up. In addition, I have found myself sleeping much sounder. I had to get up early to check weather conditions the other morning, and for the first time since I started CPAP I slept right through my alarm. My wife had to really work hard to get me to awake.

I have no connection to this product other than being a satisfied user. I really think sleepguy has himself a winning product.

kavanaugh1950 · Post by **kavanaugh1950** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 7:33 pm

I just want to say I was really stuffed up last night so I tried the essential oil called clear. It has apeppermint smell and it really cleared out my nostrils and I slept like a baby.

blarg · Post by **blarg** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 8:32 pm

Just to chime in, something in the oils doesn't agree with me. It's not for everyone, but those that like it seem to be quite happy. Worth a shot for sure.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 8:47 pm

Do a google search

Lavender oil gynecomastia

probably nothing to worry about here, but it does show some potential for problems. tomjax

DreamStalker · Post by **DreamStalker** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 9:24 pm

Bret asked me to trial his product also. Like Blarg, I too found some of the oil blends did not agree with my olfactory receptors. In addition, the two I did find agreeable I found overpowering if used as directed. I suppose my sensitivity to smells is much greater than most (ie. my sinuses close up within 30 ft of a cigarette smoker). It worked much better for me using one drop and then allowing it to air out for a day before actually hooking up to the hose.

I found the diffuser to be very well engineered and inertly safe for use with xPAP machine operation. I think if more scents are made available and also if directions are provided for diluting them down (for those with more sensitive noses) it has a lot of potential.

As for tomjax’s comment … I did Google and the gynecomastia relationship is for topical use of lavender oil plus there are many other more probable causes … this topic is for aromatic use of the oil at much much lower dosage … but none the less, my snoz is not attracted to lavender so it seems.

If you enjoy aromatics in general, the pure-sleep diffuser is IMO something worth trying.

preemiern · Post by **preemiern** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 10:57 pm

I just have to chime in here and say--I'm not sure about the safety of using oils in a cpap circuit...there is the chance of blowing the tiniest bit of oils into your trachea and then into the lungs, leading to a very nasty inflammation of the lung tissue called lipid pneumonia. It takes only a very minute amount of oil in the lungs to cause the inflammation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lipid_pneumonia

http://www.biology-online.org/dictionary/Oil_pneumonia

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/ ... i_14999046

anyway--I just want to caution everybody with the thought that this may not be safe--which is why we also don't put drops of anything in our humidifiers.

Once the oil drys-it may be safe--but I'm not sure, so just want to put a word of caution out there to all of my cpap friends.

Cindy

SleepGuy · Post by **SleepGuy** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 11:22 pm

preemiern wrote:I just have to chime in here and say--I'm not sure about the safety of using oils in a cpap circuit...there is the chance of blowing the tiniest bit of oils into your trachea and then into the lungs, leading to a very nasty inflammation of the lung tissue called lipid pneumonia. It takes only a very minute amount of oil in the lungs to cause the inflammation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lipid_pneumonia

http://www.biology-online.org/dictionary/Oil_pneumonia

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/ ... i_14999046

anyway--I just want to caution everybody with the thought that this may not be safe--which is why we also don't put drops of anything in our humidifiers.

Once the oil drys-it may be safe--but I'm not sure, so just want to put a word of caution out there to all of my cpap friends.

Cindy

Cindy, thanks for your thoughts here but I think your concerns are based on a basic misunderstanding and I certainly don't want anyone to be confused.

If you read anything about lipid pneumonia, it's talking about exposure to fatty oils such as mineral oils, petroleum jelly, and the like.

Essential oils contain no lipids and cannot cause lipid pneumonia.

Essential oils are called oils for lack of a better term. They are not oils in the traditional sense at all. They are nothing more or less than the volatile aromatic essence of plants. Compared to lipids, they are extremely small molecules and are 100% volatile (meaning they evaporate in ambient air over time).

From Wikipedia:

"Essential oil is also known as volatile oil and ethereal oil. It may also be referred to as "oil of" the raw plant material from which it was extracted, such as oil of clove. The term essential is intended to indicate that the oil is the fragrant essence of the plant from which it is extracted and not in the more common grammatical sense of being indispensable. It is not to be confused with essential fatty acids."

Here is a link to the entire Wikipedia discussion of essential oils: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essential_oil

By contrast, from your Wikipedia link: "Lipids are a class of hydrocarbon-containing organic compounds. Lipids are categorized by the fact that they are soluble in nonpolar solvents (such as ether and chloroform) and are relatively insoluble in water. Lipid molecules have these properties because they consist largely of long hydrocarbon tails which are hydrophobic in nature. In living organisms, lipids are used for energy storage, serve as structural components of cell membranes, and are important hormones or contain essential fatty acids. Although the term lipid is often used as a synonym for fat, the latter is in fact a subgroup of lipids called triglycerides."

So I repeat, essential oils contain no lipids and cannot and do not cause or contribute to lipid pneumonia.

Thanks to all for your comments and feedback!

Offerocker · Post by **Offerocker** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 11:38 pm

In addition, it may be worth mentioning that the droplets of oils aren't 'suspended' in anything, but absorbed by a thick filter, and the odor is picked up by the airflow from the humidifier.

I'm not a chemist.
(but it was a lot of fun in high school - and interesting)

Sleepy-eyes · Post by **Sleepy-eyes** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 1:05 pm

I've been on the Pur-sleep system for about 11 days now and, quite frankly, it has really helped. I'm very reactive to the Plastisols in plastic parts and find them very offense, if nothing else. I also hate the smell of evaporating water. So between the hose and water, it was just an additional thing to add to this already unpleasant therapy.

Thanks for Pur-sleep!!!!! It makes all of this a little easier to tolerate!

roster · Post by **roster** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 1:12 pm

Sleepy-eyes wrote:....................... I also hate the smell of evaporating water. ...............................

CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): hose

Hmmmmm.

-SWS · Post by **-SWS** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 1:14 pm

rooster wrote:
Sleepy-eyes wrote:....................... I also hate the smell of evaporating water. ...............................

CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): hose
Hmmmmm.

What? It's the sound of evaporating water that drives me up the wall.

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