Humidity

I noticed when I sleep in an area that has lower humidity the sleep apnea is not as bad. I've experimented with this when I don't use CPAP. Is this possible. When I sleep in my apartment, I wake up more tired and feel that I'm not as rested even though I think I sleep the same hours. This drives me crazy at times. Also, when I"'m in Arizona or Las Vegas, I sleep better again because I think the humidity is lower. In the area I live the humidity is around 70%, at my friends place which is about 50 miles North of my apartment, it's more in the Valley and the humidity is around 40%. I think the higher humidity contributes to the problem. When I sleep near the ocean, the humidity is higher and I tend to struggle more from it. Has anyone heard of this type of problem?

Posts: 12
Joined: Sun Jul 22, 2007 12:32 pm
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This is an interesing observation in my view. While many (perhaps most) of us use a heated humidifier (which is intended to produce warm, humid air through out CPAP masks!), I finally discovered that the heated, humid air was causing me to have chronic congestion. Now I use passover (no heat/heat setting turned off) humidification with my CPAP, and have no congestion. For some of us, certainly for me, humidity interferes with my CPAP therapy.

When I first picked up my new machine 3 yrs ago, the APRIA customer service rep told us that if we can use the machines without the humidifier, then we'll get better results. Also, poster Wulfman Den herabouts reports better success on unheated humidity, than with the heated kind.

In my own experiments, I've found that I do fine with either no humidity, or un-heated humidity. If I heat, even a small amount, my AHI goes sky-high.

As far as sleeping w/o cpap in various conditions of relative humidity, my pre-pap experience was that altitude and alcohol and allergies were the biggest issues, although your empirical results might be quite correct for you.

As far as not using cpap, that's an area of experimentation that I decline to enter. I have a 100% compliance record that I credit for better everything (mental focus, memory, speaking ability, physical agility, pleasant dreams, mood, and so on...the list is impressively long). I choose not to undo any of this with so much as one night w the apnea demons, ever again. Why would anyone voluntarily subject themselves to sequential strangulation if they don't have to?

Good luck - - Capt M


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I would say that I have not used the humidifier for probably 95% of the time. My first humidifier was a passover type. I am not sure heated humidifiers were even available then. I used it rarely. Then I got a heated humidifier with my next machine. Since my DME didn't show me how to adjust the heat, I thought it was either on or off. I didn't use it much. Mostly, it was used if I had a cold or thought I might experiment to soothe the nose.

Since receiving my new machine, I have been using the humidity every night. I started with the setting on low and have only moved it up one notch. I do find it soothing, and not negatively affecting my therapy. Mind you, I do live in AZ with low overall humidity.

Anyway, those are my anecdotal observations.

Humidity is for comfort - if it reduces the effectiveness of the therapy, discontinue the humidity, not the therapy.