CPAP and general travel destinations

By: Bearcat42

  One of the pitfalls to good CPAP therapy is the need to travel. This topic can cover many different areas such as RV, train, motels, etc... There many forms of travel but in this article I would like to concentrate on the destination and how it effects your therapy.
  I believe most of us would agree that an RV, train, or even a cruise liner are indeed destinations and must be considered when traveling but I want to discuss any environment that takes you and your equipment from where you, and it, are accustomed to being.
  In my job I have to travel between 3 different states, those being Oklahoma, Texas, and Louisiana. But we have also worked in Pennsylvania and Mississippi and we have to drive to all of these so you can see how many different locations, or destinations that I deal with just to do my job. Sometimes I am gone for a month or more and other times it may be a week or two so this means packing everything up and moving to another place that my machine is not used to being in. So therefore my machine is forced into many different environments and these environments do have an effect not only on your CPAP therapy but your equipment as well.
  These effects are created for the most part by just being in a different atmosphere such as a motel room where the air quality and even the humidity are going to be different than where you are accustomed to living and sleeping. Somethng as simple as the air inside of a motel room can play a part in how well your therapy goes while you are traveling and this can be caused in part by the level of cleanliness in the room by the motel cleaning staff to include what chemicals and other cleaning agents are used. Sleeping in an older room can also have adverse effect on your sleep and equipment just because of the fact that an older, shut up room can have musty odors which will linger in your equipment until cleaned. 
  Okay, now I am going to make a comment here and I want to be clear that I mean no prejudice or judgement in any way toward anyone. Some of the worst air quality that I have experienced in a motel room while using my CPAP equipment has come from those who are from India and Pakistan. The operators of these motels tend to have their whole family living in the motel and they always cook their meals the same way they they were accustomed to in their homelands. Also there are different levels of hygiene and all of these seemingly innocent smells will collect inside of the filter of your machine as well as the humidifier tank and mask. The only way to rid your equipment of unwanted odors from any situation is to thoroughly clean everything including using a vinegar/water mix. 
  Water also plays a part in your therapy when in a different environment. Being in a different city means using a completely different water supply which opens up a whole new discussion of water quality. Just how old are those pipes anyway? The easiest solution is to always use distilled water, no matter if you ar at home or if you travel. And for those who are proactive in their therapy and keep track of their data it is always important to keep as much of their therapy the same each night. If distilled water is used every night regardless of where you are then you know that any changes in your data were not caused by something you did not change.
  I cannot stress enough how important it is for a non-smoker usig CPAP to never, unless it cannot be helped, sleep in a smoking room, anywhere. I would encourage those of you who do smoke to not use your CPAP in a smoking environment. The nicotine in a smoking room will get into your equipment worse than anything and it is very noticeable and overpowering. Personally I have had to do this twice and it makes falling and staying asleep very hard. Stay away from a smoking room unless you are desprate, then wash everything, really well.
  It is so much easier to control your atmosphere in an environment that you are familiar with but when it comes time to get out of that comfort zone you have less and less control. So what can you do? Well, you do have the right to ask to see your motel room before you commit to paying for it. If the employee at the desk refuses your request then you also have the right to stay somewhere else. A polite explanation as to why you would like to see the room beforehand may go a long way in convincing them to see your point of view.
  Are you planning a trip to a relatives or to a friends for a holiday or just a visit? Are you staying with them? If so then it becomes important to you if they smoke or if they have pets inside their home, especially if you have allergies to pet dander. These things can wreak havoc with your sleep and effect your equipment as well.
  When camping you may sleep in either a tent or an RV but the fact still remains that you are in a different environment than what you are used to. If tent camping you might be without electricity and therefore on a battery back-up to run your CPAP machine. In this case you probably wouldnt use the humidifier to save your battery so water isnt an issue there but the surrounding atmosphere might be, from surrounding smells such as trees, foliage, or even a campfire. If you are in an RV then you have more control of your surroundings. 
  CPAP therapy is for the most part an individualistic undertaking and it is up to the individual to make those decisions that will have a positive or negative effect on his or her therapy. This article is for informational purposes but it is up to you, the user, to decide what is best for you.
  Some of this information can also be found in an earlier article entitled, Truckers and CPAP but this aricle is meant to cover destinations in general. There are many destinations to be considered when traveling, not just motels. It is my hope that those who have travelled overseas or on cruise ships will add to this article and present those challenges.