Humidity or No Humidity!!

Nov. 17, 2015

Should I use my CPAP’s humidifier or not? What is the purpose of the CPAP humidifier? Can the humidifier help me with my allergies? If these are some of the questions on your mind, this paper has the answers.

The CPAP humidifier is not only used in the cold and dry season but it can also be helpful in regards to allergy symptoms such as dryness caused by congestion and the inflammation of the nasal passages due to hay fever and other environmental allergies.

Your nose is responsible to warm the air so when it reaches your lungs, it is at body temperature; and to secrete fluid to help clear out allergens and other unwanted particles.

Using CPAP without humidification means your nose has to work extra hard to warm all this extra air and also produce even more fluid to maintain its moisture to clear out allergens. Sometimes the nose will keep overproducing fluid up to 3hrs after you stop using CPAP. This is known as nasal reactive syndrome.

Using a CPAP’s humidifier prevents the overworking of your nose and enough fluid remains to fight allergens, which in turn helps lowering congestion and inflammation caused by allergens.

Nasal cavities swell up during an allergic reaction, and if increasing humidity level doesn’t help and you are using a nasal pillow mask, consult with your clinician at CanSleep.  Swollen nasal cavity (cavities) can push out the nasal pillow enough to create leak and discomfort, so using a nasal or a full face mask during allergy season is may be a better option.

It is recommended to use CPAP with a humidifier all year round. However, depending on the humidity level of the place you live, you might be able to bypass humidity. Some people do not get dry nose or runny nose by bypassing humidity. If you are travelling a lot and would like to bypass taking the humidifier part of your CPAP, you should try the CPAP without humidity for a while to see your body’s reaction first.

By Bahareh Ezzati (BSc, CPhT, RRT)