In this article I will be describing the importance of CPAP humidifier maintenance and ways to maintain it.
All machines require regular maintenance in order to function at their best. It is the same with your CPAP humidifier. If maintained regularly, your CPAP humidifier will function with high efficiency and efficacy for a long period of time without need of repair or change.
Importance of CPAP Humidifier Maintenance
The main function of a CPAP humidifier is to add moisture into the pressurized air before it reaches your nose. This added moisture will make it easier for you to breathe i.e. increase your comfort with CPAP treatment and thus allow you to stick onto the treatment, thereby preventing sleep apnea. Regular CPAP humidifier maintenance will keep your CPAP humidifier at its best condition and allow it to function properly, thus ensuring your comfort with the treatment.
Ways to Maintain your CPAP Humidifier
- Dust: Keep the area around your CPAP machine and the humidifier itself free from dust. So clean the area with a cloth or a vacuum cleaner. The reason is, any dust present in the area may enter the pressurized air stream (since the cpap machine takes the air from its surroundings), enter your respiratory tract and irritate it.
- Air Intake: Another important point is to allow free flow of air into the machine and through the machine. Thus ensure the placement of the humidifier and hose is in the same level, this will allow for smooth flow of air. Also make sure that the air intake point is not blocked. If the air flow is not smooth, the flow of air and thus the efficacy of treatment will be hindered.
- Movement: Do not move both your CPAP machine and your CPAP humidifier together, always separate the machines and move them separately. The reason is while moving the humidifier; it is very easy to spill water into the CPAP machine. Water is harmful to any electronic device so always separate before moving.
- Water: Every morning after waking up, empty the water from inside humidifier. This will prevent any unwanted bacterial growth and also prevent accidents where pets or small children may spill the water by mistake onto your CPAP machine.
- Type of Water: It is advisable to use distilled water in the humidifier. Distilled water does not contain any salts. Thus you will not notice any white coloured mineral or salt deposits on your humidifier after the water gets used up.
- Cleaning the humidifier: If you cannot get your hands on distilled water, then the only option you will have is to clean out your humidifier every morning thoroughly and dry it. Do not let the water stand in the humidifier.
By following the above few steps, CPAP humidifier maintenance will be very easy and simple, you will be able to increase the life and maintain the efficacy of the humidifier.
