Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Duane McDade on April 1, 2009 at 6:48am

Watch the temp. of your humidifier, if ti's too high it will cause over-condensation. You also might have it filled too high (the water level). Never fill it to the line, I know thats where you were told to fill it to, but it's been my experiance that if you keep it well below that line that you will not have water in your line. One more thing try to keep your hose above the water level (gravity).That should do it. I think?

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Permalink Reply by sleepycarol on April 1, 2009 at 9:32pm

Turn the humidifier down some. A hose cover works great. You can either buy one from our host apnealife.com or make one yourself. In a pinch tube socks will work with the toes cut out and rubber band them on.

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Permalink Reply by Judy on April 1, 2009 at 10:25pm

Just some suggestions to try:
Situate your CPAP below the level of your mattress.
Hang your hose above your head on the headboard of your bed or a hook on the wall.
Take your hose under the covers w/you.
Turn your humidifier a little lower. You will in all likelihood have to adjust it from time to time when your house air is dryer as when the furnace is running in the winter or when it is really humid in the summer, etc.
Make or buy a hose cover.

Buy some Ayr Saline Nasal Gel for that sore in yur nose or just outside your nose above your lip. Just NEVER use a petroleum based product in or close to your nose.

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Permalink Reply by Mitch Haman on April 2, 2009 at 5:54am

Duane McDade said:

Watch the temp. of your humidifier, if ti's too high it will cause over-condensation. You also might have it filled too high (the water level). Never fill it to the line, I know thats where you were told to fill it to, but it's been my experiance that if you keep it well below that line that you will not have water in your line. One more thing try to keep your hose above the water level (gravity).That should do it. I think?

Thanks for the reply. How do I control the temperature? I was never told this. I also don't fill it up all the way ( I learned the hard way) with a mess of water all over the place one morning. I awoke again with condensation. The more and more I use this with out any resolve of being tired at work, the more and more I think this is a scam. Don't get me wrong, I can sleep fine with the cpap, but as far as being tired all the time, it has not done a thing to solve that. I've been on it for two months. This Sleepguide forum for example, I was twttered about this site. I guess my posts about being on cpap were being searched. The more people signing up here the more money they make.( Just rantting because Im tired of being exhausted) I guess I'll call where I got my cpap and ask them why I get a flood in my nose for the last two night.

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Permalink Reply by Mitch Haman on April 2, 2009 at 5:57am

sleepycarol said:

Turn the humidifier down some. A hose cover works great. You can either buy one from our host apnealife.com or make one yourself. In a pinch tube socks will work with the toes cut out and rubber band them on.

Why was I never told about any of this, I don't know.

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Permalink Reply by Mitch Haman on April 2, 2009 at 6:04am

Thanks all for your reply's. It's appreciated. I will call the vendor where I got the cpap machine. I just want to know why I was not told anything about condensation. I was not told anything about adjusting the temperature . Off to work now..I have to take my provigile pills with me so when I start to fall a sleep at work, like I do every day,( even though I've been on cpap for two months with not one bit of improvement, the pills will help.

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Permalink Reply by Duane McDade on April 2, 2009 at 6:05am

in most cases there will be a dial of some kind, if not just don't fill it as high as the line maybe 1/2 inch lower. The hose must be placed higher than the water too....well if it's filling up with water. If your nasal mask is not a swift L.T. perhaps you should make a change. The swift L.T. does not have to be on tight to seal well. (RES MED.) sleep well my friend!

Mitch Haman said:

Duane McDade said:

Watch the temp. of your humidifier, if ti's too high it will cause over-condensation. You also might have it filled too high (the water level). Never fill it to the line, I know thats where you were told to fill it to, but it's been my experiance that if you keep it well below that line that you will not have water in your line. One more thing try to keep your hose above the water level (gravity).That should do it. I think?

Thanks for the reply. How do I control the temperature? I was never told this. I also don't fill it up all the way ( I learned the hard way) with a mess of water all over the place one morning. I awoke again with condensation. The more and more I use this with out any resolve of being tired at work, the more and more I think this is a scam. Don't get me wrong, I can sleep fine with the cpap, but as far as being tired all the time, it has not done a thing to solve that. I've been on it for two months. This Sleepguide forum for example, I was twttered about this site. I guess my posts about being on cpap were being searched. The more people signing up here the more money they make.( Just rantting because Im tired of being exhausted) I guess I'll call where I got my cpap and ask them why I get a flood in my nose for the last two night.

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Permalink Reply by Monica on April 2, 2009 at 1:12pm

My husband made a sock for my tubing, but I still seem to be getting a lot of condensation some nights. We keep the bedroom fairly cool for sleeping, but I like the humidity a little higher on the machine for comfort (usually 3, sometimes 4). Would using a thicker sock (he made it out of fleece) help? There have been mornings that I have had water dripping on my face inside the mask. Any ideas?
The air in our house is usually pretty dry (I slept with a humidifier off and on quite a bit before the CPAP, especially during the winter - heater air is dry). The air from the machine sometimes seems pretty cool, even with the humidifier turned up. I only fill the water container about half full for my machine. Right now, my machine is about even with or maybe a little higher than my head. My tubing comes down from the machine, hangs off the dresser, then goes back up to my mask. I guess I could try moving the machine down lower than the bed, but will the water flow back up into the machine itself?
I don't want to risk ruining it. Suggestions?

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Permalink Reply by sleepycarol on April 3, 2009 at 6:50pm

You water will not actually feel warm. The heating plate will just warm the water enough so that more is picked up by the air passing over it. The cooler the room the more trouble you will have with the rainout. The condensation is referred to as rainout.

There should be a knob on the top of the machine's humidifier that should control it. If you can tell which machine you have -- the whole name -- someone can probably tell you where the knob is located. On the M series by Respronics it is located on the top near the door is that you open to fill it. It will have numbers on it indicating what temp you have it set to. Often, you can turn the humidifier down without major consequences. I don't need anything by passover in the winter (where the heat is not turned on) and in the summer I remove the humidifier and find I don't need it.

Try another fleece cover for those still bothered with rainout. If you still are experiencing it might help to route your hose up. I have my machine setting on my bookcase headboard. I route the hose up approximately 2 or 3 feet using a cup hook and a hair scrunchy. My hose routes up over my head and so keeps the hose from becoming tangled when I toss and turn.

You can also purchase an Aussie heated hose. The hoses are expensive but there are many users that won't go through the winter without one. I don't have one and so don't have any direct experience with it. If you google heated cpap hose you should be able to find it.

You can also route your hose under the covers if your hose is routed downward. I have even heard of users laying their hose on a heating pad turned to low. I am unsure how safe this is and please do it at your own risk.

When you move your machine, make sure the humidifier is empty -- take the tank out or off. If water gets into your machine the likely hood is that your machine will stop working.

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Permalink Reply by Mitch Haman on April 4, 2009 at 11:53pm

Here is what I did. I lowered the setting on the humidifier from 2 to 1 and took the cpap machine off of the night table and put it on a stool. It is now about 10 to 12 inches lower then the bed . No condensation now..
Thank you all for all your suggestions. Actually this is what the vendor told me to do. If I only still didn't get tired during the day, everything would be OK. I told my Sleep Dr that I'm sleeping fine with the cpap, but I'm still tired as anything during the day. He told me to take a Provigil when I leave for work at 6am and take another pill at 1pm. I'll see my Sleep Dr in May, and we'll see how my progress is then... Maybe I'll feel better then. I just thought after being on cpap for two plus months, I'd feel a difference, but I don't at this time.

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Permalink Reply by Judy on April 5, 2009 at 1:14pm

I'm an impatient patient. I wouldn't wait that long if I were sleeping thru the night w/my CPAP and still not feeling rested!!!

First off, the Respironics M Series Pro w/C-Flex is a fully data capable CPAP. I would take the data card in to my local DME supplier and ask them to download the COMPLETE data for you and give you a copy of the printout.

Then I would request IN WRITING a copy of the doctor's dictated results (1-2 pages) AND the full scored data summary report w/condensed graphs (5+ pages) from both your in-lab sleep evaluation study AND your in-lab CPAP titration study as well as a copy of your equipment order (script). They are part of your medical records and as such you have legal right to copies under HIPAA if you are in the USA.

What you will want to look at is what your average AHI, and especially, AI, is and your average Leak rate in the data download printout.

What you will want to look for in your sleep evaluation report is if other sleep disorders than "just" OSA occur during your sleep. There are other things but until you have the report in your hands to share w/us that will do.

What you will want to look for in your CPAP titration report is the pressure needed to reduce your AHI to less than 5.0. Again, there's more involved but this will get us started on helping you out w/some advice.

Is there any mention in any of the 4 reports of possible narcolepsy and a MSLT (multiple sleep latency test) being suggested? Is there any mention of PLMD (period limb movement disorder) or RLS (restless leg syndrome)?


Do you still have the literature that came w/both your nasal pillows and your nasal cushion masks? Do you know what your CPAP pressure setting is?

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Permalink Reply by Mitch Haman on April 5, 2009 at 8:11pm

Judy said:

I'm an impatient patient. I wouldn't wait that long if I were sleeping thru the night w/my CPAP and still not feeling rested!!!

First off, the Respironics M Series Pro w/C-Flex is a fully data capable CPAP. I would take the data card in to my local DME supplier and ask them to download the COMPLETE data for you and give you a copy of the printout.

Then I would request IN WRITING a copy of the doctor's dictated results (1-2 pages) AND the full scored data summary report w/condensed graphs (5+ pages) from both your in-lab sleep evaluation study AND your in-lab CPAP titration study as well as a copy of your equipment order (script). They are part of your medical records and as such you have legal right to copies under HIPAA if you are in the USA.

What you will want to look at is what your average AHI, and especially, AI, is and your average Leak rate in the data download printout.

What you will want to look for in your sleep evaluation report is if other sleep disorders than "just" OSA occur during your sleep. There are other things but until you have the report in your hands to share w/us that will do.

What you will want to look for in your CPAP titration report is the pressure needed to reduce your AHI to less than 5.0. Again, there's more involved but this will get us started on helping you out w/some advice.

Is there any mention in any of the 4 reports of possible narcolepsy and a MSLT (multiple sleep latency test) being suggested? Is there any mention of PLMD (period limb movement disorder) or RLS (restless leg syndrome)?


Do you still have the literature that came w/both your nasal pillows and your nasal cushion masks? Do you know what your CPAP pressure setting is?

Thanks for the reply Judy. It's appreciated.
I think my cpap pressure is at 11. I must admit that I have not studied how all this works like I should..
I did ask my family doctor about me having narcolepsy and he said that I would not be able to control the urge to fall a sleep ( I'm just about to that point now ) if I had it.
I do go back to the sleep doctor on May 11th and he is aware that I'm still tired all the time. I also had a glucose tolerance test on April 4th, but to early for the results on that.
Thanks again for all reply's from the very tired Mitch.

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