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I live in a very small apartment and finally will have a bureau, but the only place to put it is next to the bed.  It will take the place of the table I keep my Cpap on.  Is it better to have the Cpap above your head or below? 

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I prefer having my machine below my head--I use a humidifier, and if placed below the head, less condensation makes its way to my mask; instead, the condensation just falls down due to gravity. Good luck with your CPAP! Tom

I agree, and have mine set up the same way. Also, good luck to you.

Tom Henderson said:

I prefer having my machine below my head--I use a humidifier, and if placed below the head, less condensation makes its way to my mask; instead, the condensation just falls down due to gravity. Good luck with your CPAP! RipVW

Hi Noreen - I've also had to be creative with the placement of my equipment. I didn't have a nightstand for my side of the bed, so I currently have my machine placed on top of a wire dog crate beside my bed. It puts my machine right at the mattress level on the bed, and since I have a slotted headboard, I've been running my hose behind the headboard, and through one of the upper rungs. That way I'm able to have the hose run over the top of my head, instead of running across my body. I'm still very new with all this, and experimenting with what works best. I think that it would be nice to have it higher than my head so that there would be less drag on the hose, but I haven't figured out how to do it yet! I also have a small space beside the bed, so I've even been thinking about trying to find a tall, skinny little bookcase to put there. Wow! I think I'm getting too old to try and be creative....... it will be good to see what some of the more experienced folks say. Good luck to you.

I agree the machine should be lower than your head if you use a humidifier. However, if you are not careful about the placement of the hose which is too long and and have a loop hanging down, the condensate will collect in the hose and make noise as the air bubbles through the water. Placement of the hose then becomes important as you cannot put the machine so far away that you cannot reach your CPAP to turn it on or off. I haven't tried the obvious which is a shorter hose, of course.

I also like to keep it below my head. I think the humidity arguement is a good one!!

Noreen, I have my CPAP machine above my head without issues. I have a RESMED S9 that has a heated tube to minimize condensation and in four months I haven't noticed any issues. It is irrelavent whether you start above or below if your hose goes up and down on its way to you.

Condensation doesn't always begin at the first part of your hose but if there is any it will roll down hill to a low spot. If you get enough and it fills the hose at that low spot you might get splattered with droplets of water in your mask. I think this is called "rainout". Obviously you want humidity but not rain. If your hose is kept warm you'll probably never notice anything and it doesn't seem that a low or high placement makes any difference.

Any experts out there?

Jere

I used to have it on a night stand next to my bed and it was perfect. When I moved into an apartment with my fiancé we had to put the bed up against the wall becuause of space issues. Of course my fiancé refuses to sleep on the side of the bed against the wall because it would mess up the way we have been sleeping for 5+ years.

Long story short I had him build a small shelf that is mounted to the wall and also 'sits' along the top rung of our headboard. This puts the machine about a foot over my
Head. I have not had any problems with condensation from the humidifier running down the tube ... However I also have a heated tube which significantly helps prevent this problem. Any condensation that does build up which is minimal stays in the part of the tube that loops down along the wall before rising back up to my face. (6foot hose so there is def some extra) So the difference may just be personal preference depending on what Kind of machine you have and if you think you may accidentally pull it down on top of you while you are sleeping. (we put a lip on the shelf so this can not happen.)


The only complaint I do have is with my Resmed Elite.. Having it over my head I do notice a bit more noise (it clicks every 7seconds) but it's something I got used to pretty quickly. :-P

Jere, After I created my post I saw the heated tube online. How long have you had the heated tube? Medicare replaces my tubing every 3 months, and I wonder how they would handle this tubing? The heated tube sounds like a great solution as I am a side sleeper and this would allow me to drape the tube over the post of the headboard.

Gordon

Jere Roche said:

Noreen, I have my CPAP machine above my head without issues. I have a RESMED S9 that has a heated tube to minimize condensation and in four months I haven't noticed any issues. It is irrelavent whether you start above or below if your hose goes up and down on its way to you.

Condensation doesn't always begin at the first part of your hose but if there is any it will roll down hill to a low spot. If you get enough and it fills the hose at that low spot you might get splattered with droplets of water in your mask. I think this is called "rainout". Obviously you want humidity but not rain. If your hose is kept warm you'll probably never notice anything and it doesn't seem that a low or high placement makes any difference.

Any experts out there?

Jere

I love my heated tube! I completely agree with you. I never have much condensation but any that I do get sits below the level of my bed with the extra hose. I also find it helpfull with the S9 if you give the machine and tube some time to 'warm up' before I start using it. This is a setting I only recently noticed that I have :)

Jere Roche said:

I have a RESMED S9 that has a heated tube to minimize condensation and in four months I haven't noticed any issues. It is irrelavent whether you start above or below if your hose goes up and down on its way to you.

I will have to check on the heated tube.  I am supposed to use a humidifier, but it leaks and I end up with puddles on the floor every single morning.  I don't fill it to the fill line and even just put in a tiny bit of water and still puddles.  It sounds like a good option to try.

I wonder if a CPAP hose holder would be helpful. I googled "CPAP hose holder": Here's just one of the items that came up:

http://www.improvementscatalog.com/imp/12227?cm_mmc=GooglePLA-_-Hea...

Puddles on the floor!? That sounds like more than condensation from the humidfier. I cant imagine how the water would be getting out of the tube. There may be something wrong with you machine... or maybe make sure the door to the humidifier compartment is completely closed? If not I know it can blow water and air out that way.

Noreen LaVallo said:

  I am supposed to use a humidifier, but it leaks and I end up with puddles on the floor every single morning.  I don't fill it to the fill line and even just put in a tiny bit of water and still puddles.  It sounds like a good option to try.

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