Side Effects of CPAP Use and What You Can Do

Ah, so many people have a love/hate relationship with their CPAP machine. They love that it decreases their sleep apnea symptoms and helps out their sleep apnea-associated health problems, but they hate the idea of being tethered to a machine all night, every night for the rest of their lives. They also hate some of the not so pleasant side effects that can come from CPAP use.

For every new (or seasoned) CPAP user, there is an adjustment period that accompanies almost every CPAP treatment program. Many patients feel frustration when they try to do all the right things and still cannot seem to make CPAP work for them. When you find out you have Obstructive Sleep Apnea, the choices are very limited - you can either live with the debilitating and dangerous condition or you jump in with both feet and try to find a way for you and your CPAP to get along.

Education is key with this process. Researching CPAP side effects and how to help them is a major component of taking control of your therapy and making it work for you. Visiting forums, reading blogs, looking up manufacturer tips, and seeking help from qualified sleep experts and respiratory therapists are all things you can do to find answers to your CPAP questions. Below is a list of common CPAP complaints and some tips to help you find a way around them:

1) "I'm too claustrophobic to wear my mask!" - This is a valid concern of many new users. The idea of strapping a mask to your face for night is not a relaxing concept.

Things to remember - CPAP masks have improved significantly in fit and design in the last 5 or so years. No longer bulky and heavy masks that weigh down your face or fall out of adjustment with every turn. Instead, newer masks are designed with light weight silicone plastics and adjust to the face naturally and without much additional weight. Swivel valves allow tubing to move as you move and comfort fit headgear reduces or eliminates pressure point pain. Also, check out Nasal Pillows CPAP Masks - these tiny guys incorporate some sort of nasal pillow that sits under or around the nose, touching your face much less than other masks.

2) "I have cotton mouth in the morning!" - Another very true and valid side effect of CPAP use. During normal respiration, your airway is fully capable of humidifying the air you breathe (as long as you are properly hydrated). When using CPAP, a much larger volume of air is being sent down your airway and your body's natural humidification response can't keep up.

Things to remember - When you choose your CPAP machine, you will be given the option of getting a humidifier that works with your CPAP to increase the humidity of the air being sent from your machine. Get a CPAP humidifier! It's an important part of therapy and can keep you from experiencing this unpleasant side effect at all. Generally, the humidifier fits together with your CPAP and doesn't add much bulk. Also, chronic dry mouth in the morning, even while using a humidifier, can signal a problem with your CPAP mask. If you are using a nasal only mask, you should check and see if you are mouth-breathing at night, effectively bypassing your CPAP treatment and causing major dry mouth. People who experience mouth-breathing regularly should consider a full face mask.

3) "There's so much pressure coming into my throat, I feel like I can't exhale!" - CPAP is in some ways very unnatural to our bodies, even though we need it to live. Especially in the beginning of therapy, many people feel like they can't breathe out against the pressure of the airflow. When you inhale the pressure is working with your body, but when you exhale it's working against it.

Things to remember - This complaint can resolve itself in time. For mild cases, this problem usually dissolves as you and your body get used to therapy. For more severe cases or cases that don't resolve with time, there are options on CPAP machines to make therapy more comfortable. C-FLEX, a popular component of Respironics machines, actually slightly lowers pressure when you exhale and rises back to pressure when you inhale, giving your body a break when you are inhaling.

4) "My CPAP mask gives me acne/sores/red spots etc" - This is an unsightly and embarrassing side effect to CPAP use. Many people complain of sores or contact acne from the areas that their masks touch their faces.

Things to remember - Two things are key here - 1) a good mask fit that is not pulled too tightly and provides some sort of cushion and 2) mask cleanliness. Proper mask fit is the single most important component of CPAP therapy over which you have control. If the mask you got with your CPAP doesn't work for you, try another one! No one mask works perfectly for everyone. And fitting your mask choice is sometimes a counterintuitive process, as many people assume they need to tighten the mask very tightly to keep it from slipping off during the night. This is not true and will cause pain and problems! Most masks are designed to inflate or mold to your face and do not need to be tightened down to the point that it causes sores or pressure point pain.

5) "I have horrible gas in the morning!" - This complaint is not a fun one. And unfortunately it affects most users at one time or another. Aerophagia is defined as the condition in which a person swallows too much air into the stomach. Aerophagia can cause bloating and discomfort, and can result in excessive burping, and can be side effect of the excess air you are taking in every night when using your machine. There is much debate on the best way to treat aerophagia and many people have different tricks they use.

Things to remember - Luckily this side effect also sometimes gets better with time and adjustment to your CPAP. If your gas problem is not improving try changing positions of your head at night so it's not tilted forward at all. Some CPAP or contoured pillows will help with this. You can also avoid foods or beverages a few hours before bedtime. If it continues or gets worse, talk to your doctor or sleep professional about trying a machine with exhalation relief, or in severe cases, a Bi-level machine.

For more information on CPAP side effects, visit here – http://www.sleepapnea.org/resources/pubs/wrong.html

As CPAP therapy has become more and more common, we've seen the industry explode with products designed to increase your comfort while your sleep with your CPAP machine. While navigating all the new product options can sometimes before confusing for users who've had CPAP machines for years, we feel that these new options are a good thing for all users. Now, instead of just handing you a bulky mask and noisy machine and telling you to "get used to it", CPAP providers are hoping to offer solutions, smaller masks, and more efficient machines to make CPAP therapy a much more bearable experience.

One of the first comfort accessories available, the CPAP pillow was debuted on the market over four years ago. Designed to answer the complaints of side-sleeping CPAP users who couldn't make their traditional pillow fit correctly around their mask, CPAP pillows generally offer cut-outs or indentations on each side to allow you room to settle your mask comfortably. Using a standard pillow with a full face or nasal CPAP mask can lead to the mask being shifted out of position, especially for people who sleep mostly on their sides.

We generally recommend CPAP pillows for any customers using a full face or nasal CPAP mask who sleep on their sides throughout the night. It is a helpful tool to ensure your mask stays on properly while you sleep, preventing possible mask leaks or having to wake up in the night to re-adjust your mask.

On our site, we carry a variety of pillows in multiple shapes and materials. Our customers have chosen a clear favorite over the years in our SleePAP Pillow by Hudson Industries. For CPAP users interested in foam CPAP pillow, we also offer another design -  the Polar Foam Filled SleePAP Pillow.

For questions about whether or not you would benefit from a CPAP pillow, please contact our Customer Service team directly!

In our End of Summer Supply Sale, CPAP Supply USA is offering 30 percent off all tubing, filters& cleaning supplies* for our customers! This discount extends through August 12th, so shop now to stock up on your favorite CPAP supplies or to try one of our very popular CPAP cleaning kits.

Add your items to your shopping cart and then use discount code FRESH12 to see your savings. *Excludes ResMed items. Not eligible for Canadian orders. Extends through 8/12.

Shop with code FRESH12 to get your 30% discount»

CPAP therapy has a language all its own, and you might hear us toss around terms or acronyms that mean absolutely nothing to you, a new CPAP user. Please excuse us in advance - some terms and concepts that are so natural to us might not help you at all understand your therapy or choose a CPAP set-up.

Here we've tried to compile a list of some of the most common CPAP terms used and their meanings. Hopefully, this will get you started in your research about CPAP... sometimes it's just a matter of knowing the right word or acronym to find the information you need!  

CPAP - Continuous Positive Airway Pressure. The technology behind your treatment. Also used when talking about the machine used to deliver this pressure or the mask used to deliver the pressure to your airway (i.e. CPAP Mask or CPAP Machine).

BiPAP or Bi-Level - Bi-level Positive Airway Pressure. This technology is a more sophisticated form of PAP therapy that delivers two different pressures - one on inhalation (a higher pressure) and one on exhalation (a lower pressure). BiPAP prescriptions will always have two pressures, inspiratory and expiratory pressures.

APAP - Automatic Positive Airway Pressure. Another form of PAP technology that automatically adjusts the pressure throughout the night to give the user the minimum average amount of therapy pressure needed at each stage of sleep. 

OSA - The abbreviation for Obstructive Sleep Apnea, the most common form of sleep apnea.

Central Sleep Apnea - Absence of airflow and inspiratory effort; apnea caused by irregularity in the brain's control of breathing, instead of an obstruction, as with OSA.

Apnea - A period of time while sleep in which no oxygen is being received in the airway. The time in the night when the obstruction completely closes off your airway, causing you to stop breathing.

Hypopnea - The stage during sleep when your airway is partially blocked, causing your air intake to decrease but not completely cease.

Apnea index (AI) - A measure of the severity of sleep apnea; the number of apnea events per hour.

Apnea/Hypopnea index (AHI) - An important measure of the severity of sleep apnea; the number of apneas and hypopneas per hour. 5-20=mild, 21-50=moderate, above 51 severe.

Delta Stage - Stages 3, 4, and REM of your sleep cycle. The stages in which muscle tension is relaxed and body rest occurs.

REM - Rapid eye movement. The erratic eye movement seen during the REM phase of the Delta stage of your sleep cycle. Delta stage sleep is the most important for feeling well rested and restored in the morning. As apneas throughout the night cause you to continually wake-up you may rarely or never hit the REM sleep phase.

PSG - Polysomnogram, or sleep study. The test done in a lab to determine if you have sleep apnea, what type of apnea you have, and what pressure you need to treat your sleep apnea.

Pressure - The unit of measure used for PAP machines, measure in centimeters of water pressure (cm H20). Pressures range from 4 cms H2O to 20+ cms of H20.

Titration - The tests done to determine at what pressure your apneas and hypopneas are eliminated when you sleep.

American Sleep Apnea Association (ASAA, A.W.A.K.E.) - A patient-oriented national voluntary health agency serving individuals who have sleep apnea, and their families. www.sleepapnea.org

Aerophagia - Excess gas in the stomach from swallowing of air. A common side effect of sleep apnea.

DME - Durable Medical Equipment or DME company. Equipment such as wheelchairs and walkers which are prescribed for use by or on the order of a physician, also includes CPAP and Bi-Level machines.

Epworth Sleepiness Scale - Index of sleepiness during the day as perceived by patients, and derived from the answers to 8 questions.

Gastroesphageal Reflux Disease (GERD) - Flow of stomach acid upwards into the esophagus that can cause arousals and disrupt sleep. A common medical condition to sleep apnea sufferers.

Hypertension - High blood pressure. Another common medical condition to sleep apnea sufferers.

Letter of Medical Necessity (LMN) - Certification by a physician that the prescribed item(s) is/are medically indicated, reasonable and necessary with reference to the standards of medical practice and treatment of a patient's condition. A great thing to take when traveling with your CPAP.

Oxygen Desaturation - Less than normal amount of oxygen carried by hemoglobin in the blood; values below 90% are considered abnormal. This occurs after prolonged apneas or hypopneas and can be measured with the use of a recording pulse oximeter.

For more definitions, please visit - http://www.nbnrespiratory.com/respiratoryglossary.php

Just today, CPAP Supply USA was able to release, for pre-order, the brand new full face CPAP mask by Philips Respironics - the Amara. Designed to be smaller, lighter, and easier to wear and fit, the Respironics Amara Mask makes your full face CPAP therapy simple and straightforward. With a revolutionary minimalistic design, the Amara has only four parts to clean and assemble, making it truly one of the most user-friendly CPAP masks on the market.

Utilizing the patented micro-exhalation ports that are featured in many popular Respironics masks, the Amara is also quiet for you and your bed partner. Directing exhaled air away from you and through the quiested of exhalation ports, the Amara is not only lightweight and easy to wear, it also one of the quiestes full face masks available.

Here are some of our favorite Respironics Amara features:

- Lightweight and smaller than traditional full face masks

- Soft pad forehead for maximum comfort

- Clear frame, for a more precise fitting

- Assurance of quiet therapy with the inventive micro exhalation port

- Clips are simple to use with easy on/off operation

- Only FOUR pieces make this mask simple to clean and reassemble

To learn more about our newest CPAP mask, visit the Respironics Amara Full Face Mask product page, or call us directly with your questions.

Available now for pre-order, the Respironics Amara will be shipping to customers on or before July 23rd. Order your mask now and we will ship it to you as soon as it becomes available from Respironics.