Yes, you have apnea anytime you sleep. It treats your apnea and the sleep you get is better quality.

A: We suggest replacing all your cpap supplies every 6 months. Many times your physician will recommend this as well. The headgear on your mask will stretch over time and the mask cushion or pillows will discolor, get an odor, become soft and pliable and leak more from the oil in your skin. Your mask will not seal well when this happens.

The filters on the air intake clean the air you breathe and should be kept clean. Extremely dirty filters can cause your pressure to be decreased. Monitor your tubing especially near the thick rubber ends for stretching. This is a common place for them to tear. Water chambers will often get hard water build up, especially if distilled water is not used regularly. It is a good idea to keep an old water chamber, tubing and mask on hand for back up as well.

A: You can use any kind of water in your chamber, it will not hurt you.  Using distilled water will minimize the hard water build up that can collect in the chamber.  Bottled, filtered, or drinking water is not the same as distilled.  Many times it can be found in the laundry aisle of your supermarket.  You can also distill your tap water by simply boiling it for a few minutes.

A: Yes. Currently you can take your cpap on board with no additional charge and it does not count as one of your carry on items.  You do not need to have a written letter from your physician regarding your cpap to be able to take it on the plane either.  It is best to carry it on. If your luggage is lost and your cpap is in it, then your equipment is lost as well. You can go online to your airlines website for more information or to see if there are any changes regarding their medical equipment policies.

A: Sleep apnea can be caused by excess weight.  Patients that have a significant weight loss sometimes no longer require cpap therapy.  However, not all apnea is caused by weight.  It can be caused by muscular disorders, muscular weakness, narrow airways, and certain body builds.

A: Your mouth can be dry if you are opening your mouth throughout the night when you are sleeping.  It may just be that you are parting your lips slightly, or it may be a full chin drop.  Typically, this will wake a patient up at that time but sometimes patients sleep through it.  If you are wearing nasal pillows or a nasal mask you can try using a chinstrap to support your mouth to stop this from happening.

There are also full face masks that cover the nose and mouth.  These allow the cpap to work and typically do not disturb the patient’s sleep pattern when the mouth opens.  However, the mouth can still be dry due to certain types of medications that patients take.  You may also try turning up the cpap humidifier to see if that helps.