Humidifier reducing CPAP effectiveness?

[Simes2112]

So I got my humidifier last Wednesday and have been using it since and I am definitely not having any dryness issues now. But, I am not convinced that my CPAP therapy is as effective now as it was pre-humidifier.

I don't know if my logic is twisted but I would have thought that it would have been necessary to adjust my CPAP machine's pressure up a tad. Why? Because I assume that the water in the humidifier offers some resistance to the air being pumped by the machine. Or am I going mad.

This week - I have returned to work after about 3 weeks off sick due to a cold which became a nasty chest infection and my asthma symptoms were much worse than they have ever been in my life. I have been feeling a bit sleepy during the day and in the early evening too.

I am probably being paranoid and it is just natural that I should be finding work more tiring than usual after 3 weeks off sick. However, the paranoid me is nagging at me suggesting that my CPAP therapy is not working as well as it was.

Comments / views / opinions welcomed, obviously.

Cheers,

Simon

[James @ Intus]

Humidity does affect air (pressure) stability so you are right in that sense. Whether ir not it's so dramatic it warrants a change of air pump pressure perhaps depends per person, I'm not sure on that.

Fisher & Paykel used to have some info on air pressure stability and humidifcation but I can't find it on their website. Perhaps you can see for yourself, starting here:

http://www.fphcare.com/osa/clinical-and-applications/-humidification.html

Maybe in the clinical data on ThermoSmart:

http://www.fphcare.com/osa/osa-resource-library/osa-clinical-summaries.html

[silvercarper]

Im also having the same problems .

When I have the humidifier connected the APAP does not respond to my breathing or apneas. It just pumps out air and the Flex system does not seem to respond at all . Also the machines pressure drops right down to 4.

But when I disconnect the humidifier the machine works fine and I feel better and get my bounce back.

MY APAP is a RemstarAuto M-series and the humidifier is a M series heated humidifier.

This problem started when my APAP was replaced but has not improved even though its been changed again.

[Tigers Fan]

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Hi silvercarper

Are you positive sure you have the humidifier connected corrrectly - both mechanically and electrically? And that the machine has the correct settings?

TF