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First of all I must apologise if there is a thread on this , but the search box keeps telling me my query is too short despite putting in the above title.
I got my CPAP machine on 27th April 2009, so I've just turned my first year on CPAP, and it has been an interesting year. But I'm now on my third mask type and most nights I get a few hours of decent sleep.
I travel on business and spend a minimum of 1 night every week away from home. Last week it was 4 and every night a different location.
When I first got my CPAP and at every check-up the technician tells me it must be positioned below my head, and the FAQ here says "Make sure that you set up your CPAP machine on a firm ground or floor. Look for a place accessible from your bed. The area should always be clean to avoid dust from accumulating into your CPAP machine. "
In the average hotel this means on the floor, as a lot of bedside units are level with or higher than the pillows. At home I use a stack of large books to get that "in between the bed and the floor" effect.
The major drawback is that even with the coarse sponge filter and a fine filter (I have asthma and allergic rhinitis) I still experience "other people's dust" - a smell that isn't your own! I wash and change my filters regularly, stay in reasonable quality hotels and B&Bs, but it isn't very pleasant.
So, can anyone explain why the machine has to be below my head, particularly when all the manufacturers' videos and images online show machines level with the user? Is it to do with having to use a humidifier?
And, has anyone any suggestions for tackling the smell of other people's dust - I'm presuming as the air is being forced into my lungs that adding Olbas oil or essential oils to the water or the filters is a no no.
I got my CPAP machine on 27th April 2009, so I've just turned my first year on CPAP, and it has been an interesting year. But I'm now on my third mask type and most nights I get a few hours of decent sleep.
I travel on business and spend a minimum of 1 night every week away from home. Last week it was 4 and every night a different location.
When I first got my CPAP and at every check-up the technician tells me it must be positioned below my head, and the FAQ here says "Make sure that you set up your CPAP machine on a firm ground or floor. Look for a place accessible from your bed. The area should always be clean to avoid dust from accumulating into your CPAP machine. "
In the average hotel this means on the floor, as a lot of bedside units are level with or higher than the pillows. At home I use a stack of large books to get that "in between the bed and the floor" effect.
The major drawback is that even with the coarse sponge filter and a fine filter (I have asthma and allergic rhinitis) I still experience "other people's dust" - a smell that isn't your own! I wash and change my filters regularly, stay in reasonable quality hotels and B&Bs, but it isn't very pleasant.
So, can anyone explain why the machine has to be below my head, particularly when all the manufacturers' videos and images online show machines level with the user? Is it to do with having to use a humidifier?
And, has anyone any suggestions for tackling the smell of other people's dust - I'm presuming as the air is being forced into my lungs that adding Olbas oil or essential oils to the water or the filters is a no no.
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