Video FAQ – Why Use Humidification with CPAP?
Humidification as Part of Your CPAP Treatment
CPAP therapy has long been the gold standard for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. In this latest video in our series on sleep disorders, we discuss the importance of including humidification in your CPAP therapy for the best possible results. This video series has been produced to answer your questions about sleep apnea and other sleep disorders. If you have a question that is not addressed in these videos, please subscribe to our YouTube channel to be alerted when a new FAQ video is posted. If you need information quickly, feel free to Contact us here on the site or on our Facebook page. We'll get back to you as quickly as possible.
Why is humidification advised with the use of nasal CPAP?
In my patients, I always advise that they use a humidifier along with nasal CPAP. The nose is your body's natural humidifier. With nasal CPAP, air is blown into the upper airway at a very high flow rate which makes it impossible for your nose to adequately humidify your air. The air then dries out the lining of the nose. The nose lining consists of millions of hair-like structures which are constantly beating and brushing away bacteria and dirt and dust from the upper airway.
If your nasal mucosa is dried out because you're not adequately humidifying the air the cilia, or hair-like structures, fail to beat adequately increasing the risk of infection and increased allergy symptoms. Humidification is vital for both comfort and nasal hygiene.
Dr. Ronald A. Popper is a Board Certified sleep specialist. The Southern California Pulmonary and Sleep Disorders Medical Center in Thousand Oaks, California is a four bed, state of the art, fully accredited sleep disorders center. Dr. Popper is available at (805) 557-9930 to answer any questions you have regarding diagnosis and treatment of all sleep disorders, including obstructive sleep apnea, restless limb syndrome, insomnia, narcolepsy, and others.
Watch the video above, and then Click Here to schedule an appointment with Dr. Popper if you would like to talk about how you can stop snoring, address your obstructive sleep apnea or discuss any other sleep disorder.
