Humidification in CPAP Therapy

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Humidification in CPAP therapy helps patients to get relief from dryness of nasal passage, skin irritation and congestion of throat. This happens when the CPAP device exerts air from the generator tube and mask in to the nose of the patient. However, it is important to understand the correct functioning of the device and the actual method involved in the therapy.

CPAP machines are boon to the patients who suffer from sleep apnea problem and similar respiratory disorders. These are easily available in the market under different brand names. A good online research of the manufacturer and dealer along with a clear understanding about the product specifications help to make a good buying decision. For example, humidification in CPAP therapy is one such area that needs special consideration.

What is Humidification in CPAP Therapy?

CPAP therapy is one of the popular treatments which is applied to treat the problem of sleep apnea in humans. It involves humidification process which is commonly implemented in CPAP therapy to prevent the general dryness in the nasal region that a patient is likely to face. To understand how the process functions, you can refer to various authentic medicine books, handy magazines on medical equipments as well as refer to the online information regarding CPAP therapy. Possessing appropriate information on the role of humidification in CPAP therapy helps the patient to avoid any sort of unpleasant event while undergoing the therapy.

Role of Humidification in CPAP Therapy

Usage of CPAP machine to manage the problem of sleep apnea involves passage of lots of air through the patient's nasal passage. While doing so, the person undergoing the treatment may face dryness in the nasal passage or irritation due to low moisture. Besides this, it may also lead to swelling inside the nose cavity that may disrupt the required air pressure. In such a situation, humidifiers perform the task of adding moisture to the air that gets passed through the CPAP machine.

When an individual undergoes CPAP therapy, the humidification process performs the task of reducing aridness and skin irritation. This helps the patient to progress his/her compliance with the treatment.

Heating CPAP's water chamber stimulates the water molecules and allows the air to pick up the energized water molecules. Besides this, this fiery air has the capacity to hold more water as compared to the chilly air that allows delivery of more moisture to the patient.

Types of CPAP Humidifiers

Basically, there are two main types of CPAP humidifiers: 1) Heated humidifier and 2) Passover or passive humidifiers that are also referred as cool passovers. Apart from this, humidifiers in CPAP therapy are also classified as 'integrated humidifier' or 'a standalone humidifier'.

• In a cool passover humidifier, room temperature air passes over room temperature water. On the other hand, a heated humidifier performs the task of heating the air in the CPAP machine which ensures that it can clasp sufficient percentage of humidity to uphold an easy passage for the airway.
• Integrated humidifier is usually attached to a CPAP machine without any arrangement for tubing between a humidifier and the CPAP machine. These are specially designed for certain types of CPAP machines. Whereas, a standalone humidifier possesses an arrangement for tubing and works with any kind of CPAP machine.

Benefits of Humidification Process in CPAP Therapy

• Usually, the process of humidification in CPAP device involves usage of a specially designed humidifier which is connected to a flow generator. As the therapy leads to nasal congestion and dryness in the nasal passage, the patient may experience uncomfortable conditions that may affect the course of the treatment. Adding a humidifier to CPAP machine makes the therapy more relaxed as the patient gets devoid of nasal & mouth blocking, uneasiness in breathing, unrelieved allergies or dripping through the nasal passage.
• Provision for humidifiers in CPAP therapy assures compliance of the patient with the therapy. Generally, during the initial stages of the treatment, the patient may or may not respond to it in a correct way in which it is expected. Compliance becomes the major issue of concern. To improve it, humidification process helps, wherein a heated humidification has more chances to improve the compliance of the patient while undergoing the therapy.