CPAP Humidifiers For A Better Night's Sleep

CPAP humidifiers are usually accessories to CPAP treatment machines. The CPAP or Continuous Positive Airway Pressure treatment is an effective way to treat heavy snoring and sleep apnea without involving surgery and works by delivering a machine-generated flow of air carrying enough pressure to keep nasal airways open when you breathe while you sleep. Most CPAP machines come with hoses or tubings with a nasal mask or a pillow for immediate transfer of air flow into the nasal pathways. However, what happens to most CPAP users is that this air flow also continues to remove moisture from their nasal airways especially at night, making the user dry and uncomfortable. Other side effects such as nose bleeds could also occur. In severe cases, patients just cease the use of this treatment.

CPAP Humidifier Types

This is where the best CPAP humidifiers come into the picture to help alleviate dryness and banish sleepless nights. There are two types of CPAP humidifiers available: the passover and the heated humidifiers.

• Passover humidifiers work by allowing air to pass over the water surface within the humidifier in order to gain humidity before going through the tubing into the nasal mask, thus creating instant humidification.
• Alternatively, the CPAP heated humidifier warms up the air flow to a pre-set temperature before passing through the nasal mask. CPAP heated humidifiers are more suited for people with sinuses and nasal dryness than passovers, as heat is added into the equation. It is a fact that warm air is capable of carrying more moisture than cold air and thus works better in humidifying nasal pathways.

Some of the best CPAP humidifiers feature extraordinary systems by increasing humidifying effectiveness and tackling irritation problems faced by CPAP patients. The Velocity II CPAP Heated Humidifier uses a vortex-creating system to increase the interaction between water and air by prolonging contact time between the two phases. This flow pattern will increase humidity output even at low heat settings and allows little room for back-pressure to occur. One of the best CPAP humidifiers around is the Fisher&Paykel HC150 Heater Humidifier which completely diminishes the problem of annoying gurgling noises through their patented Ambient Tracking system. This system automatically adjusts the temperature of its heating plate according to room temperature changes, thus minimizing condensation and maximizing the desired effect of humidification.