Throat Irritation

by Anonymous

I have had my cpap for almost a year and have had to stop using it several times due to a very irritated throat.

Is there anything that can be done about this problem? I use distilled water in my machine and set the level at 1.0

Answer

Throat irritation or sore throat is one of the most common CPAP side effects. Almost every sleep apnea patient with CPAP has throat irritation.

You didn't tell me what type of mask you have, so I will speak generally.

This problem is usually caused by "mouth leak" - If your mouth opens during sleep, much of the pressurized air going into the nose goes comes straight out again through the mouth.

So, if you are a mouth breather, this could be a problem. However, if you use a chin strap with your mask to keep your mouth closed while you sleep, you shouldn't feel the sore throat again.

Another solution is to use heated humidifier that fits your CPAP unit to moisten and warm the air blowing into your throat.

So, check if your humidifier can utilize heat to create moisture. The heat allows the air to hold more moisture and thus carries more effectively humidified air to airways.

Another tip is to fill the humidifier with crushed ice and just use it as a passive blow through and get cooler air that way. Some patients had success with this trick.

Many germs can take up residence in CPAP tubing, so your throat irritation can be a side effect from a virus. Did you go to your doctor to speak about this?

Anyway, you should clean every week your CPAP tubing, to prevent the germs entering your body and cause infections.


I hope it helps!

Remy