I have been using a DeVilbiss 9000D with breeze nasal pillows for about a month.  My doctor ordered a heated humidifier which my insurance company denied.  I would like to know if I should spend the extra money to get a heated humidifier or an unheated one?  What are the pros and cons of each?  Is heated worth the extra money?  I am not having terrible problems without any humidification except for a dry nose which will probably worsen when we begin using the furnace.  Help please?

I am a newbie also. My insurance paid for the whole package including humidifier. I have a history of sinus problems, so I am grateful for that. I enjoy my heated humidifier. I turn on the humidifier a few minutes before I put the mask on and the air is nice and warm. I don't suffer from dry nasal passages. Y ou are right about the dry nasal getting worse during the winter. As for the pros and cons, I am a newbie, but I do know that with the heated humidifier I get condensation in my mask, because I keep the room temperature pretty cool. Nevertheless, thanks to this forum, I have a remedy for that also.


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My Name is Charlie, but I am a female.

GailZ, I am very sorry to hear of your insurance problems, but would suggest that if the doctor is willing to argue with them that it is medically necessary, they might come around.  Of course, there is always arbitration, but they know that few people are willing to put up with that hassle, so.........

I've been on my CPAP for two years.  It came with a heated humidifier, but I thought it was "overkill," and didn't bother with it.  After several mornings of "sneezing fits," and very dry sinuses, I started filling the humidifier with distilled water.  I found it helped, but I was still sneezing, and the dryness had only abated somewhat.  I spoke with my respiratory technician and she said that you REALLY need to use the humidifier with the heat on to get the maximum effect.

Well, of course she was right.  After a couple of weeks of "screwing around," I now use the heated humidifier every night, year around.  It has made a world of difference...no sneezing, no dryness.

GailZ wrote:

I have been using a DeVilbiss 9000D with breeze nasal pillows for about a month.  My doctor ordered a heated humidifier which my insurance company denied.  I would like to know if I should spend the extra money to get a heated humidifier or an unheated one?  What are the pros and cons of each?  Is heated worth the extra money?  I am not having terrible problems without any humidification except for a dry nose which will probably worsen when we begin using the furnace.  Help please?

Hi,

There really is no contest. A heated humidifier is the way to go.
If you can manage without one, as I do, don't bother. The cold water humidifiers are something from the past . I was of the opinion that they are no longer available (????).

The heated humidifier delivers warm moist air and is seen as a great aid to help with compliance.

While I am not up to speed with individual insurance companies I believe it is something that you should fight. Quite a lot of the newer cpap machines come with built in heated humidifiers. They have proven a great aid to compliance.

Daniel


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The untreated Sleep Apnoea sufferer died quietly in his sleep.......
Unlike his three passengers who died screaming !!!!!!

(Anon)

I broke my nose when I was young and have always had problems with congestion when I sleep....that is until I started using a CPAP with a heated humidifier.  I would HIGHLY recommend the heated humidifier.   My nose/sinuses haven't  been this good in years....

I think some people are oversimplifying the answer to the question.  My CPAP originally came without a humidifier.  When my respiratory therapist came to visit me one day at home to fit me for a new mask, she asked me if I was having trouble with my nasal passages and sinuses drying out at night.  When I told her "not really", she said that she still thought that I would be better off with a heated humidifier.  After using it for a few months, along with all of the tedious daily, weekly and monthly maintenance cleanings, I decided that I really didn't see any difference with or without the humidity.  I quit using it a few weeks ago and don't miss it one bit.  Bottom line is if you're having trouble with dryness, you're probably in need of the humidifier.  If not, you probably don't need it.

Rex

I was told to use a nasal mist to keep nasal passages moist. I haven't had in problems. It's a matter of preference.

If it's a choice between a heated humidifier and an unheated one, I say the choice is a no brainer, IMHO.

Heated humidifiers can be used as heated or unheated.  I feel it's best to have the choice than no choice at all.
Sometimes I use mine heated, sometimes I don't.  Depends on the time of year for me.
I feel that it is important to use it even as an unheated passover.  
This air pressure takes away natural humidity and dries out our throats and nasal passages.  Even cool humidification can help.

There may not be a connection, only a coincidence, but ever since using my cpap and humidifier beginning last November, I haven't had a single cold.
This is pretty amazing for someone who can suffer from a cold and flu pretty much any time of the year.  Sometimes I wonder if maybe the humidification helped in some way.  Maybe, maybe not.  I like to think it  helped.


Linda

I have the headted humidifier, and wouldn't sleep well without it,but that's me.  I also suffer from severe allergies, and sinusitis, so in my case it was a must have.  I still would have wanted one just for the dry mouth aspect of the cpap.

My dad is a new user of the CPAP (with heated humidifier) and is finding that he wakes up with a runny nose...like a faucet!  Any ideas why that may be?

Daughter wrote:

My dad is a new user of the CPAP (with heated humidifier) and is finding that he wakes up with a runny nose...like a faucet!  Any ideas why that may be?

I'm not sure what that could be.
But he might try using a lower setting on his heated humidifier, lower or lowest humidity, maybe even turned off but used as a cool passover.
I've heard of some people trying it with too much humidity sometimes and it can make some sinus conditions worse.  It may depend on the situation.
But I would still use it for some humidity, even if the heat is off and used as a cool passover.  That can still add some moisture and maybe the cooler air might soothe the nose.  But it's all trial and error.

If none of that works, there may be some other thing happening causing the runny nose.


Linda

People are talking about common flu, but its the bird flu which is a cause for concern today. At present in the wake of the dangers of the bird flu which was so far being feared to arrive and strike devastation has already started its actions as the reports suggest every now and then. In this regard the experts are suggesting that two drugs (in the neuraminidase inhibitors class), oseltamivir (commercially known as Tamiflu) and zanamivir (commercially known as Relenza) are the best choices for drastically reducing the symptoms and the duration of the disease. Got relenza information from (commercial link removed). But the main thing to be remembered here is that the administration of the medication should begin necessarily within 48 hours of the disease infliction else they might not be that fruitful. But there are severe dearth in the adequate information about the effectiveness of the medications in the regard of the dreaded H5N1 virus. The time period to verify the success rate of the drug was also not there.

I have been using my CPAP machine for just one month.  It has made a world of difference for me.  With the machine, I received a humidifier too, just a cold one.  The tech told us that some people use the humidifiers and some don't.  I started out using it, then decided to try a couple of nights without it.  After the second night of no humidity, I ended up sneezing all the next day!  Since then I have used the humidifier and everything seems great.  Since I live in Calfornia, our nights haven't gotten every cold yet, so I don't know how much of a difference a heated one would make, but for now I am happy.

When I first started using the bipap, my doctor suggested a heated humidifier. My insurance company wouldn't pay for one so the respiratory therapist suggested I try using one of the cold pass trays, fill it with warm water, and set it on a heating pad at night to get the effect of a heated humidifier. That was to see if I benefitted from it before paying out of pocket for a heated humidifier. It seemed to help with the mouth dryness at night, but the warm, moist air made me feel like I was suffocating. I stopped heating it and that was a little better, but eventually I stopped using it and found that my mouth didn't get dry anymore even without it.

After changing the settings on my bipap recently, I'm back to dry mouth and nasal passages again. But I've noticed that as I get used to the new settings the dryness is lessening so I haven't attempted humidified air again.

Has anyone heard of heated humidifiers making one's chest "hurt" in the morning?  I've had 2 customers complain that they had chest discomfort/pain in the morning after using the heated humidifier.  The discomfort stopped when the used the CPAP without htd humidifier.  One may also have mild asthma.

Just wondering!