If your spouse/partner uses a CPAP machine, where is it during the day?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, my guy uses a CPAP, but I am unqualified to address this question, because I am unfamiliar with the protocols of bed layering. It must be very important. Also very rigid, if it can't be adjusted for a medical device. How does one go about amending a bed layering plan? Is there a committee who decides? Do you have to submit a modification application...?

I love learning new things on DCUM.

Formal ratifications can be approved only during the bimonthly committee meetings if there is a quorum of the majority household members. Obviously.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mine sits on my bedside table ALL THE TIME unless I am traveling. I unhook all the parts when I clean them.

I am really confused that anyone would "put it away" everyday. That makes no sense whatsoever. Do you put your pillows away everyday?

OP here.
The pillows are incorporated into the whole bed "layering" plan. So they are put where they belong. In our last house, I had a different bed layering plan that did not involve the sleeping pillows, and yes--I had a specific spot in the closet for the pillows to go each day when I made the bed.

I also have a drawer in my kitchen where I keep potholders. I don't just leave them on the kitchen counter
I have hangers in my closet and drawers where I keep clothes, I don't just leave them in the dryer or in a laundry basket.

It never occurred to me that putting things away is a bold move.

Well, don't let any of us with our advice based on years of cpap use get in the way of your "bed 'layering' plan."

The bed layering plan has nothing to do with the cpap. A different poster asked me if I put my pillows away every day and I answered the question.

[Anonymous]

Posts like this make me love my partner so much more. So glad we don’t have this level of nonsense in our marriage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Posts like this make me love my partner so much more. So glad we don’t have this level of nonsense in our marriage.

Was just about to say the same thing. I can't imagine being micromanaged this way or needing to micromanage someone else. Leave the poor man alone, OP.

[Anonymous]

Are you like secretly annoyed with him for even having to use it? Do you make a big fuss about the noise, etc? It sounds to me like there is more you're not telling us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Since you know it is there, how about you just don't trip on it?

SERIOUSLY. Giving women a bad name, here.

I tell my partner every day how much I appreciate his using it. I know it's not the most comfortable thing, and it makes him feel old and unsexy. But he wears it because he snores without it, keeping me awake. The very last thing I'm going to do is make it worse for him by complaining about tripping over something that is always there, in the same place, and easy for me to avoid.

It’s sweet that your husband uses the CPAP to keep from disturbing your sleep with his snoring.

Hopefully he understands that using the CPAP is also preserving his heart and other organ health, because suffering untreated apnea and being oxygen deficient every night is a road to early death.

My husband used his for about six months, maybe a year (time flies when you're old and I can't remember), but he stopped because he says he couldn't tell any difference so in his mind he didn't need it. I've tried to suggest that it's helping in ways he can't see or feel but no luck. I know it was annoying, but I hate that he won't use it.

Oh that’s awful poster, truly. You should consider putting some materials in front of him to educate him on the long term ramifications of untreated sleep apnea. Carrie Fisher died in large part from untreated sleep apnea, you know - it’s on her death certificate.

Get an O2 monitor with an alarm and make him wear it, so he can see how low his O2 goes when he’s sleeping. Many with moderate to severe apnea fall into the 60s/70s - that’s terrible for health! Our O2 levels should be well into the high 90s when we are healthy, and when they fall it isn’t just about breathlessness we may feel - like when we have Covid, or RSV, or pneumonia- but our entire body and all organ systems are being starved of oxygen all night while we are sleeping and suffering apnea episodes, each of which drags us lower. This is particularly impactful on the heart muscle and on the brain, although low O2 levels are bad all around.

You need to try to make him understand that even if he doesn’t feel sleepy or tired during the day, his body is still aging far more rapidly than it would with healthy O2 levels.


Here’s what AI said when I typed in ‘I don’t feel tired, why do I need CPAP?’

You might need a CPAP even without feeling tired because sleep apnea causes silent, nightly health problems like blood pressure spikes, inflammation, and stress hormone surges, damaging your heart and metabolism, and leading to long-term risks like stroke, heart disease, and diabetes, even if you feel rested due to brief awakenings or adrenaline bursts that mask the underlying issues. CPAP treats these hidden health threats, not just daytime sleepiness.

AI sourced that answer from the American Medical Association’s website, ‘what doctors wish patients knew about sleep apnea.’

[Anonymous]

My late husband put it in the bottom drawer of his nightstand and drilled a small hole in the back for the plug. At night, he just opened the drawer. They make much smaller ones now though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The CPAP should not be on the floor, it’s drawing in the filthiest air in the room at floor level, air filled with dead skin cells and all other sorts of yuck. Yes it has a filter, but it’s still not a good choice.

CPAP should be elevated, on a bedside table where it lives all the time. If for some reason you don’t want to see it during the day, lay a towel or other decorative linen over it. But don’t let it live on the floor.

I’ve been using a CPAP for nearly 20 years and I don’t clean my machine daily, I don’t know many who do. The mask should get wiped daily and rinse the hose at least a few days a week, but a thorough cleaning of the machine’s interior isn’t necessary. The machines that hook up to the CPAP are actually warned against by many manufacturers because they can potentially damage the CPAP.

If you don’t want it on the bedside table, you could purchase a little cart for it that goes into the closet during the day so your bedroom can look like Better Homes and Garden in case the queen drops by.

I know you meant this to be sarcastic, but I actually do like this suggestion. Thank you

-OP

[Anonymous]

There are cpap trays that you can buy off amazon with a hook for the hose to be coiled neatly during the day. The tray would solve the worry of the water leaking onto the furniture. Then he can leave it on the tray on his bedside table. Just browse amazon for it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The CPAP should not be on the floor, it’s drawing in the filthiest air in the room at floor level, air filled with dead skin cells and all other sorts of yuck. Yes it has a filter, but it’s still not a good choice.

CPAP should be elevated, on a bedside table where it lives all the time. If for some reason you don’t want to see it during the day, lay a towel or other decorative linen over it. But don’t let it live on the floor.

I’ve been using a CPAP for nearly 20 years and I don’t clean my machine daily, I don’t know many who do. The mask should get wiped daily and rinse the hose at least a few days a week, but a thorough cleaning of the machine’s interior isn’t necessary. The machines that hook up to the CPAP are actually warned against by many manufacturers because they can potentially damage the CPAP.

If you don’t want it on the bedside table, you could purchase a little cart for it that goes into the closet during the day so your bedroom can look like Better Homes and Garden in case the queen drops by.

I know you meant this to be sarcastic, but I actually do like this suggestion. Thank you

-OP

I honestly was only being partly sarcastic. I work in home healthcare and have seen patients who manage their CPAP this way - some are more particular about home decor than others. FWIW, I was diagnosed when I was fairly young (and slender) and was self conscious about having the machine on my bedside table so I always put the mask and hose in a drawer and covered the machine with a lovely embroidered linen cloth.

A nice little rolling cart could hold the machine and the hose/mask and go into the walk in closet every morning. Just make sure you’re vigilant about making sure he’s taking it out and using it every night, to keep his heart healthy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why doesn't he just leave it on the bedside table where it's ready for use the next night?

I agree that leaving it on the floor is a tripping hazard, and will just expose it to more dust, but putting an item you use every single day out of sight seems ridiculous.

I worry that water could leak out of the machine and damage the wood nightstand.

Put it on a tray then

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My spouse uses a CPAP machine, and each morning he tries to tuck it under the bed as much as possible. It still sticks out some though (he leaves it all plugged in, so just the way all the wires/tubes go, it makes it pop out from under the bed.)

I am the one that makes the bed each morning, and it is in my way. This morning, I almost tripped on one of the tubes that was basically in a "loop" form. If I had tripped, it would have probably caused a lot of pain and injury, because our furniture has sharp corners and we have tile floors.

I think he should put the machine fully away each day--in a basket or drawer or case or whatever. I don't care where, but not just halfway tucked under the bed where it's a tripping hazard.

FWIW, my sibling also uses a CPAP and I know he's told me that he has a machine that cleans it each day-so during the day his CPAP is with that machine being cleaned. Apparently that's what you're supposed to do, but my husband doesn't do that. He says it would waste too much water (the distilled water he buys in a jug) to do that.

I mean, it sits on my nightstand. What do you mean "put it away?" What a pain.

I clean it every couple of days and use the UV disinfectant once a week or so. No need for more than that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The CPAP should not be on the floor, it’s drawing in the filthiest air in the room at floor level, air filled with dead skin cells and all other sorts of yuck. Yes it has a filter, but it’s still not a good choice.

CPAP should be elevated, on a bedside table where it lives all the time. If for some reason you don’t want to see it during the day, lay a towel or other decorative linen over it. But don’t let it live on the floor.

I’ve been using a CPAP for nearly 20 years and I don’t clean my machine daily, I don’t know many who do. The mask should get wiped daily and rinse the hose at least a few days a week, but a thorough cleaning of the machine’s interior isn’t necessary. The machines that hook up to the CPAP are actually warned against by many manufacturers because they can potentially damage the CPAP.

If you don’t want it on the bedside table, you could purchase a little cart for it that goes into the closet during the day so your bedroom can look like Better Homes and Garden in case the queen drops by.

I know you meant this to be sarcastic, but I actually do like this suggestion. Thank you

-OP

I honestly was only being partly sarcastic. I work in home healthcare and have seen patients who manage their CPAP this way - some are more particular about home decor than others. FWIW, I was diagnosed when I was fairly young (and slender) and was self conscious about having the machine on my bedside table so I always put the mask and hose in a drawer and covered the machine with a lovely embroidered linen cloth.

A nice little rolling cart could hold the machine and the hose/mask and go into the walk in closet every morning. Just make sure you’re vigilant about making sure he’s taking it out and using it every night, to keep his heart healthy.

What if it leaks and the cart gets wet?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My late husband put it in the bottom drawer of his nightstand and drilled a small hole in the back for the plug. At night, he just opened the drawer. They make much smaller ones now though.

That is poorly ventilated and likely he was inhaling formaldehyde from the interior of the drawer.

Op you want it out so it will have a large volume of fresh air supplied.

We have a small hook on the wall where the mask and tube hangs; it’s not beautiful but keep the mask clean and the tube from making mischief tripping people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The CPAP should not be on the floor, it’s drawing in the filthiest air in the room at floor level, air filled with dead skin cells and all other sorts of yuck. Yes it has a filter, but it’s still not a good choice.

CPAP should be elevated, on a bedside table where it lives all the time. If for some reason you don’t want to see it during the day, lay a towel or other decorative linen over it. But don’t let it live on the floor.

I’ve been using a CPAP for nearly 20 years and I don’t clean my machine daily, I don’t know many who do. The mask should get wiped daily and rinse the hose at least a few days a week, but a thorough cleaning of the machine’s interior isn’t necessary. The machines that hook up to the CPAP are actually warned against by many manufacturers because they can potentially damage the CPAP.

If you don’t want it on the bedside table, you could purchase a little cart for it that goes into the closet during the day so your bedroom can look like Better Homes and Garden in case the queen drops by.

I know you meant this to be sarcastic, but I actually do like this suggestion. Thank you

-OP

I honestly was only being partly sarcastic. I work in home healthcare and have seen patients who manage their CPAP this way - some are more particular about home decor than others. FWIW, I was diagnosed when I was fairly young (and slender) and was self conscious about having the machine on my bedside table so I always put the mask and hose in a drawer and covered the machine with a lovely embroidered linen cloth.

A nice little rolling cart could hold the machine and the hose/mask and go into the walk in closet every morning. Just make sure you’re vigilant about making sure he’s taking it out and using it every night, to keep his heart healthy.

What if it leaks and the cart gets wet?

CPAPs don’t leak unless you tip them sideways with the humidifier full, and then you’re more worried about the damage done inside the machine than you are the damage done to a cart or a tile floor.

The kind of cart I’m thinking of would be a wire cart, so no wood or plyboard to get wet/warp.