I have a question for the experienced and wise CPAP users out there.

I've had my CPAP for almost two weeks now, and I can't figure out what to do with the hose.  Does it go under the covers?  Stay on top of the covers?  How do you get it to move with you at night when you sleep?

I have a 6ft house and the Nasal Pillows.  The hose can be moved to the left or right of the nasal do-hickey (like my technical term?) prior to sleep.  

Thanks for any advice.

sleepyinmi wrote:

I have a 6ft house and the Nasal Pillows. .

Wow sleepyinmi...that's a small house...


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*** Linda ***

I think the hose should be on top of the blankets
ideally the hose should go over the top of the bedhead as this makes rolling in bed easier with the hose unlikely to get tangled but this sometimes isnt possible
with the CPAP to one side you need to train yourself to roll one way then roll back the other way, otherwise you finish with the hose wound around your neck, pulling the machine off any table
generally the CPAP is better on the floor

I have a way of tying the hose to the bedhead to stop the weight of the hose pulling on the mask

be patient, as it can take several months to get used to a CPAP and some never do

sleepyinmi, I agree with Lynn that the best way to route the 6 foot hose is "overhead".

People have come up with some very creative ways to hang the main air hose up on the headboard or wall.   Getting it up out of the way serves two purposes:

1.  keeps an uncomfortable hose out from under you.

2.  keeps the weight of the main air hose from tugging on a mask, possibly shifting the mask out of position and causing mask leaks.

When thinking about ways to hang the hose up out of the way, think of being a fish on the end of a slack line...being able to toss and turn under it without getting the hose wrapped around you.

The "Search" button in the bar along the top of this webpage will turn up some topics with ideas if you type in search words like "hang hose",  "headboard",   "scrunchy",  "bungee".

Try this:  

Hang the hose from the ceiling with an "elastic" rope.

That mask makes nice bait at the end of the "fishing line", cktan.    

Good to see you posting here.    

Some folks with heated humidifiers run the hose under the covers, helping to keep the hose warm and thus decrease rainout.
sleepydave

Thanks for all the advice!  
I'll try to find someone more mechanically inclined than I am to help set up the hose so I can dangle on the line like a fish.  

Sleepyinmi

Another way is to put a hook in the wall behind and above.  I have this setup and use a hair scrunci (sp?) to hold the hose...

sleepyinmi,

I have had my CPAP w/ nasal mask for 2 months now. For me, it works best to have it up over my head between the mattress and head board. I am able to roll from left side to right without any problem. As for condensation, there are hose cover made for the tubing, but I made my own.

Fyrguy

sleepyinmi, you don't have to be mechanically inclined at all to rig a way to keep the hose up out of your way "a la fish on a line".  LOL!!

Use a pony tail scrunchy or anything that can make a loop to run the main air hose through.  Any of these things would work:  bungee cord, velcro, big rubber band, or even just a ribbon or strip of cloth tied in a loop.   Fasten the loop to the headboard or to the wall about a foot above where your head will be on your pillow.

I read of one woman who nailed the scrunchy to the back of the headboard so the nail wouldn't mar the front.  Another simply tied a scarf in a loop on the front around a place in her cut-out design headboard.  cktan got "high" tech (pun intended!) with his ceiling hook, but you can fix it all kinds of ways that don't require a step ladder.  

Or...do what Jeff V did...tie a bunch of socks around the main air hose to form a big "sock ball".  Wedge the sock ball between bed and wall.  Extremely simple solution.  Much like what Fyrguy does.  The thick sock ball would help keep the hose wedged in place.

Read about Jeff V's "sockball" idea here:
Apr 20 2005   subject: Are some hoses lighter than others?

Aug 24, 2005   subject: Cheap Hose "Stand/Holder"

Another creative solution.  This one by Craig.

I run mine under my pillow, otherwise, if the Tabasco sauce has worn off it, the cats grab it and shake it to wake me up in the morning.

Vicki

What works for me is when it is cold the hose goes under the covers.  When the weather gets hot it goes over the covers.  Other than that I do not get fancy where to put the hose because now with the CPAP I do not roll or move very much.


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Dan