What Happens If you Don’t Clean Your CPAP Machine?

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What Happens If you Don’t Clean Your CPAP Machine?

Your CPAP machine is an important equipment that works very well against sleep apnea, but what happens if you don’t clean it? Learn everything you need to know about CPAP in this article.

So what happens if you don’t clean your CPAP machine? There’s a chance of getting infected by bacteria when a mineral build-up occurs or experiencing irritation and certain allergic reactions.

  • Risks of not cleaning your CPAP
    1. Lungs, mouth & skin infection
    2. Possible allergic reaction
    3. Machine breakdown
    4. Spending more money

Remember, you are breathing through the air provided by the CPAP machine.

Leaving it unclean and using it can cause you to inhale filthy air too.

The hose that is attached to the mask where the air goes through also needs to be properly cleaned. If not, there’s a chance for mineral to build up inside as well as the other parts of your CPAP machine.

For some rare cases, some people may also experience skin irritation when the mask is not properly cleaned.

When the skin makes contact with the other CPAP parts too, they can also experience slight irritation due to the unclean CPAP machine parts.

Not cleaning the CPAP machine can also end up reversing the positive benefits it can provide and instead, end up worsening your sleep apnea or hurt your health.

The filter from the CPAP machine easily gathers dirt which must be cleaned at least weekly. The dirt contamination will be trapped inside the filter if not cleaned properly.

For those that might have sensitive health, there’s a higher risk of getting other illnesses when using an uncleaned CPAP machine.

Your already vulnerable health might be put in danger when you don’t clean your CPAP machine.

There’s also a possibility for the CPAP machine to breakdown or no longer work the way it should. CPAP machine can last up to 7 years if maintained properly, but if not, it can break down faster.

If you’re also the one that ended up breaking the machine, the manufacturing company may not be held responsible and cannot replace the machine for you.

You will end up spending more money on getting a replacement and possibly, more money for healthcare if you end up making yourself sicker when you don’t clean your CPAP machine.

Now that you understand the risks when you don’t clean your CPAP machine, you should also know about the advantages of cleaning it and what are the other risks a CPAP machine might have. Read on to learn more!

Why you should clean your CPAP machine

There are many reasons why you should clean your CPAP machine. Not only is it unhealthy to leave it filthy, but it can also take away the other benefits your CPAP can provide.

Here are the great things a clean CPAP machine can do for your health.

  1. Lessen daytime sleepiness
    • Sleep apnea can make it difficult to fall asleep at night. If you use CPAP, you may prevent this.
  2. Anti-snoring device
    • Using a CPAP mask can control snoring tendencies. Sleep apnea patients are often loud and constant snorers but with CPAP, now you can sleep better.
  3. No more morning headaches
    • Sleep apnea also causes headaches. CPAP users report better mornings without headaches after using CPAP.
  4. Avoid heart failures
    • May lead to fatal conditions such as brain damages or even death, CPAP can prevent heart failures caused by sleep apnea.
  5. Avoid heart attacks
    • Sleep apnea can trigger heart attacks and can also be severely threatening however, this can be prevented by using the CPAP machine.
  6. Stop irregular heartbeats
    • Irregular heartbeats worsens the ability to breathe and it can trigger anxiety but CPAP can bring your heartbeat pattern back to normal.
  7. Prevent stroke
    • Getting hit by stroke can leave permanent damage that may lead to paralysis. Sleep apnea can also be the cause of stroke but the help of CPAP machine can lessen the risk of stroke.
  8. Improved control for emotions
    • Sleep apnea can cause irritability and mental or emotional problems because it affects our physical health and our brain but CPAP can prevent it.
  9. Helps the body control your hormones
    • Being sleep deprived can actually trigger diabetic tendencies! This is because your hormones will lose control due to lack of sleep which can be prevented or fixed by CPAP machines.
  10. Avoid uncontrolled weight gain or loss
    • Sleep apnea also messes with the body’s hormones, causing the patient to usually gain weight uncontrollably. For rare cases, patients lose weight too. CPAP machines can prevent this.
  11. Avoiding high blood pressure
    • Aside from your physical health, hypertension can also affect your mental health and relationship with people around you including your work. CPAP treatment can prevent this.
  12. Better ability to focus and memorize
    • Sleep apnea reduces your ability to focus and worsens ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), but using CPAP machine can improve your ability to focus!
  13. Avoid driving accidents
    • People with sleep apnea are prone to daytime sleepiness and can get sleepy while driving or lose focus which can lead to accidents, using a CPAP machine can prevent that.
  14. Wake up with full energy
    • With sleep apnea, your energy will be reduced since you are unable to sleep well. The CPAP machine can fix that for you.
  15. Eliminates risk of seizure
    • Sleep apnea patients are more prone to seizures during sleep compared to epilepsy patients without sleep apnea.
  16. Reduce medical expenses
    • Untreated sleep apnea can lead to worsened health conditions or bring in other risky illnesses that can be prevented by using a CPAP machine, this way, you can avoid extra medical bills.

How to clean your CPAP and avoid the risks

After learning about the risks, now you should learn how to clean your CPAP machine. After all, there’s no benefits of leaving your CPAP machine unclean.

You should clean the CPAP nasal pillows at least once a week, there is no need to clean it daily unless you have been sick lately or have a sensitive condition.

  • What you need to use for cleaning:
    1. Soft cloth
    2. Dish soap (mild antibacterial is better)
    3. Warm water
    4. Tub, basin or your sink
    5. Towel
  • 6 Steps How to Clean CPAP Machine
    1. Unplug the machine
    2. Disassemble the parts
    3. Wet the soft cloth with warm water
    4. Fill the tub, basin or sink with warm water
    5. Rinse the filters
    6. Reassemble the machine
      • You can read: How to Clean CPAP Machine for more details

Other tips for cleaning CPAP Machine

Always remember that you must keep your equipment clean, after all, you are breathing through the help of it and if left unmaintained, who knows what you might end up breathing in through that?

Like what was mentioned above, if you are sensitive in terms of your health condition, then cleaning it on a daily basis may be the right choice for you. As long as you are able to do it properly, then you should.

Usually, when you purchase products like the CPAP nasal pillows it will come with an instruction or a guide from the manufacturer. Make sure to read everything to avoid accidents or machine breakage.

Make sure you don’t use perfumes, cleaning solutions, scenting products or anything similar when cleaning your CPAP nasal pillow. This type of devices don’t need special cleaning materials.

Just a regular dish soap can do the job!

If you use any other products, it might end up irritating your lungs and make your condition worse. Make sure the water in the humidifier is distilled water to avoid mineral build up in the water chamber.

Also, please do not clean your equipment using a dishwasher or washing machine. This could end up breaking your equipment.

What are the other risks of a CPAP machine

  1. Drying the skin
    • The CPAP machine can, without a doubt, dry the skin with the air pressure it gives along with the humidifier. Try using skin lotions in the morning or after bathing to counter this effect.
  2. Lack of comfort
    • CPAP masks are usually attached to the machine using a wire or a cord that is sometimes, not long enough to let the users move freely. This is one of the top complications of using CPAP.
  3. Dry and stuffy nose
    • Similar to the skin, the CPAP machine can dry out your nose too. It can cause nasal congestion or a runny nose.
  4. Not good for claustrophobic patients
    • Claustrophobic users might have their phobia triggered.

      Even those who are not claustrophobic may feel “suffocated” when wearing the mask and have the short cord that limits their movement.
  5. Skin irritation
    • The air pressure can cause the skin to be irritated or pressured. If the machine is also not properly maintained, it can lead to severe irritation that may spread out.
  6. Triggers certain allergic reaction
    • Depending on the materials used to fabricate the mask and other parts of the machine that makes contact with your skin, it may or may not trigger specific allergic reactions.
  7. Loud noises
    • Just like any typical airing device, the CPAP machine makes loud noises whenever it is on. This can make it harder to sleep or for anyone that can hear it.
    • You may read about “How to Quiet Down a CPAP Machine” for some tips.
  8. Dry mouth
    • Not only your nose, but the CPAP machine can also dry out your mouth. This may lead to infection if the machine is also not properly maintained.
  9. Difficulty falling asleep
    • Every person is different, not everyone can easily get used to sleeping with a mask on that is attached to a loud machine with a short wire. It can be very challenging or even stressful.
  10. Accidentally unplugging the machine
    • Due to the short cord that some CPAP machines are designed with, when the user falls into sleep and unconsciously moves around, they may end up unplugging the machine.

Related Questions

What causes CPAP machine problems?

Usually, the things that causes problems when using a CPAP machine are very limited. Here’s a list of possible factors that might cause problems for your CPAP machine or user experience.

  1. Wrong air pressure
  2. Incompatible mask
  3. Leaky, worn out mask
  4. Incorrect humidifier setting
  5. Unmaintained CPAP machine
  6. Improper setup of the machine
  7. Defective or fake CPAP machine
  8. Old or worn out CPAP machine
  9. Sharing the CPAP machine
  10. Insufficient water level

Can CPAP machines cause allergies?

Yes, CPAP machines can potentially cause allergies if it is not cleaned properly. Pollen, dust and other filthy elements can be accumulated in the CPAP mask, tubing, and humidifier.

The outer area of the CPAP parts can also gather dirt and when making contact with the skin, it can possibly trigger an allergic reaction.