There are a lot of people that suffer from seasonal allergies in Canada and they can experience a variety of different symptoms, which may include an itchy, runny nose and a lot of sneezing. These symptoms can be quite debilitating for many and often occur during the fall and spring seasons. Other allergies can happen at any time of the year and may be caused by dander, dust mites and much more. If you are using a CPAP Canada machine you may be wondering how your allergies will affect your therapy.
If you are sensitive to certain allergens it means that your body is releasing histamines, which can make your throat, eyes, mouth, and nose feel itchy and sore and cause near-constant sneezing. Thankfully, a fever is not a part of an allergic profile but these other symptoms can drag on for weeks – especially during the allergy seasons.
Sleep Apnea Machine Canada
It can be difficult dealing with allergies and sleep apnea at the same time. If you are currently using a sleep apnea machine Canada, here are some tips to help you get through the nights more comfortably. You’ll want to do everything possible to make sure that you can continue on with your sleep apnea therapy to ensure that you continue to get the most benefits from it.
Replace Your CPAP Accessories Canada
When you have used your mask and other accessories such as tubing for quite a while, it’s harder to keep them all clean. It’s important to have everything as clean as possible during your therapy to make sure that the air you receive from the machine is as clean as possible. If you find that you are starting to feel the effects of a seasonal allergy or another sort of allergy, make sure that you are using equipment that is quite new. If your supplies have been used for a prolonged period of time, replace them as soon as possible.
Anyone using a CPAP machine must replace the parts regularly anyway. Your mask, humidifier tank, filters and the flexible hose should be replaced before showing signs of excess wear and tear.
Purchase a Humidifier
Another symptom of an allergy may include a dry mouth and nasal congestion. When you introduce air that is moist and warm into your home it can help with these problems. A humidifier can be placed in any room in the house and should be put in the rooms you use the most. A good idea is to buy a humidifier that has rolling wheels so that it can be placed in the bedroom at night.
The CPAP machine that you’re using may also moisturize the air for you. If you use the humidifier function on the machine make sure that you are only using distilled water in the tank. Many places in Canada have hard water and even soft tap water contains minerals that can cause a buildup in the humidifier tank. This will shorten the life expectancy of the equipment while at the same time introducing minerals into the air that aren’t wanted.
Allergy Medications
Many people with allergies have to use medications to keep their symptoms under control. There are a variety of antihistamines on the market today but always make sure that the allergy medication you are purchasing won’t negatively interact with any current prescriptions you are taking. If you aren’t able to take over-the-counter medications for allergies you can try using a neti pot to help clear out the congestion.
Mouth Breathing and Allergies
If you’re like most people that suffer from allergies, you may be prone to breathing with your mouth at night during a flare-up. Individuals with sleep apnea often have a problem with enlarged nasal turbinates and allergies can make the situation worse.
A CPAP machine can help a person deal with this issue by moistening the air that is being breathed in during the night. There are also over-the-counter steroid sprays available for the nasal passages that can help with swelling of the turbinates. You must make sure, however, that the sprays are administered by aiming in the direction of the closest eye near the nostril that you’re spraying into. Otherwise, you may end up with an unwanted nosebleed.
Other Allergy Recommendations
In order to help prevent allergies or to help alleviate existing allergy symptoms, there are other things that you can do. You can rinse out your sinuses regularly using a neti pot and take showers when coming inside from the outdoors. These showers will wash away any irritants that may have collected on your body outside. If you suffer from seasonal allergies, you should also wash your clothes when coming inside during the spring and fall seasons.
Seasonal pollen levels can be at their highest in the spring during the mornings when the temperature outside is cool. Try to avoid going outside in the mornings and wait until the afternoon when the pollen levels have decreased. The opposite is true, however, in the fall when the level of seasonal pollen is at its highest in the evenings on the warm days.
The air filter on your CPAP machine should be changed regularly whether you are suffering from allergies or not. If you haven’t tried using the humidifier function on your machine yet, give it a try. It can help moisten the air significantly, which can be extremely helpful when dealing with allergy symptoms.
If you have never used the humidifier on your CPAP Canada machine and don’t know how to get started, take a look through your instruction guide, which was included with your machine. If you have any additional questions regarding the humidifier or your machine in general, please feel free to contact CPAP Depot through our toll-free number at 1-866-209-0654. You can also reach us through our contact form at cpapdepot.ca. Feel free to leave us a message on the form and we will get back to you shortly.