Machine Noises

I'll be getting my CPAP tomorrow afternoon. My boyfriend is a really, really light sleeper so I am really worried that the noise of the machine will keep him awake at night. I've read posts about keeping pillows, blankets, arms etc. away from the various parts of the machine and mask. But has anyone's significant other found they can't sleep because of your CPAP? My boyfriend's been really supportive. I've scared him on several occasions when I've stopped breathing. He says he can wear ear plugs and for me not to worry. What's been other people's experience?

This forum's been a Godsend for me.

Jeanne

The noise is like a fan. My wife used to complain to no end about my snoring and gasping for breath, tossing and whatever. Now she wants me to leave the machine on when I get up. It helps her sleep. I said all that to say, maybe your boyfriend will get used to the noise, and even come to like it. It is too important to your well being not to do.

I wrote the guest reply above. I just remembered another thing about noise. I was on a Resmed lightweight ??? for five years. It was the one my wife liked to sleep by. Two weeks ago, I got a new Resmed lightweight. It is so much quieter, my wife says she doesn't like it, because it doesn't make enough noise. She has gone back to using a fan to make noise.

Jeanne,
My wife and I are both light sleepers, so I've chosen my equipment to minimize noise more than anything. Even with that, I wear earplugs most nights. I also had a machine get noisier over time and had it replaced (under warranty). My wife's step-mother's current husband (follow that?) has been on CPAP for a dozen or so years and they report that the sound of the machine puts them to sleep. Go figure. It's like I'm at the beach...

Some tips:
I keep my machine on the floor and can sort of tuck it behind the headboard of the bed. As long as you have good airflow available to the intake of the machine, this can help reduce the noise. It also uses gravity to help keep condensation out of your mask.

I use a Respironics RemStar Pro machine and had the CFlex turned off by the DME since it is noisier with it on and I don't feel I need it since I only have a pressure of 8. Note that if you run straight (without the humidifier in-line) it is pretty noisy ("inside" noise; see below).

I don't have experience with other machines, but I think most of the common ones (Resmed, GoodKnight, Respironics) are similiar noise-wise (~30db at a pressure of 10).

Some masks are loud "inside" and some are loud "outside"; some are both. The inside noise (turbulance on the inside of the hose/mask that creates noise in your sinus cavities) usually isn't noticable by the bed partner. The outside noise is mostly from the exhaust port.

Here's my experience summarized (your mileage may definately vary):

Fisher&Paykel FC407: quietest inside and out, but doesn't fit me right!
Resmed Ultra Mirage: quiet inside and out
Resmed Activa: pretty quiet inside; white noise hissing outside
Breeze: fairly noisy inside, quiet outside
Respironics Comfort Classic: moderately quiet inside and out
Respironics Comfort Select: noisy inside and out

Others have commented that the new Resmed Swift interface ("mask") is noisy. I've seen a comment from a Resmed representative that indicates that there was a design change that occurred early in production that makes that less of a problem.

You can see that in the 7 months I've been hosed-up, I've been doing my research...

I was going to write a quick "your boyfriend will like it better than snoring/gasping/choking" encouragement note, but got carried away. Hope the comments help!

Welcome to this forum UKnowWhatInSeattle,

Thanks for the great and informative post. You have done your homework. I love to see cpapers that take charge of their treatment. You're right about the "noise" issue. It is really a personal preference. What keeps one awake will put another to sleep. I actually sometimes find wearing my mask insulates me from the rest of the world and makes it easier to sleep. I bet a few people are saying he's crazy.

Very good description of the outside noise/inside noise of the different masks.

Although I would say my Activa is noisy inside with my PB420E. I tried the swift for the first time last night and it made my machine seem quieter. I think it was just that the reving sound was not transmitted through the smaller swift assembly.

I thought the swift was rather quiet.


Nenetx2004, my wife finds it much easier to sleep with my machine going and my snoring not. Good luck as a new cpap user. Hope you and your boyfriend have an easy adjustment.