Use of CPAP and headaches

This post is to share my experience with CPAP. I was diagnosed with sleep apnea with AHI of 40 some three years back. I was put on auto cPAP and use Resmed 9S. It did wonders to my sleep. I felt so much better after years. Tiredness was gone, PVC irregular heart beats were gone, and acidity much improved. But after nearly two months of use, I got up with one of the most severe headaches of my life. The headaches went on for weeks. Initially I could not understand the reason but slowly I figured out the reasons for headaches. In my case it is all related to temperature and humidity changes, mostly former. The lining of the nose and the sinuses are very sensitive to temperature changes in some people. If the CPAP blows cold or hot air into the nose for hours, headache can be triggered. Initially I used over the counter pain medications, nasal decongestants, and steam inhalations. I also bought heated tube. The incidence of headache came down. Slowly I realized that accurate control of tube and the room temperature, and humidity is paramount. Please note that the air in the tube (even heated one) get affected by room temperature. Just because the tube is heated does not mean the the air in the tube cannot be cooled by the low room temperature.
The aim should be to adjust the the tube and the room temperature in such a way that even if there is fall in the outside temperature, the air remains warm enough for your nasal mucosa. Please note that the tube temperature setting may have to be changed depending on the outside temperature. For example if the outside temperature falls precipitously one night compared to the previous one (for eg. from 40F to 10F) and the room thermostat setting remains the same, it is possible that the tube air may get cooled because thermostat takes a few minutes to kick in giving enough time for the low room air temperature to affect the air in the tube. Another point is that the cold air settles down near the floor- please keep your tube at least couple of feet above the floor. One can also use the tube cover to trap the heat within the tube and stabilize the temperature. Again the bottom line is to try different temperature settings and find your ideal range. Nasal mucosa unlike other linings have blood vessels which constricts with increased temperature. Steam inhalation before sleep can help in minor cases. Please make sure that your eyes are covered and your face is at a safe distance to avoid steam burns. I find tea kettle an ideal device for making steam.
I must add a disclaimer here- headaches can be from several other reasons as well. It is better to seek medical advice in case of any new types of headaches.
Wishing you all happy sleep

Pretty much it all boils down to the fact that you may have to adjust settings by the season and when you move to different environments.

Anonymous 03 wrote:I must add a disclaimer here- headaches can be from several other reasons as well. It is better to seek medical advice in case of any new types of headaches.

I must add that a headache can also be caused an aneurysm. Low O2 will cause blood vessels to dilate which can cause headaches but when/if there is an aneurysm it compounds things and can cause what may be called "the worst headache of my life".

A brain aneurysm will require a CT scan to diagnose the cause. But an aneurysm with high BP can lead to death if not treated should it rupture. Avoid taking aspirin as that can stop blood from clotting after a rupture.

So it is a daisy chain of events that can and often does lead to death while sleeping. Which can begin with untreated OSA leading the chain of events followed by high BP, heart disease, etc.

To my way of thinking this is why it is important to review the data from your cpap - so you can tell IF you are treated. Just hours of use is simply not sufficient to determine whether treatment is adequate.

Heart disease does not happen overnite nor does a ruptured brain aneurysm.

Many say that heart disease is hereditary and while it may be so is OSA.

SewTired wrote:Pretty much it all boils down to the fact that you may have to adjust settings by the season and when you move to different environments.

Oh No! In Indiana, that would mean the need to adjust your settings daily. Jim Nah, in Indiana we adapt.