Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSkin MarksDry Nose or MouthDiscomfort ExhalingSwallowing AirCentral Sleep ApneaFace Growth ProblemsClaustrophobiaLoud NoiseFactors Impacting Side EffectsPrevention
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Skin Marks
Dry Nose or Mouth
Discomfort Exhaling
Swallowing Air
Central Sleep Apnea
Face Growth Problems
Claustrophobia
Loud Noise
Factors Impacting Side Effects
Prevention
If you use aCPAP(continuous positive airway pressure) machine or are interested in getting one, you might be wondering about possible side effects. CPAP machine side effects include skin marks, dry nose and mouth, and bloating due to air swallowing. These and other effects usually stem from the air pressure being pushed out or discomfort from the mask itself.
This article looks at some of the most common side effects of CPAP and how they can be managed.
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Skin Marks or Rashes
Your CPAP mask may leave marks on your skin if it doesn’t fit properly, possibly leading to sores or even ulcers, especially along the bridge of your nose.
People with sensitive skin may also develop a rash or skin irritation, especially with masks that contain latex.
Mask liners and barrier creams can help, as can loosening the mask or using anew maskthat fits better.
Avoiding Marks and Lines From CPAP Mask
Nose or Mouth Dryness
Dryness of your nose or mouth is often due to air leaking out of the mask—a very common complaint. This can happen if the mask does not fit perfectly, especially as you change positions while you are sleeping, or if the air pressure is too high.
Nosebleeds or even damage to your gums and teeth can occur due to the dryness. If your mouth falls open, air can escape, leading to a parched mouth or tongue.
If your nose is dry, over-the-counter nasal saline spray can help.Using a heated humidifier andheated tubingcan also help keep you from drying out.
To keep your mouth from falling open, you can try achinstrapor a full-face mask that covers both the nose and mouth.
Note, however, that larger masks—such as those that cover the nose and mouth—are more prone to leaks.
Reducing Air Leaks
Discomfort Breathing Out
Though it is easy to breathe in, you may find it difficult to breathe out against the pressure when you first start using CPAP therapy. This may improve over time, but the effort may also cause insomnia.
In some cases, ramping from a lower initial pressure or a feature to allow easier exhalation can be helpful. It may be necessary to reduce pressures overall.
In rare cases,bi-level therapy—in which one pressure is used to breathe in, and a lower pressure is used to breathe out—may be needed.
Many people experience air swallowing, calledaerophagia(“air eating”). If you wake and your stomach is filled with air, it may be due to this.
Symptoms include:
Air swallowing can be a sign of CPAP pressures that are too high. Rather than entering your upper airway, excessive air can enter your stomach via youresophagus.
Reduced pressures may help prevent this. Other treatments for aerophagia include sleeping wedge pillows, medications used for heartburn andgastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and bi-level therapy.
How to Reduce CPAP-Related Air Swallowing Side Effects
After using CPAP therapy, some people may start to experience episodes of the breath-holding characteristic ofcentral sleep apnea.
You may have complex sleep apnea if central apneas did not account for the majority of your breathing disturbances before starting CPAP but now contribute to more than five events per hour.
Face Growth Problems in Children
Children who use CPAP should be monitored to avoid developing growth problems of the mid-face related to the pressure of the mask across the nose.
Newer mask styles, includingnasal pillows, may reduce this risk.
Some people feel confined or enclosed when wearing a mask. This typically resolves over time, particularly if you take the time toadjust graduallyto using the mask.
If you haveclaustrophobiaand have trouble wearing your CPAP mask, talk to your healthcare provider about possible treatments for your fear and anxiety.
The noise a CPAP machine makes can interfere with sleep, particularly for the person who you sleep with. While today’s devices are much quieter than those used in the past, it may take some getting used to.
Overall, most partners can adapt more easily to the predictable noise of CPAP than to the noise of snoring, which is very common with obstructive sleep apnea.
Solve Your CPAP Problems With These Tips
Factors That Impact CPAP Side Effects
Many CPAP machine side effects occur when people don’t use the machine in a way that’s optimal for them. For instance, side effects can occur when:
Sometimes, certain factors increase your risk of experiencing side effects and signal that you may need to make adjustments to your CPAP machine. These factors include:
Weight changes:Excessive weightis a risk for sleep apnea. But if you lose weight, you may start to have problems with air swallowing, mask leak, or difficulty breathing out against the pressure. Lowering your CPAP pressure may help.Weight gain can also require a change in CPAP pressure.
Surgery:Surgical procedures, including tonsillectomy, nasal septoplasty, and soft palate or tongue surgery, may alter your CPAP therapy requirements.
Substance use: If yousmoke, snoring and sleep apnea may become more severe.Alcoholuse near bedtime can cause muscle relaxation, worsening your obstructive sleep apnea symptoms. If you discontinue the use of any of these substances, your pressure needs may also be reduced.
Medications: Medications such as muscle relaxants and benzodiazepines may worsen your symptoms. Discontinuing them may reduce your pressure needs.
Preventing CPAP Side Effects
Adjusting your CPAP machine and taking certain precautions can help ward off CPAP machine side effects:
Remember that you should have your healthcare provider adjust your settings. It can be dangerous to do it on your own.
Summary
CPAP therapy can have a number of side effects. The most common ones relate to air mask leakage, but other side effects may include skin rash, bloating, and discomfort breathing out. Certain factors can impact whether or not you experience side effects, such as how well your mask fits and the machine’s air pressure level. Losing or gaining weight, taking certain medications, and other variables may also influence CPAP machine side effects.
6 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.La Mantia I, Andaloro C.Effectiveness of intranasal sodium hyaluronate in mitigating adverse effects of nasal continuous positive airway pressure therapy.Am J Rhinol Allergy. 2017;31(6):364-369. doi:10.2500/ajra.2017.31.4482Johns Hopkins Medicine.BiPap.National Sleep Foundation.Aerophagia: symptoms, causes, and treatment.Khan MT, Franco RA.Complex sleep apnea syndrome.Sleep Disord. 2014;2014:798487. doi:10.1155/2014/798487Roberts SD, Kapadia H, Greenlee G, Chen ML.Midfacial and dental changes associated with nasal positive airway pressure in children with obstructive sleep apnea and craniofacial conditions.J Clin Sleep Med. 2016;12(4):469-75. doi:10.5664/jcsm.5668Perger E, Philippe C, Arnulf I, Redolfi S.The immediate effect of weight loss on CPAP pressures required to control OSA in a patient with morbid obesity and OSA.Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2018;197:A7284. doi:10.1164/ajrccm-conference.2018.197.1_MeetingAbstracts.A7284
6 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.La Mantia I, Andaloro C.Effectiveness of intranasal sodium hyaluronate in mitigating adverse effects of nasal continuous positive airway pressure therapy.Am J Rhinol Allergy. 2017;31(6):364-369. doi:10.2500/ajra.2017.31.4482Johns Hopkins Medicine.BiPap.National Sleep Foundation.Aerophagia: symptoms, causes, and treatment.Khan MT, Franco RA.Complex sleep apnea syndrome.Sleep Disord. 2014;2014:798487. doi:10.1155/2014/798487Roberts SD, Kapadia H, Greenlee G, Chen ML.Midfacial and dental changes associated with nasal positive airway pressure in children with obstructive sleep apnea and craniofacial conditions.J Clin Sleep Med. 2016;12(4):469-75. doi:10.5664/jcsm.5668Perger E, Philippe C, Arnulf I, Redolfi S.The immediate effect of weight loss on CPAP pressures required to control OSA in a patient with morbid obesity and OSA.Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2018;197:A7284. doi:10.1164/ajrccm-conference.2018.197.1_MeetingAbstracts.A7284
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
La Mantia I, Andaloro C.Effectiveness of intranasal sodium hyaluronate in mitigating adverse effects of nasal continuous positive airway pressure therapy.Am J Rhinol Allergy. 2017;31(6):364-369. doi:10.2500/ajra.2017.31.4482Johns Hopkins Medicine.BiPap.National Sleep Foundation.Aerophagia: symptoms, causes, and treatment.Khan MT, Franco RA.Complex sleep apnea syndrome.Sleep Disord. 2014;2014:798487. doi:10.1155/2014/798487Roberts SD, Kapadia H, Greenlee G, Chen ML.Midfacial and dental changes associated with nasal positive airway pressure in children with obstructive sleep apnea and craniofacial conditions.J Clin Sleep Med. 2016;12(4):469-75. doi:10.5664/jcsm.5668Perger E, Philippe C, Arnulf I, Redolfi S.The immediate effect of weight loss on CPAP pressures required to control OSA in a patient with morbid obesity and OSA.Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2018;197:A7284. doi:10.1164/ajrccm-conference.2018.197.1_MeetingAbstracts.A7284
La Mantia I, Andaloro C.Effectiveness of intranasal sodium hyaluronate in mitigating adverse effects of nasal continuous positive airway pressure therapy.Am J Rhinol Allergy. 2017;31(6):364-369. doi:10.2500/ajra.2017.31.4482
Johns Hopkins Medicine.BiPap.
National Sleep Foundation.Aerophagia: symptoms, causes, and treatment.
Khan MT, Franco RA.Complex sleep apnea syndrome.Sleep Disord. 2014;2014:798487. doi:10.1155/2014/798487
Roberts SD, Kapadia H, Greenlee G, Chen ML.Midfacial and dental changes associated with nasal positive airway pressure in children with obstructive sleep apnea and craniofacial conditions.J Clin Sleep Med. 2016;12(4):469-75. doi:10.5664/jcsm.5668
Perger E, Philippe C, Arnulf I, Redolfi S.The immediate effect of weight loss on CPAP pressures required to control OSA in a patient with morbid obesity and OSA.Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2018;197:A7284. doi:10.1164/ajrccm-conference.2018.197.1_MeetingAbstracts.A7284
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