May 30th 2022
How to Prevent Nose Sores from Your CPAP Mask
Your CPAP therapy should be making your overall life better by increasing your quality of sleep. A good night’s rest improves your concentration, energy, and emotions. But sometimes, there are some proactive steps you must take to ensure that your sleep apnea treatment is as effective as intended, causing minimal side effects.
CPAP masks can at times cause nose sores. To avoid these, you can take a few steps to prevent nose sores from your CPAP mask, reducing irritation and red marks.
Clean Your CPAP Mask Cushion Daily
As the first precautionary step, cleaning your CPAP mask cushion daily reduces transmitting facial oils onto your face. If you don’t clean your mask cushion, it will build up with oils and residue that aren’t good for your skin. This can cause redness and blemishes.
Although you can’t always observe the build-up on the mask, dirty cushions are prone to slide on your face more, which can cause air to leak. This causes displacement and irritation from needing to tighten your mask more than usual.
Use a Mask Liner
If cleaning your mask cushion daily seems like too much of a hassle, mask liners are an excellent alternative.
The pressure from your CPAP mask on the bridge of your nose can become irritating and cause soreness and rashes. One way to avoid this is to use a mask liner. At GoCPAP.com, you can purchase RemZzzs mask liners for both full face masks and nasal masks in 30-count packs.
As disposable liners that require no washing or cleaning, these liners are a breeze to use. Made out of 100% cotton fibers, their liners absorb your facial oils, preventing those oils from being retransmitted to your face the following night. This barrier eliminates pressure points and skin irritation, ensuring comfort not only at night but also after every treatment.
Use Nose Lubrication or Moisturizer
Both lubricants and moisturizers help to prevent irritation and dryness. For example, using a nasal lubricant helps prevent dryness within the nostril. Additionally, CPAP moisture therapy creams can be applied to the outside of your nose where your mask touches your skin. These areas are more prone to facial sores that can be eliminated with the appropriate moisturizers.
Humidification Decreases Dryness and Irritation
In addition to nasal lubricants, heated humidifiers also decrease dryness within the nasal passage. Humidifiers warm your sleep therapy air so that your nasal passages remain moisturized. Further, if you experience dry mouth or a sore throat, humidifiers also help decrease these symptoms.
Pairing a humidifier with a heated tube helps maintain the moisturized air as it travels up the tube.
Improve the Quality of Your CPAP Therapy by Preventing Nose Sores From Your CPAP Mask
Nose sores are a common struggle for CPAP users, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be conquered. As a vital part of your life, your sleep apnea therapy should be comfortable and nonintrusive to your quality of life.
Learn More About Improving Your Sleep Apnea Therapy
Explore more tips to improve the quality of your sleep apnea therapy; check out our blog here.
