The Dangers of Dirty CPAP Equipment

CPAP therapy is one of the most effective sleep apnea treatments, but if you don’t keep your equipment clean, it could be dangerous.

When you have sleep apnea, it’s important to find a treatment option that works for you. Although some people benefit from BIPAP therapy, many people find relief from sleep apnea with CPAP therapy. CPAP therapy is very effective when used properly, but it does require some elbow grease on your part. Whether you purchased your CPAP machine new or used, it needs to be maintained properly, and if it’s not, there could be consequences.

Why is it so important to keep your CPAP equipment clean?

Every time you use your CPAP machine, you are adding new germs and bacteria to the equipment. If you don’t clean out these germs and bacteria, they could end up making you sick! In fact, in a previous blog, we recently talked about how the risk of getting an infectious disease is 18 percent higher in sleep apnea sufferers due to dirty CPAP equipment. Plus, if you use heated tubing or a heated humidifier, that warm, moist air is the perfect breeding ground for yeast and fungus colonization.

If you let your CPAP equipment get too dirty or neglected, it could actually make you sick, which is the opposite of what you want out of your sleep apnea therapy. In our next blog, we’ll be going over how often you should be cleaning and replacing your CPAP equipment, so please stay tuned to learn more!