CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) is a machine that uses mild air pressure to keep breathing airways open while you sleep.

Your healthcare provider may prescribe CPAP to treat sleep-related breathing disorders including sleep apnea. CPAP also may treat preterm infants who have underdeveloped lungs.

A CPAP machine includes:

• A mask or other device that fits over your nose or your nose and mouth
• Straps to position the mask
• A tube that connects the mask to the machine’s motor
• A motor that blows air into the tube

You should use your CPAP machine every time you sleep at home, while traveling, and during naps.

Getting used to using your CPAP machine can take time and requires patience. Your healthcare provider will work with you to find the most comfortable mask that works best for you.

You may also need help from your healthcare provider to use the humidifier chamber in your machine or to adjust your pressure settings. You may also need to try a different machine that has multiple or auto-adjusting pressure settings.

For the treatment to continue to work, it is important that you clean your mask and tube every day and refill your medical device prescription at the right time to replace the mask and tube.

You may notice immediate improvements after starting CPAP treatment, such as better sleep quality, reduction or elimination of snoring, and less daytime sleepiness.

Equally important are the long-term benefits of CPAP, which include:

• Helping to prevent or control high blood pressure
• Lowering your risk for stroke
• Improving memory and other Cognitive function

Side effects of CPAP treatment may include congestion, runny nose, dry mouth, or nosebleeds.

Some masks can cause irritation. Your healthcare provider can help you find ways to relieve these symptoms and adjust to using your CPAP machine.

If you experience stomach discomfort or bloating, you should stop using your CPAP machine and call your healthcare provider right away.

If your healthcare provider prescribes CPAP for sleep apnea, your insurance will work with a medical device company to provide you with a CPAP machine and the mask and tube.

Your provider will set up your machine with certain pressure settings. After using your machine for a while, your provider and possibly your insurance company will want to check the data card from your machine to confirm that you are using your CPAP device and to see if the machine and its pressure settings are working to reduce or eliminate apnea events while you sleep.

If you use a CPAP machine at night to help you breathe during sleep, you know it can be difficult to keep up a regular cleaning schedule. A dirty CPAP machine contaminated with germs like viruses and bacteria can make you sick. So automated machines advertised on TV that claim to clean or disinfect your CPAP might look like a good option.

But you should think twice before buying a machine that claims to clean or disinfect a CPAP. These machines are not legally marketed for this use by the FDA in the United States. Machines are not necessary to clean your CPAP. Most CPAPs can be cleaned with mild soap and water as described in the owner’s manual for your machine. Some manufacturers recommend using diluted vinegar.

What is a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine?

A CPAP is a type of ventilator that helps people who have obstructive sleep apnea, a health condition that causes brief pauses in breathing during sleep. When you have sleep apnea, your airway becomes completely or partly blocked by your tongue, tonsils, or other parts of your mouth or throat during sleep. When your airway is briefly blocked your brain and organs do not get enough oxygen, which can cause health problems. A CPAP machine keeps your airway open by providing a continuous stream of air through a mask. A long, flexible hose connects the CPAP machine to the mask so that you can move around or turn over in bed.

Why does my CPAP machine need cleaning?

Germs from your lungs, throat, or mouth can get into the CPAP mask or hose as you breathe in and out during sleep, or germs on your skin may get transferred to the CPAP mask or hose. Dust, mold, or other allergens may also get into the CPAP mask or hose.

All types of CPAP machines need to be cleaned regularly so that these germs and contaminants do not grow inside of your equipment and make you sick. Dust and dirt can also cause problems with the machine, making it more likely to break or need replacement.

How should I clean my CPAP machine?

Since each type and brand of CPAP machine is different, you should follow the cleaning schedule and instructions from the company that made your CPAP machine. All detachable CPAP parts can generally be cleaned with mild soap and water unless the owner’s manual says otherwise.

The face or nose mask, and detachable hoses and connectors, can be soaked in a sink filled with soapy water and then hung up to air dry. Some manufacturers recommend cleaning detachable CPAP parts with a combination of vinegar and water. If there is visible residue on the mask or hose connectors, you can wipe it off with a soft cloth, or rinse it off with running water before soaking in the sink.

Remember not to put any machine with an electrical cord into water or other liquids. Use a damp towel to clean the outside of the part of the CPAP machine that has an electrical cord. If your CPAP machine has a humidifier, clean the water tank as instructed in the owner’s manual. And don’t forget to rinse reusable filters with water or get new filters on the schedule suggested by the manufacturer.

What types of machines that claim to clean CPAPs are being sold?

There are two main types of machines that claim to clean CPAPs. One type uses ozone gas, which can be dangerous and toxic above certain levels. The second type uses ultraviolet (UV) light. To date, the FDA has not approved or cleared any machine to clean a CPAP. This means the FDA has not made a judgement regarding the safety or effectiveness of these machines for this use.

Why is the FDA concerned about devices claiming to clean CPAPs?

The FDA has received reports from people who use CPAPs that they experienced unexpected asthma attacks, headaches, and breathlessness after using devices claiming to use ozone gas to clean their CPAP. Not only can ozone leak out of the CPAP equipment into your home during cleaning, but ozone levels inside of the CPAP equipment can be above safe limits even several hours after cleaning is completed.

Ozone gas and UV light machines that claim to clean CPAPs do not have FDA clearance or approval, meaning that the FDA has not found that ozone gas and UV light cleaners work to kill germs on CPAPs and are safe. The FDA has not received data or evidence from manufacturers that says UV light can clean the inside surface of CPAP hoses, or information to confirm that UV light does not damage CPAP machines. The FDA does not have evidence that machines using UV light protect you from unsafe levels of UV radiation exposure.

Are home CPAP cleaners approved by the FDA?

No home CPAP cleaning devices that use ozone gas or UV light have been approved or cleared by the FDA. The FDA has not determined whether CPAP cleaning devices are safe. The FDA does not have evidence whether CPAP cleaning devices work to clean or disinfect CPAP equipment of germs or allergens.