Philadelphia (February 15, 2002) – We hear about it in weather reports all the time, but what is humidity? For daily living, it is a comfort index, but for CPAP or BiPAP users, the comfort index moves to an even deeper level.

Do you wake up in the morning with a dry, stuffy, or congested nose after wearing your xPAP mask all night? Does the discomfort make it difficult to breathe through your nose during the night?

Carl Miller, a registered respiratory therapist with more than 21 years of experience in the respiratory field, will address the issue at the next Awake In Philly meeting on Wednesday, March 13, 2002 at 6:30 p.m. The meeting will be held in the Conference Room at the Northeast Regional Branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia, 2228 Cottman Ave.

During the meeting, Carl will explain everything you ever wanted to know about humidification but weren't sure who to ask. During his talk, Carl will explain in simple terms, how heated humidification benefits CPAP or BiPAP users, and how it may alleviate the typical symptoms, raising your comfort level, allowing your to get even better sleep.

Heated humidification is designed to help eliminate the many symptoms caused by the effects of cool, dry air on the nasal passages. The symptoms typically include, though not always, at least one of the following: dry mouth, dry throat, excessive dried mucus, nasal tissue bleeding, nasal congestion, sinus congestion, and possibly awakenings caused by those symptoms.

Carl received his Associate Degree in Respiratory Therapy from the Washington Technical Institute, Washington, D.C., in 1973, and completed his registry requirements in 1975. For almost eight years, he was employed in hospital and acute care settings. Since 1980, Carl has worked with CPAP and Bi-Level patients and their equipment in the home health care environment. He now works in sales and marketing for Fisher and Paykel, one of the larger manufacturers of humidified CPAP units and humidification systems for xPAP devices.

As an auxiliary xPAP device, a heated humidifier is a vapor-producing, pass-over humidifier.

An air hose leading from the CPAP or BiPAP unit connects to the humidifying device. The air is then passed over a chamber of distilled water, where it picks up humidity from the water. It is then delivered to the patient through another hose connected to the nasal mask or full-face mask. 

This will be Carl's second time addressing the Awake In Philly Community Education Group. Carl last addressed the group in November 2000.

Carl's will be have a packet of information for those attending the meeting, which will help them better understand humidification and how it plays a key role in compliance for xPAP users.

Studies that have been conducted on CPAP or BiPAP use and humidity suggest that anyone using an CPAP or BiPAP with pressures greater than 10cm/H2O should have a humidification unit. In many cases, individual preference may dictate.

Sleep disorders, which contribute to the national sleep debt, are more prevalent than most people believe. In fact, it’s estimated that approximately one in every five people suffers from at least one sleep disorder. Sleep apnea, narcolepsy, periodic leg movements, and insomnia are just a few of the many sleep disorders that can, and do, rob us of the sleep we need.

Sleep disorders, especially apnea, can impact a person’s life in many ways, including excessive daytime sleepiness, heart and lung damage, greater risk of stroke and high blood pressure, memory loss, the potential for greater involvement in traffic accidents because of tiredness, sexual dysfunction, mood swings, a decrease in productivity, weight gain, among others.

A Control 3 Home Care Kit, from Maril Products, will be given away at the meeting. Maril Products donated the Home Care Kit to Awake In Philly for giveaway at the meeting. See the rules for all details.

Awake In Philly sponsors, in alphabetical order, include B.F. Ascher & Co., Inc.; DeVilbiss, Sunrise Medical; the Free Library of Phila. (NE Regional Library); Hans Rudolph, Inc.; Maril Products; Respironics, Inc.; ResMed, Inc.; and TalkAboutSleep.com.

The Northeast Regional Library is conveniently located on several SEPTA bus routes, as well as being conveniently located near a SEPTA train station. For public transportation to the Northeast Regional Library, please call SEPTA at 215-580-7800 or visit the SEPTA website at http://www.septa.org. The Northeast Regional Library is about one-half mile northwest of Cottman Avenue and Roosevelt Boulevard, and may be contacted at 215-685-0500. Driving directions to the library may be accessed on the Awake In Philly site at http://www.AwakeInPhilly.org/Meetings/NERL.shtml.