Sleep apnea burners, are you out there?

[nolongerharry]

Let's discuss survival strategies!

I'm coming for the third time from Europe, which is a hassle in itself. This time I'm bringing my new diagnosis and biomechanical cyborg parts (CPAP) in the hopes of giving my new, well rested self the burn it deserves.

Are there any other hose heads out there? How do you keep yourself powered? Does your pipes clog with dust? How do you explain all this to your campmates?

[VultureChow]

Welcome. There has been some discussion here before (primarily on the power issue). Take a look at this thread: https://eplaya.burningman.org/viewtopic ... 77&t=70551

[nolongerharry]

Thanks! I wasn't actually looking for technical information, but someone to swap stories with

[ygmir]

I may well be making stories, testing and such is underway..

[maladroit]

Have taken a machine out there for three years. If you have a deep cycle battery and a good power inverter (test for a few nights before trying it on the playa), it's just not a big deal. You can make a box for it with some extra air filtering if you want to get fancy.

The only real problem is that you KNOW you will snore in a loud and disturbing fashion if you ever get tempted by a comfy couch or hammock in someone's shade structure. So there is a lot of pressure to make it back to your home base each night.

[tamarakay]

The stallion wears one. Battery powered and we have a generator if it needs recharging. Since we are the tent and I sleep with him year round he didn't have to explain it to me lol. He keeps it in a plastic box, sealed when not in use.

[gaminwench]

Ygmir is defini tly a snorer.

[unjonharley]

Just got a replacement.. The old one could run 12v DC.. Haven't figured the new machine yet.. Good thread for me..

[tatonka]

my motorcycle buddy snores bad , when we go on mc trips we stay in motels. When he starts snore if I dont have ear plugs , i would throw a pillow on his head
and reduce the sound. One night he wakes up as Im placing the pillow over his face

[moonrise]

I've used mine every year since 2010.

I bring extra filters, sometimes I put in a fresh one each night.

For protection purposes I wrap the CPAP in my sleeping bag during the day.

Mine is humidified and I swear everyone might enjoy using a humidified CPAP because I never get congested (no playa buggers and I think this is because I use a humidified CPAP).

I've powered mine off the grid, from a deep cycle marine battery w/inverter, borrowed power from a neighboring RV etc etc. Each year I find power, some years it's easier than others.

Btw, if you fall asleep in some random camp and you're sitting upright, you usually won't snore (and if you do I highly doubt it'll garner much more than a few chuckles).

A CPAP is a life saving device and sleep apnea is a life threatening condition. It sucks to go without proper air, especially out on the playa (I know this due a power issue in 2012).

Good luck and probably wise to read the thread Vulture Chow pulled up. IMHO there should be as much discussion about this as possible (mods...combine the threads if you feel it's needed but please don't ever lock them).

Have a healthy burn!

[nolongerharry]

Woah, replies! Here I was feeling lost and lonely and it turns out I just had to read my email!

So, I've applied for a nights worth of battery and a 12v inverter on quality of life grounds (told the doc I had to go into the desert and build stuff). My district is supposedly quite liberal with this stuff, but it's a stretch. If it doesn't pan out I'll have to jury rig something that doesn't come with a medical equipment price tag and still fits in a suitcase together with all the costumes.

My previous burns I've basically slept anywhere and everywhere (sleep apnea does not make you bad at falling asleep), at most I went three days without even seeing my camp. Snoring is not so much an issue, I have lots of nasty central apneas, which also rules out mechanical solutions like an apnea guard. I'll get to test all this at the Spanish regional first, where I've traditionally just slept in a big pile of people at one of the chill out camps. That I'll miss!

Bringing a humidifier is probably worth the extra space. The winters here are very dry, like the playa, and I get so clogged without it treatment stops working.

[tamarakay]

If you need to, bring the battery over and we will charge it for you

[moonrise]

My CPAP has a built in humidifier (maybe yours does, too)? Be very careful not to splash the (distilled) water on the unit, this destroyed my first CPAP just a few months before my every 5 year replacement allowed by my insurance Co's DME terms allowed. I had to buy a new CPAP out of pocket, ugh! Fleabay saved me a lot of $ on a refurbished unit and there are other refurbished CPAP websites out there, too.

[FIGJAM]

Depending on the model, most CPAPs are 12 volt!!!

Usually the AC cord is converting to 12 volts.

Check to see if they sell an adaptor cord for yours.

[ygmir]

I"m seeing, *including the one I'm getting*, 24V. still quite doable.
and it seems most come with a travel adapter option.

[pretty_monster]

i don't have one but a mate in a previous camp did. he used a deep cycle marine battery and i don't think he even recharged it once the whole burn. if you do need a recharge, most people with a genny will hook you up or you can cart it over to snowkone.

not a war story but... um... i know he used one and he survived the burn *shrug*

if you're travelling from overseas, maybe consider waiting 'til you get here to buy a battery. seems silly to travel with one when you can pick them up at any auto store. and i'm sure someone would be happy to take it off your hands at the end of the burn. lots of people use 'em on the playa for power.

[Papa Bear]

I used one last year (with humidifier, which was *great*), and had no problems running it off a 12V deep cycle marine battery. Can't really say for sure how long I was able to run, though - that battery powered some other things, and I did recharge it a couple of times (though I was out there for two weeks).

My approach for battery sizing was to go to cpap.com, look up the battery system for my machine, check the specs tab to see how many aH it was, and then use their runtime estimator at the bottom of the page to figure out how long it would run.

From there, it was easy to size out a much cheaper marine battery elsewhere.

[nolongerharry]

So I got my hands on an original Resmed battery, supposedly made to last 8-13 hours. It lasted four. I'm a bit miffed about that. My guess is that there's nothing wrong with it, just my settings and humidifier consuming more than the normal amount of power. I'm on the phone with the hospital tomorrow.

A larger battery that'd last me the week would be amazing! It won't be free, but buying one over there and getting storage for it might not be the worst idea. Then I could get a nice tent too!

My machine is 24v, and I now have a 12v inverter. So if I just had a working battery..

[ygmir]

So I got my hands on an original Resmed battery, supposedly made to last 8-13 hours. It lasted four. I'm a bit miffed about that. My guess is that there's nothing wrong with it, just my settings and humidifier consuming more than the normal amount of power. I'm on the phone with the hospital tomorrow.

A larger battery that'd last me the week would be amazing! It won't be free, but buying one over there and getting storage for it might not be the worst idea. Then I could get a nice tent too!

My machine is 24v, and I now have a 12v inverter. So if I just had a working battery..

humidifier uses more power, and even moreso if heated type. I"m sure the power rating is for the basic unit, sans humidifier and such.

[Rusted Iron]

It will be nice when the implantable devices become affordable. A tiny shock in the chest every time you stop breathing and you are as right as dust...

[section1201]

It's been 4 years since this topic had any attention... what's new since then?

I'll be at my 10th burn this year, but it will be my first as a CPAP user -- my only experience with battery power CPAP in cold-night camping has been, too much condensation in the nose piece. (Cold outside air, + warm exhaling air = rain.) So I'll probably start with the "humidifier" feature off, but then see how it goes.

Any other developments on this front since 2015...?

[ygmir]

I built a non powered humidifier, that works pretty well.
5 gallon bucket, air plenum and high surface area material, so air flowing over it picks up enough moisture to help, and it uses way less power, since you're not running the heater for the humidifier to work. Otherwise, tech is about the same as far as I know.