The CPAP Times Your Source for Sleep Apnea and CPAP News
Only some things get better with age – wine, classic cars, Salma Hayek – you get the point. And then there is the long list of things that definitely don’t get better with age, like most of those iPods you have stashed away. Also on that list of things that don’t age well: CPAP machines (and Mickey Rourke). After a few years, technology changes, people change, and we learn more about sleep apnea. Thusly, CPAP systems change and become better, more comfortable, and more intuitive. Imagine driving around in your old pinto and pulling up alongside some guy in a new car with leather seats, power steering and air conditioning – you’d feel kind of like a schmo, right?
Why Retire Your Old CPAP System?
Are you missing out by sticking with your old CPAP? You absolutely are. Sure, you’ve gotten used to your noisy, outmoded CPAP machine – you may have even gotten used to the condensation that builds up and forces you to change your pajamas in the middle of the night. But that’s the problem – you are merely gritting your teeth and tolerating these issues. With a new CPAP system, you won’t have to grin and bear it. CPAP is supposed make you want to wake up, get on a motorcycle and carpe diem – not wake up headachy, blowing snot rockets and wanting to call in sick to work. This is precisely the reason why you want to kick your old CPAP system to the curb.
What CPAPs Should I Be Replacing?
Ladies and gentleman, welcome to the CPAP Stone Age. First up is the M-Series from Respironics – a dinosaur, which may be fossilizing on your nightstand as we speak. In its day, the M-Series system – which was discontinued in 2009 – pioneered the first wave of algorithmic technology to control CPAP pressure. Since the M-Series, auto-titrating technology has made leaps and bounds in terms of technological advancement and improvement. Next on the list is the S8 Escape from ResMed, which was discontinued in 2011 – sure it offers heated humidification and expiratory pressure relief, but it is also clunky, unintuitive and it just looks old-fashioned. Also on that list of fossils is the Transcend from Somnetics, which these days doesn’t transcend much – it barely even passes for a CPAP machine. One reviewer summed up this CPAP system perfectly: “”If you want [the] Sahara Desert blowing through your respiratory system, buy this product!” Indeed, users complained about the Transcend being too loud, too intense and too uncomfortable. In the end, you are better off transcending to a new CPAP experience.
What CPAP System Should I Replace My Old System With?
Well, if you have been using any of the aforementioned CPAPs, or any old-fashioned CPAP for that matter, your mind is going to be literally blown when you try the S9 AutoSet from ResMed. You know that feeling when you test drive a really nice new car – that new-car smell, the coolness of the rich mahogany-looking dashboard and the tunes mellifluously drifting out of the sound system? That’s sort of the same feeling you’ll get when you upgrade to the S9, an auto-titrating CPAP system that offers unprecedented comfort and intuitiveness. With this system’s AutoSet Advantage algorithm and expiratory pressure relief technology, you get the ideal pressure settings each time you inhale and exhale. No more almost hitting the nail on the head, this system will give you the optimal pressure setting every time.
At the end of the day, your old CPAP system is not impervious to the winds of change or the obsolescence of technology. But think about it this way: obsolescence isn’t such a bad thing – it means that CPAP systems are getting more advanced. When it comes to battling your obstructive sleep apnea, CPAP manufacturers are always testing newer and better technologies to provide the most comfortable experience possible. So, if you have one of the above CPAP systems, or a CPAP system that has been discontinued in the last couple of years, it may be time for an upgrade. When it comes down to it, a CPAP upgrade means a life upgrade and nothing can come close to beating that.
