If you have sleep apnea that you treat with a CPAP machine, you shouldn't only use this machine at home. It's also important to take it with you whenever you're away for the night, whether you're on a summer road trip with friends, a work-related conference in a different city, or visiting family around the holidays. Using your CPAP machine every night, regardless of where you lay your head, will help you to successfully deal with your sleep apnea. In addition to taking the machine and its essential supplies, it can be a good idea to buy some extra CPAP supplies before your trip. Here are some products to buy.

Extra Battery

While you can plug a lot of CPAP machines into a wall outlet, many can also operate by battery. Unless you've just added a new battery to your machine, it's a good idea to carry a spare. You don't want the current battery to lose power, especially if you'll be relying on it for the machine to run. For example, if you're on a camping trip and don't have access to a wall outlet, you'll be fully reliant on the battery. Having a backup battery that you can use should the need arise can help you to not worry about the machine dying.

Extra Hose

You should also think about buying a backup air hose to take when you travel with your CPAP machine. The hose that you currently use may last for a very long time, but travel can sometimes jeopardize its integrity. For example, if you're at the airport and a security agent has removed certain items from your luggage to inspect them, they might inadvertently twist or kink the hose to the point that it develops a tiny crack. This issue would affect the hose's ability to do its job, so having a backup could come in handy.

Chin Strap

It doesn't hurt to have a backup CPAP chin strap before you travel, especially if you're planning to be away for a long time. The elastic nature of chin straps means that they can stretch to some degree over time. The chin strap needs to be tight enough to hold your mouth closed to prevent mouth breathing, but if the device is old and has stretched, it may fail to do the job. Mouth breathing when you're only wearing a mask over your nose can be a concern, so you'll appreciate being able to reach for your backup chin strap.