What is Rainout?
Rainout, or water condensation in the CPAP hose, occurs when the warm, moist air in the hose cools before it can reach the warmth of the CPAP user's body. The problem is aggravated when the ambient temperature in the room is much colder than the warm moist air coming through the CPAP hose. It does not necessarily have to be cold outside to have this condition occur. In fact it often happens in warmer climates when people crank up their A/C to keep their house cool at night. There are solutions to rainout. One is to raise the temperature in the room. Another would be to turn down the humidifier settings to produce less moisture, but this could lead to irritation in the nasal passages. One of the most effective solutions to this problem is to use a SnuggleHose.
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What is a SnuggleHose?
The SnuggleHose is a product with four major benefits.
- Helps prevent rainout or water condensation in the CPAP hose
- Makes the hose feel good to the touch
- Eliminates the 'medical' look of the CPAP tubing
- Reduces noise from the hose rubbing against furniture
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| The SnuggleHose Story |
Bunny and Rhonda |
About five years ago Rhonda Godding was diagnosed with Obstructive Sleep Apnea and began therapy with a CPAP machine. She complained to her doctor about dry-mouth. He provided her with a heated humidifier and all was well. Then winter in Salt Lake City, Utah set in. The nights became cold and condensation started forming in the tubing. The water would spill into the mask and run into her eyes or up her nose and make gurgling or popping sounds. It was causing Rhonda more disruption to her sleep and she was forced to make another trip to her doctor.
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The doctor told her there was really nothing on the market to fix condensation. His suggestion was to run the hose under the bed clothes and snuggle it to keep it warmer so less condensation would form. Rhonda says, "I didn't snuggle that cold, hard, plastic hose. I kicked it out of bed. Then one day I visited my sister, Bunny, who just happened to be making fleece blankets, and SnuggleHose was born."
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Rhonda showed a SnuggleHose to her doctor who said, "This is really great! You should try to market this." You may have heard of products that were "developed by a pharmacist". Well Rhonda is a pharmacist and her sister Bunny is a pharmacy technician. Rhonda says, "We began with no real marketing skills. We got a business license and then we sent out ten emails to Internet sites that dealt with Sleep Apnea products. CPAP.com received one of those emails and John Goodman was one of three places that answered that very first letter. He said, 'Send me ten'."
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Sewing SnuggleHoses |
| The SnuggleHose Company Philosophy |
Preparing for packaging |
Today, Rhonda and her sister Bunny have changed pharmacy jobs so they can work fewer days dispensing medications and spend more time focusing on their ever growing SnuggleHose business. Rhonda says, "One of our goals is to improve the quality of sleep for every patient with OSA. Our motto is 'Every hose should have a SnuggleHose!'. SnuggleHoses are helping people sleep better and improving adherence to CPAP. We feel like we are doing our part to improve health and decrease the number of heart attacks, strokes and car crashes in the world."
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SnuggleHose thinks families are important and one of their goals is to allow women an alternate choice in the workplace. Rhonda says, "We want SnuggleHose to be the very best little company on the planet. We give a year-end bonus and offer a generous pay scale. There is no factory in India. We are operating SnuggleHose as a 'cottage' industry. This allows mothers who want to make some extra money an opportunity to work in their homes and according to their schedules. SnuggleHoses are not mass produced. They are individually sewn during the day while children are in school or in the evening when children are in bed. This provides a lot of extra income to the families and allows the mother to remain in the home instead of seeking traditional employment that would take her away from her children."
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The Embroidery Crew |
CPAP.com's Role
Rhonda continues CPAP.com has been helping us from the very beginning. They were one of the first who agreed to give our little product a try. Since then, they have become our best supporter. They have given us marketing suggestions and guidance. They have helped with new product development. User comments on CPAPtalk.com have been very encouraging and helpful. Bunny and I join together in thanking CPAP.com for their help and support over the past five years and we look forward to a wonderful relationship.
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