The cannula is hurting my ears — what can I do?

Check the skin behind your ears and around your nose regularly, use soft padding or ear cushions, and reposition the tubing to share the pressure. Use a water-based moisturiser for dry skin. If skin breaks down or blisters, contact your team for padding or a different interface.

I feel I am getting less oxygen — what should I check?

Check the tubing first for kinks, crushing or trapped sections, which reduce or stop the flow, and keep it untangled and clear of walkways. If tubing is damaged, replace it as your supplier advises. If breathing is genuinely worse, call for help — do not turn the oxygen up.

What happens in a power cut?

The concentrator needs mains power, so switch to your back-up cylinder — know where it is and how. Tell your electricity provider you depend on a concentrator so you can get priority for power restoration, and keep your supplier’s 24-hour number to hand.

Should I turn my oxygen up if I feel more breathless?

No — never. Oxygen is set at a safe rate, and too much can be harmful. Breathlessness not caused by low oxygen is not helped by more oxygen. Use your breathing techniques and prescribed medicines and follow your plan; if breathlessness is severe or not easing, call for help.

Managing Home Oxygen Side Effects & Problems

Q: How do I manage a dry or sore nose from oxygen?

Use a water-based lubricating gel or saline drops or spray, and stay well hydrated. Never use petroleum- or oil-based products such as petroleum jelly, which are a fire risk near oxygen — ask your pharmacist if unsure. If dryness persists, your team may add humidification.

Written & reviewed by the BestDoctors.sg editorial team · Last updated 28 Aug 2026 · General information, not medical advice

Home oxygen has a few common, manageable side effects — mostly to do with dryness and the cannula — and a handful of practical equipment hiccups that are easily sorted once you know how. Alongside these, there is one rule that matters above all: never turn your own oxygen up to try to feel less breathless. This guide covers the everyday problems and their fixes, and points you to the red flags that need urgent help.

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In a medical emergency, or for severe or sudden symptoms such as breathing difficulty, chest pain, fainting or stroke signs, call 995 immediately.

This is general information and does not replace your team’s advice. Never increase your own oxygen flow rate. Call 995 for severe or worsening breathlessness, blue lips or fingertips, chest pain, or if the person becomes unusually drowsy, confused or hard to wake.

Dry or sore nose

The steady flow of oxygen dries the nose, and a dry or sore nose, dry mouth and throat, crusting and the occasional nosebleed are common. Manage a dry nose with a water-based lubricating gel or saline drops or spray, and stay well hydrated. Never use petroleum- or oil-based products such as petroleum jelly, which are a fire risk near oxygen — if unsure whether a product is safe, ask your pharmacist. If dryness keeps troubling you, your team may add humidification.

Sore skin from the cannula

The cannula tubing rests behind the ears and around the nostrils and cheeks, and can rub or press, so soreness there is common. Check these areas regularly, use soft padding or ear cushions, and reposition the tubing to share the pressure around. A water-based moisturiser helps dry skin. If the skin starts to break down or blister, do not just carry on — contact your team or supplier, who can supply padding or a different type of interface to relieve the pressure.

Tubing problems

A kinked, crushed or trapped tube reduces or stops the flow of oxygen, so if you feel you are getting less, check the tubing first for kinks and trapped sections. Keep it untangled and clear of walkways and stairs, both to keep the flow steady and because trailing tubing is a trip hazard. If the tubing is split or damaged, replace it as your supplier advises. Often a simple check of the tubing solves an apparent problem. It is worth getting into the habit of glancing along the tubing whenever you feel your oxygen might be low, before assuming the machine is at fault.

Equipment alarms and power cuts

If the concentrator alarms, a cylinder runs low, or the tubing disconnects, contact your oxygen supplier — often on a 24-hour line — for equipment problems, and your respiratory team for clinical concerns. Because the concentrator needs mains power, keep your back-up cylinder ready for a power cut and know how to switch over to it. Telling your electricity provider that you depend on a concentrator can help you get priority for having power restored. Keep both the supplier’s and team’s numbers where you can find them.

Never turn the oxygen up

This is the most important self-management rule of all. If you feel more breathless, do not turn the oxygen up to try to fix it. Oxygen is prescribed at a set rate for your safety, and too much can be harmful — in some conditions, dangerously so. Breathlessness that is not caused by low oxygen is not helped by more oxygen; instead, use your breathing techniques and prescribed inhalers or medicines, and follow your team’s plan. If breathlessness is severe or not easing, that is a reason to call for help, not to change the dial.

Minor versus red-flag symptoms

Most side effects are minor and easily managed. But some symptoms are warning signs, not minor niggles. New or increasing drowsiness, confusion or muddled thinking, or a headache that is worse in the morning can mean the body is holding on to too much carbon dioxide, and must not be ignored — contact your team urgently, and if the person is very drowsy or hard to wake, call 995. Our when to get help guide sets out the full red flags.

Keeping numbers to hand and when to call

To sum up: for a dry nose or sore skin, use water-based products and padding; for tubing or equipment problems, check the tubing and call your supplier; and never adjust your flow yourself. Contact your respiratory team the same day for skin breaking down, persistent nosebleeds, or new mild drowsiness or morning headaches. Call 995 for severe breathlessness, blue lips, chest pain, or marked drowsiness or confusion. A good habit is to write both numbers somewhere obvious, such as near the concentrator, so anyone in the home can find them quickly in a hurry. In Singapore, keep your supplier’s and respiratory team’s numbers, and your back-up cylinder, ready.

Sources

University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire NHS — Oxygen at home: uhcw.nhs.uk
NHS — Home oxygen treatment: nhs.uk
Asthma + Lung UK — Living with home oxygen: asthmaandlung.org.uk
Asthma + Lung UK — Managing COPD flare-ups: asthmaandlung.org.uk

General information only. This guide supports — but does not replace — the advice of your respiratory team and oxygen supplier, who set your oxygen and tailor it to you. Never change your own oxygen flow rate, and never smoke or allow naked flames near oxygen. Oxygen is prescribed for low blood oxygen, not to relieve breathlessness on its own. Call 995 if breathing becomes severe or does not ease as usual, if the lips or fingertips turn blue, for chest pain, or if the person becomes unusually drowsy, confused or hard to wake (a possible build-up of carbon dioxide from too much oxygen). If you are struggling emotionally, you are not alone — the Samaritans of Singapore (SOS) are on 1767 and mindline.sg on 1771.

Managing Oxygen Side Effects & Problems (Singapore)