Our Collective Wisdom
Hose Management and Aerophagia (Mile High Sleeper) (Machine) |
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Solving Common Machine Problems See also Common Side Effects in cpap.com Answers section, https://www.cpap.com/cpap-faq/Common-CPAP-Side-Effects.html#FGID-158 Hose management Catch Me If You Can A manufacturer’s product photo shows an incorrect setup, the dangling hose. Help from https://www.cpap.com: “CPAP hose management becomes more important to side sleepers. The hose should never hang between the CPAP and the bed. This weight will put a side force on the mask, causing leaks and discomfort. A portion of the hose should be lying on the bed so that the forces it places on the mask are minimized.” Start with the machine set below your head level, on a night table’s lowest shelf or low footstool, to minimize condensation or rainout from the humidifier and reduce noise, and to prevent a flood if the humidifier tips over while you are using it. Attach the hose to the mattress and then headboard or wall. Use a clamp, cup hook, twister tie, or large safety pin holding an elastic ponytail band or Scrunci, then thread in the hose. Or use a hose clip as seen in the discussion thread http://www.cpaptalk.com/viewtopic.php?t=10498 See a product which does this at https://www.cpap.com/productpage/HoseBuddy-CPAP-Hose-Suspension-System.html When the hose comes from above your head, it has room to coil on the bed, reducing pulling on the mask which then reduces mask leaks. It makes it easier to change positions from side to side or back. It eliminates the problem of keeping the hose under or over your arm or under or over the bed covers. Exception: with a mask like the Teleflex Hybrid Universal Full Face CPAP Mask with Nasal Pillows, the hose must come from beneath, or else it will make the vent noisy. Aerophagia, bloating, swallowing air Finding Neverland This may be a temporary condition as you adjust to xPAP or a new mask, or it may be recurring or ongoing. Symptoms range from being painful to being merely socially embarrassing. See your doctor to rule out other related digestive disorders. From https://www.cpap.com: “AEROPHAGIA. The word \"phage\" in Greek means \"to eat.\" Aerophagia is literally to eat air. In the modern context, it means swallowing too much air, a common cause of gas in the stomach and belching. This is sometimes a result of CPAP Therapy. Unfortunately, the best solutions for this problem are not a catch all but instead an attempt to find the middle ground between needed CPAP pressures. Here\'s what you can do: 1. Tell your CPAP prescribing physician. It may be better to decrease the CPAP level a bit and put up with some minor airway problems if we can significantly decrease the bloating. Sometimes this works great, sometimes not at all. An auto adjusting CPAP should also be considered as these machines reduce the average pressure the user receives. Get help setting the maximum pressure on the auto as the highest pressures can make things much worse. 2. As the chin of a CPAP user nears the chest, air has a greater chance of entering the digestive tract. Where possible, keep chin up in relation to the torso. 3. Sleeping in a position different than normal helps keep the air out of the stomach. Try different sleeping positions. Left side, right side, inclined with pillows, or flat.” More ideas to eliminate aerophagia: • Try a bed wedge to sleep with the head elevated. • To keep your chin up, try a PAPillow at http://www.talkaboutsleep.com, neck pillow, or memory foam pillow, but make sure it’s compatible with your mask when you sleep on your side. You should be able to fit your fist between your chin and chest. • Try an APAP machine. If already on APAP, reduce your top pressure, as long as your AHI (apnea hypopnea index) continues to remain low; or try the straight CPAP mode. • Try a BiPAP machine or auto BiPAP machine. Ideas to cope with aerophagia: • Drink carbonated water or a fizzy beverage in the morning to help belch out gas. • Use wind-relieving yoga postures that compress your abdomen in the privacy of your bathroom or boudoir. • For digestive gas in the stomach, try over-the-counter simethicone products like Gas-X. • For digestive gas in the intestines, try over-the-counter activated charcoal tablets. • Read Controlling Intestinal Gas http://www.aboutibs.org/Publications/gas.html Sources: Based on personal experience with obstructive sleep apnea and gleaned from the collective wisdom of cpaptalk.com contributors, and Answers at https://www.cpap.com. Want more? See the blog peer coaching articles on Machine Choices and Solving Common Equipment Problems at http://smart-sleep-apnea.blogspot.com . Not written by healthcare professionals. The information and opinions offered are not intended or recommended as a substitute for professional medical advice. © Mile High Sleeper, September 2006-2008. Permission to use for free educational purposes. |
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