Will we ever adjust?

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
Tahera1979

Will we ever adjust?

Post by Tahera1979 » Thu Mar 02, 2017 1:30 pm

Hi all,

I am the spouse of a CPAP user and I am having a very hard time adjusting to the noise that is coming from the CPAP machine.

My husband has recently started using the machine and his snoring has improved a lot but he still snores when laying on his back. Is this normal? It's very frustrating as I keep having to turn him at night and it disturbs both of our sleep.

When he first started using the machine he had a major leak and his mask has been exchanged to a bigger model which is better but I feel that breathing in is still very noisy and especially with the filters in there is a squirking sound we can't get rid of.

I am a very light sleeper and I would be so happy to hear any advise, if any on how to improve the noise the machine and mask makes.

I would highly appreciate any suggestions.

Many thanks!

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Pugsy
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Re: Will we ever adjust?

Post by Pugsy » Thu Mar 02, 2017 1:43 pm

Tahera1979 wrote:his snoring has improved a lot but he still snores when laying on his back. Is this normal? It's very frustrating as I keep having to turn him at night and it disturbs both of our sleep.
Most likely he needs a pressure adjust when on his back. Whatever pressure he is using isn't enough to quite get the job done when he is on his back. It's very common to need more pressure when on one's back.

Some masks are just noisier than others in terms of normal vent noise.
Some machines are noisier than others even with no leaks being present.
Noises can increase if pressures increase or leaks are high.

What brand and model machine is he using?
What mask is he using?
What pressure setting is he using?

Without more specific information it's really hard to offer more than generalities.

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Julie
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Re: Will we ever adjust?

Post by Julie » Thu Mar 02, 2017 1:53 pm

Some use a backpack with a towel, etc. inside to keep from flipping in their sleep til they get used to side sleeping.

PS - it's best to stick to one thread with various questions so we can follow your story and make sense of different features taken together.

Tahera1979

Re: Will we ever adjust?

Post by Tahera1979 » Thu Mar 02, 2017 1:57 pm

Hi Julie,

Thank you very much and I will do so for any future posts. I don't see an edit button.

@ Pugsy, I will send you the information as soon as I have it. My DH is sleeping so I will send it to as soon as I can.

Thank you for all the advise. It is very helpful!

Tahera1979

Re: Will we ever adjust?

Post by Tahera1979 » Thu Mar 02, 2017 2:04 pm

[quote="Julie"]Some use a backpack with a towel, etc. inside to keep from flipping in their sleep til they get used to side sleeping.

He gets back pain from sleeping in one position only. Is it normal to snore with the CPAP or could it be related to the pressure as mentioned above?

Do you all still snore when laying on your backs? Sorry for all these questions.

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Pugsy
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Re: Will we ever adjust?

Post by Pugsy » Thu Mar 02, 2017 2:11 pm

Snoring is a sign the pressure isn't doing a good job holding the airway open.

It's common for our OSA to be worse when sleeping on our backs (and in REM stage sleep too) and it's common to need more pressure when we are on our backs (or in REM stage sleep).

Staying off one's back isn't always an option for any number of reasons and there's really no reason to have to be doing something that causes pain or more sleep disruptions.
Optimal pressure settings will allow anyone to sleep in any position and still hold the airway open and prevent the snoring and apnea events.

A person should be able to sleep in any position with any mask and have their OSA be effectively treated. It's just a matter of maybe having a little pressure adjustment to cover the times they need more pressure no matter why they need more pressure.
Easy to do. I had to do it because my OSA is worse in REM.

_________________
Machine: AirCurve™ 10 VAuto BiLevel Machine with HumidAir™ Heated Humidifier
Additional Comments: Mask Bleep Eclipse https://bleepsleep.com/the-eclipse/
I may have to RISE but I refuse to SHINE.

If you want to try the Eclipse mask and want a special promo code to get a little off the price...send me a private message.

Tahera1979

Re: Will we ever adjust?

Post by Tahera1979 » Thu Mar 02, 2017 2:18 pm

Thank you so much for sharing your experience and that is good to know.

We have recently been to the doctor to check the pressure and they told us everything is fine. It is not uncommon though to having to back and forth till we get an issue fixed so it might be a good idea to go back till they end up sorting it out. This is our third night with the new mask so I am thinking of monitoring it for a few days and go back to the doctor if it doesn't improve at all.

It's good to know that it can be easily fixed though.

By any chance do you use distilled water for the humidifying option and does that have any impact on sound of the machine?

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Julie
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Re: Will we ever adjust?

Post by Julie » Thu Mar 02, 2017 2:22 pm

You should always use DW in the hum. tank except i.e. if you're out of town or out of DW, in which case tap water can be used with no problem, but if you use it long term then the tank can get a bit scummy and need cleaning. Don't confuse (some do) DW for e.g. any bottled water, or mineral water, etc.

Tahera1979

Re: Will we ever adjust?

Post by Tahera1979 » Thu Mar 02, 2017 2:29 pm

Perfect, will do that. I am dreading to go to sleep tonight but fingers crossed that I will be able to adjust and we will both start having a good night's sleep.

I will send you the machine specific information in the morning.

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Pugsy
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Re: Will we ever adjust?

Post by Pugsy » Thu Mar 02, 2017 2:41 pm

Distilled water or tap water won't affect the noise or sounds from the machine.

Now maybe not using any water at all might make the machine louder...I had that happen just recently with a new machine.
Tried it in the kitchen without any water in the water chamber and thought for a minute I had a jet engine in there...then moved it to the bedroom and added water and it became silent.

The distilled water recommendation is mainly to avoid the mineral build up in the water chamber that we can get from tap water depending on the mineral content of your tap water.
I use distilled water because where I live (on well water too) there is a really high iron and limestone/calcium mineral content of our water. It doesn't take long using well water to make the water chamber a bit yucky looking. Easily cleaned though with some vinegar and water. I had to use well water for a while once because of icy roads and couldn't get to town and ran out of distilled.

_________________
Machine: AirCurve™ 10 VAuto BiLevel Machine with HumidAir™ Heated Humidifier
Additional Comments: Mask Bleep Eclipse https://bleepsleep.com/the-eclipse/
I may have to RISE but I refuse to SHINE.

If you want to try the Eclipse mask and want a special promo code to get a little off the price...send me a private message.

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chunkyfrog
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Re: Will we ever adjust?

Post by chunkyfrog » Thu Mar 02, 2017 2:50 pm

Even with distilled water, tanks eventually need cleaning anyway.
It's good to check every now and then. I give mine the sniff test.

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Chilibit
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Re: Will we ever adjust?

Post by Chilibit » Thu Mar 02, 2017 4:03 pm

Tahera1979 Is the machine one that can sense the need to adjust or does it operate at a fixed pressure that is manually set?

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ChicagoGranny
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Re: Will we ever adjust?

Post by ChicagoGranny » Thu Mar 02, 2017 4:33 pm

Tahera1979 wrote:I will send you the machine specific information in the morning.
For best results, register and fill out the equipment profile - https://www.cpaptalk.com/ucp.php?i=prof ... pment_info

The model number of the machine might be on a tag on the bottom. Be sure to dump the humidifier water before you turn the machine over.

D.H.
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Re: Will we ever adjust?

Post by D.H. » Thu Mar 02, 2017 9:10 pm

Chilibit wrote:Tahera1979 Is the machine one that can sense the need to adjust or does it operate at a fixed pressure that is manually set?
Please state the machine model, the humidifier model, the mask model, and your husband's prescription settings. Better yet, please put it in the profile. OK, you can't put the pressure, so please post that.

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Tahera1979

Re: Will we ever adjust?

Post by Tahera1979 » Fri Mar 03, 2017 3:54 am

Hi there,

Thank you for all the useful advises.

Following are the descriptions:

CPAP: Dreamstation CPAP Pro w/ HUM INX400H15

Mask: Amara View Full Face Mask

We had a different mask previously but my husband feels more comfortable with this new mask as it's not leaking that much anymore.
Unfortunately last night was a hassle again and he kept snoring off and on. The only position he doesn't snore is when he is laying on his back.

He has gone to see the doctor a few weeks back and he told him to use it for a month and only come back then.
It's very frustrating for me as again I didn't manage to get much sleep and it's taking a toll on us.

Is there anything we can do at this stage? I appreciate the support!