New CPAP, New Rules, and Acid Reflux

Hello all,

I'm a 30 year old female who is not overweight, but has the "anatomy" of sleep apnea. I also have acid reflux. I just got the Resmed AirFit 10, a much better machine in my opinion. I went to the secret cinical settings, and had to play around with the settings. It was between 7-20 auto, and I was waking up with so much air in my stomach I was in pain. I dropped it to Constant Pressure at a 6, and this seems to give me enough sleep but isn't quite enough air; 7 is too high and gives me too much air. Can I sent it to 6.6 at constant pressure without damaging it or at autopap between 6-6.6? I also sometimes wake up with some trouble breathing from the acid reflux. I have already propped myself up. Any ideas?

Thanks,
Lisa

You can use any setting the machine lets you use. If it lets you use 6.6 you are not going to hurt the machine. 7 to 20 is almost wide open and possibly the cause of your issues.

Looking at your data would show you where the machine is going during the night and I would suspect it is the upper end of the pressure settings which are giving you the most problem, not the low end. Looking at the data may show you spend almost no time at the lower end at all.

Used to have Acid issues myself and got it to stop by stop taking antacids which turn out to actually make the problem worse and changed my diet and what and when I ate. Rarely have it now and when I do it always points to not following my eating rules.

Thank you so much! I will try it on 6.6. I think my acid reflux causes it to go up higher than it needs to be. When I took a sleep test, they put me at 5, but I'm a zombine when the machine is on that level. I really appreciate it.

About propping yourself up - how are you accomplishing that? Sleeping on a pile of pillows can allow so much shifting that may compromise the airway and require more pressure. If that could be an issue, there are ways to prop up without pillows. Or it might help to use something like a cervical collar so your chin can't tuck under. Never hurts to just see if keeping the neck aligned helps you get by with a lower pressure. If you happen to have a significant positional component to your sleep apnea (your report should have that information) maybe side sleeping could also help you get by with a lower pressure.