Do Many of You Have the Ramp Feature Turned Off?

Started with out auto ramp, now I use 5 minutes and it doesn't bother me so no need to change anything, sleep like a baby

After several days I turned it off, that was 12 years ago.

Used the ramp for the first month after I got my machine, then turned it off.

I've never used the ramp and never been tempted. I like to know where my pressure stands from the gitgo. Hey, that's just me.

I had it set for a 5 minute ramp since I started more than 2 years ago.... it gives me a chance to get settled into bed before my higher pressures kick in

A motorcycle trike, doesn't have training wheels it doesn't need them, it just needs common sense when cornering, since it can't lean and lower it's center of gravity.

If the same rules were applied to XPAP they would only run on baby pressure and there would be no need to ever go to treatment pressure. Basically they would be selling non treatment, just a little worse that selling Bricks.

I think I used the ramp a couple of times the first week, then turned it off.

I never liked it, I couldn't breath at the low setting so I turned it off as soon as I read how.

I only used it for a few days.

I used it for a week and then ditched it.

I quit using ramp after a few days. It might not be a big deal for me because my pressure is only 6.0. But the increasing pressure seemed to bother me more than starting out at the constant pressure.

I have a love/hate relationship with the ramp feature. I hate when they are set to a low pressure for a long period and the user is not properly educated and hasn't been advised against overuse of the feature. It's a recipe for trouble, and I suffered under this for several months before arriving here and learning more about it. However, when I first mask up and settle in, I do a lot of throat clearing and coughing and I like the idea of not having that mess included in my data. Not sure exactly, but my ramp is set for about 5 minutes at a starting pressure of 9. (My treatment pressure is 13.) Even when still awake, I am not even aware of the pressure changing. Guess I'm not a sensitive one. My use of the ramp has nothing to do with comfort or getting used to the air flow. If not for the data factor, I'd turn it off.

Never used ramp since 2 years of using APAP. Range is from 7-14.

I think ramp may be an advanced feature. If you don't set it correctly you suffer and welcome the chance to shut it off. If you follow some basic guidelines it can make adjusting to xPAP a little easier.

I had help when setting mine up from a very good RT who also uses xPAP. He explained to me that the theory behind ramp is that your soft pallet doesn't suddenly collapse as you fall asleep. It gradually looses tone as you relax and drift into sleep. Ramp gradually builds pressure to offset this relax.

The main issue is to set the starting pressure at about 75% of your average pressure. That way you don't feel starved for air. The next issue is how long to ramp over.

In my case I used an oximeter and a fitbit to get an idea of how long it takes for me to drift to sleep. During this transition I am relaxing and letting go of the day. I tracked this over a couple of weeks and in my case I am usually sleeping in roughly 10 minutes. I set my ramp duration for 5 minutes. This way as I relax my pressure gradually builds and by the time I drift off I am at full pressure and not disturbed by pressure fluctuations.

Most people that take the time to customize the ramp feature to their sleeping habits find that it makes xPAP therapy more tolerable. That means more comfort and that means more willingness to work through any problems that come up and stick with it.

Most DME's and doctors don't know how to properly set up the ramp feature so it is probably better if people just shut it off.

Is ramp necessary? No.

Can ramp help you drift off to sleep faster and in doing so give you a better nights rest? Yes.

I think of it as fine tuning. Basic therapy is good but I am interested in the best for me. In the end it is an individual choice.

Attitude plays a big part in xPAP therapy.

If you view masking up as a burden, you probably are not receptive to tweaking the fine adjustments. You just want to make it through the night and wake up with the mask still on and a favorable AHI report.

On the other hand if you view masking up as a chance to regain lost energy and xPAP therapy as the conduit to revive your energy so you can jump out of bed in the morning ready to greet the day with enthusiasm, then you may want to pay attention to the fine tweaks available and optimize the therapy to best suit you.

I'm still pretty new to my APAP but I either leave the ramp in auto mode or i set it to an amount of time i feel i'm likely to be awake for before falling asleep. Occasionally I'll turn it off if I know I'm going to be out like a light.

Not sure my vote really counts since my minimum pressure is only 4 and I don't get much above a 7 or 8 for most of the night. Probably in reality the ramp is more psychological than necessary in my case but it's not causing any harm that I'm aware of. My thought is that if it helps, use it and if it doesn't, don't.