Extreme flatulence every morning since CPAP

Hi,

I am still getting used to wearing CPAP as I am a first timer since I recently got diagnosed. This is a really embarrassing question to ask, but every morning now since like the 1st week (it's only been 2 weeks), I wake up with extreme gas. I will fart for hours in the morning and then it finally calms down by the afternoon. But it's every day and this didn't start until I got the CPAP machine.

Has this happened to anyone else? Someone suggested Beano, but like you take with usually with a meal. I am sleeping for 8 hours before this happens and don't eat breakfast until I actually get to work. This is just so ridiculous and seems abnormal. Any ideas are welcome.

What pressure level/s are you using on your machine? Do you sleep on your side? Or on your back? If you sleep on your side are you sleeping on your right side more then your left?

Air in your stomach from your cpap seams to be worse for side sleepers especially if the sleep on the right side. Something to with physiology and the position of our internal organs that makes it easier for air to get in that way.

Any history of gerd or other stomach or heartburn problems?

If your using normal cpap now upgrading to an a auto PAP that could be set to a lower starting pressure may help as well. I know I have less issues with air in my system after switching to an auto PAP with a starting pressure of 11 that can move as high as it needs to later rather then strait cpap at 13.5 or 14.

Luckily for me when it happens I just have horrible time with burping first thing as I wake up. Like lunytunes burp out the whole alphabet in one go.

There options to look into for sure to help with this issue.

Wish you the best of luck and keep us in the loop on how this works out for you.

Gryphon

Yeah, it's common.
It's called aerophagia and some people just get the farts and some people get the massive belches and some people get it worse where there is a lot of pain or bloating or nausea.
Read up on it here
wiki/index.php/Aerophagia

There are some things you can do to lessen the annoyance though. Make use of any exhale relief you might have available on your machine or even reducing the pressure or limiting the pressure (assuming it doesn't compromise therapy).

OMG. You guys really know what is going on. I had no idea.

So to give you more info on me. I am a side and stomach sleeper. I have a CPAP pillow. My machine is already on auto as that was how my treatment was planned. My average pressure per night is 12.9. I already have the exhale relief set to there is the least resistance on the breath out.

This is so terrible and ridiculous.I guess I will look up the info you guys provided and see if there is anything I can do to make it better. It's like super intense. I don't want my coworkers to hate me and I can't work from the bathroom all morning.

Sometimes reducing the pressure or limiting the pressure will help ....sometimes it doesn't.
Worth trying...just make sure you keep an eye on the software results so that you don't let too many apnea events slip past the defenses.
Do you know about the software?
https://sleep.tnet.com/equipment

If you are getting that 12.9 pressure off the machine or MyAir website it isn't an overall average but instead it is what we call a 95% pressure and all that means is where you were at OR BELOW for 95% of the night. It's not where you were at or what you averaged for the night.
The "or below" part of the definition is often overlooked or not understood.

Pugsy wrote:Sometimes reducing the pressure or limiting the pressure will help ....sometimes it doesn't.
Worth trying...just make sure you keep an eye on the software results so that you don't let too many apnea events slip past the defenses.
Do you know about the software?
https://sleep.tnet.com/equipment

If you are getting that 12.9 pressure off the machine or MyAir website it isn't an overall average but instead it is what we call a 95% pressure and all that means is where you were at OR BELOW for 95% of the night. It's not where you were at or what you averaged for the night.
The "or below" part of the definition is often overlooked or not understood.

Yeah I need to take the SD card out and plug it into my computer to get started with Sleepyhead. I just haven't done it yet. But yeah that number was from the machine. Supposedly from the machine too my average apneas is less than 1 and always has been in these 2 weeks, but I know that is not completely as accurate as Sleepyhead would be.

This whole situation is enlightening because I really didn't even know this problem happened to people. Everyone is like oh yeah I have a CPAP, but no one says they have this issue when we talk. I felt like I was a weirdo, but I guess not. I guess I probably still am in other ways.

Another thing I've found that helps, and may work for you because you're a side / stomach sleeper also, is angling my face slightly downward, as opposed to sideways or even slightly upward. Not sure why it works, but I get a *lot* less air into the digestive tract this way. I use a soft pillow and kind of sleep on the edge of it so that my face can be at that slightly downward angle. Of course, this means I need a small mask without much protrusion, so if you use a larger mask, it may be more difficult for you.

I have the problem intermittently and never really bad except for a couple of times a long time ago.
It may lessen with time for you or you may need to make some minor little adjustments to lessen the annoyance.
If you are using EPR exhale relief and not using the setting of 3...that's the first thing I would try if it were me.
If you are already using EPR at 3 then I would maybe look at the reports and think about limiting the maximum (if you are using apap mode) and see if that can help.

Sometimes keeping the machine from going quite so high will keep enough air from entering the gut that the problem will reduce.
In terms of holding your airway open it is the minimum pressure (if using apap mode) that is the most critical and sometimes we can reduce the maximum and help the aerophagia and not harm the therapy.

If you are using fixed pressures then sometimes a small reduction in pressure will help. It all depends on where the line is for the pressure that is letting the are to sneak into the stomach.

i'm sensitive to gas with cpap as well. what i have found that works for me is gas-x. it's over the counter and widely available at drug stores. i chew two tablets before masking up. it doesn't get rid of the gas completely as i still get a bit of a rumbley tummy, but no gas escaping from either end.

hope it works for you.

Musicachic wrote:Hi,

I am still getting used to wearing CPAP as I am a first timer since I recently got diagnosed. This is a really embarrassing question to ask, but every morning now since like the 1st week (it's only been 2 weeks), I wake up with extreme gas. I will fart for hours in the morning and then it finally calms down by the afternoon. But it's every day and this didn't start until I got the CPAP machine.

Has this happened to anyone else? Someone suggested Beano, but like you take with usually with a meal. I am sleeping for 8 hours before this happens and don't eat breakfast until I actually get to work. This is just so ridiculous and seems abnormal. Any ideas are welcome.

XPAP causes everything bad that will ever happen to you. growing older every day has nothing to do with your life! Jim

My XPAP causes me to eat Chili and Soup Beans, never had any luck with Beano!

The bullfrog gets up (and out) of the bedroom ahead of me because he knows that
when I am sitting on the edge of the bed, getting dressed--that is what releases the scud missiles.

chunkyfrog wrote: that is what releases the scud missiles.

Too much info, but funny as hell...hahaha
Happens every day at my house, management not on cpap but still they come...

coconur wrote:Another thing I've found that helps, and may work for you because you're a side / stomach sleeper also, is angling my face slightly downward, as opposed to sideways or even slightly upward. Not sure why it works, but I get a *lot* less air into the digestive tract this way. I use a soft pillow and kind of sleep on the edge of it so that my face can be at that slightly downward angle. Of course, this means I need a small mask without much protrusion, so if you use a larger mask, it may be more difficult for you.

Lowering the chin toward the chest constricts the airway - you may have more events or require higher pressure. Keeping the chin erect so that the neck is in line with the back is the best position for airway patency.

ChicagoGranny wrote:

coconur wrote:Another thing I've found that helps, and may work for you because you're a side / stomach sleeper also, is angling my face slightly downward, as opposed to sideways or even slightly upward. Not sure why it works, but I get a *lot* less air into the digestive tract this way. I use a soft pillow and kind of sleep on the edge of it so that my face can be at that slightly downward angle. Of course, this means I need a small mask without much protrusion, so if you use a larger mask, it may be more difficult for you.

Lowering the chin toward the chest constricts the airway - you may have more events or require higher pressure. Keeping the chin erect so that the neck is in line with the back is the best position for airway patency.

Not what I meant. Sorry it was ambiguous. I don't have my chin pointing toward my chest at all. By downward I meant slightly toward the sheet, as opposed to sideways or slightly toward the ceiling. If anything, it's also slightly toward the headboard as well, so not toward my chest. Thanks for the clarification.

You guys have made this terrible situation pretty funny. I'm going to try some of the suggestions and try to keep my sense of humor about it.