Still Snoring

[No REM]

Hi Everyone,
my wife told me i started snoring last night. Could a low pressure setting be the cause of my snoring? It looks like the setting is at 8.0. thanks all

[Wulfman]

Hi Everyone,
my wife told me i started snoring last night. Could a low pressure setting be the cause of my snoring? It looks like the setting is at 8.0. thanks all

That could be ONE reason. If you're wearing a nasal mask and you're leaking your therapy air out your mouth, you're not getting much therapy. So, that could be another reason.

I'm guessing you probably don't have a data-capable machine, either......do you?

Please register on the forum and fill in what your equipment consists of.


Den

[No REM]

I am using a Mask (full face comfort gel), my machine (M series with heated humidifier) is data capable. there is a card in there right now, but i do not have the software or card reader.

[Wulfman]

I am using a Mask (full face comfort gel), my machine (M series with heated humidifier) is data capable. there is a card in there right now, but i do not have the software or card reader.

WHICH M Series machine? It should have the model name on the top. If it's the "Plus", it's NOT "data-capable" and the card only collects the amount of time it's been used. If it is the "Pro" model, then it IS data-capable.


Den

[DJ_Boxer]

Wulfman: you beat me to it because of a slowed network/computer. Also if your's says Auto on the top then yes those are data capable. Mine for example: REMStar Auto M with A-Flex.

DJ

[No REM]

don't know the exact model number, but this link https://www.cpap.com/productpage-bundle ... ndleID=115, describes what i have. i checked the top panel for the pressure and it is set to 8.0.
thanks

[Wulfman]

OK. That link shows the M Series "Plus". As I said, it won't show anything other than the hours used.
How long have you been at this? If you're still within the first month, and got your equipment from a local provider, you might be able to twist their arm to get you the M Series Pro model. It is fully data-capable (shows leaks, snores, hypopneas and apneas) and some of the information can be viewed in the LCD screen.

In the meantime, you could go to this site and download the setup instructions for the one you have (near the bottom of the page).

http://www.apneaboard.com/CPAP%20Adjustment.htm

This one:

http://www.apneaboard.com/manuals2/REMs ... 0Guide.pdf

If it were me, I'd try increasing the pressure.....maybe one centimeter every few nights and see if that helps. I imagine your wife will let you know how you're doing.


Den

[No REM]

Very cool, thanks Wulfman. i've been at for about 6 months. alot of hurdles but it is getting a little better. i can't increase the pressure cause im still renting it from the DME (Aprea).
thanks again.

[Wulfman]

Very cool, thanks Wulfman. i've been at for about 6 months. alot of hurdles but it is getting a little better. i can't increase the pressure cause im still renting it from the DME (Aprea).
thanks again.

Do they ever check your machine or read your card?
There are lots of people on this forum who have the same rental situations and it doesn't stop them from taking control of their own therapy.
If you feel you really HAVE to go through channels, you'd have to get your doctor to approve the increases and then have the DME (Apria) do the adjustments. In my opinion that's a lot of time and effort to accomplish the same thing.

Remember......it's YOUR therapy.


Den

[No REM]

yeah your right. getting approval from my Dr. is fast. the bottleneck is Apria. they may take a few months (no kidding really) to pick up a phone. i think i will go ahead and do it myself.
thanks again for the advice.

[techgirl]

the comfort gel full mask is crap. it's incredibly hard to seal on the face. it's big and bulky, and you almost have to wear it so tight that you'd have marks on your face all day long because of it, to get it to seal well. but even then, any little crease in your skin will create a leak. and, as you know, the machine does not automatically over-compensate for lost pressurized air. i know this because the sleep lab that i am a tech at recently threw out all the comfort full face masks (with and without the gel) because we couldn't titrate well due to constant leaking. i would try maybe a fisher/paykel full face FORMA, or perhaps a mirage quattro full face.

this is most likely a mask issue... NOT a pressure issue. especially after only 6 months. unless you've had a SIGNIFICANT weight gain or loss, then i would reccomend hunting around for a new mask.

btw... a note to EVERYONE... since you are unable to run an eeg/eog/emg/ecg on yourself, let alone have an oximeter at your house, DO NOT CHANGE YOUR PRESSURE SETTING WITHOUT A DOCTOR'S ORDER!! since you are unable to watch yourself sleep, it is more of a dangerous move than a smart one to change the pressure on your own. over-titrating yourself can be just as bad, or worse, than under-titration. over titration causes central apneas/hypopneas rather than regular old apeans/hypopneas. if you don't know the difference, check it out on a (respectable) website. centrals are way worse... there is ZERO respiratory effort going into those, rather than just labored or "not enough" when it comes to regulars.

[Gerryk]

ok, You said you have been at it for six months. Have you every gotten a new mask or a cushion for your mask if it has replacement cushions? Masks and cushions don't last forever, but some last much longer than others.

Gerry

[No REM]

Techgirl, Gerryk,
i guess to each his/her own. i started with the full face quattro, and that did not do well for me. i had alot of leaks all around the mask, made alot of fine adjustments, and i ended up with some WICKED neck tension. Tension was so bad it stopped me in my tracks for a few seconds when it flared up. ended up getting a neck pillow and rigging the headgear so the bottom straps were pulled up, similar to straps for a nasal device. after 3 month i finally got Apria to give me the comfort gel full face. i was willing to try anything just so i dont get the neck tension. the comfort gel still leaks but not as much as the quattro. Also the comfort gel for me is much more comfortable. techgirl after what you said about the pressure setting, iiiiii dont know anymore. maybe a different mask is the safer thing to do. any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you all for your input and knowledge.

[Wulfman]

Techgirl, Gerryk,
i guess to each his/her own. i started with the full face quattro, and that did not do well for me. i had alot of leaks all around the mask, made alot of fine adjustments, and i ended up with some WICKED neck tension. Tension was so bad it stopped me in my tracks for a few seconds when it flared up. ended up getting a neck pillow and rigging the headgear so the bottom straps were pulled up, similar to straps for a nasal device. after 3 month i finally got Apria to give me the comfort gel full face. i was willing to try anything just so i dont get the neck tension. the comfort gel still leaks but not as much as the quattro. Also the comfort gel for me is much more comfortable. techgirl after what you said about the pressure setting, iiiiii dont know anymore. maybe a different mask is the safer thing to do. any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you all for your input and knowledge.

We frequently get these people who (apparently) work in the sleep industry, coming in here and going berserk about us trying to tweak our own pressures and making adjustments to our machines in search of better therapy. Her post had contradictions in it, in that if you called your doctor and asked for a pressure increase......and he DID order a pressure increase, he wouldn't be watching you sleep as he wrote out a new prescription or faxed some adjustment orders to your Apria provider. I highly doubt that he was actually "watching" you when you had your sleep study. It's all scare tactics and a scam to suck more money out of the patients and their insurance.

Did you ever get a copy of your sleep study? Did it show whether or not you had any Central Apneas in it? They're relatively rare and the majority of people don't/won't experience them.
Your pressure is (apparently) 8.0 cm. Statistically, Central Apneas don't occur until the pressure is higher than 10 cm. That's why ResMed uses the "A10" algorithm in their APAP machines. And, that's the reason they named it that, too. It won't pursue an apnea above the pressure of 10 cm. UNLESS it's preceded by snores or flow limitations.

Is going through your doctor a good idea? Sure. Is it absolutely necessary? NO. It's your machine, it's your therapy.
Putting oneself in a situation where they are dependent on the medical profession for each and every little bitty decision with regard to this therapy is ridiculous, expensive and unnecessary......in my opinion.


Den

[rested gal]

btw... a note to EVERYONE... since you are unable to run an eeg/eog/emg/ecg on yourself, let alone have an oximeter at your house, DO NOT CHANGE YOUR PRESSURE SETTING WITHOUT A DOCTOR'S ORDER!! since you are unable to watch yourself sleep, it is more of a dangerous move than a smart one to change the pressure on your own.

techgirl, I think you're overreacting.
I agree with every word Den (Wulfman) wrote in response to your post.

btw... a note to TECHGIRL... when you have time, you might want to take a look at this research study:

Link to a study that concluded, "yes."
"Can Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Titrate Their Own Continuous Positive Airway Pressure?"
http://ajrccm.atsjournals.org/cgi/reprint/167/5/716

Whatever you decide to do, No REM, welcome to the board! It's a lively one.