CPAP vs APAP if CPAP ordered

[BearWayne]

I have returned to using my CPAP after rediagnosis of OSA following a UPPP several years ago. I have a prescription for a CPAP with a pressure of 12. I am going to use my FSA account to buy a machine from CPAP.COM and will get the ResMed Air Sense 10 Elite. Is there a compelling reason to purchase an auto sensing machine at the higher cost even though it seems I don't need it?

Thanks for you help!
Barry

[Pugsy]

There are times when that auto adjusting (apap) feature can come in handy for some people.
Like if they happen to need one pressure for part of the night and maybe another pressure for another part of the night. Having apap mode available means that a person doesn't have to use the higher of the 2 pressure needs all night.

The 2 most common culprits for needing more pressure are supine sleeping and REM stage sleep or a combination of both.
Often our OSA is worse in REM sleep or when sleeping on our backs and we might need more pressure during those times.
Doesn't happen to everyone but it is actually fairly common.

I am one of those people whose OSA is about 5 times worse in REM sleep than non REM sleep and I found that when in probable REM sleep I needed 6 to 8 cm more pressure during REM.
So I had a choice...use 18 cm all night to deal with the REM sleep stages which only make up about 20% of the night and use cpap mode or use apap mode and use 10 to 12 cm for the bulk of the night and just let the machine go to 18 or so as it needed.
I think you can imagine what my choice was.

Now some people may not do well with variable pressures or they may not need them but I always think it is better to have something in the arsenal and not need it than need it and not have it.
It it absolutely earth shattering critical to have apap? Probably not but with your history of UPPP...I would be getting it if it were me regardless of supine sleeping or REM OSA.

[BearWayne]

Thank you, Pugsy--that is an excellent explanation.