What happens after a leak?

[Candi]

Last night I woke up at 2:30 a.m. This morning I looked at the data using the Sleepyhead software. About 15 minutes before I woke up, I had my one and only obstructive apnea of the evening. Are these events related? How are they related? Why would I wake up 15 minutes *after* having an obstructive apnea? All I can think of is that my machine resets to the minimum pressure of 5 and starts to ramp up again when I experience a leak and then the pressure of 5 is not enough to handle my apnea. I'm using an auto CPAP machine. That's just a guess, though. Can anybody shed some insight? I would really love to be able to sleep right through the night. I haven't done that in a long time.

[Pugsy]

An occasional wake up is actually normal.
Like did you know it's normal to wake after a REM stage completion?
Most of the time we aren't awake for long enough to form a memory of the awakening but sometimes we do.

So not all wake ups are related to sleep apnea or cpap use or pressure or whatever.
Sometimes they just happen for any number of reasons.

Sleeping through the night and not having any awakenings...actually is rare but when people say they "never woke up" it's more likely that they did and didn't stay awake long enough to form a memory of the awakening.

Now obviously multiple remembered awakenings means that we woke up often and that in itself is unwanted in terms of the normal progression of all the needed sleep cycles because it messes up the cycles.
Figuring out what causes multiple awakenings isn't always so easy because the list of things that can wake us up (and cause us to stay awake long enough to form a memory of being awake) is quite long.

If I only remembered one awakening during the night I would be doing the happy dance thing all day long because I have a bunch of other stuff going on that causes me to wake up (and remember it) that is totally unrelated to sleep apnea or the cpap therapy.

A wake up 15 minutes after a single apnea event...unlikely that it is related to the apnea event. Now if within 1 minute...maybe.
Or if you see a spike in the leak rate and it happens right before the wake up...the leak might have disturbed sleep.

[D.H.]

I don't think that this is a major problem. If the ramp bothers you, go ahead and disable it.

BTW, any small leak is not a real issue (unless it bothers you), as the machine compensates.

[palerider]

All I can think of is that my machine resets to the minimum pressure of 5 and starts to ramp up again when I experience a leak and then the pressure of 5 is not enough to handle my apnea. I'm using an auto CPAP machine. That's just a guess, though

Leaks don't affect pressure, unless they're REALLY REALLY big, and then the machine will lower pressure to try and get the mask to seal, and as soon as it does, the pressure goes right back up.

Here's an example:

[chunkyfrog]

"What happens after a leak?"
I flush, wash my hands, and go back to bed.

[palerider]

"What happens after a leak?"
I flush, wash my hands, and go back to bed.

:snork:

[Candi]

Now obviously multiple remembered awakenings means that we woke up often and that in itself is unwanted in terms of the normal progression of all the needed sleep cycles because it messes up the cycles.
Figuring out what causes multiple awakenings isn't always so easy because the list of things that can wake us up (and cause us to stay awake long enough to form a memory of being awake) is quite long.

That's the problem I'm still having. I remember many of my wake-ups because I'm not able to get back to sleep after. I've only been using the CPAP for a few weeks, though, so I'll give it time.

Thank you very much for all that great information. I appreciate your taking the time to respond so thoroughly to my question. Everything you said was very helpful.

Candi

[Candi]

I flush, wash my hands, and go back to bed.

[Candi]

Leaks don't affect pressure, unless they're REALLY REALLY big, and then the machine will lower pressure to try and get the mask to seal, and as soon as it does, the pressure goes right back up.

Thank you for explaining that!

[Candi]

BTW, any small leak is not a real issue (unless it bothers you), as the machine compensates.

I was wondering if small leaks are compensated for by the machine. Thank you!

[palerider]

BTW, any small leak is not a real issue (unless it bothers you), as the machine compensates.

I was wondering if small leaks are compensated for by the machine. Thank you!

As far as the machine is concerned, your *breathing* is a leak... and it compensates, for every breath, speeding up as you inhale, slowing down as you exhale, in order to maintain the desired pressure.

Put your ear up against the machine while you're breathing through the mask.. you should hear the motor changing speed as you breath.

[D.H.]

BTW, any small leak is not a real issue (unless it bothers you), as the machine compensates.

I was wondering if small leaks are compensated for by the machine. Thank you!

Yes, the Dream Station Auto (and almost every current model CPAP), does this. However, you need to be aware that if the leak is too large, the capacity of the motor could max out before the needed pressure is reached. Also, you don't want the leak blowing in your eyes.

Leaks are also more likely to make you uncomfortable and be noisy, even if they are fully compensated for.

[LSAT]

BTW, any small leak is not a real issue (unless it bothers you), as the machine compensates.

I was wondering if small leaks are compensated for by the machine. Thank you!

Yes, the Dream Station Auto (and almost every current model CPAP), does this. However, you need to be aware that if the leak is too large, the capacity of the motor could max out before the needed pressure is reached. Also, you don't want the leak blowing in your eyes.

Leaks are also more likely to make you uncomfortable and be noisy, even if they are fully compensated for.

What the xxxxxx ????

[TASmart]

Flush wash and go back to sleep is my routine. But after starting PAP therapy I almost never have to leak at night.

With an apology to the frog, I had not read her answer until after I posted. Now that is pretty scary that they are so near to identical so as to believe there is something being transmitted through our PAPs at night from a black box of brainwashing, doubtlessly organized by ex-soviet spies operating from a secret compound in Australia.

[D.H.]

BTW, any small leak is not a real issue (unless it bothers you), as the machine compensates.

I was wondering if small leaks are compensated for by the machine. Thank you!

Yes, the Dream Station Auto (and almost every current model CPAP), does this. However, you need to be aware that if the leak is too large, the capacity of the motor could max out before the needed pressure is reached. Also, you don't want the leak blowing in your eyes.

Leaks are also more likely to make you uncomfortable and be noisy, even if they are fully compensated for.

What the xxxxxx ????

I can't give a precise answer, but the leak would have to be rather large.