Newbie question about nasal cushion

[PA051]

Hi. I have been using an apap for about a month now, and according to the machine I only have 0.1-0.4 apneas per night. I was at 29 an hour in my sleep study. I do feel better, but my question is about the mask. I have the dreamwear nasal cushion. It's comfortable- no problems with it. However, since I have never tried other masks, I don't know what others are like. Am I supposed to be feeling forced air going up my nose? I don't. I have to breath in to realize it's there. is that normal? Hope I made sense..? I originally had the small cushion, but I switched to medium thinking I might feel the air being forced, but no different.
I ask because I'm wondering how on earth this thing works. if I have to breath to get the air -- what is stopping me from not breathing? I guess I'm not because the numbers are good, but I am totally confused about how it works and if this mask is supposed to be forcing my airway open or not. Did I make sense? Anyone else wear this mask?

[m421]

On the machine I have, if you shut it off with the mask on, you can really feel that it's off. When it's on I breath easily, often I don't really even notice that it's on, but when I shut it off I can feel how much harder it suddenly becomes to breath.

[Snoregone Conclusion]

Seems your pressure setting works well, and your mask solution is also matched well, with a low enough pressure you can’t readily detect a difference from regular non-machine air delivery. That’s great if it all works that way!

If your pressure ramps up from a minimum, the minimum is hard to sense and often feels like too little for many. Highee pressures are more easily noticed, but humans adapt surprisingly quickly to things.

If the machine says everything is great, you feel great and rested, curiosity has you wondering if it could be better: perhaps, but sounds like you’ve started out about as ideally as possible.

[LSAT]

Hi. I have been using an apap for about a month now, and according to the machine I only have 0.1-0.4 apneas per night. I was at 29 an hour in my sleep study. I do feel better, but my question is about the mask. I have the dreamwear nasal cushion. It's comfortable- no problems with it. However, since I have never tried other masks, I don't know what others are like. Am I supposed to be feeling forced air going up my nose? I don't. I have to breath in to realize it's there. is that normal? Hope I made sense..? I originally had the small cushion, but I switched to medium thinking I might feel the air being forced, but no different.
I ask because I'm wondering how on earth this thing works. if I have to breath to get the air -- what is stopping me from not breathing? I guess I'm not because the numbers are good, but I am totally confused about how it works and if this mask is supposed to be forcing my airway open or not. Did I make sense? Anyone else wear this mask?

CPAP = continuous positive air pressure. The machine does not breathe for you. Your body breathes just as it does without the machine. The positive air pressure forces your airway open so you can breathe

[PA051]

On the machine I have, if you shut it off with the mask on, you can really feel that it's off. When it's on I breath easily, often I don't really even notice that it's on, but when I shut it off I can feel how much harder it suddenly becomes to breath.

Ok, yes I do feel like I'm going to suffocate when it's off. Thank you!

[PA051]

Seems your pressure setting works well, and your mask solution is also matched well, with a low enough pressure you can’t readily detect a difference from regular non-machine air delivery. That’s great if it all works that way!

If your pressure ramps up from a minimum, the minimum is hard to sense and often feels like too little for many. Highee pressures are more easily noticed, but humans adapt surprisingly quickly to things.

If the machine says everything is great, you feel great and rested, curiosity has you wondering if it could be better: perhaps, but sounds like you’ve started out about as ideally as possible.

Yes, it's been pretty easy for me. Crazy because usually life isn't. haha I set it to 20 and still couldn't feel it. More air was there to breathe than when it was lower, but I guess I was under the impression that it would be like a mini hurricane. It was barely even a breeze. No complaints, but i guess I expected something more radical. Thanks for the reply.

[PA051]

Hi. I have been using an apap for about a month now, and according to the machine I only have 0.1-0.4 apneas per night. I was at 29 an hour in my sleep study. I do feel better, but my question is about the mask. I have the dreamwear nasal cushion. It's comfortable- no problems with it. However, since I have never tried other masks, I don't know what others are like. Am I supposed to be feeling forced air going up my nose? I don't. I have to breath in to realize it's there. is that normal? Hope I made sense..? I originally had the small cushion, but I switched to medium thinking I might feel the air being forced, but no different.
I ask because I'm wondering how on earth this thing works. if I have to breath to get the air -- what is stopping me from not breathing? I guess I'm not because the numbers are good, but I am totally confused about how it works and if this mask is supposed to be forcing my airway open or not. Did I make sense? Anyone else wear this mask?

CPAP = continuous positive air pressure. The machine does not breathe for you. Your body breathes just as it does without the machine. The positive air pressure forces your airway open so you can breathe

I understand I'm breathing - thanks, but how is it forcing my airway open without me feeling any air until I take actually take a breath? What is to stop me from NOT taking a breath? Isn't that what us apnea people do.. we forget to breath?

[Pugsy]

These machines don't force anything. They can't force the airway open if the soft tissues have collapsed and blocked the airway. They can't push that much air.
Instead how they work is by supplying enough air at pressure to hold the airway open and prevent the airway tissues from sagging and blocking the airway. Some people need a lot of pressure to hold the airway open and some don't need much.
Once we get used to whatever pressure we need we simply don't really feel it all that much. It never was hurricane wind strength but you have become more accustomed to it so it isn't such a noticeable factor in your breathing anymore.

Forgetting to breathe is called a central apnea. The airway is open but the brain doesn't send the signal to breathe. It takes a special machine to deal with this type of apnea. It does involve a bit of forcing of the air. Very special machine though and these regular cpap/apap machines can't do it.

Not being able to move the air when we try to breathe because of airway tissues blocking the airway is called obstructive apnea.
CPAP/APAP in conjunction with the sealed masked moves air into the airway under pressure to stent or hold the airway open and prevent the airway from collapsing hopefully. The machines don't do anything at all during the apnea event or airway collapse. They can't because they can't move enough air to force those airway tissues open. Instead the machine twiddles its little thumbs and the apnea event happens. After the airway is open again then if it is auto adjusting it tries to decide the best way to prevent that from happening again. If fixed pressure machine it flags the events and that's about all it can do.

[palerider]

but I guess I was under the impression that it would be like a mini hurricane

Your impression is wrong.

Plus, you've confused *pressure* with *flow*.

Pressure doesn't actually mean any air movement at all, just some force *trying* to move the air.

Your car tires have like 130 times as much pressure in them as that 20cm on the cpap, but there's no 'hurricane'. it just sits there.

[palerider]

but how is it forcing my airway open without me feeling any air until I take actually take a breath? What is to stop me from NOT taking a breath? Isn't that what us apnea people do.. we forget to breath?

All the cpap does is hold your airway open, that's what the pressure does... just like a firehose is flat, till they turn on the hydrant... then it is held open by the water pressure, whether there's any water flowing through the hose and out the end or not.

[PA051]

You guys have both been so helpful. Thanks so much!

[realshelby]

I have and sometimes use the Dreamwear nasal cushion mask.

Out of all the nasal cushion/pillows masks I have the Dreamwear is for sure more restrictive to breathe through. You have to get the cushion positioned just right for it to work ok. That does not mean it doesn't work well. Just that times when you lay back down after getting up in the middle of the night it might take several breaths to slow your breathing back down to rest/sleep levels. At those levels the mask moves plenty of air. But if there is a negative point about that mask, perceived air flow is one of them.

One of the most comfortable and most easy to live with masks is the ResMed P10 nasal pillows. Very quiet. Vents are so well designed you cannot hardly feel air coming out of them. And it is one of the easiest to breathe through. Perceived flow seems very good. The F&P Bravida is another mask that you might consider and in some ways it is better than the P10, some ways it isn't. Just like everything, find what works well for you.