im a new cpap user and have lots of questions

[eperryman]

I just started using a auto cpap machine three days ago. In three weeks they will come out and set it to One pressure setting. After night one when I woke up the pressure setting was at 6.5. Night two was at 7 and last night was at 9.5 when I woke up. Why is it getting higher night by night? Is the apnea worse or less night by night? The first two nights I only slept 4 or 5 hours and last night 8 hours maybe that's why? Also does the mask always have air coming out of the vent even when I inhale? What is the AHI and are there reports on the machine I can view each night to see how effective this machine is for me? Thanks for the help! Oh and how long does it take to start feeling better after using this machine? I feel a little better but not a sudden burst of energy yet.

[knothead]

Hello EPM,
I cannot answer your questions but I can say to list your equipment in your profile. The ones that know about your questions will want to know those details...this is just FYI kind of thing. Welcome to the forum, there will be others here to answer your Q's...

[eperryman]

Thanks I have a Phillips rem star Auto A flex. Also my machine said my AHI last night was 4.3 what is this exactly and is this good or bad? Where should that number be?

[Pugsy]

Which model Remstar Auto AFlex? Look on the bottom of the blower unit for a 3 digit number...might have DS or REF in front of it. Remstart tells us nothing as it is/was used on every machine they have ever made.

If it says 550...then the correct choice in the profile equipment menu would be
PR System One Auto CPAP with AFlex
and the humidifier would be the PR System One Heated Humidifier.

If it says 560 then the correct choice in the profile equipment menu would be
PR System One 60 Series Auto CPAP machine
and the humidifier would be the PR System One 60 series Heated tube humidifier with heated tube...even if you don't have the heated hose as it is an option.

If we know exactly what machine you are using we can help better.

Did you know that there is software you can use to evaluate what is going on? Check the links in my signature.

my machine said my AHI last night was 4.3 what is this exactly and is this good or bad? Where should that number be?

We like it to be less than 5.0. And before adjusting pressure it's best to evaluate the event category breakdown of any AHI over 5.0 because sometimes the AHI includes awake events or open airway events and increasing pressure won't fix those...

Don't worry about what the pressure is when you wake up. Using the auto adjusting mode it can vary a lot during the night and when you wake up you just catch what it happens to be at that moment. It doesn't mean you were at that pressure all night.
Check out the SleepyHead tutorial at the top of the announcements page. It will go into detail about AHI and some other things that you may not understand at the moment.

Oh and how long does it take to start feeling better after using this machine? I feel a little better but not a sudden burst of energy yet.

Wish I had a dollar for every time I see this question. There is no answer to it. There's so much more to feeling better than just slapping the mask on even if therapy is optimal.
3 nights isn't long enough to really expect anything. A few lucky people do experience the miracle overnight but most of us it took weeks and months.
Gotta get your therapy optimal first...that means 7 to 8 hours of sleep that is minimally fragmented...make sure leaks are under control and not waking you up and an acceptable AHI...then we have a chance of feeling better.
If people only use the machine for 5 hours a night and wake up a gazillion times for whatever reason...they are going to feel like crap no matter how good the AHI is....and believe me...I see that scenario often.

[Julie]

What make and type (nasal vs full face) mask do you have?

[kteague]

The more you adjust to the equipment and the longer and better you sleep, the more opportunity to have problematic breathing that your machine needs to respond to. The higher pressure with longer sleep likely just represents you are getting more of the stages of sleep where your OSA is more active, or who knows, maybe you slept more on your back and needed more pressure. Things should level off in time and as your sleep is more consistent you should see more consistent pressure needs.