New to CPAP: Is the Resmed Airsense 10 supposed to be noisy?

[Hamster]

Hello everyone!
I've been a lurker in this forum ever since I was diagnosed with UARS in May. The sleep study showed that I had an AHI of 10.7 (all hypopneas, no apneas),but also a lot of RERA's. My Respiratory Arousal Index scored at 32.4. I then had a titration study in July, which showed that I did best on a fixed pressure of 8. I learned from this forum what a "brick" is, and how to deal with a DME. Long story short, I fought for a CPAP with full data capabilities and won the battle. I got the ResMed Airsense 10 Autoset for Her. I downloaded Sleepyhead, and I can see from the data that my CPAP is miraculously making my problems go away. My AHI is down to 2 or less, and my RERA's have nearly completely disappeared. I feel very comfortable using a CPAP, and I actually like the feeling of the pressurized air blowing into me. Not to mention it's so nice to get deep sleep, rather than waking up every morning feeling like I pulled an all-nighter.

Now, as mentioned above, I have an Airsense 10. One thing I noticed right away was the noise. This machine makes the "Darth Vader" sound upon inhaling. I've read that the Airsense 10 is supposed to be silent, but does that refer to sound of the motor only? The motor is silent, it's just that the noise when I inhale is so loud that I have to run a fan in the room to drown it out. I did everything anyone ever recommended in past threads of this forum: I checked the seal of the humidifier, made sure the humidifier is snugly in there and filled to the max line, checked to make sure that the the hose is connected properly, put the CPAP lower than the bed, checked the filter, put the CPAP on a towel, checked that the settings are correctly set to the Slimline tube and to nasal pillows, made sure EPR is off, and so forth. As an aside, I do not use the ramp feature, and the machine is set in straight CPAP mode with a pressure of 8. I spent hours researching this issue online, trying anything and everything, and nothing has made any difference. The Darth Vader noise is clearly coming from the machine, and not from hose or the nasal pillows. When I put my ear up to the machine, I can hear it. So, my question is, is this normal for CPAPs? Is it normal to hear inhale sounds? I am the first person in my extended family who has ever needed a CPAP, so I have no experience with these machines. If this is normal, then, fine, I'll just continue to run a fan in the bedroom, or I'll buy a white noise machine. If it's not normal, then I need to know this, too, and I will take it back to the DME to exchange it on the grounds that it is has a manufacturing defect.

[cancun]

I find my Airsense 10 to be very quiet, I however do not have the for her model.

[PoolQ]

CPAPs move air and moving air makes some noise. It's sometimes difficult to one person to describe to another just what level of noise it is. There is a motor, so there is some level of "normal" motor noise. When you exhale, even in CPAP mode, you are changing the pressure that the motor sees in the hose. This will make some noise. There can be leaks and make noise that is usually quite loud.

"When I put my ear up to the machine" this makes me think it is normal noise and not a leak. My experience with leaks is there is no doubt where the sound is coming from.

I think the issue you are running into is just what is "CPAP normal", should it sound like this or is something wrong. "so I have no experience with these machines. If this is normal, then, fine". Once you learn what is normal your brain will not even notice it anymore. Nothing about CPAP is totally quiet. The fan you use to mask the CPAP noise is a good example, you know what that noise is and that it is "normal" so you ignore it. A leak in the system sounds like a duck or kazoo, this is not a subtle thing. This is one of those things that before you hear a machine leak you are not sure if there is one and when you do hear your first leak, you have zero doubt that it is a leak.

I am pretty sure that you are hearing pressure changes and air flow direction changes, both are quite normal. The fan will mask them or you can train yourself to know that this is the normal sound of a machine that is working as it should.

[chunkyfrog]

Mine is a for Her, and the sound is not a problem.
How are the leak numbers?
Maybe the tank seal or the internal humidifier seal is mis-positioned.
Then again, you may want to place the machine on a lower table so
the sound has to turn a corner around the edge of the bed.
I find hanging the hose up, so it does not drag on the bedding, helps.

[Hamster]

Thanks for the replies so far! There's definitely not a leak anywhere in the system, either, so that doesn't explain the noise. My leak numbers are very good. Sleepyhead shows that leaks are minor and rare, so I know there's not a bad seal anywhere or a hole in the hose or anything like that. Plus I hear the sound only when I inhale. I repositioned the humidifier and its seal a couple dozen time, and it makes no difference.

Come to think of it, it's true, my fan is louder than the machine's inhale sounds. I find the breathing/inhaling sounds intolerable, but I can sleep just fine with the fan on. I can't remember what CPAP sounded like during my titration study. The room I was in was a bit stuffy, so I asked the sleep tech to run a fan. So, I have no clue if the CPAP at the sleep study also made sounds when I inhaled. I'm just trying to figure out if it's normal to hear your inhaling emphasized, or if it's a defect with my machine. I thought that the whole "CPAP experience" was supposed to be total silence, or near total silence. Of course, if what I'm describing is normal sounds, I will not quit CPAP. I'll just continue to run the fan.

[PoolQ]

Yes I can hear when I breathe in or out, I am not sure if other brands are different, but I doubt that they are.

I have gotten to the point that I no longer hear the noise, but sometimes I actually listen for it to reassure myself that the system is still working.

[RogerSC]

Been sleeping with ear plugs for a long time now since I'm a light sleeper, and that helps me. I don't hear the machine noise unless I focus on it, just the sound of my own breathing. My breathing sounds are rhythmic and don't keep me awake. What wakes me up are mask leaks *smile*. Ideally, one just adjusts one's mask when awakened and goes right back to sleep. That happens most of the time for me, but not always.

Anyways, ear plugs, the soft foam kind, have really helped me.

[pettyfan45]

Do have anything that record the noise and post online (like a smartphone) so we can hear and possibly better help you?

[Hamster]

I went ahead and made a sound file, holding my smartphone about halfway between my face and the CPAP. I didn't know where to upload the file, so I just found a free .mp3 hosting website online. I hope this link works for you:

http://www.filedropper.com/cpapsound

It sounds like BREATHE-DUNN-BREATH-DUNN. Is this a normal sound?

EDIT: I just wanted to note that I don't hear that lighter, machine-sounding DUNN....DUNN sound. My iPhone apparently picks up on it. That's the sound my machine makes when I exhale, but I guess the sound of my own breath exhaling into the nasal pillow covers it up in my head. That BREATH...BREATH sound happens when I inhale, and I hear it extremely clearly.

[Hammerhead]

I listened to your recording and it is just the normal sound of a person breathing. I think you are hearing it or noticing it now because you are breathing against the pressure so you are using more force then when not using the machine so it sounds louder in your head than it really is.

[billbolton]

it is just the normal sound of a person breathing.....

It seemed to me to be the sound of someone breathing very fast - almost panting. That is, it is not a normal autonomous sleep breathing rate, which may also have something to do with the perceived sound level.

Otherwise, it didn't sound particularly unusual

[RogerSC]

What I heard when I listened to the .mp3 was pretty normal for a cpap. There's no such thing as a silent cpap...it's a mechanical device, and there's air flow noises as well. It is relatively quiet, but you really will get used to it. At least you don't have the little whistling sound at the end of each breath, which is what a lot of S9's have, intermittently at least. My AutoSet does that occasionally, but I hear it attenuated because of the ear plugs that I use.

You might try ear plugs...just a thought *smile*. Or not...

[Hamster]

Actually, that breathing sound is not my personal breathing, it's coming from the CPAP. But what's weird is that it sounds different to me than it does in the recording. When I'm using the CPAP, it sounds to me like I'm Darth Vader. But my recording shows that it seems to actually sound like regular breathing or even panting, but highly amplified. By the way, I was indeed probably hyperventilating a little when I recorded this. I put in my nasal pillows, turned on the Airsense 10, and started recording immediately. Every time, when I first turn on my CPAP, I feel like I'm forced to breathe rapidly for the first 10 minutes or so, because I feel like I'm not getting enough air. But after that, I acclimate and I start breathing normally.

Anyway, now that I know this is normal, I will try to train myself to get used to the noise. I won't always have a fan with me in every situation, so it's best that I start to teach myself to get used to the sounds! I have a follow up appointment with my sleep doc next month, so I will demonstrate the CPAP for him and ask if it's sounding normal. But I bet he's going to say the same thing you guys said. Anyway, thank you all for helping this total newbie out! Other than being annoyed by the unfamiliar new noises, my therapy is going great. I do not find CPAP uncomfortable, and I love the way I feel in the morning. I'm glad I got to this point. I'd been struggling with poor quality of sleep and frequent wake ups for five years, beginning at the age of 25. I struggled longer than I should have, mainly because I had previously been misdiagnosed with sleep maintenance insomnia by an idiot sleep neurologist (who said I didn't need a sleep study). So, for a long time, I was convinced that my sleep troubles were my fault and were psychological. After a couple years of that, I went to see a new sleep doc at a different practice for a second opinion. He had me do a sleep study and found out that my problems were caused by a sleep breathing disorder. After being stuck in a sleepless nightmare for five years, I'm sure I can eventually train myself to handle a little bit of CPAP noise!

[chunkyfrog]

Skull Screws are nice for noise reduction, soft for comfort.
Easy to use--just screw them in, and giggle, because it's funny.

[JonSnow]

to be honest this is pretty much what I hear when I lay down. Thought I was going crazy because it started as soon as I changed my pillows from Med to small. It seems that I am the only one that hears it but I guess its because I sleep closer to the machine than my wife but she claims that there are no noises to her. So I guess for me I try to ignore it and go to sleep. As long as the misses doesn't hear it I'm good. Happy wife happy life they say...