Machine losing pressure and tongue apnea questions.

[Hello, World?]

Hello, I have a set of questions as I'm entering my 4th month on CPAP.

Here's a link to the machine I'm using. I don't have a humidifier for it, but don't really need one: https://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&page=1 ... es%20tango
My face mask listed in my sig is up to date.

Unfortunately, my machine does not read data, so I'm just going to tell you my experience.

I have moderate sleep apnea, and the machine has helped a lot. I would finally wake up feeling rested and would actually have dreams for once.

However, in the last week or so, it hasn't been the same. I'm not sure what's going on, but my normal pressure setting of 10 doesn't feel at all like it's high enough to prevent my apneas. More than this, I find myself actually waking up from my apneas, always JUST before I feel like I'm about to start sleeping really deeply/dreaming, so something's definitely going on. I tried increasing the pressure and kept increasing it until finally 15 seems to work the best. It feels pretty high, but not as high as it once did when I tried a pressure of 15 when I first got it (I felt like I couldn't even breath out back then), so I really think it is losing pressure, and it gets worse over night. I realize that most people have said that you get used to the pressure, so it just feels like it, but I've used every objective way that I can to figure out if it is, and I really think that something's up with the motor. I've also noticed that it now seems like the pressure is a lot lower when I turn on my side, which hadn't been a problem before. As for troubleshooting, I haven't changed the filter, but only because the manual recommends that it be changed only every 6 months, and it looks fine. I've made sure that there aren't any leaks in the hose or mask, and the mask is very secure against my face.

Also, I didn't buy this new, I got it through a program at the sleep center for low income people to get older cpap machines that people turn in (though when I got it, it only had 7 hours of use and worked pretty well), so I can't just send it in for repairs. I'm going to ask the people I got it from if they can do anything on Monday, but any other options to know about would be helpful.

I also have a sort of question about whether there are different types of obstructive apneas, because when I have my cpap at a good pressure, I feel like the back of my throat is secure and won't collapse, but my tongue is more of the problem. I have a smallish mouth but a sort of normal sized tongue so it feels a little crowded back there normally, and when I go to sleep it often falls back and wakes me up (even when I sleep on my side). It doesn't feel like the pressure is doing too much to prevent this, and I think it's the main type of apnea that I have. Does anyone have experience dealing with this?

[kteague]

What is your usual sleep position? Some people find their pressure accommodates even back sleeping. Others have more events on their back even while using CPAP. If you feel your tongue is crowding the back of your mouth, you may find stomach sleeping is your best option. Let gravity work for you rather than against you. It took me a long time (months/years?) but at some point I was able to train my tongue to stay in a sealed position to the front of the roof of my mouth so I can now back sleep if I want with no increase in events on my data.

[Hello, World?]

What is your usual sleep position? Some people find their pressure accommodates even back sleeping. Others have more events on their back even while using CPAP. If you feel your tongue is crowding the back of your mouth, you may find stomach sleeping is your best option. Let gravity work for you rather than against you. It took me a long time (months/years?) but at some point I was able to train my tongue to stay in a sealed position to the front of the roof of my mouth so I can now back sleep if I want with no increase in events on my data.

I usually sleep on my side and the events are still pretty bad. I've tried sleeping on my stomach, but I really can't do it, especially not with the mask in the way the entire time. Is it normal of the cpap to not prevent tongue apneas? Wouldn't that be something they test for to make sure that cpap will work?

https://www.verywell.com/tongue-stabili ... ea-3015243
If that's the case, maybe a mouth piece like the above would be a better option for me.

I'm still just really confused about what's going on. As I mentioned, I did feel much better on cpap for the first few months. It's only been this past week or so that it's been acting up, so that I've been really bothered by my tongue moving over my airway and waking me up over and over. I'm going to start doing tongue exercises, but considering how long that could take, I really need a more immediate, definite solution.

[Goofproof]

A XPAP that doesn't collect data is like buying a car with no steering wheel, not much fun on a sunday drive, but
it will at least get you somewhere it's just the car that decides where. It's Normal to feel like your XPAP isn't putting out the pressure you think it used to, your body gets used to breathing air under more pressure. Without data, you are just guessing. Jim

[Uncle_Bob]

is like buying a car with no steering wheel

Car with no steering wheel and no data you say

http://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/googl ... river-job/

[kteague]

I've tried sleeping on my stomach, but I really can't do it, especially not with the mask in the way the entire time

Not sure if I can describe this well enough but I'll try. When side sleeping, try lying at a slight angle across the bed and pillow positioned to make your jaw come forward due to gravity. You don't want to accomplish this by tucking the chin as that could further compromise the airway. That's why it's best to keep the spine/neck aligned. Be observant of what position your jaw is in - you want it to face forward down - not just down in a way that will cause it to be more prone to falling open. Play around with sleep position during the day. Nothing less conducive to sleep than struggling at bedtime and thinking too much.

Position: Normal sleep position is 12:30 on the clock. Switch to 10:20 or 11:25.