Q: regarding snoring

[viktri]

I've been using CPAP for about 2 months now. I've got my AHI under 2 for the most part and normally under 1.

When I first started using the CPAP, my snoring was pretty much gone. Now it has started to return. It might be related to the fact that I've stopped taking sleeping pills but I was wondering whether any settings would help reduce the snoring further.

I tried using a fullface dreamwear mask too but my AHI increased significantly and the pressure from the machine would increase so much that the mask would be pushed off my face.

[palerider]

I've been using CPAP for about 2 months now. I've got my AHI under 2 for the most part and normally under 1.

When I first started using the CPAP, my snoring was pretty much gone. Now it has started to return. It might be related to the fact that I've stopped taking sleeping pills but I was wondering whether any settings would help reduce the snoring further.

Is there supposed to be a question in there?

[kteague]

It could be that now that the equipment feels more familiar you are sleeping better. That better sleep could mean you need a bit more pressure. That may or may not apply to your situation. Don't know your particulars, but machine data can give you a good idea if a small increase in pressure is advisable. Is there some way you can tell if the snores are mostly when on your back? If so, you can either take measures to stay off your back or increase your pressure to address them.

[LSAT]

The machine listed in your profile...Airsense 10 CPAP...is a fixed pressure machine that supplies little data. We don't know your pressure, but try increasing it by 1 for a couple days and then another 1 if that doesn't help.

[CPAPforever]

I snore continuously with CPAP. I have high settings but still snore. Snoring not necessarily apnea related. I even snore when I fall asleep on airplane takeoff or sitting in church. I have excess, loose tissue on upper back palate (maybe surgery might help). xPAP keeps my airway open at night but I still have moderate snoring.

[palerider]

I snore continuously with CPAP. I have high settings but still snore. Snoring not necessarily apnea related. I even snore when I fall asleep on airplane takeoff or sitting in church. I have excess, loose tissue on upper back palate (maybe surgery might help). xPAP keeps my airway open at night but I still have moderate snoring.

If you snore, your pressure is too low.

[ChicagoGranny]

I snore continuously with CPAP. I have high settings but still snore. Snoring not necessarily apnea related. I even snore when I fall asleep on airplane takeoff or sitting in church. I have excess, loose tissue on upper back palate (maybe surgery might help).

You have some wrong impressions that could be dangerous to yourself. Read a lot in the forum or post questions.

[CPAPforever]

Been on CPAP 20 years so I know a thing or two. My AHI less than 1 or 2 most nights. I have PERFECT nights without a single event and still have moderate snoring. Not all people who snore have OSA. So possible that CPAP doesn't totally prevent snoring. Increasing pressure won't stop it. (at 21/17 on VPAP S waiting for DME special order of my Vauto.)

Here is sample night with AHI 0.46. Moderate snoring with only couple of events not associated with loudest snoring. People can and do snore without flow limitations present.

snore.PNG (62.38 KiB) Viewed 8879 times

Possible causes of snoring unrelated to OSA:
1. Extra tissue in the throat can vibrate as you breathe in air in your sleep, causing you to snore.
2. Genetic factors that can cause snoring include extra throat tissue as well as enlarged tonsils, large adenoids, long soft palate or long uvula.
3. Anything that prevents you from breathing through your nose can cause you to snore. This can include congestion from a cold or flu, allergies or deformities of the nose such as a deviated septum.
4. You may snore when your throat or tongue muscles are relaxed. Substances that can relax these muscles may cause you to snore. This includes alcohol, muscle relaxants and other medications.
5. Normal aging can also relax your throat and tongue muscles.

I have genetically narrow nasal and airway passages with deviated septum. Am an obligatory mouth breather because of this. I also take medication that could relax throat muscles. And after 20 years of CPAP, it is possible my excess throat tissue has become very loose.

[palerider]

Been on CPAP 20 years so I know a thing or two.

quantity does not necessarily correlate to quality.

My AHI less than 1 or 2 most nights. I have PERFECT nights without a single event and still have moderate snoring.

There's more to sleep disordered breathing than just apnea and hypopnea (the only two things that are measured in AHI. Snoring is another aspect of SDB.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gie2dhqP2c

Not all people who snore have OSA. So possible that CPAP doesn't totally prevent snoring. Increasing pressure won't stop it. (at 21/17 on VPAP S waiting for DME special order of my Vauto.)

No, but they do have SDB.

And you'll find that the VAuto raises pressure when it detects snoring.

[CPAPforever]

No doctor would agree that all snoring is caused by SDB.

My friend's daughter was teased for snoring at summer camp and has snored since a baby. She had huge tonsils and adenoids and after surgery, no more snoring.

I could max out VAUTO at 25 and still have snoring. My sleep doc not concerned about my snoring as long as AHI on xPAP is low and no desats.

[palerider]

No doctor would agree that all snoring is caused by SDB.

Of course not. That would be like saying "macaroni is caused by pasta".

Snoring isn't caused by SDB, Snoring is a form of SDB.

But, hey, you just go 'head and believe what you want to.

[ChicagoGranny]

No doctor would agree that all snoring is caused by SDB.

Every medical school's sleep program teaches that snoring is part of the SDB continuum. Every sleep doctor that is not brain dead knows this.

"Snoring and apnea are on a continuum," says Edward Bixler, professor at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. "In fact, snoring is the milder form of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB). It's a partial restriction of the airway, and apnea is a complete restriction." In snoring, some air gets through, causing tissues in the throat to vibrate.

20 years experience notwithstanding, you posted some wrong impressions about snoring and SDB.

[CPAPforever]

Many state that snoring can be minimized or possibly eliminated by CPAP but nobody says it can be eliminated for ALL using CPAP. I am brachycephalic like some breeds of dogs who snore (Boston Terriers, English Bulldogs, Frenchies and Pugs). I have a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel who snores when asleep. We make great roommates.

Several doctors have suggested surgery might help. But Medicare is not going to pay for surgery just to eliminate snoring. By their standard (most insurance, sleep specialists), I am successfully being treated by xPAP (no apnea, hypopnea, flow limitation or desaturations).

Max IPAP is 25 psi for safety reasons and I am approaching that limit. Not all xPAP users will be able to totally eliminate snoring. That is a fact and is it is not dangerous in absence of apnea, hypopnea, flow limitations or desaturations. I don't know what more you think I can do?

[ChicagoGranny]

Max IPAP is 25 psi for safety reasons and I am approaching that limit. Not all xPAP users will be able to totally eliminate snoring. That is a fact and is it is not dangerous in absence of apnea, hypopnea, flow limitations or desaturations. I don't know what more you think I can do?

What you could do was not the issue. The issue was your statement that "snoring is not apnea related".

I agree that a 25 CM H2O (not PSI) is high enough. I wouldn't try to go higher to eliminate snoring.

Have you tried wearing a firm, foam cervical collar with CPAP? Many of us found significantly lower pressure needs when wearing the collar. I have worn one every night for years. I like the 4-inch width, but you may want to start out a bit smaller - https://www.walmart.com/ip/DMI-Universa ... e/36782313

[palerider]

but nobody says it can be eliminated for ALL using CPAP.

You keep making absolute statements that are without any basis in fact.

Max IPAP is 25 psi for safety reasons

Also very wrong.

First, it's not 25PSI, 25PSI would blow your chest apart like a burst balloon, leaving red gloop on the ceiling, hell, even one PSI would probably cause damage.

Second, It has absolutely nothing to do with safety, no more than the max 20cmH2O on a regular cpap/apap does. VAPS machines and the S9 COPD go to 30cmH2O, and I've seen a few cpap masks that are rated to 40cmH2O.

Please stop spewing misinformation.