What happens if your pressure is too high?

VermontMeow · Post by **VermontMeow** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 2:59 pm

If you pressure was ever too high and needed to be adjusted lower would you tell me how it felt and what the effects of the too high pressure were, please. Thank you!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 3:28 pm

I have been wanting to ask the same question.

I started for 6 weeks at a pressure of 8 and AHI of 1 to 2. Was still feeling bad so the doctor raised it to 10. for 6 weeks and my AHI dropped to .8 to 1 but my leak rate went way, way up.( think I lose data at high leak rate?) I started to get a light touch of vertigo or slightly dizzy upon exsertion in afternoons. On a hunch I turned the pressure down and the vertigo lessened?

My sleep study showed I started to have centrals at 8 and above. But my sleep doctor feels central are only temporary in nature and disappear as you get use to pap therapy? I am thinking he is full of it. And wonder if I should go lower, cause a few AHI scare me less than centrals, Or maybe I should try a auto APAP?

Will these data machines detect and record centals as AHI's ? My sleep doctor beleives the AHI record functions on these machines are unreliable and have little value.

ywp · Post by **ywp** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 3:30 pm

forgot to log in before post

cflame1 · Post by **cflame1** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 7:20 pm

The question to answer the question about centrals... is are you using the software, or are you just checking your numbers on the LCD?

The software provides a lot more information.

ywp · Post by **ywp** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 9:48 pm

Thanks cflame1.
My DME has been giving me the print outs from encore pro from my M series pro. My DME is not very computer savy. It shows the occurance of OA +HI + average AHI but doesn't show duration of events.

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 10:02 pm

ywp accidentally guested wrote:a few AHI scare me less than centrals

There's something about the oft used description (not exactly correct) of "The brain forgets to tell you to BREATHE!!!" that makes people overreact to the idea of even one central apnea or a normal handful of them.

"OMG, what if my brain NEVER remembers!!??"

Yet, we think an obstructive apnea is not as bad? The brain has to "remember" to arouse us enough to regain muscle tone in throat and tongue to clear an obstructive apnea, too. What if it never "remembers" to do that?

Either way -- obstructive or central -- the brain has to take action to get us breathing again.

I think another reason centrals seem scarier is because until recently there was not a very effective way to treat them. The simplest CPAP machine could take care of Obstructive Sleep Apnea. But it takes an Adapt Servo Ventilator to work on central apneas. The old bilevel S/T machines were what were usually prescribed for significant centrals, but today's ASV machines are reported to do a much better job handling centrals.

Christinequilts, who has almost pure (and very severe) Central Sleep Apnea, as opposed to the far more common Obstructive Sleep Apnea most of us have, explained centrals well.

Read Christine's very clear explanations about what central apneas are (and aren't) in these threads:

viewtopic.php?t=5331

viewtopic.php?t=2051 (go to page 2)

viewtopic.php?t=1056

More here:
Links to Central Apnea discussions
viewtopic.php?p=22702

Give me a few (less than 5 per hour) nice short centrals any day (or night) rather than an onslaught of obstructives!!

ywp · Post by **ywp** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 11:41 pm

Thanks for the links rested gal.

One noted that too high of pressure may have caused head aches. And higher pressure can cause more centrals.

I think my DME can rent an apap for an in home tritration ( with a prescription). I think I will try that route.

cflame1 · Post by **cflame1** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 9:42 am

ywp wrote:Thanks cflame1.
My DME has been giving me the print outs from encore pro from my M series pro. My DME is not very computer savy. It shows the occurance of OA +HI + average AHI but doesn't show duration of events.

The DME's probably just giving you the summary and not the full details.

deerslayer · Post by **deerslayer** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 10:46 am

interesting subject for this newbie trying to understand the #'s. last night avg. cpap pressure for 90% was 12. highest it has ever been. BUT, my ahi fell to 1.9...o a 0.6 & h 1.3 v.s. 10.5 caught myself mouth breathing a couple times even though was wearing a tiara chinstrap. i think other than the snore those are fair #'s....makes it sound like i bowled a good game ,lol

Wulfman · Post by **Wulfman** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 12:03 pm

VermontMeow wrote:If you pressure was ever too high and needed to be adjusted lower would you tell me how it felt and what the effects of the too high pressure were, please. Thank you!

The "key" words/phrases in your post are "too high" and "needed". You didn't say what your pressure is and unfortunately, according to your equipment list, you don't have a machine that will give you detailed data to know what effects it will have.
On the other hand, if you're at a pressure over 13, I would think it reasonable for your doctor to allow you to work up.....IF your prescribed pressure is something higher.

I was prescribed a pressure of 18 and reset my machine to 10 to start out with......BUT......I had a machine that recorded data and the pressure of 10 actually worked pretty well for me. It was DEFINITELY much easier to start out with than 18 (I DID try the higher pressure for about an hour).

If you can twist some arms to get a better machine (that records data), then you will know what pressure you NEED.

Den

Machine	Mask

Additional Comments: straight cpap 12.20 AHI avg.0.79

What happens if your pressure is too high?

What happens if your pressure is too high?

Re: What happens if your pressure is too high?