CPAP Veteran having pain from trapped air during sleep!

[Amax]

I have been using CPAP for about 4 years now, and I recently have been experiencing a chest pain during the night that will wake me up. It is located right under my sternum and it is NOT heartburn. When I then sit up in bed, or walk around, or drink some water, burp or pass gas, it is then remedied and the pain is gone. It is my belief that the CPAP is slowly pushing in air from it's positive pressure during the night and it is filling my stomach & colon with positive air pressure. This cannot escape when I'm horizontal and asleep. I am not sleeping with a full stomach, and this is not heartburn, or Barrett's esophagus. But I have read elsewhere that one possible side effect of CPAP therapy is abdominal bloating. I was just wondering if this is happening to anyone else and what you might know about a remedy for it.
Thanks, Amax/N. GA.

[Cuda]

Put some bricks under the front bed posts of your bed to elevate it slightly. I have the same problem sometimes but I just deal with it so far as only once was it painful and kept me up an hour to deal with it. However many on here say raising the head of the bed helps a great deal.

[Julie]

You can have gastritis without reflux or heartburn, but you might need an endoscopy to be sure. It can feel as if a tiny balloon is being inflated right in the area (sternal notch) and can be caused by caffeine or some other irritant you have earlier in the day, then aggravated by stress, and I'd talk to your doctor before assuming it is from Cpap.

[Perrybucsdad]

Aerophagia is what that is called, and I get it too. I have heard what Cuda says above too on how to deal with it, but I have not tried that.

One thing I have noticed is the past few nights, while using my FFM, I only breath through my nose, and for whatever reason I don't have the aerophagia nearly as bad. I'm guessing that by mouth breathing it is easier to "swallow" air vs breathing through your nose.

Having a deviated septum, I didn't think I would be able to nose breath, but I have had minimal problems.

John