Is it ok to sleep on back with cpap??

[rickymarkokc]

I know that I've read that without cpap, sleeping on your back is the worst position because it causes the airway to close due to gravity. I was always a stomach sleeper, and it has been very difficult to overcome this position in order to use cpap. Now that i'm cpap, I find that sleeping on my back is the best position in order to keep my mask in place, avoid leaks, etc. I'm wondering though, with cpap, is it ok to sleep on my back, or would it still be better to be on my side? I know at the sleep lab they titrated me on my back. Just wanting to double check. I would be curious to see a survey on this forum, to see how most people sleep with their cpap.

[2 B Sleeping Soundly]

rickymarkokc,

I think it totally depends on the individual and if your OSA is also affected by position or not. I exclusively sleep on my back now that I am on the hose, but was a side sleeper when I was trying to just survive through the night before I started PAP treatment. At first tried to force myself to sleep on my side because everyone said it was the only way to decrease the Apneas, but I was dealing with mask leaks and blow-back from the exhaust on the mask (off of the pillow) so I started sleeping on my back and have never looked...back

As long as my numbers and the quality of sleep I get continues to be very good, I will probably stay on my back for good. Just don't tell anyone here, as I am sure sleeping on your back is the second most dangerous thing to do in PAP land, next to taping your mouth

John

[Papit]

Before xpap I almost always slept on my side and on my stomach. Just like you, I immediately found that sleeping on my back was best to reduce leaks. So I quickly learned to do just that. With xpap, that's how I sleep most of the time. Now that I have gotten used to the mask and become more adept with it, I find myself beginning to do some side sleeping without too much leakage. Still, there's no question imo that back sleeping causes the least disturbance to the mask seal.

[2 B Sleeping Soundly]

Papit,

Are your numbers and sleep quality the same regardless of position or do they differ depending on which position you use?

John

[MaxDarkside]

I'm a side/tummy sleeper, but when I got my machine I started out on my back to avoid the mask issues. For me it was difficult to sleep on my back, but I adapted. Ahhh... but since my apnea is worst on my back during REM my AHI's were too high and they jacked my pressures near 20 (not for long! Within 45 minutes I set it back... torture), so I found a way to sleep on my side and to deal at times with leaks, but could run with lower pressures. My AHI's improved and I, personally in my case, sleep better. Whatever you find best, which ever gives you the best rest.

[Lizistired]

I used to sleep mostly on my stomach. I couldn't sleep on my back. Until I had my sleep study, I didn't know it was I couldn't breathe that way!
After I got on cpap, I videoed myself sleeping and found out I now sleep on my back quite a bit. Maybe I did before. I didn't know it. I probably woke from O2 deprivation and turned over.
Sleep however you sleep best, just keep the mask/machine one. Your body or your numbers will tell you if there is a problem. Job one is quality SLEEP. Not numbers.

[Goofproof]

You re correct, even if you don't want it to be so, you already know that. You can be treated correctly if your treatment pressure covers what you need for bcksleeping, the only way to know that is to monitor the software, If you can have AHI's under 2 per hour and maintain avg leak rates of under 40 LPM at the mask, and feel rested, more power to you, if not try to follow the rules and suggestions. Jim

[JohnBFisher]

Greetings! Sometimes sleep labs and doctors think that it's okay to prescribe a pressure and require the patient to NOT sleep on their back. That might be okay for some people, but would not work for me. I always sleep on my back. So, I tell the sleep tech before sleeping that I specifically want to be able to sleep on my back. If the obstruction on my back does not clear at the current pressure, find one that will work. You have the right to have a sleep therapy that is effective for YOU. And if that means that it should cover sleeping on your back, then be certain that is what it can do.

[Pugsy]

Unless there is a HUGE difference in pressure needs with supine sleeping or something else remarkably hugely different I think people should sleep however they want to sleep. Even then I suppose one could just let the machine do its job.
I think it was Rooster/Roster who had a significant change in pressure needs when supine sleeping.
Something like needing 18 cm when sleeping on his back and 9 cm sleeping on his side. I can't say that I blame him for learning to sleep on his side in that situation.
If someone had a huge difference like that...well either use APAP and let the machine do its job or consider altering sleeping position if they didn't want to use 18 all the time.
Otherwise if no remarkable difference and the machine can deal with things...sleep however it is most comfortable. That is why we use these machines. It's not like we would have zero events side sleeping anyway...heck if that was the case we would just not use the machine and sleep on our sides.

[Hawthorne]

I have been using cpap for 10 years now. I always sleep on my back (I also slept on my back before cpap because of my RA - back sleeping was the only pain free position).

I was titrated on my back. I have the software and know that my AHI is almost always below 1. Once in a while my AHI will be 2 but that is when I an experiencing arthritis pain during the night. My titrated pressure remains the same, although I always use auto mode, in a very narrow range, for times when I need a litte more. My pressure stays consistenly at 11 cm or 11.5 cm.

If you use the software and you have good data while back sleeping, there is no reason not to continue to sleep on your back. If your AHI is bad while sleeping on your back, you may want to consider another sleeping position.

[Madalot]

I agree with everyone else. It just depends on the individual.

For me, back sleeping is a big "no no" and I'm not supposed to do it. My pressure needs increase significantly when I'm on my back (plus my mask leaks).

The rare time I end up on my back, my husband usually wakes me up to turn over.

[MaxDarkside]

So yes, it just depends on you. John prefers back sleeping, Madalot no. I estimate that for me personally, my pressures on my back need to be around 17-20 cm H2O. On my side/tummy, last night, AHI = 0.2, with a max pressure about 10 cm H2O. The difference for me is about double. Since I cannot physically tolerate 17-20, side/tummy sleeping it is.

[Drowsy Dancer]

Heh. When they titrated me I slept on my back the whole time because I was petrified of dislodging the mask.

As I got used to using the mask, I had big issues with stiff neck/shoulders (in retrospect probably tension from fear of dislodging the mask) and would sleep on my back for comfort. I noticed, because I had scored the software by then, that my AHI was higher when I slept on my back (although I was more physically comfortable). My doc bumped my pressure up a little so I could sleep on my back.

Fast forward eight months or so. I relaxed a little about wearing the mask, had persistent issues with mouth breathing and aerophagia. I trained myself to sleep on my side and dial-winged my pressure down a little. So now I'm between my original prescription and my second prescription in pressure.

All this is a long way of saying, I suppose, that everyone is different.

[Papit]

Papit,

Are your numbers and sleep quality the same regardless of position or do they differ depending on which position you use?

John

Good question. I don't know. I don't have any data, but it was my most "natural-feeling" position and most comforting way to sleep before xpap. And it still feels good when I do it, but most of my sleep time is on my back to avoid dislodging the mask or disturbing the seal. Still, your question encourages me to do another experiment and collect some data. Thanks.

[Papit]

". . . so I found a way to sleep on my side and to deal at times with leaks, but could run with lower pressures. My AHI's improved and I, personally in my case, sleep better. Whatever you find best, which ever gives you the best rest.

You "found a way" to sleep on your side, apparently with not too much leakage. What "ways"? Are there any specific tips you can give us? How do you sleep on your stomach (or side) without jarring the mask, etc.? Thanks.