What exactly am I supposed to feel if anything

[nwyant]

I used the smaller nasal pillows last night and had no air leakage at all. The only air I felt came from the hose vents. My question is this. Am I supposed to feel air being pushed into my lungs or am I supposed to just breathe normally and not feel anything. If I'm not feeling anything is the cpap doing its job?

[thousandeyes]

Hi nwyant - I'm a really new user of cpap and the nasal pillows. I don't know what experience others have with full face masks, but for me - I have no sensation of any air either in my nose, or windpipe at all. I suspect this is normal. Probably another very experienced user will be able to give you 'chapter and verse' of the mechanics of cpap, but the continuous pressure is not detectable for me. I feel a slight resistance as the air first comes into my nose... and as I breathe out against it. Slight. then I feel entirely normal as I breathe, as if I were not connected to the machine at all. in fact, I have woken a few times and had to put my hand up to feel the air from the vent to be reassured that the thing is 'on'.

So - yep, I would say its doing its job. But if you can check your stats after a few days, you will know more about the pressure, and if you have any leakage. Cheers!

[Sheriff Buford]

You are not necessarily going to feel the air coming into your body. As long as it doesn't leak out... you are ok. When I say leak out, I mean either around your nose or out of your mouth. You mask will vent too, but that is normal. If your leak rates are low... you are doing great!!

Sheriff

[Otter]

I used the smaller nasal pillows last night and had no air leakage at all. The only air I felt came from the hose vents. My question is this. Am I supposed to feel air being pushed into my lungs or am I supposed to just breathe normally and not feel anything. If I'm not feeling anything is the cpap doing its job?

Just breathe normally. You aren't feeling anything because there's nothing to feel. The only time you breathe any more air with CPAP than you normally would is when you're asleep and your airway would otherwise close, and even then you only breathe as much air as you would if you didn't have apnea. CPAP increases pressure very slightly. It doesn't increase volume at all.

[SleepyToo2]

CPAP increases pressure very slightly. It doesn't increase volume at all.

I am not an engineer, but if I recall correctly from my physics classes (more than a couple of years ago), you do have a slight increase in volume to go with the pressure unless you reduce the diameter of the pipe? However, you are correct about the slight increase in pressure - it is not enough to inflate a balloon. You are only trying to assist the normal breathing process, you are not creating a new one. That would be called a ventilator. For those on a regular xPAP, the key is to breathe normally. It is sometimes a challenge for new users, but it doesn't take very long before the old breathing habits return - except during sleep.

[Pugsy]

Sounds like you were expecting to feel a big rush of air forcing lungs to inflate like we think a ventilator does. You know those movies where a person is on the ventilator and the chest goes up and down because of the ventilator.
It doesn't work that way with cpap therapy. Ventilators use a LOT more pressure than cpap/apap machines.
Main job of the cpap machine is just to provide enough pressure in the airway to hold the airway open and prevent the collapse of the tissues in the airway that are blocking the air flow. Some people need only a little extra pressure to hold the airway open and some people happen to need much more but even 20 cm of pressure is not enough to force the lungs to expand like a ventilator does.

Using cpap is supposed to feel like normal breathing...no big rush of air. Inhale is easy but exhale can create a problem for some people depending on them and the pressures used because exhale against the air pressure can be a bit difficult sometimes.
The body does get used to it though. It's amazing how it adapts even at the higher pressures in double digits.
It sort of feels like a hurricane when we put the mask on but after a few minutes feels like a gentle breeze.
That's why people wake up in the middle of the night and think the machine has stopped blowing...it hasn't but the body has become so accustomed to the slight pressure that it no longer perceives it as an abnormal thing...and instead just normal and so no longer seems like a hurricane.

When I first started therapy my pressure was APAP 10 cm minimum. It would take me maybe 3 minutes for that hurricane to turn to a gentle breeze where it was barely noticed. It didn't take long before that hurricane was gone in maybe 6 breaths.
Now it only takes a couple of breaths.

[jweeks]

Am I supposed to feel air being pushed into my lungs or am I supposed to just breathe normally and not feel anything.

Hi,

You got it...you probably are not going to feel anything when using nasal pillows. I cannot even tell if my machine is running unless I feel the air coming out of the exhaust. With a full face mask, I was able to feel the air moving in my mouth, but I get no sensation when using nasal pillows.

-john-

[Chilimon]

Am I supposed to feel air being pushed into my lungs or am I supposed to just breathe normally and not feel anything.

You got it...you probably are not going to feel anything when using nasal pillows. I cannot even tell if my machine is running unless I feel the air coming out of the exhaust.

-john-

+1 what John said, I wore my nasal pillow for the second night of using a CPAP and until I fell asleep in 15 minutes, I was feeling the vents to see if air was moving.

[Otter]

CPAP increases pressure very slightly. It doesn't increase volume at all.

I am not an engineer, but if I recall correctly from my physics classes (more than a couple of years ago), you do have a slight increase in volume to go with the pressure unless you reduce the diameter of the pipe? However, you are correct about the slight increase in pressure - it is not enough to inflate a balloon.

Well, I suppose there is an infinitesimal increase of the mass of air per full breath, but the volume is still determined by the volume of your lungs. And if the pressure were enough to significantly change the shape your lungs, you'd definitely feel something.

[SleepyToo2]

CPAP increases pressure very slightly. It doesn't increase volume at all.

I am not an engineer, but if I recall correctly from my physics classes (more than a couple of years ago), you do have a slight increase in volume to go with the pressure unless you reduce the diameter of the pipe? However, you are correct about the slight increase in pressure - it is not enough to inflate a balloon.

Well, I suppose there is an infinitesimal increase of the mass of air per full breath, but the volume is still determined by the volume of your lungs. And if the pressure were enough to significantly change the shape your lungs, you'd definitely feel something.

Excellent point. Your lungs are still in command, so no significant change in volume. Thanks for the clarification - I hadn't thought that through properly.

[chunkyfrog]

I have this image of a hound dog with his head hanging out of the car window.
Way more pressure than we can ever get with our machine (note the saliva spraying behind);
but the doggie is simply groovin'. It's all perspective.

[Otter]

I have this image of a hound dog with his head hanging out of the car window.
Way more pressure than we can ever get with our machine (note the saliva spraying behind);
but the doggie is simply groovin'. It's all perspective.

Uh oh. Rover hasn't had a titration study to set his wind pressure. What if "something happens"?

[Sheriff Buford]

I have this image of a hound dog with his head hanging out of the car window.
Way more pressure than we can ever get with our machine (note the saliva spraying behind);
but the doggie is simply groovin'. It's all perspective.

Sounds like my dog.... loves to "groove"

Sheriff

[chunkyfrog]

Nothing's more relaxing than drooling on the rear quarter panel.
Or tailgaters.