Is ramped up air flow a sign of seal leakage?

[Tcall]

If I wake up and my air flow is high does it mean the seal on my FFM has been leaking? Thanks!

[yaconsult]

Not necessarily. The machine increases pressure to treat breathing problems that it detects as well as to compensate for leaks. The only way to see what's really happening is to use software like the free SleepyHead to view the data recorded by the machine. If you have excessive leaking, this should also be indicated on the machines display.

Also, please go to the equipment section of your profile and fill in your equipment.

[chunkyfrog]

Sometimes it is a result of having the minimum setting too low.
The machine is incapable of a fast, large increase in pressure, and winds up "chasing" the apnea
past the pressure that should have worked, had the minimum been properly set.
Auto cpap machines come from the factory preset at a wide open pressure range,
and are often delivered without proper adjustment. (Ignorant or lazy providers)
Providers manuals are available for most of the better machines, but we need to know what machine you have.
There is also software, available for free, but again, your machine model must be known.

[Pugsy]

These new cpap/apap machines aren't really known to go chasing leaks with more pressure like the past models used to do. In fact most of the new machines now will try a reduction in pressure when it senses a large leak.

Most likely if you are waking up and seeing the higher pressures the higher pressures are in response to some sort of apnea event going on that needs more pressure and maybe the higher pressure is waking you up.

You can always confirm if there is a large leak going on at that time just by looking at the detailed software reports just in case it was a leak (if there was one) that simply happened because of the higher pressures.
Leaks themselves don't cause higher pressures...now higher pressures can cause leaks though.

[WindCpap]

How do you know the flow is high? Is it that there is an increase in volume of the air flow sound coming from the machine?

Any volume that you hear from the machine will be twice as loud at your face if the mask is leaking. Your mask has a vent that allows air to escape to atmosphere, and prevents you from rebreathing stale air. When the pressure ramps up, the flow coming from the machine will also increase.

[Wulfman...]

If I wake up and my air flow is high does it mean the seal on my FFM has been leaking? Thanks!

Like the others have said, please fill out your equipment profile with the exact equipment and settings......and use some software (if you have a data-capable machine) so you can SEE what's going on.

Is it "air flow" or "pressure"?
If you're dealing with a leak, the machine will increase the output (air flow) trying to maintain the pressure setting.
It's been an old "rumor" that leaks increased pressures (on older auto machines) but that wasn't true either. I tested it with my 10-year-old APAPs and even pulling my mask away from my face, creating a Large Leak, the pressure (in the reports) never increased.
Another misconception was that APAPs increased pressure when encountering an apnea........not true UNLESS the apnea was preceded by a flow limitation or snore.


Den

.

[chunkyfrog]

These new cpap/apap machines aren't really known to go chasing leaks with more pressure like the past models used to do.
. . .

My S9 Autoset was such a machine; yet it did "race away" several times before I set the range more tightly (see below)