Newbie: new CPAP makes me gasp

[ChrisN]

Hello, I've just started using a CPAP this week. I'm using a full face mask, and while I'm not thrilled having it on, it isn't too bad when the air pressure starts at 4.0. However, once it ramps up to around 10, I find during occasional breaths that I feel like there is suction in the mask that makes a little popping sound, and I find it harder to breathe. After a couple of days getting used to the mask only when awake, I had a night where I managed to wear the mask for about 3 hours, but then woke up gasping and feeling that I couldn't breathe, and took off the mask. My online report says I had 7 events per hour. Last night, I decided to start with the airflow at 4 right away, and again that seemed fine. However, within an hour, I had repeated episodes of suddenly feeling I couldn't breathe enough. I checked the CPAP and saw a pressure of 11. About a half hour later and several episodes more, I took off the mask. The pressure at that point was 16, I believe. My online report says I had 19 AHI events in that 1:42 elapsed time, much more than I experienced in my sleep study.

So I've actually slept much less the last two nights and am really tired today. I feel soreness/discomfort in my chest. I was diagnosed with mild OSA when on my side and moderately severe OSA when on my back. I snore about 7% of the time and rarely wake myself up. With the CPAP, I have the feeling that I'm actually creating episodes rather than preventing them. Will this get better with increased exposure, or am I doing something wrong?

(My CPAP is set for 4.0-20.0 range of pressure, humidity set at 4/10.)

Thanks for any advice!

[ChicagoGranny]

4.0-20.0 range of pressure

That's the factory default setting. For most people, it doesn't work optimally. Tweaking the pressure settings is often necessary.

Have you read "Sticky: Newbies PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING " and just above that the Sleepyhead tutorial?

You can probably get some good advice in this thread if you post a Sleepyhead chart conforming to the instructions.

Welcome!

[Sheriff Buford]

A lower setting of 4 is way too low! I have never heard of anyone having (and keeping) the lower setting that low. My daughter started at a 6, and it was too low for her. She was feeling the same symptoms as you. She now has her setting at 7 or 8. I would suggest a setting of 6 or 7 for you. Give it time see how you respond. Don't go crazy "playin" with your settings.

Sheriff

[ChrisN]

4.0-20.0 range of pressure

That's the factory default setting. For most people, it doesn't work optimally. Tweaking the pressure settings is often necessary.

Have you read "Sticky: Newbies PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING " and just above that the Sleepyhead tutorial?

You can probably get some good advice in this thread if you post a Sleepyhead chart conforming to the instructions.

Welcome!

Thanks! I'll read through those screens and the tips that are linked. My CPAP is set to transmit my results via modem, rather than store on an SD card. There is a slot, and I'm not sure right now how to save data and still make sure it is transmitted to my provider, but I'll look for more instructions so I could use the analysis software you mentioned.

[ChrisN]

A lower setting of 4 is way too low! I have never heard of anyone having (and keeping) the lower setting that low. My daughter started at a 6, and it was too low for her. She was feeling the same symptoms as you. She now has her setting at 7 or 8. I would suggest a setting of 6 or 7 for you. Give it time see how you respond. Don't go crazy "playin" with your settings.

Sheriff

Interesting! But a little confusing, as I seem to find the lower pressure (4-5) to be easy to breathe, but when it ramped up to 11 or so my first longer night, that's when I felt the difficulty breathing. Is that what your daughter experienced, or did she have trouble at the lower setting?

Thanks for your comments!

[Pugsy]

Having (or not having) a SD card in that slot on the machine doesn't affect the transmission of the data via the cellular transmission.
No one would even know you did it unless you tell them.
If you don't have a SD card in the slot already....any SD card will work. I got mine at WalMart.

Go here and request the clinical manual for your machine. Read it and especially the part about EPR / exhale relief
https://www.apneaboard.com/adjust-cpap- ... tup-manual
If you need 11 cm pressure and you can't handle it right now...sometimes adding a little exhale relief will help your breathing against it.

And yes...for some people that low pressure around 4 or 5 is actually more uncomfortable than the higher pressures.
Not enough air is moving and we feel like we are suffocating. Of course we aren't but it sure feels like it.

[D.H.]

To the OP:

You did not say why you're using a FF mask. In some case it's needed, but it has its downside.

You might want to consider a nasal mask.

Also, as already stated, you might want to change the pressure setting.

[kteague]

Until you see data, all we can do is generalize or guess. One more maybe is since your pressure was rising, maybe there was already compromised breathing causing the rise and that is what caused you to feel a problem. Not the higher pressure, but rather the cause of the higher pressure. If a pressure of 11 wasn't adequate air for you, keep in mind that pressures rise incrementally over time, and if there's a long way to go, the machine may not be able to get to an effective pressure soon enough. Closing the gap by increasing the starting pressure could make it reach an effective pressure sooner. Also, comparing how pressures feel when awake vs asleep probably won't be very helpful. Once you figure out how to get and read your data I would expect that to be more revealing in what you need to do to optimize your treatment.

[palerider]

My CPAP is set to transmit my results via modem, rather than store on an SD card.

There's no such setting.

Put an SD card in, let's find out what's going on.

[Sheriff Buford]

A lower setting of 4 is way too low! I have never heard of anyone having (and keeping) the lower setting that low. My daughter started at a 6, and it was too low for her. She was feeling the same symptoms as you. She now has her setting at 7 or 8. I would suggest a setting of 6 or 7 for you. Give it time see how you respond. Don't go crazy "playin" with your settings.

Sheriff

Interesting! But a little confusing, as I seem to find the lower pressure (4-5) to be easy to breathe, but when it ramped up to 11 or so my first longer night, that's when I felt the difficulty breathing. Is that what your daughter experienced, or did she have trouble at the lower setting?

Thanks for your comments!

My daughter didn't use the ramp mode. I need to make sure of your use of the term "ramp". Ramp is a mode you can use (or not use) on your machine to slowly increase the machine's pressure to it's lowest setting to when you first go to bed. It's a comfort thing, so you don't experience the full pressure force all at once.... when going to bed. But I have used the term "ramp" when describing the machine's pressure increase when treating an apnea event. I have found that it is a very confusing term to use this way when talking to a knowledgeable cpap user.


If you like to start out at a lower pressure, just bump up the pressure one - I want to say one pound, but it is really inches of water.... . Make your pressure adjustments slowly. What I have noticed on Resmed machines, it that during the night, the machines pressure will increase to treat an apnea event, then it will normally not reduce the pressure down to the lower pressure setting. It will hover around a lower pressure setting a little higher all night long.
Bump the pressure up one inche of water and see what happens. Report back on what happens.

Sheriff

[Snoregone Conclusion]

A lower setting of 4 is way too low! I have never heard of anyone having (and keeping) the lower setting that low. My daughter started at a 6, and it was too low for her. She was feeling the same symptoms as you. She now has her setting at 7 or 8. I would suggest a setting of 6 or 7 for you. Give it time see how you respond. Don't go crazy "playin" with your settings.

Sheriff

Interesting! But a little confusing, as I seem to find the lower pressure (4-5) to be easy to breathe, but when it ramped up to 11 or so my first longer night, that's when I felt the difficulty breathing. Is that what your daughter experienced, or did she have trouble at the lower setting?

Thanks for your comments!

My daughter didn't use the ramp mode. I need to make sure of your use of the term "ramp". Ramp is a mode you can use (or not use) on your machine to slowly increase the machine's pressure to it's lowest setting to when you first go to bed. It's a comfort thing, so you don't experience the full pressure force all at once.... when going to bed. But I have used the term "ramp" when describing the machine's pressure increase when treating an apnea event. I have found that it is a very confusing term to use this way when talking to a knowledgeable cpap user.


If you like to start out at a lower pressure, just bump up the pressure one - I want to say one pound, but it is really inches of water.... . Make your pressure adjustments slowly. What I have noticed on Resmed machines, it that during the night, the machines pressure will increase to treat an apnea event, then it will normally not reduce the pressure down to the lower pressure setting. It will hover around a lower pressure setting a little higher all night long.
Bump the pressure up one inche of water and see what happens. Report back on what happens.

Sheriff

There's a units issue here: it!s not inches but centimeters, makes a major difference.

[ChicagoGranny]

makes a major difference

Not really. 'cause no machine has a setting for inches H2O.

[Snoregone Conclusion]

makes a major difference

Not really. 'cause no machine has a setting for inches H2O.

I never said they did, but mixing the two units does.

This is the type of error that destroyed a Mars probe, because all but one unit usage was metric, so instead of a decent descent to the surface, it had a very short mission.

[ChicagoGranny]

This is the type of error that destroyed a Mars probe,

Right. And if you get your CPAP pressure units mixed up, it will destroy Uranus probe.

[Snoregone Conclusion]

This is the type of error that destroyed a Mars probe,

Right. And if you get your CPAP pressure units mixed up, it will destroy Uranus probe.

Watch out for Klingons! They're constantly launching probes, it's their way to gather intel for their end game!