New to using Cpap (a bit lost...)

[dataq1]

He could have many apneas while the machine is methodically increasing the pressure.

While true, the his last dailies were a month ago and they reported (3 days) AHIs of 0, 0.48 and 2.0, despite settings of 5-15.
The pressure increases largely appear to be responsive to flow limitations than sub-15 pressures.

There are many folks that would love to have those AHI values.
Now, has his AHI improved with the "experimentation", but more importantly has his symptoms (sleep health) improved with the experimentation?

[ChicagoGranny]

While true, the his last dailies were a month ago and they reported (3 days) AHIs of 0, 0.48 and 2.0, despite settings of 5-15.

Read more carefully and more thoroughly. Those last Daily Details reports he posted were 7 weeks ago. In the meantime, he switched to back-sleeping from side-sleeping. He wasn't sleeping on his back when he achieved those AHIs.

[dataq1]

OK, over a month ago. What are his AHIs now?
Overall my point is that many patients would be thrilled with numeric results like he had seven weeks ago.
Now his situation (back sleeping/side sleeping) has changed AND his physician told him to increase his minimum pressure.
What are the OSCAR dailies looking like now?

[ChicagoGranny]

What are his AHIs now?

It's spring in the northern hemisphere. Don't you have something you could be doing outside?

[Tec5]

Would my max pressure need adjusted due to a change in sleeping position?
IMO, if there are no other conflicting issues, a simple change in sleeping position should not dictate a need to increase the machine's ceiling pressure..

..due to an injury, My sleep quality has gone down, and I had attributed that to pain or discomfort.
IMO, if your sleep quality has gone down because of pain/discomfort/stress then changes to your pressure settings probably will not improve your sleep quality.

I tend to reach my max pressure of 15 a large majority of the nights.
Do you have any idea how many minutes each night you are at 15 cm? Have you looked at the Statistics tab on the OSCAR Report? What is your 95% Pressure Stats? (over the past week , past month)?

[ChicagoGranny]

a simple change in sleeping position should not dictate a need to increase the machine's ceiling pressure..

If a person moves from side or prone-sleeping to back-sleeping, the maximum pressure may need to be increased. Leonix reports his pressure is frequently hitting 15 when back-sleeping.

IMO, if your sleep quality has gone down because of pain/discomfort/stress then changes to your pressure settings probably will not improve your sleep quality.

If he is having apneas due to the maximum pressure being set too low, changing the max setting could improve his sleep quality.

Do you have any idea how many minutes each night you are at 15 cm?

He said it is hitting 15 frequently. If this limitation is causing arousals, he may not have many minutes at 15 because the arousals awaken him, and consequently the pressure drops.

We need to see the Daily Details before making your kind of statements.

[Tec5]

@Chicago,
Are you purposefully being argumentative?

Read carefully (the advice you gave above)

I said "If there are no other conflicting issues, a simple change in sleeping position should not dictate a need to increase the machine's ceiling pressure..
And you respond with: "if a person moves from side or prone-sleeping to back-sleeping, the maximum pressure may need to be increased".
But you don't explain WHY.

I sleep side, prone, supine almost every night - should I adjust my maximum pressure with each position change? Of course not ..... unless some other condition or issue results from that positional change. That's WHY I said: "if there are no conflicting issues....."

Now how about getting back on topic: Leoniex"s question was:" Would my max pressure need adjusted due to a change in sleeping position?"

[ChicagoGranny]

That's WHY I said: "if there are no conflicting issues....."

If you would have read his posts, you would have seen he switched from side-sleeping to back-sleeping, and he reported his pressure trace is hitting the max setting (15) frequently.

No need to confuse Leonix with a lot of ceteris paribus that doesn't exist. It's already known that things have changed.

[LeonieX]

I appreciate everyone who has contributed to this thread. I did not mean to initiate so much conflict!

I know without seeing my reports you really can't give me proper advice. My question was more in general, regarding back sleeping. I had been told that side sleeping is best for sleep apnea so I can only assume that switching to back sleeping might be part of my problem.

I don't see any harm in increasing my max to 20 and experimenting a bit to see what happens.

[ChicagoGranny]

I don't see any harm in increasing my max to 20 and experimenting a bit to see what happens.

Good plan!

I did not mean to initiate so much conflict!

You didn't.

[dataq1]

I don't see any harm in increasing my max to 20 and a bit to see what happens.

If your doctor endorses your experimenting with his prescription, go for it.

BTW, what is your current (back sleeping) AHI?

[Pugsy]

My question was more in general, regarding back sleeping. I had been told that side sleeping is best for sleep apnea so I can only assume that switching to back sleeping might be part of my problem.

In general it is well accepted that sleeping on one's back can worsen OSA and in the worsening it can sometimes cause a need for more pressure to keep the airway open.
This doesn't always happen to everyone though....but enough people will see it happen that we conclude that in general back sleeping worsens OSA in a good number of people. Sometimes they need more pressure but sometimes they don't.

The only hard fast rule in regards to OSA or therapy is there aren't any hard fast rules.

So it wouldn't surprise me at all if you were seeing more time hitting the max of 15 since you have been on your back.
The AHI may or may not change all that much.

Not everyone will see this change though. Supine sleeping doesn't cause any change in my AHI or pressure needs.
I once built a wall so that I would be sure to stay on my side and compared one month using the wall to the times I could be on my back if I wanted (and I would wake up often on my back because being on my back causes pain that wakes me up) and my pressures never really changed all that much and neither did my AHI.
This was backed up by the sleep study done in a lab where they documented side sleeping and back sleeping.
No real change.
Now REM stage sleep...for me that's a whole other can of worms and there was a marked difference in both pressure needs and AHI.

[dataq1]

The only hard fast rule in regards to OSA or therapy is there aren't any hard fast rules

Amen!

[ChicagoGranny]

If your doctor endorses your experimenting with his prescription, go for it.

There is zero requirement that any doctor has control over a patient's machine settings. After all, the doctor is the one who failed to get the script right in the first place.

[dataq1]

I appreciate everyone who has contributed to this thread. I did not mean to initiate so much conflict!

I'm sure that you didn't (mean to initiate conflict), the conflict is embedded in the difference of opinion that exists centering on the notion that physicians, and their prescriptions, are inherently incorrect and that rather than consulting your medical professional you should take advise from random strangers on the internet.

Witness Chicago's latest comment: "After all, the doctor is the one who failed to get the script right in the first place."
Chicago offers this without any evidence that YOUR physician has failed you.

Your physician did examine your data, he did suggest that you could increase your minimum, so it's not that he is unaware. But he also did not suggest an increase to your maximum - something that you thought perhaps he overlooked. So here's a not so unreasonable question: Have you asked your physician if he missed that detail?

Send you physician a message, send him an email, leave a message with his nurse. "Is it OK for me to increase my maximum pressure?"
If he says yes, then you are following medical advice.

That's all I saying: Consult your healthcare professional.