Flow limitations while awake?

[CPAPinCAL]

I searched and didn't find an answer to this but I am curious: Sometimes I will have my APAP on and I will notice the pressure slowly increasing as I watch TV or read as I am in bed. On OSCAR, it shows flow limitations. Some times the pressure will increase from 7.0 to 10.5. I assume this is because our awake breathing is less regular than while we sleep? No meds, no underlying health issues. FL bobs around .2-.3. My historical 95% FL are .04 last week, .02 last month, .05 last 6 months, .06 last year. Autoramp. 3 EPR, pressure 7-14. Hope I gave enough info. Thanks as always.

[Pugsy]

These machines have no idea if we are asleep or not because they can only measure air flow or our breathing.

They can and will respond to reductions in air flow...while awake.... with some sort of flagging of an event (can be OA or hyponea or FL and they will increase the pressure if the criteria is met) but they don't increase the pressure for central apneas. So yes...very possible that your machine is thinking something is going on with your airway even though you are awake. About 75% of my own AHI using XPAP is going to be those "false positives" and I just expect and accept it as something I deal with. I have a lot of arousals from sleep maintenance insomnia issues so I see a lot of false positives. Mostly it is false positive centrals but I have seen OAs and hyponeas as well.

Check your OSCAR detailed reports and look for pressure increases at about the same time as an increase in FLs. This is the most common cause of increased pressure while awake but not the only cause.

Awake breathing is very irregular when compared to asleep breathing and the machine is easily fooled.

[CPAPinCAL]

Thanks, Pugsy!

[palerider]

I assume this is because our awake breathing is less regular than while we sleep?

Correct.

[ChicagoGranny]

While we are not sleeping, breathing events don't wake us up.