xPAP and Airway and Lung Capacity Exercising

[JZ]

amandalee,

I don't know the answer to your question. However, when I started cpap, I was short of breath for about a week. I was afraid that I was getting a mild case of pneumonia, but apparently not as it went away with no treatment. Since then I have seen members of this forum mention lung "soreness" or being short of breath after starting cpap. One explanation could be that the cpap air pressure pushes air into areas of the lungs that us shallow breathers usually do not breathe into.

My titrated pressure is a only 7, so I don't expect cpap to improve my lung capacity to any appreciable degree. Lately I have started doing some deep breathing throughout the day when I remember to. I am very interested in Nodzy's experience with the spirometer and any other experiences people will share here about strengthening lung function and increasing capacity.

Janna

[Nodzy]

Mike,

Thank you for sharing info about your ordeal. And, no, that was not too much information. I think the particulars were vital to yielding a better picture of the total. I’m certainly glad that you came through and are healing well. My prayers are with you in your recovery.

Yes, the exerciser spirometer is a very useful device. I chose to buy and use one, without the suggestion or order of a doctor, in order to offset COPD and maybe get some reversal of the diminished ability of the lungs.
Most or, at least, many of us get lazy lungs as we age. We don’t work our lungs as hard, as often or as long as in younger years. That laziness tends to create a stagnation of the ability of the pulmonary system. I’m certainly guilty of that.

I’m not certain that it will provide any benefit other than possibly slowing lung function decline. Though, I am reasonably sure that it will provide some restorative benefit – faith, would be the word. Exercise that promotes deep-cycled breathing would be great too, but this effect will be in addition to anything else I might do.

Again, best of wishes for your fast and full recovery.

Nodzy

[Nodzy]

This may be a stupid question, but anatomy/physiology was not my best subject back in school, so...

Does sleeping with a CPAP strengthen a person's lungs at all, or do anything to improve lung capacity?

Since your airway is being forced open and you're breathing normally during the night, can that help with lung function?

Amandalee,

I have no degrees or formal training in the medical profession.

To both questions I would have to say, yes… and no. Much depends on the person, their overall condition, the specific condition of the lungs and pulmonary system when PAP therapy started… and many other factors. So many variables can be involved that trying to define it as a negative or positive constant for everyone is impossible.

Barring extraneous diseases caused by unclean xPAP equipment or other damaging factors, I would think that xPAP therapy can be greatly beneficial to the lungs, as it is to the entire body. Whether or not it alone would strengthen them, I think yes… to some degree. Other methods could do more for pulmonary strengthening.

I am reasonably certain that for some apneoic individuals a volumetric exerciser might aggravate another, or other, preexisting conditions even if only during a specific period in their health. No health matter is exclusive in relation to all others.

As for me using the exercise spirometer, it is inexpensive, uncomplicated and simple to understand. I find no harm in using it because it is just an inhalation (capacity) strengthener, a volumetric exerciser. Using it can lead to better resiliency of the lungs, in addition to some recovered or sustained capacity. Those offset some deterioration and yield better oxygenation of the blood.

I see it as something to do for my benefit when I’m not in strenuous exercise that forces deep-cycle breathing – a substitute, of sorts.

I adamantly do not recommend that anyone use an exercise spirometer, as it is a medical device and should be discussed with one’s personal physician before being added to a health regimen.

For me, I have found my doctors to be less than proactive and attentive to my care. Therefore, I am initiating well-considered small measures for my health betterment.

I hope your therapy is progressing well, and that you are gaining benefit.
Nodzy

[momadams]

As a flute player, I was introduced to some new-to-me breathing exercises based on Arnold Jacobs breathing bag techniques (http://www.windsongpress.com) a couple of years ago.

Improvement to my playing aside (huge differences), what I see is that they stretch and increase the flexibility of the intercostal muscles so that the ribs move more easily and allow freer breathing. (The ribs move upward in a buckethandle motion to give the lungs room to expand)

And it was this breathing awareness which led to my apnea diagnosis - during naps (and lighter sleep), I could sense that my breathing patterns weren't normal.

[Guest]

Hey, so I bought this little gizmo, and gave it a spin. I'm HORRIFIED at how low my numbers are. Anyone want to share their numbers?

I think I'm at 2500 or something like that. I know it's LOW in the tank...

Cheers,
B.

[Nodzy]

Hey, so I bought this little gizmo, and gave it a spin. I'm HORRIFIED at how low my numbers are. Anyone want to share their numbers?

I think I'm at 2500 or something like that. I know it's LOW in the tank...

Babette,

Don't fret it too much. While I'm not an RT or even trained in a medical art, I know that 2500 is about average low. It's far from critical, and far from ideal. The point is that you are doing something to assist yourself.

Do no expect to see amazing, near-instant results. How much you gain or recover, and how soon, are unknown variables under all manner of other unknowns.

Though, at the least you may be able to thwart slipping further down the scale prematurely by specifically exercising your pulmonary system. Of course, slowly building up to moderate to heavy deep-cycle breathing in exercise is better, the spirometer is not a bad place to start. And many can't do strenuous exercising, so the spirometer is an aid to balancing breathing function somewhat.

Good luck and I hope over time you feel and see an improvement.

Nodzy

[Highnote]

As a flute player, I was introduced to some new-to-me breathing exercises based on Arnold Jacobs breathing bag techniques (http://www.windsongpress.com) a couple of years ago.

Jake knew more about breathing than just about anyone. His lung capacity had decreased to under 2 liters, he wanted to retire as principal tuba from the Chicago Symphony, and Georg Solti wouldn't let him. Anybody with that lung capacity, who could keep up with that brass section, was on to something about breathing.

[Nodzy]

My first confirmed results are in:

I cannot claim that using the spirometer exerciser was the total benefit to my pulmonary system, but it obviously helped my O2 saturation numbers.

Yesterday, 2007-09-11, I added a Nonin Wristox 3100 oximeter with Profox software, to my arsenal of health tools. I think IMHO, Profox could have coded a much better GUI. Profox is also a CPU hog, even when turned-on and doing nothing. But the software doesn't have be turned-on except for minutes at a time to download data and save or print it.

SpO2 data sessions, one from yesterday afternoon while up and moving and another lasting 8-hours and 26-minutes last night during PAP therapy, revealed that my efforts to improve my COPD condition and oxygen saturation were paying a dividend. Both data-sets revealed higher and more stable saturations overall.

The “awake” session was most impressive over the doctor-initiated SpO2 data collected several years ago. I improved an overall 3.3% in up-and-moving sat-levels -- averaging 95.0% saturation.

The sleep-time saturation numbers weren’t as impressive, but still improved over the last doctor-initiated SpO2 sleep data, by about 2.5% overall in saturation levels – averaging 93.3% saturation.

1. Do I feel that the exercise spirometer is helping me? Absolutely, it is helping.

2. Do I feel that I can achieve more benefit from using the exercise spirometer? Yes, but how much more benefit I can get from it is uncertain.

3. Do I feel that an oximeter is vital to my therapy? Yes, considering that I have severe OSA, COPD, shallow breathing periods during sleep and resulting blood pressure and heart rate problems.

NOTE: I strongly recommend against anyone adding an exercise spirometer to their therapy without the advice of a competent medical professional.

The chart visuals below are last night’s daily Encore Pro chart and four (4) clips from the many available pages of the Profox Oximetry Comprehensive Report.

The .pdf of the charts can be seen at:

http://www.b419.net/cpap/odsd2007-09-11.pdf

[Nodzy]

My 2nd confirmed results are in:

They're not notably different than previous night's stats. Though I did make a better quality and smaller combined-file .pdf file this time.

There is no doubt that the exercise spirometer is helping to recover breathing capacity and maintain better oxygen saturation. Of course, the PAP therapy, at proper pressures for me, is a significant part of that.

Adding the exercise spirometer to my therapy regimen was a wise decision on my part, and I do not believe that any properly trained, knowledgeable and attentive doctor would disagree if he or she could compare the before-and-after statistics.

Again, the .pdf file contains only the daily Encore Pro chart and several selected pages of many available from the Profox Oximetry Software report for last night.

NOTE: These are my observations and opinions and none are intended nor recommended as a substitute for professional medical advice.


The .pdf of the charts can be seen at:

http://www.b419.net/cpap/res/odsd2007-09-12.pdf

[Nodzy]

My results for 2007-09-13 are posted.

The .pdf file contains only the daily Encore Pro daily histogram and several selected pages of many available from the Profox Oximetry Software report for last night.

NOTE: These are my observations and opinions and none are intended nor recommended as a substitute for professional medical advice.


The .pdf can be seen at:

http://www.b419.net/cpap/res/odsd2007-09-13.pdf