A-Flex, C-flex, None. Moving from A-flex to C-flex

[Tech Guy]

The last couple of nights have been tightening up the A-flex from 3 to 2 to 1. Have noticed I'm feeling A LOT BETTER and the ahi has moved from 5 or 6 to 2 to 1.8. The pressure remains the same with a minimum of 6 lpm to a max of 15 lpm averaging 6.5 to 7 lpm. Since I've seen significant improvements in just a few days tightening up the flex, wondering if things would have more room for improvement stepping down from A-flex and switching to C-flex. There is a considerable comfort level difference. The A-flex with a setting of 1 is still very comfortable. While the C-flex on a setting of 2, is comfortable, my chest fills up with a lot more air even though the pressure has not changed. I'm willing to trade off some comfort for greater improvements in physically feeling better the next day. Seems the tightening up has kept the airway open a bit more which is the point of using the cpap equipment! Has anyone else stepped down from A-flex to C-flex or just turned flex off entirely? I tested it off. Wasn't unbearable lol, but would take some time getting used to the feeling of more air in the chest. Anyone seen improvements with flex off?

[Pugsy]

Flex relief settings or choices are entirely personal preference.
I didn't care for CFlex but loved AFlex.
Here's what happened when I turned AFlex off. It wasn't pretty and I only did it one night.
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=67883&p=631376&hili ... mb#p631376
Now there are people who do better without any exhale relief. I am not one of them. I like it, I sleep better, no aerophagia and that means I feel better the next day.

[Wulfman...]

The last couple of nights have been tightening up the A-flex from 3 to 2 to 1. Have noticed I'm feeling A LOT BETTER and the ahi has moved from 5 or 6 to 2 to 1.8. The pressure remains the same with a minimum of 6 lpm to a max of 15 lpm averaging 6.5 to 7 lpm. Since I've seen significant improvements in just a few days tightening up the flex, wondering if things would have more room for improvement stepping down from A-flex and switching to C-flex. There is a considerable comfort level difference. The A-flex with a setting of 1 is still very comfortable. While the C-flex on a setting of 2, is comfortable, my chest fills up with a lot more air even though the pressure has not changed. I'm willing to trade off some comfort for greater improvements in physically feeling better the next day. Seems the tightening up has kept the airway open a bit more which is the point of using the cpap equipment! Has anyone else stepped down from A-flex to C-flex or just turned flex off entirely? I tested it off. Wasn't unbearable lol, but would take some time getting used to the feeling of more air in the chest. Anyone seen improvements with flex off?

Yes. Quite a few people have reported that. After nearly eight years of using C-Flex at a setting of 2, I finally turned it off at the beginning of April this year (after my machine was beginning to develop a little "whine" noise on exhale) and my average annual AHI went from 0.4 to 0.2. Not a big deal, but that's what I saw. I've also wondered why I didn't turn it off years ago.


Den

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[greatunclebill]

a-flex is an apap option. c-flex is a cpap option. apap uses pressure ranges or straight pressure. cpap uses straight pressure. in other words to use c-flex you have to change to cpap mode and have one straight pressure. you can't get c-flex in apap mode. c-flex and a-flex are personal preferences. my setting may not be good for you and your setting may not be good for me. if it feels good to you don't worry about what others do.

[Tech Guy]

a-flex is an apap option. c-flex is a cpap option. apap uses pressure ranges or straight pressure. cpap uses straight pressure. in other words to use c-flex you have to change to cpap mode and have one straight pressure. you can't get c-flex in apap mode. c-flex and a-flex are personal preferences. my setting may not be good for you and your setting may not be good for me. if it feels good to you don't worry about what others do.

So, if I change to c-flex, is the pressure I'm feeling the minimum pressure setting? A-flex is set 6 to 15 lpm. Averages 6 to 7.5.

In c-flex mode it won't auto adjust if I need more pressure?

[greatunclebill]

if you change to cpap, you can use c-flex. you will have to set the pressure to a single pressure which the machine will not auto adjust like the apap does. c-flex has the same 1-2-3 range as a-flex. you really should talk to your doc before going to cpap. there may be a reason that he wants it on apap with a pressure range.

[Tech Guy]

Thanks, I'll leave it on a-flex for now and appreciate the explanation