A question about pressure

I am still struggling with fatigue during the day. I have an appointment with a new sleep doc in April to see what the problem may be and to see about an autopap.

My question to those who have been on CPAP therapy for a while is this. When I first turn my machine on, I am very aware of the pressure. It is not a problem for me and in a strange way it's almost soothing. As the night progresses, I will wake up and my breathing is so easy that I sometimes feel that maybe the machine has turned off.

Is this normal? My boyfriend tells me I'm not snoring so I'm wondering if the pressure is not high enough the deeper into sleep I get and I'm still suffering significant events. I have a Fisher-Pakel with a humidifier.

Any thoughts, comments would be appreciated.

Jeanne

HI.
A FP. I assume this isn't a auto unit. Or are you using a FP mask ?
Yes this is normal. You are taking to the treatment well. If your cpap is an auto you should be getting proper treatment. If its a straight cpap you shouls also be getting treatment since thet are usually set WAAY to high.
Ask your new Doc. Who is it ? Is he auto friendly ? Keep us posted.

Cheers,

Chris

Nope, it's straight CPAP with a pressure of 8. I started out with a FP mask but now I use the Ultra Mirage FF. (too many mouth leaks to use a nasal)

My new doc is Dr. Hudson. And Janelle recommended him and said he was definitely auto friendly. Hopefully he'll be able to prescribe an autopap with software so I can see what's going on.

Thanks for your response!

Jeanne

Unfortunately, Jeanne, some people take quite some time to start feeling better, for several different reasons - another underlying condition that was masked by the apnea, depression, and plain old habit!!! Sometimes when sleep apnea goes untreated for a while our bodies get into the habit of waking up multiple times during the night. Then when we get treated, the apneas are no longer waking us up, but our bodies still wake up (as least partially) several times. You know, like when you have to get up at a specific time every day for your job, then you change jobs and can sleep an hour later, but you still wake up at the first time, sometimes for months after? Well, if your body has gotten into the waking up multiple times habit, even with treatment it can take a while to break the habit and go back to sleeping through the night.
Do talk to your doctor. It could be you need a different pressure. It could be you need a different mask (maybe the one you have isn't quite as leak proof as you think). It could be another condition entirely. Or it could be habit. There are things that can help for any of these reasons, but you have to figure out which one, to know what to treat.
Debbie