Dying in the desert: Cpap at 7000 feet Lake Tahoe

Help! I'm dying in the desert! Visiting Lake Tahoe for the weekend, and at 7000 feet, and woke up in the middle of the night feeling like someone left me to die in the Sahara! Parched throat and dry mouth. I had the humidity turned up to 3 on my Remstar Pro M Auto, pressure set to 9-11cm. I don't normally have such symptoms at sea level. What am I doing wrong? Should I crank up to 5? Should I tape my mouth shut..."Oh, look at our houseguest, all taped up!"

I'm also wondering if I turn the pressure down to 7 or so, if that would help, with less mouth breathing. I don't care if my numbers are a little higher for a few days, as long as I don't snore and keep awake my SO.

Need water, must drink......

I would try taping before lowering my settings. It would be one thing if your setting was very high to begin with, but if it's not, then you could end up feeling more starved for air rather than otherwise, but I think taping might be worth a try.

You are at higher altitude so there already is less pressure so why would you lower it?

You are in the desert, your body is totally starved for water. I have the same reaction when I visit my parents in Edmonton and have had for the last 20 years. You may want to crank your humidifier way up so you get much more moister in the air.

Not to mention that at that altitude, most of us take a few days to not feel a bit breathless all the time and breathing faster & deeper to try to compensate, since the air is "thinner." I'm guessing that if you never had mouth breathing or mouth leaks, you are probably having them now due to this effect. In that case, I agree that taping your mouth or using a FFM with slightly higher pressure might be a good option.

Well,
I guess at about altitude 6500 to the highest peaks at 7000 you will be feeling different. I checked for your home area, not listed. That could make a huge difference. Our altitude in the valley is about 4500, and when we go to Tahoe, I notice the difference in the air.

I remember becautiful pine trees and the blue, blue Lake, but perhaps because I live in an arid state I don't notice a desert at the Lake level. There is sandy soil, but it depends on your home area and how green it is.

I hope you find the solution, and best wishes.

Jan

Your M Series Auto should automatically adjust for the altitude so I don't know that I would fuss w/the pressure settings at all but I would turn the humidifier way up and be sure to drink PLENTY of water during the day.

IF you are using your Auto in straight CPAP mode I suppose you could reset it to Auto mode w/the usual recommended 2 cms below your set pressure and 2 cms above your set pressure. Or 1 below and 2 above.

Taped last night and that did the trick. Also cranked up Humidity to max, # 5, and aside from a few gurgles and whistles during the night, much better night. No more dreams about being stranded in the Empty Quarter!
Thanks for the feedback.