PRESSURE?

CAN ANYBODY TELL ME ABOUT PRESSURE PLEASE. HOW DOES THE DOCTOR KNOW WHAT PRESSURE IS NEEDED FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL, MINE IS SET AT 10, WHY 10? WHAT HAPPENS IF IT'S TO HIGH, WHAT ARE THE DANGERS? IF ITS TOO LOW WHAT WOULD HAPPEN? ALSO WHAT IS THE NORMAL PRESSURE, IS MINE HIGH OR LOW THE DOCTOR TOLD ME MY OXYGEN LEVELS WERE 89 AT BEST & DIPPED DOWN TO 60, THIS THEY SAID WENT ON ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT. I HAVE BEEN EXAUSTED & MY MEMORY IS NONEXSISTANT ALONG WITH LACK OF CONSENTRATION & CONFUSION. I HAVE ONLY BEEN ON IT ABOUT 9 DAYS NOW AND I AM STILL VERY EXAUSTED & HAVING QUITE A FEW TEETHING PROBLEMS, BUT PERSIVERING, I DON'T GIVE UP EASILY... [/i]

Hi Jean from Nottingham UK.

You do not mention how your dr came to decide on a pressure of 10. Did you have a sleep study. It is early days, hang on in there it may take a while for you to begin to feel the benefits of your machine.

What machine have you been given? A fixed pressure machine cpap machine i assume.
What mask do you have?

Hang on in there you do need to persevere for a while.

My understanding is that during your titration study the sleep tech tests various pressures for periods of time and then usually the doctor recommends the lowest pressure that will keep you breathing and stop most of your apneas.

If the pressure were too low then it may not stop all the apneas and if it were too high it may arouse you from deeper levels of sleep at times. So basically it is trial and error thing during the sleep titration study.

It varies from person to person. Even though I have severe apnea (83 per hour) with an oxygen desaturation nadir of 57% I only need a pressure of 9 to successfully treat me. This is considered a pretty low pressure for severe apnea.

Hope this helps you understand it.

Paul

As Paul said, the pressure is determined by trial and error during the test. Make sure your mask is sealing properly. Also, many people report feeling more rested in the AM if they sleep inclined, up to 45 degrees or so. This tends to lessen the apneac events during sleep. If the pressure is set too high, as you asked, it can cause major medical issues you'd not rather deal with. As for 10 being high or low, it depends on the individual. It's only a number, nothing more. If you want a reference range, CPAPS go up to a maximum of 30. We're hear to help. Just ask!

Peter