Greetings and blessings all.
This may have been covered before, but I didn't see anything similar so I thought I would share the following.
I have been on CPAP since June '12. My sleep doc tells me there is no difference in sleeping position as long as I am using my CPAP. Since my AHI numbers have been going up since January of this year, I have been experimenting with sleeping on my side. I am typically a back sleeper because of a bad lower back. Every night that I sleep on my side, my AHI numbers go way down! I have tested this for approximately a week, and every night on my side yields much lower AHI numbers. Great news, right? Not so.
Sleeping on my side somewhat aggravates my back! Back sleeping is good for the back and bad for the sleep apnea. Side sleeping is good for the sleep apnea but bad for the back. I am in hopes there is someone on here that might have had a similar experience and might share their thoughts.
Blessings,
Chuck
Sleeping position question
4 posts
• Page 1 of 1
Sleeping position question
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BlackSpinner
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Re: Sleeping position question
Your doctor is correct - sort off.
If you need to sleep on your back you need to look at your data. Where does your pressure try to sit when you sleep on your back? You may try to raise your minimum closer to that number. It takes time for the pressure to increase to where it is needed so events slip in.
If you need to sleep on your back you need to look at your data. Where does your pressure try to sit when you sleep on your back? You may try to raise your minimum closer to that number. It takes time for the pressure to increase to where it is needed so events slip in.
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Re: Sleeping position question
It's common to need more pressure when sleeping on one's back.
It's also common to need more pressure for REM stage sleep events.
It's common for a person's OSA to be worse in REM sleep or when sleeping on their back or maybe a combination of both.
We can't always stay on our sides for sleeping for various reasons. Sleep is the number one goal and if that means sleeping on one's back then so be it. I see no sense in being awake and in pain just to stay on our side and reduce the apnea events....use the machine and let it do its job and sleep in whatever position affords better sleep and less pain.
This is when it becomes useful to have an auto adjusting pressure machine (APAP mode) available so that the machine can simply vary the pressure as needed.
While my supine sleeping doesn't seem to aggravate my OSA...my REM stage sleep sure does.
If supine sleeping pressures are substantially different than side sleeping pressures then maybe a little more tweaking of the minimum pressure when using APAP mode to help the machine have a better head start will help reduce the events that might happen when sleeping on one's back.
That's what I had to do with my REM stage sleep related events....I had to increase the minimum somewhat so that the machine could get to where it needs to be for my REM events that sometimes need a lot more pressure.
So yeah...side sleeping is usually better in terms of apnea events and pressure needs but if you are in pain and can't sleep well on your side then that certainly isn't a desired outcome.
If you need to be on your back...then set the machine so it can do the job it is designed for.
So....how much is your AHI when on your back? If it is very high would increasing the minimum pressure cause any problems like aerophagia?
It's also common to need more pressure for REM stage sleep events.
It's common for a person's OSA to be worse in REM sleep or when sleeping on their back or maybe a combination of both.
We can't always stay on our sides for sleeping for various reasons. Sleep is the number one goal and if that means sleeping on one's back then so be it. I see no sense in being awake and in pain just to stay on our side and reduce the apnea events....use the machine and let it do its job and sleep in whatever position affords better sleep and less pain.
This is when it becomes useful to have an auto adjusting pressure machine (APAP mode) available so that the machine can simply vary the pressure as needed.
While my supine sleeping doesn't seem to aggravate my OSA...my REM stage sleep sure does.
If supine sleeping pressures are substantially different than side sleeping pressures then maybe a little more tweaking of the minimum pressure when using APAP mode to help the machine have a better head start will help reduce the events that might happen when sleeping on one's back.
That's what I had to do with my REM stage sleep related events....I had to increase the minimum somewhat so that the machine could get to where it needs to be for my REM events that sometimes need a lot more pressure.
So yeah...side sleeping is usually better in terms of apnea events and pressure needs but if you are in pain and can't sleep well on your side then that certainly isn't a desired outcome.
If you need to be on your back...then set the machine so it can do the job it is designed for.
So....how much is your AHI when on your back? If it is very high would increasing the minimum pressure cause any problems like aerophagia?
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Re: Sleeping position question
Have you tried newer and different beds recently?
4 posts
• Page 1 of 1