Effects of too much pressure

S8 Escape - ResMed and Mirage Activa mask, no humidifier at this time.
There is a data card and slot for downloading data. I decided to try again at prescibed rate tonight to see if works and then follow-up Monday for adjustments if necessary. Since nobody here seems to know what too much pressure can do and/or problems it might cause, I'm not risking it.
Originally this thread started out about Too Much Pressure but nobody really answered that or shared issues, other than a .2 adjustment would hardly be noticed. I am pretty sure my pressure of 11 is not enough and I can't understand why the study did not determine that. I figured the Tech was going to go by the "books", so to speak, and use the 10 base, from 7 years ago as the starting point. Even when I asked to go higher, they wouldn't.
I had been using my old mask instead of the newer Activa one, so I will try that tonight, with pressure back down to 11. Hope that makes a difference. It seems like I won't be able to breathe if pressure to high and that doesn't happen at 16.

About the only thing that higher pressures MIGHT present problems with is inducing Central Apneas (CA). But, that information would only be able to be discerned during your sleep study and titration study.
From reading your story, it doesn't sound like you've had any problems with them if you've been getting restful sleep at the higher pressures..
Unfortunately, your machine doesn't have the capabilities of collecting nightly statistics to see what's going on during the night. These machines can't discern between an Obstructive and a Central apnea, but there are at least "events" to look at.

My "story" is the opposite of yours.....I was prescribed a higher pressure, but found out that a lower pressure worked better for me. (with software to monitor my therapy)

Best wishes,

Den

Thanks for responding, Den. I was telling my story to someone at work and they asked, "what happens if the pressure is to high?" Which got me thinking about my self-adjustments. The Sleep People, I have to deal with are very unorganized. I needed a new mask and it took them over a week to get one to me. When my original machine died, they couldn't get me a loaner because I was not in their system, from 7 years ago. I really don't want to deal with them anymore unless I have to. I'm afraid they will want to do another study to make adjustments. I am going to talk to my Dr. He is the one that has the final say in the setting of the machine.
Enjoy the weekend

Guest wrote:I have read a few posts where people have adjusted their pressure in increments themselves until they felt good. Has anyone ever unknowingly gone higher than necessary to see if they would feel better only to feel worse? If so would you share your symptoms of too much pressure? Did the AI or HI numbers increase & did that foggy can't do anything feeling come back the next day? I had my setting at 12.0 & felt pretty good but thought that if I would feel even better if I raised my setting to 12.2 cm & ended up feeling pretty bad the next day - my AI & HI numbers also increased. It was only .2 cm which seams negligible, if I was right where I was supposed to be at 12.0 would a slight increase have a negative reaction as described. Why would the AI & HI increase if I had enough pressure to keep my airways open?
Anyway, if anyone can decipher my gibberish I would be curious to hear what other people have experienced.

My intro to cpap therapy was based on a slip up by the sleep center I went to. I was given a slip of paper with 15 cmH20 written on it to use for setting my machine.

The lab nurse had misread the handwriting of the night sleep lab tech who wrote a bad 13.

So for 18 months I was way over the pressure I needed. My 1st 6 weeks felt like I was on drugs - high as a kite. I got used to the 15 but not before switching to a bilevel. Then in time I started doing detailed tests & got the pressure on the bilevel to 10/13 & have hardly moved off that since. Did a later sleep study that basically confirmed 12 or 13 as being the optimum ipap pressure. I still run at 13 as ipap & any time I go up or down, it doesn't seem as good.

I really like machines that provide fine pressure adjustments - not all do.

DSM

My fiance has VA coverage and was placed on a cpap of 8cm/h20. They also gave him a full face mask. As a sleep Tech,I felt worried because he hadn't had a former sleep study or any type of sreening whichI worried me about GIRDS, low pressure, high pressure or what the heck they were treating him for??? Once he did have the sleep study they raised his level 1 cm but the Technologist was asked by my fiance to please raise it to 10cm/h20. Not only did this upset me, they tought him how to raise they pressure and my fiance raised it to 16cm/h20 on his own because he did not feel the full benefit of the cpap and was feeling more tired. I've observed him pulling off the mask throughout the night's due to not feeling comfortable with his mask. Please let me know how or what I can share with my fiance what could be happening to him if he continues to raise his pressure on his own. Also, he has experienced an increase of PVC's and EDS.


Despreate fiance

Guest wrote:My fiance has VA coverage and was placed on a cpap of 8cm/h20. They also gave him a full face mask. As a sleep Tech,I felt worried because he hadn't had a former sleep study or any type of sreening whichI worried me about GIRDS, low pressure, high pressure or what the heck they were treating him for??? Once he did have the sleep study they raised his level 1 cm but the Technologist was asked by my fiance to please raise it to 10cm/h20. Not only did this upset me, they tought him how to raise they pressure and my fiance raised it to 16cm/h20 on his own because he did not feel the full benefit of the cpap and was feeling more tired. I've observed him pulling off the mask throughout the night's due to not feeling comfortable with his mask. Please let me know how or what I can share with my fiance what could be happening to him if he continues to raise his pressure on his own. Also, he has experienced an increase of PVC's and EDS.


Despreate fiance

How did they put him on a CPAP with a prescribed pressure without a "formal" sleep study?
WHICH SPECIFIC MACHINE does he have? Some machines are data-capable and many aren't. Over the years, from reports I've read here, many who got their machines from the VA were given data-capable machines. If he has one of those types of machines, he could find out from the machine how his therapy is doing.
Could/would you please post back here exactly which specific machine (brand and model) he has?
Most people don't run into problems (like Central Apneas) with higher pressure, but a very few do.......and the "warnings" are given to those who may be in the minority.

If he had no formal sleep study, it's quite possible he even needs to be on a Bi-Level/Bi-PAP machine.

Please report back with the information. And, it would be a good idea if you would register on the forum.


Den

I'm new to this forum, so please excuse me, for not really knowing a lot of the tech talk.
When I had my sleep study 2 years ago, with a nurse there to monitor everything. I woke up the next morning, and the pressure on the REM Star Machine said my pressure was at 27.5. I was full of gas,and was embarrasingly flatulent in front of the nurse, but she just laughed it off. She said my apnea incidences were basically off the charts and she had never seen anyone with so many. That day, I had the best day that I've had in years, I felt like a new man, it was tremendous! The company prescribed me a machine a REM Star Auto Series M series, it constantly ran to the very top allowed 20.0 pressure, I asked the nurses, why did they give me a machine that only went to 20.0 when I was registering 27.5? I was told that the machines only go to 20.0, and that they don't make any that go higher. I have been in a constant state of sleepiness with this machine. When I was prescribed this machine I had great Insurance that paid for everything, but now I have no Insurance due to the economy, and everytime I talk the Dr.'s office that prescribed me the machine, they cannot produce my charts from the study, and they will not believe me when I tell them that the pressures were at 27.5 during the study.
Was I a victim of a bait and switch routine? Were they hoping to give me a machine that that knew wouldn't do the job, and hoping to bill my insurance for a better machine with higher pressures later? How can I get my machine to go higher? Or will I have to bite the bullett and get a better machine? Or do I have any recourse with the Dr. that gave me the first machine?

After losing 50 pounds, my CPAP pressure was set way to high (17 vs . As a result I was not sleeping but four hours a night which caused SEVERE malaise. I wanted to die. Too much pressure definitely has its downside!