ResMed Air Sense 10 settings questions

Most of my settings are on auto. Ramp, climate, hose temp are all auto. I have trouble breathing in AND out at the start. I feel like I am not getting enough air in and then have trouble exhaling. Once the ramp has reached at least 5, breathing in becomes easier. I thought that maybe I could adjust the ramp setting. It starts at 4 and because it's set at auto, it's supposed to rise after I have fallen asleep. The problem is, I can't fall asleep unless I concentrate REALLY hard on something other than the fact that I feel like I am suffocating, like my dog, lol. I went to try and set the ramp to a shorter time or turn it off but on the dial it only has the option for "auto" or 45 minutes. Is there another way to change it? Or am I supposed to do something other than turn the dial?

In the manual there are two settings that are listed as more options, Pressure Relief and SmartStart. The note at the bottom says *When enabled by your care provider. I couldn't find those settings anywhere but I thought that the Pressure Relief might help with exhaling and the SmartStart looks like it would be helpful if I needed to remove my mask so it would stop when I get up to go to the bathroom or get a cramp. If I want to get up now, I've been turning it off but that causes it to start the ramp process all over again when I get back in bed. Does anyone know about these settings? Also, last night I had my first instance of what I think you guys refer to as "rainout". Except it didn't feel like a "few droplets of water" as my manual suggests, it was a freaking flood. I have a ClimateLineAir heated air tubing.

Also, I seem to have "bubbles" (aerophagia?) come out of my mouth once the air pressure increases. It's annoying but from reading about it here, it seems to be related to too much air pressure. My settings now are set at 5-15. I can't tell if I ever get as high as 15 until I get an SD card but it seems to me that my comfort level is much narrower than 5-15 due to the difficulty getting to sleep at lower levels and the bubbles at higher air pressures and I wondered what others think about that.
Thanks!

If your minimum pressure setting is 5, I would turn the ramp to off. If you feel you are having trouble exhaling at 4 the exhale relief setting may do you no good. You could turn on Smart Start if you think it will be more convenient, but with ramp set to off, you may not need it.

To solve the feeling of suffocation raise your minimum pressure to 7, there is just not enough airflow at 5.

LSAT and Jas_Williams, As I stated, I tried to set the ramp differently but the only options I see are either "auto" or "45". I don't see a way to turn it off. I would like to know if there is something I am missing in order to change that setting because I can't do it with the options I am seeing. I can't change the time, except to increase it to 45 minutes, nor can I turn it off. It starts at 4 until I fall asleep. 5 is the minimum after that and it seems to resolve the issue, so 5 is okay. If there is a way to change it, I can't find it.

The Air Sense is supposed to have a setting for Pressure Relief and SmartSense that I can't find and may have been disabled by my DME. According to ResMed, the Pressure Relief will ease the pressure on the exhale only and revert to the regular setting on the inhale automatically.

Thanks!
Mo

Once you get an SD card and can post a Sleepyhead chart, people might have a better idea of what pressure and EPR settings would work well for you.

About turning off the ramp: when you go into My Options, scroll to Ramp Time and press the knob. You should then see a partially completed circle. If you turn the knob, you should see different ramp times appear. Turn the knob all the way counterclockwise untill Off appears in the middle of the circle. Then press the knob to set the ramp to off.

Modapa wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 26, 2019 10:27 am

I went to try and set the ramp to a shorter time or turn it off but on the dial it only has the option for "auto" or 45 minutes. Is there another way to change it? Or am I supposed to do something other than turn the dial?

In the manual there are two settings that are listed as more options, Pressure Relief and SmartStart. The note at the bottom says *When enabled by your care provider.

You need the clinical manual to show you how to get into the hidden menu:
https://www.respshop.com/manuals/ResMed ... %20her.pdf

Modapa wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 26, 2019 10:27 am

Also, I seem to have "bubbles" (aerophagia?)

Aerophagia is where air goes into your stomach and causes (sometimes painful) bloating.

Thanks, Miss Emerita and Palerider. I downloaded the clinician manual and I'll read it.

So, Palerider, the bubbles are not aerophagia? Do you know what could be causing them?

Thanks!
Mo

Modapa wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 26, 2019 7:17 pm

Thanks, Miss Emerita and Palerider. I downloaded the clinician manual and I'll read it.

So, Palerider, the bubbles are not aerophagia? Do you know what could be causing them?

Thanks!
Mo

Just hold the home button and the dial button together for 5 seconds to get to the settings menu. Then you can change anything you want.

Modapa wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 26, 2019 7:17 pm

So, Palerider, the bubbles are not aerophagia? Do you know what could be causing them?

Sounds like some air entering your system via your nose/p10s are escaping through your mouth.

Consider:

• Taping lips
• Using a scrunchy
• Work on closing the throat passage out / blocking with tongue on roof of back of the mouth.

I've seen a few posts where people have described how they block their throat so air doesn't escape. It's never been a problem for me, I'm fortunate in that air leaks through my mouth has never been an issue.

But ask me how, not sure.

Modapa wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 26, 2019 7:17 pm

Thanks, Miss Emerita and Palerider. I downloaded the clinician manual and I'll read it.

So, Palerider, the bubbles are not aerophagia? Do you know what could be causing them?

Failure of your soft palate to seal off your oral cavity, basically.

There's wiggly bits (that's a technical term) in the back of your mouth/nose (nasopharynx) that control where air goes, and do handy things like keep food from going up into your nose when you eat.

It also allows you to breathe through your nose, or your mouth, or both... if it seals off your mouth well, you don't get any leaking from the cpap air into your mouth.

Doesn't always work. There's no fancy word (that I know of, there probably is though) to describe it.. we just call it 'mouth leaking'.

Modapa wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 26, 2019 10:27 am

Most of my settings are on auto. Ramp, climate, hose temp are all auto. I have trouble breathing in AND out at the start.

Ramp and starting pressure are two DIFFERENT things.

I upped my starting pressure from 5 to 6, and it made things feel much better when starting each night.

Link to the machine manual and how to change the settings is here on the site.