Need to reduce Aerophagia and increase CPAP use.

JoRehovot wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 05, 2020 2:50 am

One more point for info. My problems are worst when I'm on my back. Bad when I'm on my side. Better when I'm on my front. I like to sleep on my front, but I can't do that with my current mask. I still have a problem on my front but it's milder. Without the machine I used to start on my front and then roll onto my back in the night. With the machine I sleep mostly on my side.
I was thinking of trying the SleepWeaver Anew mask, which seems like it would allow me to sleep comfortably on my front, but it also seems like a lot of people have problems with that mask. Thoughts...

remember what i said? lower your minimum to the point where aerophagia isn't a problem, then gradually increase.

but i chose this post to reply to because you say it's it's milder sleeping on your tummy. you could try this-

https://www.google.com/search?q=falcon+ ... K7qIPll2NM:

i don't sleep on my stomach so i can't attest to this method.

good luck!

Hi Zonker,
You wrote

zonker wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 05, 2020 11:40 am

remember what i said? lower your minimum to the point where aerophagia isn't a problem, then gradually increase.

I did remember, but when I said what a lousy night I had the first time Pugsy said:

Pugsy wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 05, 2020 8:55 am

How about a very small reduction in pressure minimum instead of such a big drop all at once?
Maybe just 0.4 cm or so.

So I was trying that approach instead. @Zonker, do you think I should stick with working up from 7 despite that first awful night? I'm not sure I can sustain that for more than a couple of nights, unless I get used to it very quickly.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions about stomach sleeping. I think the Falcon position might work for me, but perhaps not with my current mask. Last night I tried it but it pushed the mask away from my face so that air blasted into my eyes. I'll try it again tonight though because I realized afterwards that I could probably tighten the top straps enough to avoid that.

Meanwhile, I also looked at the reviews of the masks that Pugsy suggested. Based mainly on LankyLefty's reviews I have ordered a Respironics Dreamwear FFM, which should be here in a couple of weeks.

JoRehovot wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 07, 2020 2:54 am

Hi Zonker,

So I was trying that approach instead. @Zonker, do you think I should stick with working up from 7 despite that first awful night? I'm not sure I can sustain that for more than a couple of nights, unless I get used to it very quickly.

i think, if it were me, i'd lower the pressure to where you don't feel the aerophagia, wherever that may be. even if it's under 7. in my opinion, it's best to get some sleep and to tame that aerophagia monster.

then gradually start increasing that pressure. and when the gas starts flaring up again, back it off. then keep trying at those small increments.

and if this doesn't work for you, then it doesn't work for you. i can only relate to you what worked for ME. and as i keep telling folks, what works for me may not necessarily work for thee.

good luck!

Someone, wholly unsubstantiated, on another forum said that vitamin d3 supplements are the cure to aerophagia.

I haven't seen any credible references, but living up in the UK, you should be supplementing with D3 anyway.

palerider wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 07, 2020 3:36 pm

Someone, wholly unsubstantiated, on another forum said that vitamin d3 supplements are the cure to aerophagia.

I haven't seen any credible references, but living up in the UK, you should be supplementing with D3 anyway.

nope. unless they are taking some larger amount than *I* am. which is possible, i suppose.

i've been taking d3 50mcg 2000 iu 2x per day for decades. way before cpap and, well, my story of aerophagia is well known to you.

but agreed about d3 for other reasons, as you mentioned.

zonker wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 07, 2020 6:43 pm

palerider wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 07, 2020 3:36 pm

Someone, wholly unsubstantiated, on another forum said that vitamin d3 supplements are the cure to aerophagia.

I haven't seen any credible references, but living up in the UK, you should be supplementing with D3 anyway.

nope. unless they are taking some larger amount than *I* am. which is possible, i suppose.

i've been taking d3 50mcg 2000 iu 2x per day for decades. way before cpap and, well, my story of aerophagia is well known to you.

but agreed about d3 for other reasons, as you mentioned.

It seems rather suspicious to me

palerider wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 07, 2020 8:42 pm

zonker wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 07, 2020 6:43 pm

palerider wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 07, 2020 3:36 pm

Someone, wholly unsubstantiated, on another forum said that vitamin d3 supplements are the cure to aerophagia.

I haven't seen any credible references, but living up in the UK, you should be supplementing with D3 anyway.

nope. unless they are taking some larger amount than *I* am. which is possible, i suppose.

i've been taking d3 50mcg 2000 iu 2x per day for decades. way before cpap and, well, my story of aerophagia is well known to you.

but agreed about d3 for other reasons, as you mentioned.

It seems rather suspicious to me

<holds up finger> wait just a moment, palerider.

jo? i'll stop bombing your thread in just a minute. but what i have to say may be relevant.

okay. while d3 supplement fighting aerophagia may be total bs(don't know that, again this is just MY experience.), i'm thinking i may be on to another supplement that can help. and again, from my experience.

i'm thinking turmeric (curcumin) and black pepper may help. i'm trialing it now. it was mentioned by another forum member in helping his pain due to arthritis in his hips and thus helping him sleep. while this did nothing for me(in fact, the turmeric etc sort of gave me a buzz and interfered with sleep!), i've noticed that my heartburn episodes have disappeared.

this is early days. have only tried it for the last four days. and i shifted taking it to day time instead of before bed so i can get away from that buzz i mentioned.

so far so good. but will keep at it, then post my own thread with results.

now back to jo and her thread, already in progress.

Hi all,
Thanks for all the advice. Zonker, I'll be on the lookout for the results of your experiments with termeric etc. As I understand it Vitamin D3 is a mixed blessing. It's not good to have too much of it either, and I do get enough, because I live in a hot country and I take a mutlivitamin which has a little extra.

Meanwhile I think I'm going to stop experimenting until my new mask arrives (Amazon promising by March 25th). If it enables me to sleep on my stomach then I think I'll need less pressure to be able to sleep comfortably and it will be easier to start low and build up gradually without feeling totally oxygen starved when I wake up.

Good night, sleep tight CPAPers
Jo

JoRehovot wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 08, 2020 2:56 pm

Meanwhile I think I'm going to stop experimenting until my new mask arrives (Amazon promising by March 25th). If it enables me to sleep on my stomach then I think I'll need less pressure to be able to sleep comfortably and it will be easier to start low and build up gradually without feeling totally oxygen starved when I wake up.

please keep us up to date on whether you can stomach sleep and so forth.

oh! and please up date this thread rather than start a new one. thanks!

and good luck.

zonker wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 08, 2020 5:29 pm

JoRehovot wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 08, 2020 2:56 pm

please keep us up to date on whether you can stomach sleep and so forth.

oh! and please up date this thread rather than start a new one. thanks!

and good luck.

Thanks, will do.
BTW, new mask arriving Feb 25 not March 25

My new mask arrived a couple of weeks ago and I love it!
Firstly I can finally sleep on my front again. Secondly I don't wake up tangled in the tube if I change positions. Thirdly my AHI has dropped dramatically from an average of 4-5 down to about 2. What that actually means is that some nights I am still getting 4 or more, but some nights it's down less than 1, and even one night at zero!
I actually haven't downloaded the data for a few days, but meanwhile I have a couple of questions about the mask itself.
Firstly, I was concerned that I hadn't put it together correctly because the arrows don't match up. This is a medium mask and a medium frame. Pics coming in next post, but I'm not too worried because it all works and fits together fine with no leaks.
Secondly, I'm worried every morning, when I pull the mask off the frame to wash it. To get it apart you have to twist it and it feels like it will break very quickly if I keep doing this. I've watched several different videos about dismantling it and they all do it very quickly and no one seems to suggest that it's a problem. Am I worrying for nothing, or do I just have to accept that it will need replacing more frequently than my old one (it's cheaper so maybe you get what you pay for?)

Finally, the aerophagia is not really any different, and I still am unable to sleep with the mask on for more than 5-6 hours. However, my husband (my GP) has now discovered a sleep specialist in Israel. Until now I had not seen a specialist about this. I had a home study, which showed about 25 events per hour, and a technician sold me a machine, which the health fund paid for half the cost of. I have not managed to arrange an appointment yet because I was supposed to go away (I didn't because of Corona). Hopefully this week I'll get the appointment, so I'll take my SD card with me, and I'll tell him where I'm up to and what I've been doing, based on advice from you guys. That way I'll know early on whether he's any good or not by his response to my actions. I actually think it's likely to be positive, since the technician actually told me to download Sleepyhead and use the forums. I think the attitude here is that they don't have the resources to help everyone themselves and they are glad you are available. The technician told me I am lucky because I'm an English-speaker and so it's easy for me to use the forum, whereas many Israelis struggle to understand and probably don't post.

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This is the mask and a close-up of the side showing the non-matching arrows. I bought the parts separately because I couldn't find the full mask anywhere that would ship to Israel. Now it occurs to me that maybe one part is an older version than the other. It all seems to fit together fine so I'm guessing it doesn't matter, but also wondering if that's why it's difficult to separate the parts.
Theories anyone?
Thanks,
Jo

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No need to dismantle and clean daily just wipe It with an unscented baby wipe and fully was it once a week it will make the cushion last longer

Thanks Jas,
That makes sense.
Jo

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