Been using a CPAP for years. Now experiencing chest pain in the morning.

Like the title states; I've been using my CPAP machine for a couple years now. Never had issues until a couple months ago when I started experiencing chest/lung/muscle pain in the morning when I wake up. It goes away about half an hour after I remove my mask. At the time, I was using a pressure of 7.5, so I slowly started to drop it to see if it would help. I'm now at the lowest pressure my CPAP machine allows: 4, and I'm still waking up with the pain. Though the amount of pain I experience is definitely tied to the amount of pressure. Last night I tried bumping it back up to 7 to test how I'd feel, and the pain is definitely worse than when I run my machine on 4. Obviously I need to check with my doctor, but till then, is there anything I can do/try? What could be causing the sudden pain after years of no issues? I read that people had similar issues when they first start using CPAP, but that's not the case with me since my body should already be used to it.

SgtSkippy wrote: ↑

Sun Dec 27, 2020 11:02 am

What could be causing the sudden pain after years of no issues? I

The same things that could have caused it even if you weren't on cpap.

Any number of things related to chest wall muscle discomfort for one thing. Pleurisy, costochondritis, heart issues or any number of lung issues.

I had costochrondritis many years ago and well before I ever started cpap therapy. Every breath was a struggle due to pain and I can only imagine how difficult it would be to exhale with the cpap pressures and having costochondritis at the same time.

Gastroesophageal Reflux (GERD) is another possibility. Increased pressure could be causing you to swallow more air which can exacerbate GERD. As we get older, our muscle tone declines, which may be why you're having more of this. It will be interesting to see what your doctor says.