Breathing stopping while falling asleep

Liam1965 · Post by **Liam1965** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 5:40 am

NightHawkeye wrote:Liam, I have to wonder . . . Did you ever try C-flex? I ask only because when I first started therapy I couldn't stand C-flex. Others have called it breath-stacking, but I'm pretty sure what happens is that C-flex simply forces a little bit of hyperventilation. The exact opposite of what I needed, but since your breathing pattern seems to be the opposite of what mine was . . .

I tried WITH CFlex, I tried WITHOUT CFlex, I tried lowering my pressure, I tried all three different levels of CFlex, I even went out and bought (out of pocket) an APAP. I tried different minimum and maximum pressures...

I never did find any way to make it stop.

Liam, fond of breathing.

NightHawkeye · Post by **NightHawkeye** » Wed Mar 14, 2007 7:10 am

Liam1965 wrote:I tried WITH CFlex, I tried WITHOUT CFlex, I tried lowering my pressure, I tried all three different levels of CFlex, I even went out and bought (out of pocket) an APAP. I tried different minimum and maximum pressures...

OK. Well, it certainly sounds like you found a lot of combinations which don't work for you, Liam.

About the only other thing I can offer is the hope that if you can ever get over that particular hurdle, then the hurdle might just disappear. (Assuming that your CO2 levels would normalize, as mine seemed to. It's definitely a Catch-22 for you, though.) In my own case, after a short period of effective CPAP therapy, my tendency toward hyperventilation simply vanished. I used to have to fight that battle with controlled breathing daily, but the only time I even think about it now is when prompted by discussion here. I found that neither C-flex nor BiPAP bother me at all now, although in the beginning, both prompted hyperventilation when I started therapy.

For the skeptics here, I'll also point out that one's CO2 levels (which control respiratory drive) can be easy manipulated. Apnea divers, for instance, do it deliberately. Finding that tidbit of info on an internet search some time back is what allowed me to make sense of my own hyperventilation tendency.

Regards,
Bill

RonS · Post by **RonS** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 5:18 am

I am hoping that by posting here a topic response notification gets sent to lots of the people who posted here in this older thread so I can ask them...:

A year has passed. How is it going? are you still on xPAP therapy? Are you still being disturbed by this or did you get past it? Did you do anything that seemed to help for you?

I hope everyone is sleeping like a log.

Thanks!

MrRandom · Post by **MrRandom** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 5:36 am

If you don't get answers don't feel too bad, I don't think this topic notification thingy works too well. I've noticed I've missed a lot on topics I posted or was watching because I never got an email about them being updated *shrug*

And I do think you'll get used to it. You may want to try for a machine with CFLEX, though. It does help.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 6:42 am

Hi Randall,

Some nights I have that feeling too as when the humidfier is turn up too hot and the rain out happened.....usually later I turn it down from 4 or 3 to 2 and maintain at that level for few nights and it will be fine as back to normal. I dont not us ramp at all. Try to sleep on yoru left with the V-shape pillow and your AHI will go down. Also do not eat anytihing t least 2 hours before you sleep. Hope this sharing of infomation helps you.

Mckooi

Jimmycrackhorn · Post by **Jimmycrackhorn** » Fri Aug 08, 2014 4:32 pm

I know I know I know, this is the actual FIRST day I had my mask and machine so I probably know NOTHING however I am here to learn Soooo being a tad tired I decided to break in my machine and attempt to take a little meditation/nap...

What I just noticed after about an hour is the same thing these fine folks are talking about in this thread.

This is something I have noticed in the past before I had the mask, and machine, but only once in a while, where as now, during this hour, I noticed it happening a LOT. I DON'T recall it happening in the hospital at the sleep study, but I had a different mask and machine...

Hmmm.. I think I have a mask like the one I had in the hospital that I might try.

Anyone have an update of the ruling on this? Is it pretty much just NORMAL to seemingly have the brain "forget" to stop breathing right before falling asleep? Does it occur more with the mask/machine OR am I just more aware of it because my breath is more of a focus now?

Thanks in advance!

Julie · Post by **Julie** » Fri Aug 08, 2014 7:26 pm

Yes it's normal and yes you're more aware of your breathing now. Don't sweat it or anything else you're aware of while awake... not relevant to the machine because what happens when you're asleep (to the machine) is not the same as what happens when you're awake. And 'not breathing' while in transition is not only normal (some call those 'centrals' or clear airway breathing) but absolutely nothing to worry about. Only if on tracking with software you see lots of centrals during sleep (not when just starting or awakening) should you question things.

Jimmycrackhorn · Post by **Jimmycrackhorn** » Sat Aug 09, 2014 10:28 am

Julie wrote:Yes it's normal and yes you're more aware of your breathing now. Don't sweat it or anything else you're aware of while awake... not relevant to the machine because what happens when you're asleep (to the machine) is not the same as what happens when you're awake. And 'not breathing' while in transition is not only normal (some call those 'centrals' or clear airway breathing) but absolutely nothing to worry about. Only if on tracking with software you see lots of centrals during sleep (not when just starting or awakening) should you question things.

Ok thanks! Good to know. I fell asleep fine last night no problem, several times. Which is another issue. I'm still waking up at night several times, but I will give it a few days to see whats up. Plus I noticed there's another thread for that.

JonnyK331 · Post by **JonnyK331** » Thu Aug 13, 2015 7:12 pm

I am having this same issue. I've been using a CPAP for over 5 years and this just started happening a couple of months ago. I used to be able ro turn up the pressure slightly and make it stop but no more. This is the same feeling that caused me to get a CPAP in the first place and the CPAP has worked very well for me until lately. I don't buy it that the stopping breathing thing is normal as it wakes me up and prevents me from ever falling asleep. I've tried using the APAP setting with various parameters, tried all of the settings extensively for A-Flex, and tried all possible settings within my recommended pressure range in CPAP mode. Has anyone found anything more about this? The advice to just "hang in" and "you'll get used to it" do not apply here as I am very comfortable using the CPAP and have been using it for years.

Julie · Post by **Julie** » Thu Aug 13, 2015 7:58 pm

You're replying to a 7 yr old thread ... but I suggest you download (it's free) SleepyHead software from the first 'Announcement' on main pg and get your results up here so we can see what's going on overnight... use Imgur.com to post graphs, etc. (skip out the Calendar) and then link it to a new thread here and ask your question again - however I don't know if any of that'll work unless you register as a member.

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