New to CPAP, need help choosing right pressure.

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
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kidchameleon
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Re: New to CPAP, need help choosing right pressure.

Post by kidchameleon » Sat Apr 02, 2022 7:34 pm

To be honest, the whole thing about pressure changing when moving came from one person. But I did read about some people doing better with fixed pressure. I really don't know myself, I'm just confused with all of this at the moment. I have mild sleep apnea, height is 5'7 and weigh 148 lbs but even at 17.2cm I still don't feel any different. I heard the average pressure is about 7-15cm? I haven't heard of many people using such a high minimum pressure like mine. It feels kind of hopeless honestly.
I can't provide any information right now, but next Friday I'll be able to. At least I can try a fixed pressure and see how I do by then.

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palerider
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Re: New to CPAP, need help choosing right pressure.

Post by palerider » Sat Apr 02, 2022 8:23 pm

kidchameleon wrote:
Sat Apr 02, 2022 7:34 pm
I heard the average pressure is about 7-15cm?
The *average* may be 10, but that doesn't mean anyone in particular needs 10.

There's a *REASON* the machines go up to 20 (and some to 25, like mine).

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kidchameleon
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Re: New to CPAP, need help choosing right pressure.

Post by kidchameleon » Fri Apr 08, 2022 10:50 pm

Alrighty, I'm able to use OSCAR again for this weekend. Here is my data from march 28 (I forgot to include the 29th) to april 7th. Since then I started using a Simplus medium full face mask by Fisher and Paykel and I switched to CPAP mode. I really don't feel much of a difference between CPAP and Auto. Maybe one helps more than the other, but I'm not sure. I really wish I could at least get below one AHI. I really haven't felt any improvement since starting on January 29. Thanks for the help!
https://imgur.com/gallery/oj1Ws9j

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Miss Emerita
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Re: New to CPAP, need help choosing right pressure.

Post by Miss Emerita » Sat Apr 09, 2022 12:31 pm

I'm not sure whether more pressure will help reduce the number of obstructive events you're having. Because you're sometimes maxing out, you might try min 18, max 20, and EPR of 2, to see how it goes.

There's a little bit of clustering in your charts. Are you still using a soft cervical collar?

And how are you doing on general sleep habits? Stuff like this:

• Keep a consistent sleep schedule. Get up at the same time every day, even on weekends or during vacations.
• Set a bedtime that is early enough for you to get at least 7 hours of sleep.
• Don’t go to bed unless you are sleepy.
• If you don’t fall asleep after 20 minutes, get out of bed.
• Establish a relaxing bedtime routine.
• Use your bed only for sleep and sex.
• Make your bedroom quiet and relaxing. Keep the room at a comfortable, cool temperature.
• Limit exposure to bright light in the evenings.
• Turn off electronic devices at least 30 minutes before bedtime.
• Don’t eat a large meal before bedtime. If you are hungry at night, eat a light, healthy snack.
• Exercise regularly and maintain a healthy diet.
• Avoid consuming caffeine in the late afternoon or evening.
• Avoid consuming alcohol before bedtime.
• Reduce your fluid intake before bedtime.
Oscar software is available at https://www.sleepfiles.com/OSCAR/

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palerider
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Re: New to CPAP, need help choosing right pressure.

Post by palerider » Sat Apr 09, 2022 11:23 pm

As much as it'll suck, you might get more benefit from lowering the EPR settings, though you might need the additional pressure a bilevel will offer.

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kidchameleon
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Re: New to CPAP, need help choosing right pressure.

Post by kidchameleon » Sun Apr 10, 2022 1:54 am

Alright, I'll lower to 18 and max to 20. As for sleeping habits I'll admit I don't follow some of those rules. Even if I don't, I have no trouble falling asleep. I can fall asleep in minutes.
And yes, I still use a collar still. Should I stop using it or would it be better to keep wearing it?

Okay, I'll lower my EPR to 2 for tonight, or should I switch to 1 instead? Is a bilevel a Bipap thing, like more than 20cm? I have a Bipap machine I bought a year ago, but I never used it since I found out those were recalled.

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Julie
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Re: New to CPAP, need help choosing right pressure.

Post by Julie » Sun Apr 10, 2022 4:25 am

You'll have to give each change a few days to see how things go - one change at a time of course - we'd only be guessing at this point re EPR setting for YOU which would be kind of pointless, but good luck and let us know.

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Pugsy
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Re: New to CPAP, need help choosing right pressure.

Post by Pugsy » Sun Apr 10, 2022 7:21 am

kidchameleon wrote:
Sun Apr 10, 2022 1:54 am
Is a bilevel a Bipap thing, like more than 20cm? I have a Bipap machine I bought a year ago, but I never used it since I found out those were recalled.
Yes, Bilevel/BiPap machines can go to 25 cm. The can also have a greater than 3 cm difference between inhale and exhale which you are limited to with your current machine. That difference is what makes the higher pressures more tolerable for some people.

Which Respironics BiPap model did you get and then find out about the recall?

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kidchameleon
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Re: New to CPAP, need help choosing right pressure.

Post by kidchameleon » Sun Apr 10, 2022 10:31 pm

I definitely didn't have the best sleep last night. I ate a little too much and stayed a bit late waiting for it to go down. I woke up in the middle of the night to fix a mask leak and went back to sleep. I was woken up about... 4 hours later to do something and went back to sleep after. I checked my AHI for the night and it was 1.1! That's the lowest it's ever been. On OSCAR it even says 0.83. I'm really surprised, especially since I didn't sleep too well. I hope it wasn't a fluke and I see something better tonight. I won't be able to use OSCAR for awhile, unfortunately. But with results like these, I'm a little more hopeful.
https://imgur.com/a/NbVhAE2

Philipps Respironic System One Bi-Pap Pro is what it says on the machine. It came with two manuals, one for the machine, which says REMstar Plus C-Flex and the humidifier System One Heated Humidifier. I used it a few times, I can't remember how many and I bought it on Facebook, same as the Resmed I'm using. I had it delivered on July 12, 2021. I can't remember when I heard about the recall, but I stopped using it also because I didn't know if I had sleep apnea. Once I got my sleep study done and the results in January, I decided to get a Resmed since I heard about the recall months before.

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Pugsy
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Re: New to CPAP, need help choosing right pressure.

Post by Pugsy » Mon Apr 11, 2022 12:21 am

You can't rely on the manual as being for sure the manual for the machine especially when you bought it privately.
The REMstar Plus C-Flex machine is a non data fixed cpap machine that has some age to it.

The Philipps Respironic System One Bi-Pap Pro is what it says on the machine is a Bilevel machine that has a fixed bilevel option. It can't/won't do any auto adjusting.
It is bilevel though and will go to 25 and it does have PS greater than 3 available.

You probably should get the real manual for this machine if are thinking about giving it a try.
You can request it here....be sure to follow the directions and request the correct machine.
If you look on the bottom of the blower unit you will see the model number.
It's going to be either DS 450 or DS 460

https://www.apneaboard.com/adjust-cpap- ... tup-manual

450 is the System One 50 series Bipap Pro
460 is the System One 60 series Bipap pro

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palerider
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Re: New to CPAP, need help choosing right pressure.

Post by palerider » Mon Apr 11, 2022 12:30 pm

kidchameleon wrote:
Sun Apr 10, 2022 1:54 am
Alright, I'll lower to 18 and max to 20. As for sleeping habits I'll admit I don't follow some of those rules. Even if I don't, I have no trouble falling asleep. I can fall asleep in minutes.
And yes, I still use a collar still. Should I stop using it or would it be better to keep wearing it?

Okay, I'll lower my EPR to 2 for tonight, or should I switch to 1 instead? Is a bilevel a Bipap thing, like more than 20cm? I have a Bipap machine I bought a year ago, but I never used it since I found out those were recalled.
"BiPAP™" is a registered trademark of philips respironics to refer to their bilevel machines. Only they make anything with the term "BiPAP" on it. no other manufacturer makes a "BiPAP™" anything.

Most bilevel machines (Resmed calls them either VPAP or AirCurve depending on which generation they are) go to 25cmH2O, some go to 30.

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kidchameleon
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Re: New to CPAP, need help choosing right pressure.

Post by kidchameleon » Mon Apr 11, 2022 7:00 pm

I didn't know "Bipap" was a Philips thing. You're right though, I shouldn't have looked at the manual. The machine itself says "Bi-PAP Pro" and "Bi-Flex". The bottom says it's 660.
Would I really need a higher pressure than 20? My AHI today was 1.4. I thought maybe it was a fluke but it's consistent with Saturday, which was 1.1 according to the Resmed. Maybe if I want to improve I should lower the EPR or raise the pressure a little? I don't feel any different yet, but that probably takes time once I find the right pressure.

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Pugsy
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Re: New to CPAP, need help choosing right pressure.

Post by Pugsy » Mon Apr 11, 2022 7:37 pm

Unless you consistently hit max of 20 for prolonged periods of time and the AHI is telling you that you need more pressure (as in the AHI is above 5 or more) to reduce the numbers ....I doubt you need more than 20 so no need to fire up the BiPap. The 660 is a fixed pressure machine anyway.

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kidchameleon
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Re: New to CPAP, need help choosing right pressure.

Post by kidchameleon » Mon Apr 11, 2022 8:29 pm

Alright then. So should I stay at 18cm min and epr of 2 or should I try to lower my AHI some more? Having less than 1 ahi seems ideal but I don't know if it really is.

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Pugsy
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Re: New to CPAP, need help choosing right pressure.

Post by Pugsy » Mon Apr 11, 2022 9:30 pm

kidchameleon wrote:
Mon Apr 11, 2022 8:29 pm
So should I stay at 18cm min and epr of 2 or should I try to lower my AHI some more? Having less than 1 ahi seems ideal but I don't know if it really is.
Well....some people do notice a marked difference in how they feel if they keep the AHI below 2 or 1.
They say they feel much worse when the AHI goes higher.

Not all people though. I am one of those people who can't really tell any difference between and AHI of 0.5 and an AHI of 5.0. In fact the best I ever felt on cpap was years ago and the AHI was 10.4. Go figure that one.
I still say that if I could feel THAT good every day and I had an AHI of 10 with it ....I would gladly take it.

I actually don't go targeting just numbers....I target how I sleep and how I feel and to hell with any numbers.

How are you sleeping and feeling????? Regardless of the numbers. Numbers don't mean much without how you sleep and how you feel. Like that other night where your AHI was really low but you didn't sleep so great and didn't feel so great.
AHI didn't mean much that night did it?

If you are feeling great and sleeping great for the most part then there is no urgent need to change pressures again just so you can pat yourself on the back from going to below 1.0 from 4.0.
Now if you aren't feeling so great yet and not sleeping well.....might consider a little increase in pressure.

Your choice..

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If you want to try the Eclipse mask and want a special promo code to get a little off the price...send me a private message.