Sleeping on back ok using full Face mask?

I have been using CPAP therapy for the past 2 years and sleep mostly on my back. I feel my numbers are good and AHI is kept under 2 for a majority of nights ; however, I keep reading articles, watching videos, etc that insist that back sleeping is harmful to those with sleep apnea-- Even if one is wearing a mask. Are there others who have been able to switch sleeping positions or have you achieved long term success while sleeping on your back?

Why not just try it and see how it goes for you?

It's a very individual situation. I always sleep on my back, with consistently very low AHI. Others find they can't sleep on the back without their AHI skyrocketing.

It seems that you're getting good results on your back, so why change it?

sleepingbetter0209 wrote: ↑

Sun Nov 10, 2024 8:45 pm

I have been using CPAP therapy for the past 2 years and sleep mostly on my back.

I envy you! mostly I side sleep. however, I've found if I can get through my first 3-4 hours on my side, I can then slip over onto my back. wish I could sleep on my side all the time but my shoulder gets sore after a bit.

so yeah, sleep in whatever position you wish as long as your numbers remain good.

sleepingbetter0209 wrote: ↑

Sun Nov 10, 2024 8:45 pm

reading articles, watching videos, etc that insist that back sleeping is harmful to those with sleep apnea-- Even if one is wearing a mask.

Bulldonkers!

You have proved them wrong:

sleepingbetter0209 wrote: ↑

Sun Nov 10, 2024 8:45 pm

I have been using CPAP therapy for the past 2 years and sleep mostly on my back. I feel my numbers are good and AHI is kept under 2 for a majority of nights

sleepingbetter0209 wrote: ↑

Sun Nov 10, 2024 8:45 pm

I have been using CPAP therapy for the past 2 years and sleep mostly on my back. I feel my numbers are good and AHI is kept under 2 for a majority of nights ;

So how are you feeling physically? That's actually just as important of a question to answer as "What's the treated AHI?"

however, I keep reading articles, watching videos, etc that insist that back sleeping is harmful to those with sleep apnea-- Even if one is wearing a mask.

Care to cite some sources so the rest of us can look at what you are watching/reading and evaluate how trustworthy the source is?

Here's the thing about back sleeping with a CPAP: For some people with OSA, the OSA is highly positional---meaning their untreated AHI is far higher when sleeping on their back than their untreated AHI is when sleeping in some other position. And it is commonly assumed that higher pressures are typically needed to prop the airway open when someone is sleeping on their back. Hence, the "gold standard" for an in-lab titration study is enough supine sleep, including supine REM sleep, to make sure the titrated pressure is high enough to prevent events from occurring when a person is sleeping on their back and in REM.

Now some people may only need 1 or 2 cm more pressure while back sleeping, and others find that they have no real problem tolerating the additional pressure to enable back sleeping even if that pressure is several cms higher than what they would need if they were sleeping in a different position. But a few people have real problems tolerating the pressure needed to control their OSA while back sleeping; aerophagia is a big problem for some of them. And because the higher pressure needed for back sleeping seems intolerable, there's a delicate balancing act that has to be done between keeping the pressure low enough to be tolerable, but high enough to be effective most of the time, and desired/preferred sleep position. It is this group of people---people who are using a CPAP at pressures high enough to control their OSA while sleeping on their sides or stomach, but not high enough to control their OSA while sleeping on their back---who could still be at risk of harm sleeping with a CPAP. How much harm? Well that would depend on how ineffective the maximum pressure they are willing to use is when it comes to treating their OSA while sleeping supine.

Are there others who have been able to switch sleeping positions or have you achieved long term success while sleeping on your back?

If you search through the forum, you will find lots of posts from people who have decided they want to stay off their back, often in order to minimize their pressure needs. Some of these people may have found ways to stay off their back, but many eventually give up because the things they have had to resort to in order to stay off their back just wasn't worth the trouble because they had no trouble tolerating the pressure needed to effectively treat their OSA while back sleeping

You'll also find posts from folks who joined the forum just long enough to ask about whether it is feasible to try to treat their sleep apnea by using such "tricks" as sewing tennis balls into the back of their PJs in an attempt to force themselves to sleep on their back instead of using a CPAP. Those posters' ideas about treating their OSA without CPAP get swatted down pretty quickly---it turns out that it can be difficult to keep a dedicated back sleeper from rolling over and sleeping in their desired position. And since these folks don't want to use a CPAP, they are deluding themselves that training themselves to sleep on their side is going to treat their often severe untreated OSA.

Here's the thing about "back sleeping" in general: Back sleeping is usually better for back problems, spine & neck problems, hip pain, teeth grinding, nasal congestion, and acid reflux. Lots of people wind up sleeping on their backs (intentionally or unintentionally) for one or more of those reasons. In other words, for a whole lot of humans, back sleeping is just more comfortable than sleeping in any other position.

Side sleeping is often (but not always) better for untreated OSA and snoring, but it can cause a lot people pain, particularly if the "softness/hardness" of the mattress is just not quite right for their particular body. Sleeping on the right side is particularly bad for acid reflux issues. And many people with nasal congestion find that trying to sleep on one's side leads to a never ending game of turning over because it aways seems the bottom nostril gets completely stopped up a few minutes after lying down on one side.

Stomach sleeping is often (but no always) better for untreated OSA than back sleeping is, but it can cause back pain and neck pain, as well as trigger acid reflux problems.

Finally there's this to consider: Night time comfort is a heck of a large part of getting a good night's sleep. In general when we try to force ourself to sleep in a position that our body does not prefer, it makes it harder to get comfortable which in turn makes it harder to get to sleep and stay asleep and wake up feeling decent in the morning.

In other words, if I were you, I'd seriously consider whether trying to force myself to sleep in a position that my body does not favor is worth it. If you have no problem tolerating the pressure needed to control your apnea when you are sleeping on your back and your AHI is consistently reasonably low and you feel decent enough when you wake up in the morning, then the effort to try to force yourself to stay off your back probably wouldn't be worthwhile.

Thank you for such a thoughtful analysis and helping me understand all the ways of looking at this ;
I find I am sleeping well minimizing pain sleeping on my back and I also have TMJ - teeth grinding ( I wear mouth guards to mitigate this condition ) I thank you so much for this information .

I do get some burping from swallowing air ( I’m a mouth breather ) and when I wake up and feel rejuvenated , does it really matter what position I slept in.

sleepingbetter0209 wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 11, 2024 10:06 pm

I do get some burping from swallowing air ( I’m a mouth breather ) and when I wake up and feel rejuvenated , does it really matter what position I slept in.

If you are waking up feeling rejuvenated, then it really doesn't matter what position you sleep in: The fact that you are waking up rejuvenated is the best sign that your CPAP is doing an excellent job of treating your OSA.