Positional Sleep Apnea - What Is Yours?

I initially had trained myself to sleep only on my side following the guidance of many others.
Since I did not have the software and reader connected I had not actually tested the effect of back sleeping.
When I finally connected my software and reader I decided to test my response to backsleeping. I was totally surprised to see my autoset pressure go to the minimum, much less leakage, all the apneas went away and left only a few hypopneas. Since I have a Resmed S8 Apap I am not concerned by the few hypopneas as these machines reportedly exaggerate those. Needless to say I was totally supprised. I'll keep testing now that I have the capability to see my results.

I know that back sleeping is not preferred or recommended for people with sleep apnea.

I have severe Rheumatoid Arthritis and secondary Osteoarthritis as well as Sleep Apnea. I have slept on my back, exclusively, for the last 15 years - not by choice but by necessity.

I was diagnosed (sleeping on my back) with Sleep Apnea and titrated (sleeping on my back) in 2002, and have used cpap ever since. In February of 2008, I bought an APAP with the software and card reader.

With a lot of help from people on this forum, I have my machine set to give me optimum therapy (10.5 cm - 13 cm) and get an AHI below 1, almost 100% of the time and I still, of necessity, sleep on my back. My 90% pressure is 12 cm and average pressure 11.2 to 11.4 cm. I spend the largest portion of the night around 11 cm, according to my data. My maximum pressure is 13 cm but my machine rarely goes to 13 cm.

What can I say? Everyone is different! For me, it is sleep on my back or do not sleep because of painful neck,shoulders, knees, and back.

I expect, for some with sleep apnea, back sleeping could be very bad. For some of us though, it is not a problem at all and is the only possible sleep position.

When diagnosed but before sleep study, I scared myself really well reading about apnea and how was worse it was when sleeping on one's back...I was a dedicated back sleeper with 2 pillows under knees since I fractured my L1 vertebra in '77...that's a whole lotta yrs ago . Because my allergies and congestion drive me nuts, I always slept propped up. With apnea, how was I gonna sleep? I finally figured out how to side sleep with very few rollovers. My sleep study started on my back to get worst symptoms and my body cooperated .

They titrated with me sleeping on my back if I remember correctly. I had few events when side sleeping in the PSG; I have events now so in some ways it seems I'm not doing as well, but my recent APAP 5-night loaner data had them drop my pressure by 2, so that's progress. We review my experience/pressure again following another 30# wt loss or 4 months, whichever comes sooner .

I believe my apnea is associated with my excess pounds and sleeping position.