Ramp up pressure.

I have been using a cpap for about 6 weeks.
!-Do most users continue to use the lower pressure for a short period of time each night. I'm starting to
think about going to full pressure from start of night?

2-My AHI has been below 5 most of the time. Is it a matter of time before I start getting lower readings?

3-I use a full face mask so I am living through my head cold. The biggest problem is the slight cough I have. The humidity calms this down
but not immediately. I'm taking some nose dry up medication, that helps a little.

You are talking about the ramp. The pressure starts low (usually at 4) and then gradually rises to the prescribed pressure. I think most people stop using the ramp when they become comfortable with CPAP. If your prescribed pressure is upwards of 10 it will eventually be hard for you to breath at 4.

If your AHi is below 5 you are doing well. It should eventually decrease. However...don't be concerned about numbers. Be concerned about how you feel.

Bobby, it would help us help you if you listed your equipment (text, not pix) so we'll know more about what you're dealing with. In general, many of us give up the ramp pretty quickly. Generally, as we adjust to therapy, and get leaks under control, our AHI goes down. Sometimes pressure needs to be adjusted to make this happen, though.

You should not expect your AHI to go down much until your head cold is over. There is a lot of irritation in the upper airway from the cold, when that's gone you should see your numbers improve.

Try to avoid decongestants if you can, most especially spray decongestants like Afrin. Most of them have a rebound effect that can make your congestion worse. Often they interfere with your ability to sleep as well (i.e. Sudafed). When you have a cold, the best things are to do saline nasal spray or rinses and drink plenty of fluids (that old chestnut really works!).

The ramp is there for comfort only, and many of us find it actually causes discomfort because the starting pressure feels too low. So it won't harm anything to take the ramp off. It's kind of like training wheels and the fact that you are asking is a good indicator that you probably don't need it anymore.

If you choose to continue using the ramp, try to have the timing so it's not on very long after you generally go to sleep, as the pressure isn't adequate for any early onset apneas. In the beginning my ramp was set at 4, so as soon as I dozed off I felt like I was suffocating and woke right back up. Following my ex-doctor's instructions, every time I woke up I hit the ramp to start over. I didn't understand I was in ramp most of my very restless nights, and wondering why I was feeling worse and worse.

I still use the ramp, not sure of the settings right now, but I think the ramp pressure is at about 7 for about 6 minutes. I'm one who falls asleep in a few short minutes, but do a lot of fidgeting, coughing, and throat clearing when I first mask up, and I don't want that mess affecting my data. If it wasn't for that, I'd turn the ramp off. It's only a comfort feature if it's comfortable for the user. No right or wrong unless the pressure or length of time adversely affects the user. Personal preference.

You can adjust the ramp starting pressure upwards so that you can get used to starting at a higher pressure...