CPAP pressure with and without humidifier

I just started therapy Monday, July 25. When I went to the DME supplier for training, the pressure (10) was about what my titration sleep study revealed. I tried out the machine in their office with no water in the humidifier, and it was what I expected (blew my cheeks into an instant smile ). That night, I added my distilled water, but the pressure just felt like a gentle breeze, even after completing the ramp-up time. Does the humidifier seemingly dilute the pressure? If so, is that how it should be? I'll call my DME tomorrow, but I was hoping to get some community feedback.

Kat
You may have fallen asleep on the ramp setting which is much lower than you titrated pressure of 10. The humidifier only adds moisture to your air and keeps your nose and throat from drying out.

katskat wrote:Does the humidifier seemingly dilute the pressure?

If the humidifer is connected correctly, it doesn't effect it in any way.

Cheers,

Bill

Welcome to the board kat.

The humidifier should not reduce the pressure to any significant degree. It may make it a little less noisy.

Many people get used to the pressure really quickly. I often have to convince myself the machine is running by lifting the edge of my mask because I can't feel the pressure any more. It may also feel different if you're laying down.

archangle wrote:Welcome to the board kat.
Many people get used to the pressure really quickly. I often have to convince myself the machine is running by lifting the edge of my mask because I can't feel the pressure any more. It may also feel different if you're laying down.

This so very much. I've been surprised, actually, at how quickly the pressure becomes barely noticeable. At first, it's blowing right up your nose and it's hard to ignore. But if in the morning, I'm scrambling to figure out if the mask is leaking or if the hose fell off. Then I turn the machine off and I'm gasping for air.

Thanks to you all. I hadn't thought about the lying down vs. sitting up. And I thought I had tried it without the ramp up with the humidifier, and it still seemed weak. But I'll try again tonight and plug on. The only weak thing, at this point, is probably me, since I'm so new to the experience.

I just remember waking up so refreshed after my titration sleep study, and that hasn't happened yet for me at home. But as one of my rescuer-repliers quote says: "Patience and perservance..." So onward and upward!

Thanks for your responses, one and all.