Weight loss and pressure

I recently lost 70 pounds and when I went to see my doctor she asked if I felt like my BiPap machine's pressure was too high. I am sleeping great and having super low AHIs so I don't think there is an issue right now with my pressure. I have no insurance so going for another sleep study isn't possible right now, I still have a lot more weight to lose. What would clue me in that my pressure was too high? Thanks.

Congratulations on the weight loss!

I suppose you could always reduce your pressure and see what your AHi is and how you feel.

Generally, a weight change of 20 (either way) will be cause for a pressure change of 1 cwp.

If you feel your stomach being bloated with air; feel unrested in morning, your printout shows central sleep apnea ( if it does) or your husband tells you the you totally stop breathing with no effort either (central sleep apnea); then you have a reason for getting a pressure change.

I suggest getting to your weight goal before getting a reassessment....bravo on the weight loss too.

I heard that CareCredit is accepting applicants for paying for sleep studies. this will give you a no interest, 6 month window of payment.

Right now I feel the same machine/sleep wise, so I think I can leave that alone for now. My average weekly AHIs are lower than 1. (I cannot see daily on my machine.)

Thanks, I was very surprised to step on the scale and be down that much weight. I could tell in my clothing but I hadn't gone out of my way to try. I did get a dog so I have been walking more.

Jaylee,

Congratulations on your weight loss! I remember your posts from back when I first started. Great to see you are doing so well. I'm very impressed. At some point you should qualify for a new machine with your insurance. That will give you more reporting options than what you are familiar with on the M series. Glad to see you are still using your icon with your guy. I know you were very happy when you two met.

Keep walking and having fun with life.

Mark

Jaylee wrote:I recently lost 70 pounds and when I went to see my doctor she asked if I felt like my BiPap machine's pressure was too high. I am sleeping great and having super low AHIs so I don't think there is an issue right now with my pressure. I have no insurance so going for another sleep study isn't possible right now, I still have a lot more weight to lose. What would clue me in that my pressure was too high? Thanks.

Hi Jaylee. Congrats on the weight loss! If you do decide to gradually lower your pressure and see how your AHI does, sure hope you let us know how the experiment goes. The topic comes up from time to time and it would be good to hear another person's firsthand experience. In theory, using the lowest effective pressure is ideal, but if you have no problems with your current pressure then lowering it probably doesn't need to be a priority. I quess the question right now is if you would still be able to maintain that low AHI at a lower pressure. If you start seeing 0.0 AHI nights on a regular basis, that to me would be a pretty good sign you might ready for a pressure decrease.

Good luck!

Jaylee wrote:I recently lost 70 pounds and when I went to see my doctor she asked if I felt like my BiPap machine's pressure was too high. I am sleeping great and having super low AHIs so I don't think there is an issue right now with my pressure. I have no insurance so going for another sleep study isn't possible right now, I still have a lot more weight to lose. What would clue me in that my pressure was too high? Thanks.

Personally, I have lost 77.6 lbs. thus far and still have a way to go. I did change my cpap to apap mode, but info seemed to indicate that although on most nights my pressure needs dropped from 13 to 9 or 10, there was a least one night where my pressure needed a 12. I have concluded that it's best for me to wait until I've reached my target weight unless I have future problems because I'm sleeping well and my AHI hovers around 1. Being that I am 62, age might be a factor in my case, as well as the fact that I'm finding myself sleeping on my back more now that a lot of that belly fat has disappeared. I would still like to lose weight, and unless I have problems, I am not messing around with my current apap mode. My target weight is 135-140 and I still weigh 208 lbs, so I still have a long way to go.

Besides the obvious benefits to my weight loss, I'm finding that when I sleep the general quality of my sleep is better, and that when I'm sleeping on my side, I no longer put pressure on my left shoulder, which used to cause me soreness and pain during the day. I have more energy during the daytime, which when you consider that I'm not carrying around an extra 80 lbs. of fat with me wherever I go, so generally, my quality of life and quality of sleep has vastly improved.

I would suggest that you stay the course until you have problems with the current pressure because your AHI is currently low, and the weight is coming off. If problems start, then it's time to make some changes.

Congratulations on the weight loss and continued success on your journey toward a healthier life.

I've lost about 60 lbs and my IPAP pressure needs went from about 14 to 12 (on average). I use an APAP range and sometimes I will range up to 15, but on average I stay around 12.

For you folks who have lost weight, do you feel it was purely from using CPAP or a combo of weight loss diet and CPAP? I am hopeful to see some weightloss too.

I actually gained weight when I started using the BiPap. My weight loss is from lifestyle changes. I got a dog, dog needs to be walked. I moved in to a house with a billion stairs. Just little changes for me. I've been on BiPap almost four years now. It is in the last year that I've lost the weight.

It's actually a combination of the two. I need to sleep well to have enough energy to follow a diet and exercise plan. Without the energy from getting sleep, I couldn't have tackled the weight problem. I also suspect that some of the weight gain was caused by or exacerbated by the sleep apnea itself. I'm just delighted that things are falling back into place again.

Hey, congrats on losing the weight. Its a battle, isn't it? I've lost 40 pounds in the last year. Instead of ordering a new sleep study for me, my sleep doc ordered an APAP, saying that he thought that they are the "wave of the future." My pressures hop around, but in general, are about 1-2 lower than the previous CPAP setting.

STL Mark wrote:Jaylee,

Congratulations on your weight loss! I remember your posts from back when I first started. Great to see you are doing so well. I'm very impressed. At some point you should qualify for a new machine with your insurance. That will give you more reporting options than what you are familiar with on the M series. Glad to see you are still using your icon with your guy. I know you were very happy when you two met.

Keep walking and having fun with life.

Mark

He keeps following me home. Just kidding, we are still happy together. Online dating for the win I suppose.

Congratulations on the weight loss! I have lost 36 lbs. since my sleep study back in April, but I have a long way to go. Your sharing is very encouraging. I'm hoping that as my adjustment to this machine increases and i get the therapeutic benefit of CPAP, I'll be able to do more than a 10 or 20 minute walk per day. Best of luck to you.

Jaylee,

You are an inspiration to me! Thanks for letting us know of your success. I am so happy for you and yours. I am working on losing weight too, and it is not for sissies. This is so worth it.

Take care,

Karen