Titration study + New machine (ASV) UPDATE w/ doctor

Hey everyone!

I need your help please. I was wondering if getting a titration study on a Respironics ASV machine will offer different results then if I used it on a different ASV machine. I have a Respironics Bipap AutoSV Advanced and am considering purchasing a different ASV machine. I have been having problems by not being able to exercise under therapy. For some reason every time I exercise even a small amount, I wake up throughout the night and feel tired the next day. So can I do the titration study on my current Respironics ASV machine (I have never had a titration study before) and then adjust the numbers on my new machine or should I wait till I get my new machine and get the study done on that? I am trying really hard to tackle this exercise problem because not only is exercise essential to staying optimally healthy, but I am going to be a police officer which will require at least some form of exercise. Please help!

It is not my understanding that the patient's machine can be used in a titration study. The machine used in in the sleep lab and will be whatever manufacturer they use.

Translating ASV specific numbers from one machine to another is something you may be able to get help for from your DME.

What does your sleep doctor say about your reaction to exercise during the day and sleep disturbances during the night?
Do you change what you eat or drink on exercise days? For example, do you consume energy drinks or eat energy bars on those days and not on others? I react very badly to caffiene in my diet and my sleep gets quite disturbed if I get any amount of caffiene in the prior 12 to 14 hours, even just a tiny amount. So, there might be something dietary going on. Try keeping a very detailed log of everything you consume and see if any pattern emerges.

Do you have a specific reason for wanting to change from a Respironics ASV machine to a different manufacturer?

In the meantime, could you post in text mode your equipment and settings?
If you have the latest AutoSV advanced machine, the selection list doesn't work quite correctly so post that informtion in the signature block under profile in the User Control Panel.

JDS74 wrote:It is not my understanding that the patient's machine can be used in a titration study. The machine used in in the sleep lab and will be whatever manufacturer they use.

Translating ASV specific numbers from one machine to another is something you may be able to get help for from your DME.

What does your sleep doctor say about your reaction to exercise during the day and sleep disturbances during the night?
Do you change what you eat or drink on exercise days? For example, do you consume energy drinks or eat energy bars on those days and not on others? I react very badly to caffiene in my diet and my sleep gets quite disturbed if I get any amount of caffiene in the prior 12 to 14 hours, even just a tiny amount. So, there might be something dietary going on. Try keeping a very detailed log of everything you consume and see if any pattern emerges.

Do you have a specific reason for wanting to change from a Respironics ASV machine to a different manufacturer?

In the meantime, could you post in text mode your equipment and settings?
If you have the latest AutoSV advanced machine, the selection list doesn't work quite correctly so post that informtion in the signature block under profile in the User Control Panel.

That stinks, oh well


"Translating ASV specific numbers from one machine to another is something you may be able to get help for from your DME."
Can't I do that myself?

Trust me, it has nothing to do with dietary. I eat healthier and better than most people.

Do you have a specific reason for wanting to change from a Respironics ASV machine to a different manufacturer?

Yes because from what I have heard, the other ASV brands works somewhat differently that the Respironics which could possibly be the culprit, but I do not know yet

I will do the machine information as you instructed. Anyways thanks for trying to help me

The dietary question has nothing to do with whether or not your diet is healthy,
It has to do with adverse reactions to foods that you eat - kind of like allergies but the result is disturbed sleep.
You won't know that until you keep a food diary for a while and see if there is something that you eat/drink on exercise days and not on other days. In my case, for example, three Hersheys Kisses in the morning trashes me for that night although you would think that 12 hours later everything related to the candy would have been long gone. It could be something like that and very subtle.

It is true that the other main ASV machine, the ResMed, does act differently than the Respironics machine.
I have a Respironics machine and the controls on therapy provide more and different kinds of adjustments.
Buying a new machine on the hope that the new one will do better is a little extreme until you have eliminated all of the other variables.

Other members who are more familiar with the ResMed may wish to chime in about the differences you might expect to see if you make the switch. I don't have a backup machine so if you do switch and you own yours outright, send me a PM and maybe we can work out something. I do hope that you can make your current machine work for you and not have to incur the cost of a new ResMed which will be quite a bit more expensive than the Respironics. I'd rather that be the outcome and not get a backup under these circumstances.

I do not eat anything different on exercise days. I used to exercise just fine before therapy until I started getting more and more tired to the point of needing a diagnosis of sleep apnea. I used to exercise to the point of waking only about one time during the night. Trying to exercise while on therapy makes me wake up like around 10x per night. So I can definetely conclude that it has to do with my breathing against the machine. I think if I get proper settings then maybe the wakefulness after exercise would get eliminated. I have tried many many things. Basically it comes down to this. If I sit around all day without moving around to get my heartrate up, I will sleep better. But the second I increase activity even a small amount like changing a tire or shoveling some snow, then I will wake up much more often during the night. I have also changed my medium nasal pillow to a large and notice a significant difference to my therapy and waking up during the night. My situation is a little weird but I have to figure out the problem

Anyways thank you for your input. I will keep in mind about pming you if I do need a different machine. I wasted so much money on this it is mindblowing

1100$ APAP out of pocket
1825$ ASV out of pocket [undecided if my ASV is a waste...yet]

All for 12$ paying wage

sleepinow wrote:... Trying to exercise while on therapy makes me wake up like around 10x per night. ...

You might want to do a sleep study after exercising. This might show why you have problems and would allow the sleep tech to fine tune your sleep settings to help you better handle exercise.

I don't think that Resmed vs. Respironics will make that much of a difference ... unless your problem is that you do not have a regular breathing pattern. The Resmed unit insists that your breathe in a regular pattern (based on your breathing during the past several minutes). I find that I startle awake more with the Respironics (when I stop breathing) than with the Resmed unit.

No, my personal recommendation is that you consider exercising BEFORE the sleep study to try to sort out why you are awakening more during sleep after you exercise.

Hope that helps.

P.S. The machine used in the labs are either Respironics or Resmed .. and it's not quite the consumer version. (For example, they can be remotely controlled). This sometimes means they are a bit different than what you would use at home.

Do you mean a titration study? Or a sleep study?

I have a feeling you mistyped it but I will gladly do a sleep study if there is any chance it will offer a possible solution. Hell, I will do both a sleep and a titration if I have too

And I am hoping I can at least use my swift fx mask. Doing a ASV titration study without my regular mask seems very difficult.

I was also thinking about doing exercise before the study. Thanks for completing my decision. And I also thank you for your advice

I guess i was thinking of a titration study. You don't need to know if you have apnea. You need to have your current machine properly set.

You should be able to use your existing mask. Just be aware that with am ASV unit you might need to move to a full face mask. If necessary the sleep tech might switch you during the titration study.

Hope that helps.

Based on what reasons would I have to move to a full face mask?

I sleep fine with my nasal mask but if a full face mask is recommended then that is okay.

Anyways thanks

sleepinow wrote:Based on what reasons would I have to move to a full face mask?

I sleep fine with my nasal mask but if a full face mask is recommended then that is okay.

Anyways thanks

An ASV is quite sensitive to mouth breathing, so if you should be doing that, it could throw off your results.

I use my ASV with either a Headrest or the Tap Pap, both nasal pillows masks. I use a homemade "brandy keg" to make sure my chin doesn't drop.

BTW, Resmed does not recommend the FX with their ASV, as I found when I was researching the FX and my Headrest, here: viewtopic.php?p=611505#p611505

BTW - do you have the software necessary to look at your results each day?
It is possible to get a link to the download.
If you are using a Windows machine, then the process can be straightforward - with a Mac, it's apparently a little complicated.

If you need the software, post a separate message requesting help.
Can you adjust your equipment list to indicate which model number you have - 950 or 960. Take out the humidifier tank if you have one, turn the machine upside down and it will be there on a little label.

One last note: did your sleep study mention anything about restless leg symdrome or periodic leg movements.
Both of these can cause partial arousals during the night and you ASV machine will react with a pressure increase under some circumstances that may be waking you up.

How can I tell if I mouth breathe? Does the data place it under as leaks? I usually do not wake up with a dry mouth but I do notice that I sometimes wake up at night woth drool on my pillow