need advice!
3 posts
• Page 1 of 1
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theosmom21
need advice!
Hi! I was so excited to finally get a good night's sleep when I got my machine. I have only tried 2 nights so far, but am developing anxiety because I am having trouble exhaling! It feels like I am suffocating with the air pushing in so forcefully, my exhales are really shallow and quick. I was reading other's posts and my setting sounds relatively low~8 and I'm using the nasal pillows. I'm more tired then before, since I've been awake all night trying to exhale and not suffocate! lol Any advice, or do I just need to keep trying?? Oh, and I can't change the setting on my machine because they are getting readings from the SD card. Thanks!
Re: need advice!
What machine and model # do you have? We can certainly help, but need that info to do it.
Re: need advice!
Hello and welcome to the forum.
First please tell us what machine you were given and it would be best if you update your profile signature so that in the future people will be able to see that information whenever you post.
Second, look into your pressure relief settings. They are called various things on various machines, so we can't tell you exactly what to look for or where to look for it until we know what machine you are using. On Respironics machines they are referred to as Flex... C-Flex, A-Flex, BiFlex, etc. I think Resmed calls it EPR (Expiratory Pressure Relief). This option drops the pressure when you begin to exhale and slowly ramps back to the set pressure. This helps many people feel more comfortable exhaling against the incoming pressure.
Finally, if often helps new users to begin acclimating to breathing on the machine when they are not trying to sleep. A common suggestion is to begin wearing the mask for as long as you can while watching TV before bed. Believe it or not, you DO get accustomed to the pressure after a while... it typically isn't until > 15 before you get to a point where many people can't acclimate. I know that is hard to believe. I was where you are nine months ago, but I slept last night with 19cm pressure on the exhale and 21cm pressure on the inhale and it only took about 30 seconds to become comfortable again after turning on the machine.
First please tell us what machine you were given and it would be best if you update your profile signature so that in the future people will be able to see that information whenever you post.
Second, look into your pressure relief settings. They are called various things on various machines, so we can't tell you exactly what to look for or where to look for it until we know what machine you are using. On Respironics machines they are referred to as Flex... C-Flex, A-Flex, BiFlex, etc. I think Resmed calls it EPR (Expiratory Pressure Relief). This option drops the pressure when you begin to exhale and slowly ramps back to the set pressure. This helps many people feel more comfortable exhaling against the incoming pressure.
Finally, if often helps new users to begin acclimating to breathing on the machine when they are not trying to sleep. A common suggestion is to begin wearing the mask for as long as you can while watching TV before bed. Believe it or not, you DO get accustomed to the pressure after a while... it typically isn't until > 15 before you get to a point where many people can't acclimate. I know that is hard to believe. I was where you are nine months ago, but I slept last night with 19cm pressure on the exhale and 21cm pressure on the inhale and it only took about 30 seconds to become comfortable again after turning on the machine.
3 posts
• Page 1 of 1