Higher pressure causing difficulty in daytime breathing?

[cubism_dream]

I recently made a post regarding some pressure changes that have been making me feel even worse. I was ordered to change my pressure to 12-15. That minimum pressure turns out to be too high. I wake up very bloated and with dry mouth, despite using tape and a chin strap. You can fill your groceries with what's drooping below my puffy eyes because I've got some bags . I changed the minimum pressure to 11 and that was much better, but I need to notify the sleep docs about the change.

In regards to my post title, in the past few days, I've noticed something different with my daytime breathing pattern. I'm not sure if it's a coincidence or if it may be caused by other health issues that I have. Sometimes, during a breathing cycle, I catch myself having a delayed inhalation. I'm basically not breathing when I'm supposed to, followed by a more exerted effort to take a deep breath. Exhaling appears to be normal. Is this due to the higher APAP pressure? Or is there something else going on? Am I having centrals in my waking state?

EDIT: It's also worth mentioning that I recently started on a prescription of Nuvigil (150 mg) around the same time. By the way, I haven't noticed any improvement with focus or wakefulness with the med so far.

[AlabamaAl]

I dont know if this is normal or not, but when I started on my machine, low pressure 15, high pressure 20, it seemed that my breathing was a little off too. Now, a couple of weeks later, I have adjusted, and it feels like my Copd has lessened, and I am breathing deeper during the day. Perhaps it is my body getting use to having more air in my lungs?? Could my diaphragm be getting stronger to compensate for the high pressure? I'm gonna ask the sleep doc about this on my next appointment.

[Day_Dreamer]

I recently made a post regarding some pressure changes that have been making me feel even worse. I was ordered to change my pressure to 12-15. That minimum pressure turns out to be too high. I wake up very bloated and with dry mouth, despite using tape and a chin strap. You can fill your groceries with what's drooping below my puffy eyes because I've got some bags . I changed the minimum pressure to 11 and that was much better, but I need to notify the sleep docs about the change.

In regards to my post title, in the past few days, I've noticed something different with my daytime breathing pattern. I'm not sure if it's a coincidence or if it may be caused by other health issues that I have. Sometimes, during a breathing cycle, I catch myself having a delayed inhalation. I'm basically not breathing when I'm supposed to, followed by a more exerted effort to take a deep breath. Exhaling appears to be normal. Is this due to the higher APAP pressure? Or is there something else going on? Am I having centrals in my waking state?

EDIT: It's also worth mentioning that I recently started on a prescription of Nuvigil (150 mg) around the same time. By the way, I haven't noticed any improvement with focus or wakefulness with the med so far.

You might want to try using EPR.

[BlackSpinner]

Remember your chest muscles have to work harder breathing out against that new pressure. They are like any muscle you exercise more - they object, hurt, get stiff.

[cubism_dream]

Remember your chest muscles have to work harder breathing out against that new pressure. They are like any muscle you exercise more - they object, hurt, get stiff.

Hi BlackSpinner, thanks for the response. I understand that my chest and lungs are getting more of a workout, but is it common for a higher pressure to alter your breathing pattern? It doesn't hurt when I breathe, but I feel like I'm involuntarily holding my breath before each breath, followed by a deep inhale. Is that normal? Also, two questions. Will the dry mouth and bloating go away once I've adjusted to the new pressure, and is it normal to get headaches from transitioning to a higher pressure range?

Regarding the comment about EPR, I think I already have the setting on, but I'll check to see if I need to adjust it.

Edit: Another question, during a pressure change transition, is it normal to still wake up groggy and not well-rested?

-Cubism

[cubism_dream]

bump?

Any more feedback would be great. Thanks.

[Ogeo]

I am too new to be much help except to let you know that you are not alone. I have only had 4 days on my AutoSV which is set at high pressure. I have also experienced severe dry mouth, chest sore from breathing, and puffy eyes from leaks from the high pressure in my eyes.

I am trying out a new mask tonight to see if I can get rid of the leaks. I am also trying a product I picked up today for the dry mouth. I have played around with the humidity but it hasn't made a difference yet so I googled dry mouth and cpap to get a product called XyliMelts. I found them at a local Rite-Aid Pharmacy. I will let you know what I think about them.

Hang in there.

[cubism_dream]

I am too new to be much help except to let you know that you are not alone. I have only had 4 days on my AutoSV which is set at high pressure. I have also experienced severe dry mouth, chest sore from breathing, and puffy eyes from leaks from the high pressure in my eyes.

I am trying out a new mask tonight to see if I can get rid of the leaks. I am also trying a product I picked up today for the dry mouth. I have played around with the humidity but it hasn't made a difference yet so I googled dry mouth and cpap to get a product called XyliMelts. I found them at a local Rite-Aid Pharmacy. I will let you know what I think about them.

Hang in there.

I'm glad I'm not the only one with similar problems. I already have the humidity level on the highest setting and that hasn't been helping since the increase in minimum pressure. Hopefully, I'll be able to eventually adjust to the higher pressure and wake up without discomfort.

[zoocrewphoto]

I am too new to be much help except to let you know that you are not alone. I have only had 4 days on my AutoSV which is set at high pressure. I have also experienced severe dry mouth, chest sore from breathing, and puffy eyes from leaks from the high pressure in my eyes.

I am trying out a new mask tonight to see if I can get rid of the leaks. I am also trying a product I picked up today for the dry mouth. I have played around with the humidity but it hasn't made a difference yet so I googled dry mouth and cpap to get a product called XyliMelts. I found them at a local Rite-Aid Pharmacy. I will let you know what I think about them.

Hang in there.

I'm glad I'm not the only one with similar problems. I already have the humidity level on the highest setting and that hasn't been helping since the increase in minimum pressure. Hopefully, I'll be able to eventually adjust to the higher pressure and wake up without discomfort.

I am a mouth breather, so I use a full face mask. This means I will never completely escape dry mouth. But I can tell you that it doesn't bother me very much any more. I think we find ways, even in our sleep, to improve things. So, it doesn't get as bad. I have learned to stay off my back, as that causes my mouth to open more, and more air to swirl around my cheeks. By staying on my side, I don't have as much air going around my mouth, just what I need. I have my humidifier set as high as I can go without a sweaty face. And when I do have dry mouth, it doesn't annoy me very much anymore.

Puffy eyes. I don't get these every night, and I have an almost flat line at zero for leaks. I think the air comes through internally somehow. I have puffy eyes usually only after my best nights of sleep. It is a little annoying, but considering that it only happens after great nights of sleep, I figure it is not worth messing with right now. I use some eye drops, and they improve quickly.

I have found that things get better and less annoying with time and practice. There are a lot of things to get used to with cpap treatment. Tackle the biggest things and let the others resolve themselves as you go.

[Denial Dave]

I've been at higher pressures for almost 2 years now..... 20 IPAP / 14.4 EPAP.... I had some minor issues with my chest muscles the 1st few weeks.

But I have experienced zero issues since then, I suspect that your issues with daytime breathing may not be caused by higher pressures.

Dave

[Ogeo]

Thought I'd report back about the XyliMelts. I used them last night and they were a big help until they both disolved in the early morning hours. My mouth feels much better today. However, I can't see me continuing to use those over a long term so hopefully we will get used to it or find other ways to solve the problem like how have already been mentioned.

[cubism_dream]

Thanks for all the insightful replies. I lowered the minimum pressure from 13 to 12 (12 was my actual prescribed setting) and slept for two nights with that setting. The bloating/gas situation is much better, but the dry mouth is still present. It's a discomfort, but I won't let it bother me too much. Same goes for the puffy eyes. I'm just concerned about having a quality and comfortable night's sleep. After some thought, I think the breathing issue is anxiety-related, which is a whole different issue to tackle. Now I will have to start learning how to analyze the CPAP data.