First night...

[jtech1]

This forum has been incredibly helpful... I am getting started tonight with a Dreamstation Auto. Just curious if there is any benefit to me setting things at a constant 4 to baseline my sleep for a night before I set it to the 8-20 my Dr specified. Or, can I really do that any time in the future and see the same result? I guess, in addition to the question above, I am asking if the good effects of using it build over time, so that being off it for a single day here and there would still be better than I am today before starting use... Thanks!

[tiredNorlando]

I wouldn't set it lower than 6-7 , you will feel like you are suffocating.. also, if you use it for a while then one night you don't, you will feel a big difference the next day, and not for the good! once you start using it and you are comfortable with it, you will not want to go to sleep without it!

[RicaLynn]

No real benefit to setting it to a pressure you already know to be ineffective. The object is to be sure that the prescription you've been given IS effective in treating your apnea.

Once you've grown accustomed to sleeping with it, you won't want to sleep without it, but the occasional night off won't be particularly detrimental. I sometimes stay at my friend's house overnight without my Cpap in tow, and though I typically wake up with dry mouth and headache I bounce back pretty quickly after a night back on my machine. YMMV, tho.

[DreamStalker]

This forum has been incredibly helpful... I am getting started tonight with a Dreamstation Auto. Just curious if there is any benefit to me setting things at a constant 4 to baseline my sleep for a night before I set it to the 8-20 my Dr specified. Or, can I really do that any time in the future and see the same result? I guess, in addition to the question above, I am asking if the good effects of using it build over time, so that being off it for a single day here and there would still be better than I am today before starting use... Thanks!

There is no benefit to baseline at 4 ... best to set it at 8 to 20 if the objective is to titrate your pressure. Did you have a sleep study done? If yes, did they titrate you?

[ChicagoGranny]

Just curious if there is any benefit to me setting things at a constant 4 to baseline my sleep

No. It's best to get to optimal therapy as soon as practical. You don't want your first night impression of CPAP to be bad because the minimum pressure is set too low.

It sounds like you may have had a diagnostic study. As inaccurate as a study like that can be, that is your baseline.

[tiredNorlando]

Once I had the mask on and turned the machine on and laid down for the first time I was amazed at how comfortable I was, it does seem to push a lot of air the first 20 seconds or so, but after that it settles down pretty quick, you wont even notice the pressure. Also, what do you have your flex setting on? I started with 3 and had it there for the first month or two, then went to 2 just to try it and my ahi went even lower!
good luck!

[jtech1]

Thanks for all the replies so quickly!

Yes, i had a sleep study... actually one 9 years ago (diagnosed mild) and chose the exercise/weight loss path. And another done a few weeks ago and diagnosed moderate... 19.6 AHI, so giving the APAP a try. My Dr. has been a big mess to deal with... they own the sleep clinic also... and are very disorganized... so, if my results did not have my name printed on the pages I would not put it past them to have given me someone else's results...

[tiredNorlando]

Sounds about like mine LOL . Doc told me I did not have any apneas during my sleep study, when on the report it showed I did. he would not give me a prescription for a machine so years later I bought my own on amazon ( way cheaper) and used the advice from some great members on this board to help me with the numbers! doing pretty good now, feel like a new man
keep us posted on how you do!

[Pugsy]

asking if the good effects of using it build over time, so that being off it for a single day here and there would still be better than I am today before starting use..

Not really. Think of it like wearing glasses. While wearing corrective lens you see just fine but take them off and you don't.
You don't get to wear them for a week and take a day off and expect your eyes to have a hold over effect for a day.

Since you had a recent sleep study you already know your baseline and using the machine at 4 cm only really would give you a baseline for 4 cm therapy. There is therapy value even at 4 cm. It all would depend on if 4 cm helped or not. It might and it might not. Might help a little or none at all. No real reason to do it except if you are curious and if you want to scratch that curiosity itch you can do it later if you wish.

4 cm isn't particularly comfortable for a lot of people. They feel like they are suffocating or air starved because not much air is moving.
Now of course they aren't suffocating but it sure feels like it and it's hard to go to sleep feeling that way.
Your choice though but you can do it later if you wish...won't change the results because there is no hold over effect.

[ChicagoGranny]

... it does seem to push a lot of air the first 20 seconds or so, but after that it settles down pretty quick ...

No CPAP machine operates like that. You may be reflexively holding your breath when you turn the machine on. It's YOU that settles down and breathes normally after 20 seconds.

[Pugsy]

These machines do NOT retain any memory of what happened last night, last week, last month or last whatever.
They do NOT learn to adjust to you....you adjust to the machine.
They do NOT change the way their algorithm works because of the way you breathe...the algorithm is set and works in response to various The only possible exception is if someone is using ASV and the machine calculates a breathing rate and sets up an auto back up rate...and this changes ever time the machine is turned on. That's the only "adjusting" to us that any of these machines will do.
If you think the machine is learning and adjusting to you...wrong. You are adjusting to the machine.

CG is correct.

It's YOU that settles down and breathes normally after 20 seconds.

[tiredNorlando]

Good grief! I guess this is why I don’t post or comment much anymore. I said “seems to push a lot of air the first 20 seconds” I wasn’t stating a fact. So you are correcting what I feel?


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[Pugsy]

Good grief! I guess this is why I don’t post or comment much anymore. I said “seems to push a lot of air the first 20 seconds” I wasn’t stating a fact. So you are correcting what I feel?

My reply wasn't directed at you. I know you said it "seemed like it" and I do understand it. It seems like a hurricane to me for a brief few seconds...even now after 8 years.
It was directed at the other person who said his machine did in fact learn to adjust to him.
I don't like quoting him and avoid it whenever possible.

[ChicagoGranny]

Good grief! I guess this is why I don’t post or comment much anymore. I said “seems to push a lot of air the first 20 seconds” I wasn’t stating a fact. So you are correcting what I feel?


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I was trying to prevent a wrong impression that your comment might easily make in other people's minds.

[jtech1]

Alright... after first night, some things that I thought would be issues are not, and others that I thought would not be, are...

Not issues
1) Machine noise: Passed the wife test. She had no issue getting to sleep and commented on how quiet it was. This was big!
2) Hose attached to me: Really was not an issue... I thought it would be.

Issues
1) I really thought the Dreamwear with med cushion would be pretty good for me... but the issues I had were:
a) It dug into my nose all night and was painful just above mustache. This woke me up a lot and my nose is sore this morning.
b) A little noisier than I expected.
2) The first 30 minutes before I fell asleep were concerning. I felt like I could not get enough air... wanted to breathe through my mouth to catch up... and I was breathing hard... a little light headed. Almost took it off, but decided to stick it out, and that all seemed to go away once I fell asleep.

Because of #2 I was questioning whether I really needed a full face mask.

I bought a medium pillow for the Dreamwear and tried that when testing the machine yesterday, but it seemed like I could not get much airflow at all through it so I used the cushion instead... may be I had the med pillow too tight?

My numbers were OK. AHI 5.1 Machine was set to 8-20. 90% pressure came back at 9.3. Should I bump up to 9 min tonight? I think 11 out of my total of 35 events were while I was still awake and struggling with positioning of the new mask... is it possible the Dreamstation false detected because of shifting and adjusting mask and my AHI is really a bit lower?

Trying to figure out if I need to adjust the cushion mask? Try pillow on Dreamwear? Try another mask? Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks!