Morning Chest Pain After CPAP

[Air Force Retired]

Has anyone experienced any kind of chest pain in the moring before rising while using CPAP therapy? I have had this happen for two days in a row. I have only been on CPAP therapy with a humidifer since last Wednesday. Before this I used my wife's machine for about three to four weeks and did not experience this sensation. A short time after getting out of bed the sensation goes away for the rest of the day. Right now I have my humidifier set on 1 as I live on the coast of California about 5 miles from the ocean, so there should be plenty of humidity in the air.

Would appreciate any inputs.

Regards,
AFR

[LSAT]

I wouldn't mess around with chest pain...if this is something new...see your doctor to be sure that it is nothing serious.
You probably have access to medical facilities on the base.

[DeeDeeD]

My doctor told me that you may experience a little chest pain when first starting cpap but that it should go away. If you've been on cpap for awhile and still have this problem then your pressure might be too high according to the doctor. However you should definetly talk to your doctor as it may also be something else.

[LinkC]

Yep! I did when I first started. I assume it's from breathing more deeply than you are used to while asleep. Mine wasn't really a pain, more of an ache...like you feel when out of breath and trying to catch it.

But either your lungs adapt so they don't hurt anymore...or your brain adapts so you don't notice it.

[msradar65]

I am still a newbie. I've been on CPAP now two weeks. I also had chest pain and chest muscle soreness. It lasted the first few days and is now gone away. I am assume its from the pressure.

I would say mine was Muscle pain...not pain from deep inside my chest. Any chest pain should be investigated.

[chunkyfrog]

After the first few days on CPAP, I had some sore muscles around my chest; but regardless of where your chest pain is, do not hesitate!
get the doctor to check it out--RIGHT AWAY. It could be the 'BIG ONE'. (--Redd Foxx) --OR NOT!! YOU CANNOT AFFORD TO GUESS.
Be safe. and deepest thanks for your service.

[Air Force Retired]

Thanks to all who replied to my post. I am now most certain it is because of the new machine and the higher pressure. The old machine was only set at a pressure of 5 and my new one is set to 10. Could also be the lungs are expanding more than before. I will give it a few more days and see how it goes. If it continues I will definately call my Primary Care Doc.

Again, thanks to all for your assistance.

AFR

[Muse-Inc]

...old machine was only set at a pressure of 5 and my new one is set to 10. Could also be the lungs are expanding more than before. I will give it a few more days and see how it goes. If it continues I will definately call my Primary Care Doc...

Good plan IMHO. I had lower ribcage soreness/pain that radiated around to my back -- that got my attention and a call to my sleep doc. His assessment was CPAP newness and as he predicted it disappeared in a few weeks. After 2 yrs I became intolerant of straight CPAP pressure when that ribcage pain re-appeared. Got an APAP with exhalation relief...that took care of it.

[chunkyfrog]

Any pain in chest, arm or jaw can be symptomatic of heart attack.
If you exercise and the pain gets worse, as opposed to staying the same, you need to see a cardiologist ASAP!
Even then, well, there are no guarantees.

[ddk]

If it doesn't turn out to be heart attack related then it might end up being anxiety.

A few times I've gotten anxious about using the machine because I'm on such a high pressure. And once I start thinking about it I find I start to fight it and tense up. I've since learned to just relax and breathe normally and that seems to alleviate a lot of problems, including the few times when I've felt chest pain.

I tend to lay down for a good few minutes before turning on the machine. I try to relax and let my breathing slow down naturally to something more rhythmic and shallow. Then before I fall asleep, turn it on and again just try to relax. The more relaxed I am when falling asleep, the better a night I tend to have on the machine, including better numbers, less aches and pains from poor positioning and less jaw/tooth pain from clenching.

[ReadyforRest]

When I first started cpap, now apap, I found that two things caused me to feel some pain/discomfort in my lungs. Not sure if you mean in your lungs or elsewhere in your chest, like you heart? Anyway, for a while I had EPR set at 0. With my pressure settings of 14/7 and with the pressure often maxing out in the 14 range, this was just too hard on my lungs. Setting the EPR to 1 eliminated the soreness. The other time I felt discomfort was for several days in the fall, with weather change. I realized that my temperature setting on the climate control hose was too low for my comfort. I raised the temp to 84 F (I know this is a personal comfort setting and not everyone likes it that high), but as soon as I raised the temp. the ache in my lungs disappeared like magic. My pressure setting is now 14/8 with same EPR and temp. settings, and I have no pain or ache in the lungs.

But as others have said, please do see your doctor and get checked out. Don't fool around with chest pain. Good luck.