CPAP Over-Pressurizing While I Sleep.

I have had this problem before, but it seemed to clear-up on its own. If I DID do anything to address it, I have now forgotten what it was.

I am a reasonably healthy 65-year-old. I go to sleep with my Resmed AirSense 10's pressure showing "4.0". Later, I wake up with the feeling that it is trying to suffocate me (or blow my brains out through my ears). This thing's range is set at "5-40" (!) and that is 'WAY to high, but I can find no way to adjust it. How can I get this pressure range down to something below "iron lung" level?

If I didn't need it so badly for its humidifier function, at this point I think that I would try to stop using it altogether.

J.

JeffNC wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 10, 2024 8:15 am

This thing's range is set at "5-40"

Exactly which model, brand and mode of operation machine are you using?

Do we have OSCAR reports detailing alledged pressure swings?

I don't know of any CPAP machine that will go to 40...Your Airsense 10 only goes to 20.

In order to help, we need you to fill in your profile so we know what make and model of machine you are using, what make and model of mask you are using. You can be guided to download open source software to get your data, and that will help us help you. Without that, we don't have enough information.

More than likely, your machine is set to "ramp", which means it starts at the lowest pressure for a period of time so--theoretically--you can fall asleep without a higher pressure. The lowest possible pressure is 4, and the highest is 20, so your machine may be set "wide open" which means 4 (or 5) to 20. No such thing as 40. It may stay at the lowest pressure (4) for a period of time on the ramp setting (typically 30 - 45 minutes), and then start to increase to try to manage your apneas.

There are many reasons why you may be waking with high pressures. Two common culprits are mouth breathing and mask leaking. If either of those is occurring, the pressure may be increasing (and causing more mouth breathing and leaking) to try to compensate. Or, the pressures may be starting too LOW, causing your machine to have to "chase" the apneas by increasing above where it would if your machine is properly set. We can see all of that if you can manage to download the data. Or you could check in with your sleep clinic or doctor to work on adjusting the pressures, if you aren't technologically up to downloading the data and making the necessary adjustments yourself.

Some clinics and doctors may tell you to "just keep using the machine" which is very bad advice if you are having these problems, and they are not willing to work with you on solving them. If that happens and you truly want the help, people here can offer suggestions, but you have to give us a little more to go on.

Regardless of which machine you have, it sounds like you didn't have a sleep test, or that the results were not communicated to your DME. It's likely that 20 is too high. It's also likely that 4 is too low.