Snoring while using CPAP machine??

I have been using a Phillips Respironics CPAP machine with a ResMed nose pillow mask for about a year and a half. About a week ago I replaced my ResMed mask with a new, identical mask because it was worn out.

My fiancé has begun complaining to me that it sounds like I'm snoring while I am sleeping with my CPAP machine. I have not noticed anything and I still feel well rested. The only other change I have had is a new pillow within the last few weeks that is a little thicker and firmer which could be changing my neck position, but I'm not sure if that is effecting me or not.

I'm curious if anyone (or their significant other) has experienced something similar? I'm really not sure what to do and my fiancé is losing her patience with it because it's keeping her up at night. I would love any help I can get. Thanks!

You didn't say (or list) what specific model of machine you have, so I'm going to guess it's not data capable. Correct?
Only the System One Pro and the System One Auto CPAP machines are data-capable. If it is a "Plus" model, then it isn't data-capable. Don't confuse the "C-Flex+" exhale relief feature with the "Plus" model of machine.

One issue is that you're using a nasal mask which may allow your mouth to fall open and allow your therapy air to escape.

If you don't have a data-capable machine, you're going to have to do some sleuthing.
Do you wake up with a dry mouth? That would indicate mouth-leaking or mouth-breathing.
If so, you could try taping your mouth (with Scotch blue easy-release painter's tape) or get a full face mask.

If you're not mouth leaking, it could also be that your machine pressure may not be adequate.
Nasal congestion can also be a cause of snoring. Nasal cleansing before bedtime can help. Also, if you're using a high humidity setting, that can also cause nasal congestion and the result could be congestion and snoring. You could try turning down the humidity setting.

If you seal the leaks and you're still snoring, you could try bumping up the pressure a centimeter or two.

A little snoring isn't anything serious. However, if it's a major thing, then something isn't quite right.

Den

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Thanks for the reply. It's great to have a quick response.

I do have the C-Flex+ and it is data capable, but at the moment I don't have an SD card in it. I ordered one today so that I can start recording the data and figure it out. I have never viewed the data before, but reading some other posts made me feel like it's not that hard to understand. Worst case scenario, I will post the data on here to see if someone can help me understand it...hopefully.

My fiancè offered more information. She says the "snoring" lasts for only about 3-4 second bursts and is intermittent. Sometimes happening a few times an hour and other times not happening at all. It's possible my mouth does fall open occasionally causing this, but she said she watched me do it with my mouth closed. And I do almost always wake up with a pretty dry mouth. The mask I use is the ResMed Swift FX Nasal Pillows. I use the large size. So it is not a full face mask. It's been great for me up until this new problem, so I'm certainly not inclined to switch masks unless it's determined that I must.

Any additional thoughts from you or other posters is greatly appreciated. I will for sure post some data on here once I have it to get some more detailed insight. Thanks!

If your mouth is ever dry it's because you are mouth breathing. When your mouth is open your CPAP machine is ineffective. Snores indicate either your pressure is too low or your mouth is open. If you're doing it with your mouth closed, then pressure needs to be adjusted upward. That is something you really need to talk over with your sleep doc.

Please fill out your user profile and list the equipment you have so we can help you better. User profile is accessed from the User Control Panel in the upper left corner just below the SEARCH box.

@slartybartfast - I had to put my machine in the additional notes. It won't display for some reason, but it's listed now.

I'm going to try the tape on the mouth tonight to see if that makes any difference. Hopefully I can still sleep with it.

When I get the data from my machine, is it easy to read? Will it be a text file or spreadsheet that I can easily pull on a PC or MAC? I hope so.

I plan to visit a doctor if I can't resolve this issue simply, but I definitely want to avoid a sleep study. My insurance has changed and I would end up paying for a sleep study 100% out of pocket. That's just not feasible at this time.

Thanks again all!

Check out my signature line for information on SleepyHead software. You have had the PR S1 Pro for over a year so you have the model that will work with SleepyHead. Look at the User Guide for examples of the software.
There is a Mac version available as well as PC version. I think you will see that you will be able to get a good understanding of what you see pretty quickly.

You may or may not be mouth breathing enough to really impact the therapy. Best way to evaluate for sure is to look at the leak line to see how large the leaks might be and how long they are present.

Just wondering if the sporadic short periods of snoring are during hyponeas? Maybe the data will give you a clue. Most people have a few hypopneas and apneas sneak through, and it doesn't seem a stretch to think snoring could accompany them. Maybe a very small pressure increase could resolve the snoring.

Brad,
Both hubby and I had experiences like yours. He was snoring a lot after 2 years on cpap. He also has a brick of a machine! We swapped machines on a weekend. I set the S9 Autoset to titrate him. His setting on the brick was 9cm, and his 95% average for 2 nights on the S9 Autoset was 11cm. He agreed to the higher pressure .... no more snoring!
For me... data indicated I needed more pressure. After 1.5 years the 95% was creeping up even though the rest of the data looked very good, with leak rate hovering around 15L/min.
He was slowly gaining weight, and I had lost about 20 pounds in the same time frame. Wondered if it was possible to stretch out the tissue in the throat? Or sleeping deeper longer so body is more relaxed and muscles sag more, or where they didn't sag before.
Perhaps it's common to have to increase pressure after being on xpap for awhile. Have read a few other posts to that effect.
Can you down load your data and post it? Would be easier to give you better feedback when seeing your data...esp. Leak Rates and flow restriction charts. The more you understand the better therapy you can give yourself! The better you get the better you will feel
Cindy

I had the same problem as you. My wife use to say I would snore at times even with the machine. I read on this forum and they told me to increase the pressure a little bit more. Well, I did and the snoring stop completely. I am more rested in the morning. Thanks to this forum.

UPDATE FROM LAST NIGHT:

I attempted to sleep with tape over my mouth, but I don't think it lasted very long. I woke up with the tape in bed next to me rather than still on my mouth.

However, my fiancé said she slept through the night and did not notice me snore at all. I can't say for sure if that means I didn't, but her not noticing seems to be a good thing. I also slept well and felt well rested this morning.

I haven't been able to pull data off my machine yet because of the lack of an SD card, but I'll be able to in the next several days. Until then, I went through the Info on the screen of my machine and found the following data:

Therapy Hours:
7:24 - 7 day average
7:18 - 30 day average

Large Leak:
0% - both 7 and 30 day averages

Periodic Breathing:
0% - both 7 and 30 day averages

AHI:
0.9% - 7 day average
0.7% - 30 day average

The AHI part is what I don't know or understand. I have seen others that have an AHI of 0.5 - 0.6 so I feel like maybe mine is a little high? I would love some insight as to what that is.

Thanks!

BradOSU99 wrote: The AHI part is what I don't know or understand. I have seen others that have an AHI of 0.5 - 0.6 so I feel like maybe mine is a little high?

The AHI is an hourly average index and not a %. Only the large leak number is a % and that is % of time in large leak only. It is not an overall average.

If your decimal point is correct that 0.5 AHI is the overall hourly average and that is really quite low...no where near high. In general we like to see the AHI be less than 5.0. Yours is less than 1.0 so extremely good numbers.
If I see AHI of less than 1.0 I do the happy dance because most of mine will be between 1.0 and 2.5.

Example...AHI of 0.5 over 8 hours of sleep means only 4 events for the entire 8 hours....extremely good numbers.
7 day averages are useful as a trend. Doesn't really tell us what went on during a specific hour like the software reports show us but overall if your 7 day average is so low...it points to minimal apnea events occurring.

UPDATE #2:

I have some data from my CPAP machine now using an SD card and Sleepy Head software on my MAC. I'm just not sure how to import it or what information is most vital. I'm sure I could share it all, it's just a TON of data.

Any help?


Thanks!

Usually the individual nightly graphs are what we like to see along with the AHI colored bar on the left of the graphs.

This is how I post images of reports. Since you are using a Mac I have omitted my Windows part of how to obtain screen shots. Do you know how to get a screen shot using your Mac?
Save the screen shot to some place easily found on your computer.
We can't link to images unless we use some place to host the image on the web.
Upload the image to a host site. I use Photobucket it is free, there are others.
Once the image is uploaded then copy the ENTIRE IMG address. Be sure to include the opening and closing IMG in brackets. Paste that copied address into a post here.
If you want to use Photobucket they provide a box with the various url addresses and you just choose the last one in the box.
Copy/paste that last line url address into the body of your post.
Use the preview button. If you can't see the image try again because if you can't see it we can't.

Now that I have been following my numbers for some time and received advice from you all, I have come to the conclusion that I am definitely breathing through my math during the night at certain points which is causing problems for me. I wake up with terribly dry mouth and I don't feel as rested as I should. I've tested this by taping my mouth shut for a few nights and when I do this, my mouth is not dry and I feel totally rested.

So I need to get a full mask. Any recommendations? I don't want to use insurance because my insurance sucks and won't pay for much of it anyway.

1. What mask would you recommend?
2. Where is the best place to purchase it online?


Thanks!
Brad

Masks are like shoes or boots. Might fit one person just great and the next person it might fit horribly.

Since you are using a nasal pillow mask already...if I were going to look at a full face mask it would be the Hybrid which has the nasal pillows and the oral interface. In general the larger the skin surface area that a mask touches...the greater problems with obtaining and keeping a good seal.

I would buy from our forum host. CPAP.com and I would go ahead and purchase the mask return insurance just in case I hated it. That way I could return it and buy something else and not all the money would be wasted.
If there is one that particularly interests you...you might ask if one of the forum members has one that was a tried and failed experiment and maybe they could sell it to you at a good discount.
When it comes to masks....one person's trash is another person's treasure.