07-30-2016, 04:01 AM
(This post was last modified: 07-30-2016, 05:09 AM by Snurkel.)
Feels like my inhalation is cut off by APAP (Dreamstation)?!
I sometimes wake up and notice my inhalation is cut off by my APAP. I then really have to make an effort to further inhale and feel the machine is trying to suck the air out of my lungs. Is there any setting I can adjust to prevent this from happening? The C-Flex setting = 1.
Example of tonight (one of the less good ones..):[attachment=2725][attachment=2724]
The feeling of air being sucked out of my lungs mostly happens during the second half of the night, see zoomed in picture.
PS After posting I saw that the Leak rate graph isn't completely visible. I've tried to add better pictures but somehow I can't completely edit this post.
RE: Feels like my inhalation is cut off by APAP (Dreamstation)?!
Better picture:
RE: Feels like my inhalation is cut off by APAP (Dreamstation)?!
Take a look at your settings. You may need to go into Clinician Settings mode for this. The setting that could help is the TI setting. This is the inspiration time. It will have a current setting like 2.0 or 2.5. This is the inspiration time in seconds. You could increase this bu .5 seconds to see if this helps. I have a ResMed machine but making this change helped me.
Rich
07-30-2016, 06:58 AM
(This post was last modified: 07-30-2016, 07:22 AM by richb.)
RE: Feels like my inhalation is cut off by APAP (Dreamstation)?!
Take a look at your settings. You may need to go into Clinician Settings mode for this. The setting that could help is the TI setting. This is the inspiration time. It will have a current setting like 2.0 or 2.5. This is the inspiration time in seconds. You could increase this bu .5 seconds to see if this helps. I have a ResMed machine but making this change helped me.
Rich
Sorry for the duplicate post.
RE: Feels like my inhalation is cut off by APAP (Dreamstation)?!
I believe that Smurkel is using an APAP machine in which TI settings are only available on ASV machines.
I would try moving the minimum pressure up a bit by .5 increments until you see some better numbers.
Your 95% pressure reading is almost at your maximum pressure for a good part of the night. You should bump the max up to 10.
Another words, a range of 6.5 or even 7cm minimum to 10max, and watch your numbers. You don't want to take a chance of causing more clear airways, but a higher minimum pressure will help with the hypopneas.
Also, if you are using the ramp, you may want to turn it off. With a low minimum pressure, it isn't that helpful and may be causing you to feel air starved.
As far as the Flex settings, it's just one of those comfort settings that you have to try to see how you feel. I would switch over to AFlex 1 or 2 and see if that helps.
07-30-2016, 08:37 AM
(This post was last modified: 07-30-2016, 08:41 AM by Sleeprider.)
RE: Feels like my inhalation is cut off by APAP (Dreamstation)?!
Also, with Flex set to off, you can manually change the rise-time. I found this more comfortable than using the Aflex settings. It's just something to try like any other comfort setting. [EDIT to add, rise time is a BiPAP control and may not be available on the auto]
The CPAP maintains positive pressure at all times, so of course it does not "suck" air from your lungs, but the pressure support may be reduced near the end of inhalation, and the flex settings can advance this transition to lower exhale pressures before you're ready. Also, note you have a slightly shorter exhale time than inhale. Normal I:E ratio typically has a longer exhale than inhale.
One other thing to consider, is that the kind of breathing you zoomed into in your graph is typical of what we call sleep-wake-junk. It can occur when you transition into and out of sleep as the autonomic breathing gives way to voluntary/conscious breathing. Since you are not really asleep, it is not technically sleep apnea, even thought he events are scored.
RE: Feels like my inhalation is cut off by APAP (Dreamstation)?!
(07-30-2016, 08:29 AM)OpalRose Wrote: I believe that Smurkel is using an APAP machine in which TI settings are only available on ASV machines.
And on VPAP machines.
RE: Feels like my inhalation is cut off by APAP (Dreamstation)?!
(07-30-2016, 08:37 AM)Sleeprider Wrote: Also, with Flex set to off, you can manually change the rise-time. I found this more comfortable than using the Aflex settings. It's just something to try like any other comfort setting. [EDIT to add, rise time is a BiPAP control and may not be available on the auto]
The CPAP maintains positive pressure at all times, so of course it does not "suck" air from your lungs, but the pressure support may be reduced near the end of inhalation, and the flex settings can advance this transition to lower exhale pressures before you're ready. Also, note you have a slightly shorter exhale time than inhale. Normal I:E ratio typically has a longer exhale than inhale.
One other thing to consider, is that the kind of breathing you zoomed into in your graph is typical of what we call sleep-wake-junk. It can occur when you transition into and out of sleep as the autonomic breathing gives way to voluntary/conscious breathing. Since you are not really asleep, it is not technically sleep apnea, even thought he events are scored.
Had the same problem...turned flex off...
RE: Feels like my inhalation is cut off by APAP (Dreamstation)?!
CPAP will never suck air (some people say CPAP Sucks! but that is a different thing ). What you are feeling is just the drop in pressure as the Flex setting prepares to let you exhale. It probably means that your body has gotten used to the pressure on inhale and is maybe getting a little lazy at the end of the inhale and misses the assist of the small extra pressure.
You can try turning Flex off, or try the A Flex mode which has a different felling. One of them was OK for me and the other I really disliked. Now I mostly turn it off. It like it better like that, and it helped improve my AHI.
RE: Feels like my inhalation is cut off by APAP (Dreamstation)?!
Thanks for all the answers!
Quote:CPAP will never suck air (some people say CPAP Sucks! but that is a different thing SHa_biggrin5 )
I'm know that the machine doesn't suck air from my lungs, (I probably should have phrased it more clearly) it indeed just feels like it due to a drop in pressure just before my inhalation is complete. I will turn off the Flex tonight, and see what happens. By the way: my machine doesn't suck in any way
Quote:Sleeprider Wrote:
Also, with Flex set to off, you can manually change the rise-time. I found this more comfortable than using the Aflex settings. It's just something to try like any other comfort setting. [EDIT to add, rise time is a BiPAP control and may not be available on the auto]
It indeed isn't available on Auto.
Quote:One other thing to consider, is that the kind of breathing you zoomed into in your graph is typical of what we call sleep-wake-junk. It can occur when you transition into and out of sleep as the autonomic breathing gives way to voluntary/conscious breathing. Since you are not really asleep, it is not technically sleep apnea, even thought he events are scored.
I added this piece of the graph since at this time I woke up by the gasping for breath due to the 'sucking' feeling.
Quote:Posted by OpalRose - Today 03:29 PM
I believe that Smurkel is using an APAP machine in which TI settings are only available on ASV machines.
Yep, unfortunately.
Quote:I would try moving the minimum pressure up a bit by .5 increments until you see some better numbers.
Your 95% pressure reading is almost at your maximum pressure for a good part of the night. You should bump the max up to 10.
Another words, a range of 6.5 or even 7cm minimum to 10max, and watch your numbers. You don't want to take a chance of causing more clear airways, but a higher minimum pressure will help with the hypopneas.
I tried to raise the max, but it led to a lot of burping, I will raise the minimum a bit though.
Quote:Also, if you are using the ramp, you may want to turn it off. With a low minimum pressure, it isn't that helpful and may be causing you to feel air starved.
True, I used it to get used to the machine, but I don't really need it anymore now I'm comfortable with it.
Quote:As far as the Flex settings, it's just one of those comfort settings that you have to try to see how you feel. I would switch over to AFlex 1 or 2 and see if that helps.
I tried AFlex before, but it made the sucking feeling worse, since it seemed to emphasize the difference in IPAP and EPAP.
So, Flex off, and next minimum up it will be, spread over a a week or two to give both settings a chance.
Thanks again everybody for answering, this has been really helpful!
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