Hello Guest, Welcome to Apnea Board !
As a guest, you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use.
To post a message, you must create a free account using a valid email address.

or Create an Account


New Posts   Today's Posts

Feels like my inhalation is cut off by APAP (Dreamstation)?!
#1
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.
Post Reply Post Reply
#2
RE: Feels like my inhalation is cut off by APAP (Dreamstation)?!
Better picture:    
Post Reply Post Reply
#3
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
Apnea Board Member RobySue has posted a Beginners Guide to Sleepyhead Software here:  http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.php...SleepyHead

Download Sleepyhead
Organize your Sleepyhead Charts
Post images


Post Reply Post Reply
#4
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.
Apnea Board Member RobySue has posted a Beginners Guide to Sleepyhead Software here:  http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.php...SleepyHead

Download Sleepyhead
Organize your Sleepyhead Charts
Post images


Post Reply Post Reply
#5
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.
OpalRose
Apnea Board Administrator
www.apneaboard.com

_______________________
OSCAR Chart Organization
How to Attach Images and Files.
OSCAR - The Guide
Soft Cervical Collar
Optimizing therapy
OSCAR supported machines
Mask Primer



INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE.  ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA.  INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
Post Reply Post Reply
#6
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.
Sleeprider
Apnea Board Moderator
www.ApneaBoard.com

____________________________________________
Download OSCAR Software
Soft Cervical Collar
Optimizing Therapy
Organize your OSCAR Charts
Attaching Files
Mask Primer
How To Deal With Equipment Supplier


INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
Post Reply Post Reply
#7
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.
Admin Note:
JustMongo passed away in August 2017
Click HERE to read his Memorial Thread

~ Rest in Peace ~
Post Reply Post Reply
#8
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...
Post Reply Post Reply
#9
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 Grin ). 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.
Post Reply Post Reply
#10
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 waylike

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!Thanks



Post Reply Post Reply


Possibly Related Threads...
Thread Author Replies Views Last Post
  [Equipment] HELP - BIPAP-ST Restricting Inhalation/Exhalation Air Flow / Tidal Volume PAPPER101 3 107 03-24-2024, 09:29 PM
Last Post: stevew168
  Issues with APAP WWYD FlyingUmbrella683 1 86 03-22-2024, 07:21 PM
Last Post: Deborah K.
  New APAP machine: Lowenstein Prisma Smart Max Robert Detz 10 363 03-21-2024, 07:58 AM
Last Post: WisNaeMe
  [Health] RESMED APAP tuning sleeper2460 10 557 03-18-2024, 08:43 AM
Last Post: sleeper2460
  APAP optimization assistance jayed53 9 426 03-14-2024, 03:13 PM
Last Post: jayed53
  srwilsn3's therapy thread | APAP -> BiPAP srwilsn3 34 1,410 03-14-2024, 02:23 PM
Last Post: UnicornRider
  Help optimizing APAP SomeUser 8 1,147 03-12-2024, 03:51 AM
Last Post: SomeUser


New Posts   Today's Posts


About Apnea Board

Apnea Board is an educational web site designed to empower Sleep Apnea patients.