Heart palpitations, anyone?

[HalfAsleep]

Yesterday, amidst burning aroma, leakage, wheezing, general noobinessI had the heart palpitations from hell. My lungs hurt, my heart was going bonkers, and my blood pressure must have been through the roof. This is not normal for me. I'm assuming it meant my heart wasn't getting enough oxygen, so it was having to work extra hard. I looked at the user panel and it looked like the CPAP was hanging out for quite a while at 6 before settling on an average of 8 or so. So I took myself off the machine for a bit and then counterintuitively lowered the lower pressure from 6 to 5, and all was well.

I say counterintuitively because it seems like increasing the pressure would increase the amount of oxygen available? Or have I misunderstood the relationship between available oxygen and CPAP pressure?

I also thought I could be hypoventilating somehow, though my mask wasn't leaking, and I was fully alert.

PS I don't have an SD card reader yet, so I can't post SleepyHead charts.

[Sleeprider]

I'd say this is the very definition of CPAP dial winging... Not establishing a treatment routine and changing the numbers without a plan, with no idea why you're doing it, or what it might accomplish...good luck with that.

[Sleeprider]

Let me come back to this in a bit more helpful way. Success at xPAP is a process that takes some time, consistency, trial and error and learning. Choose a thread where you want to post your experiences and data, and stick with it. That way we all see what is working, or not, and have the history in one place.

Develop a treatment plan and stick with it. We are in this for the long haul. It takes time to observe results and decide on the next step. If you make changes to your settings, understand what those setting changes can do, and cannot do. Even small changes can make a difference for better or worse. As you get closer to your treatment goals smaller changes and longer times between changes will lead to success.

You do not even have a baseline or data yet; however observing that a pressure of 8 seems to be where the auto algorithm wants to go, then changing to a "counter-intuitive' 5 or 6 is not going to achieve anything. Sorry for going off in the last post, but if you seriously want this to work, slow down and take it one breath or night at a time. Keep things in the same place, and try not to let all these distractions get in the way of a disciplined approach to therapy.

[HalfAsleep]

I'd say this is the very definition of CPAP dial winging... Not establishing a treatment routine and changing the numbers without a plan, with no idea why you're doing it, or what it might accomplish...good luck with that.

 I hear you!   Point well taken: I'll refrain from fiddling until my card reader gets here. Agreed: a plan might be a grand idea, I found I can't even change from a Small to a Medium P10 pillow without feeling weird.

I didn't realize the protocol is to put all experience in one thread and not just the data. Monitor: feel free to combine my threads if this would be easier.

And SleepRider, I'm good at picking up on minor chastisement; major chastisement is not needed. I really look forward to your input once I get SleepyHead online and appreciate how helpful you are to everyone. Thanks. 

[JesseLee]

I know that you are excited about your machine, and you should be. I've read all of your posts half asleep, and I've learned a lot from everything you ask. However, I'm guilty of trying to take on a lot all at once and overwhelming myself unnecessarily. Sometimes you gotta look at the important stuff first and then get to the finer details. This sleep apnea treatment is very complex and exciting. It takes time. I went 9 months on prescribed settings before I thought I might take on getting the details worked out. I think right now you might worry about comfort and acclimation to this major change. And don't overwhelm yourself! I wish I had some coin for everytime I've gluttoned on worry. I still get caught up in trying to take a drink from the fire hydrant! I know you'll get it worked out.

Jesse

[HalfAsleep]

I know that you are excited about your machine, and you should be. I've read all of your posts half asleep, and I've learned a lot from everything you ask. However, I'm guilty of trying to take on a lot all at once and overwhelming myself unnecessarily. Sometimes you gotta look at the important stuff first and then get to the finer details. This sleep apnea treatment is very complex and exciting. It takes time. I went 9 months on prescribed settings before I thought I might take on getting the details worked out. I think right now you might worry about comfort and acclimation to this major change. And don't overwhelm yourself! I wish I had some coin for everytime I've gluttoned on worry. I still get caught up in trying to take a drink from the fire hydrant! I know you'll get it worked out.

Jesse

[Apnea Infant]

Half Asleep

Like others have for me, I also want to encourage you to abide by the gentle advice given here. Many gurus here have 'held my hand' in my journey to nod land.

Perhaps, being more fearful, I have generally made changes really slowly. The one time I sprinted I was set back by alright AHI reading.

6 months in and I am still very slowly bringing my pressure down by small degrees. I started with prescribed 16.8 which was disrupting my sleep seriously. Now at 12.6, my AHI numbers are mainly below 1. There are rogue nights, but who doesn't have them? 

Wishing you soothing sleep and have every confidence you will in time.........

Apnea Infant.

[HalfAsleep]

Half Asleep

Like others have for me, I also want to encourage you to abide by the gentle advice given here. Many gurus here have 'held my hand' in my journey to nod land.

Perhaps, being more fearful, I have generally made changes really slowly. The one time I sprinted I was set back by alright AHI reading.

6 months in and I am still very slowly bringing my pressure down by small degrees. I started with prescribed 16.8 which was disrupting my sleep seriously. Now at 12.6, my AHI numbers are mainly below 1. There are rogue nights, but who doesn't have them? 

Wishing you soothing sleep and have every confidence you will in time.........

Apnea Infant.

Thanks, Apnea Infant. Your words are very soothing indeed. And it sounds like you're doing very well.

I am all ears for the advice and fellow-feeling I get here.

[Anaja09]

Heart palpatations are how I was diagnosed with sleep apnea, well, the test I took due to the heart palpatations anyway. My doctor put me on a Holter Monitor for 72 hours. While no palpatations occurred during that period, the results did suggest I might have apnea. So, off to the sleep doctor...

[HalfAsleep]

My first post up top was really a question (somehow it got diverted). It had to do with the relationship between pressure on a cpap and oxygenation in the blood system accessible to heart.

I found my answer in a Sleeprider post from last year or so, with an excerpt from a manual of some sort.  I evidently do have the right concept, and that's good enough for me at the moment. I like to know how things work (but as promised, I will avoid pressure experiments for the next while).

I also figured out by my lonesome where the heart palpitations were coming from. They are from using the cpap while awake and sitting.

Here's how this happened....One way to meet compliance goals (4 hours per day for a certain number of days) is to use the cpap while awake, watching TV, reading a novel, surfing the web. I found that's also a great way to figure out how to minimize leaks, figure out the user panel on the machine etc.

I don't get quite enough air through the cpap (mouth closed) while I'm awake. Plus, I've been couch potato reclining, and a seated position somewhat compresses the lungs, decreasing oxygen capacity, making the heart work harder etc.

So, ding ding ding.... cpap settings are for sleeping not for web surfing. Duh!