12-31-2022, 12:55 PM
(This post was last modified: 12-31-2022, 01:03 PM by sleepyfriend.)
Need Help with CPAP settings
[attachment=46706][attachment=46704][attachment=46708][attachment=46704]Hello everyone,
I made an account here because I've had my CPAP for over a year and I feel like I am still waking up tired every day. I wanted help to make sure I am using my machine correctly and if I am, I can start to make other changes too.
I recently changed the pressure from 5-15 to 7-15 and I do feel like it helped more, but I am not sure if I need to increase the max pressure more.
I feel like I fall asleep with the CPAP on pretty comfortably, and I sleep well with it for the most part. I get really intense nightmares sometimes, however. (Part of it is the meds that I take every day that gives me vivid nightmares). Usually it has nothing to do with cpap, but once every couple of weeks I'll have a dream or a hypnopompic hallucination where something in my brain tells me I need to take the CPAP off otherwise I will die. I've had these types of hallucinations in the past even before the CPAP, and they still happen from time to time. The most recent incident caused me to increase my pressure, and it has not happened since.
Thank you so much for any help and guidance!
RE: Need Help with CPAP settings
You have heavy flow limitations. These may or may not be affecting the quality of your sleep. If the FLs originate in your nose, there's nothing much the machine can do about them, though you'd want to see an ENT to understand what's going on and maybe fix it. If the FLs originate in your pharynx, they reflect a loosening of the tissues lining your airway. The first thing to try to reduce FLs is to introduce EPR. Stick with your current pressure settings and try EPR at 2. If that goes well, increase to 3. (Or you could start with 1 if you'd prefer.)
The EPR reduces your pressure when you exhale; by the same token, your pressure will increase when you inhale. This little boost can help you better overcome the limitations in your pharynx.
On the chart you posted, are we looking at a two-hour nap and then a bedtime of around 2 a.m.? If you can avoid napping, nap earlier, or nap for a shorter period of time, you might get better night-time sleep, benefiting from the sequence of sleep stages your body needs in order for your to feel rested.
RE: Need Help with CPAP settings
Hello! I will try to change the EPR settings. I am just recovering from a cold, so maybe that could also be a problem?
I also did not take a nap with the CPAP yesterday, I went to sleep at around 12am.
Thank you for your help! I do generally try to take naps, but I've also been trying to avoid doing that, so I will keep that in mind.
RE: Need Help with CPAP settings
(12-31-2022, 01:24 PM)Dormeo Wrote: You have heavy flow limitations. These may or may not be affecting the quality of your sleep. If the FLs originate in your nose, there's nothing much the machine can do about them, though you'd want to see an ENT to understand what's going on and maybe fix it. If the FLs originate in your pharynx, they reflect a loosening of the tissues lining your airway. The first thing to try to reduce FLs is to introduce EPR. Stick with your current pressure settings and try EPR at 2. If that goes well, increase to 3. (Or you could start with 1 if you'd prefer.)
The EPR reduces your pressure when you exhale; by the same token, your pressure will increase when you inhale. This little boost can help you better overcome the limitations in your pharynx.
On the chart you posted, are we looking at a two-hour nap and then a bedtime of around 2 a.m.? If you can avoid napping, nap earlier, or nap for a shorter period of time, you might get better night-time sleep, benefiting from the sequence of sleep stages your body needs in order for your to feel rested.
Hello, I apologize for the double reply, but I just checked my CPAP and I already have my EPR at 3. Should I increase it further?
RE: Need Help with CPAP settings
sleepyfriend - You are at the maximum EPR value. It is only settable between 0-3. Any greater pressure differential will require a bi-level machine.
- Red
RE: Need Help with CPAP settings
Thank you for letting me know! So that means that I will need a different kind of machine?
RE: Need Help with CPAP settings
On the chart you posted, I’m not seeing EPR. Can you triple check?
RE: Need Help with CPAP settings
Looking at the Settings panel on your third chart, you have EPR set to Off. Check the Clinicians Menu as well as the About Options.
Apnea Board Monitors are members who help oversee the smooth functioning of the Board. They are also members of the Advisory Committee which helps shape Apnea Board's rules & policies. Membership in the Advisory Members group does not imply medical expertise or qualification for advising Sleep Apnea patients concerning their treatment.
RE: Need Help with CPAP settings
When I check the clinician's menu on my cpap it says
Ramp time: Off
EPR: On
EPR Type: Full Time
EPR Level 4
(I can't seem to attach a picture)
Is there something else I need to check?
RE: Need Help with CPAP settings
Hmmm. You don’t have EPR of 4 as an option. Could you check again?
