(11-14-2013, 02:16 PM)realin4 Wrote: Is it your experience that most people go through this phase of removing the mask for awhile? I just wondered why he didn't remove it much the first couple of weeks. I would love to know if others have had trouble with the constantly changing pressure of the auto machines, especially if set too low.
Hi realin4,
If the headgear has clips, encourage your son get into the habit of carefully checking that the clips are fully mated so they do not pop apart during sleep.
Another thing is, when we first start CPAP therapy the pressure seems a little difficult to breathe against, but within a week or two our chest muscles get stronger and the pressure does not bother us. Then, increasingly, a very low pressure like 4 or even 6 may become uncomfortable and we may take off the mask to breathe more freely.
Some people do best with a fairly narrow range, raising their minimum pressure to just 4 or 5 lower than their max pressure setting. Some find they do best with their minimum pressure set only a little lower than median pressure.
I would suggest a range of 6-14 and after a week asking your son whether an even higher minimum pressure like 7 would feel easier during inhalation. (If I were on a fixed CPAP pressure of 9, I would feel like I am having to work uncomfortably hard to breathe in.)
I wouldn't lower the max pressure setting below the prescribed max. The machine will not go that high, anyway, unless it is needed.
Turning A-Flex on, or increasing it slowly, 1 step at a time, may make exhaling more comfortable.
If he sleeps on his back he will likely need greater pressure, so often it is best to stay off the back. I sleep in a snug tee-shirt with a tennis ball in a pocket sewn right between the shoulder blades, to make sure I never stay long on my back.
Take care,
--- Vaughn
The Advisory Member group provides advice and suggestions to Apnea Board administrators and staff on matters concerning Apnea Board operation and administrative policies. Membership in the Advisory Member group should not be understood as in any way implying medical expertise or qualification for advising Sleep Apnea patients concerning their treatment.