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Gasping for the oxygen - Restless sleeper - 02-22-2016
Ok friends, I just started trying to use my new s9 anto with the nasal mask and figured I'm a mouth breather. I bought a mask that covers my nose and mouth and I thought ,yeah this is gonna be good. I'm finally going to get a good night's rest.
Well now I wake up gasping with this anxiety of being smothered kind of clostrophobic feeling.
Need suggestions please. I have my ramp set at 35 minutes and the machine is a s9 auto and I like it ,but I just haven't been able to wear it all night yet.
RE: Gasping for the oxygen - OpalRose - 02-22-2016
(02-22-2016, 06:02 AM)Restless sleeper Wrote: Ok friends, I just started trying to use my new s9 anto with the nasal mask and figured I'm a mouth breather. I bought a mask that covers my nose and mouth and I thought ,yeah this is gonna be good. I'm finally going to get a good night's rest.
Well now I wake up gasping with this anxiety of being smothered kind of clostrophobic feeling.
Need suggestions please. I have my ramp set at 35 minutes and the machine is a s9 auto and I like it ,but I just haven't been able to wear it all night yet.
Welcome to the forum Restless sleeper,
That claustrophobic feeling is normal when first starting out. Try using your mask with machine on while sitting up watching TV or reading for a half hour before bed each night. That helps acclimate you to the feel of the mask and pressure.
You may need to try a chin strap to help keep your mouth closed, and you can start practicing the tongue technique.
Place your tongue to roof of mouth with tip of tongue behind front teeth, then gently suck upwards. This creates a seal at the back of throat to block air from escaping.
This take practice, but can be mastered with perseverance.
What is the pressure range set to on your machine? If it's too low, that has a lot to do with feeling starved for air. What is ramp set to start on? If 4cm, that may be too low also.
Let us know.
Order the Clinicians manual for your machine:
http://www.apneaboard.com/adjust-cpap-pressure/change-cpap-pressure-settings-adjusting-your-machine-with-a-clinician-setup-manual
Download Sleepyhead software so that you can start to track your progress:
http://www.sleepfiles.com/SH2/
RE: Gasping for the oxygen - justMongo - 02-22-2016
More information is needed to respond.
First: Which S9 do you have? Read above the start button and put it in your profile. Is it an Autoset or?
Then: If an Autoset, what are the upper and lower pressure limits set to? Auto is a mode; not a pressure range.
RE: Gasping for the oxygen - Sleeprider - 02-22-2016
Sounds like the reaction of someone with the minimum pressure set to 4.0. Come back with your settings and we might be able to make some sense of this.
RE: Gasping for the oxygen - trish6hundred - 02-22-2016
Hi Restless sleeper,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
You could either decrease your ramp time, or turn it off completely and see how you do.
Much success to you with your CPAP therapy and hang in there for more responses to your post.
RE: Gasping for the oxygen - otrpu - 02-22-2016
Restless,
May need a higher starting pressure. For mouth breathing you may want to take a look at a smaller mass mask. The Hybrid FFM, a nasal pillow & mouth seal area mask may not be as intimidating to you. The kit comes w/three sizes of nasal pillows & cushions. I find it a better mask for side sleeping. Has a chin flap, so no chin strap is needed, and mouth breathing doesn't matter. Hope you find what works for you.
Cheers,
otrpu
RE: Gasping for the oxygen - PoolQ - 02-22-2016
Been there, felt like that. You use ramp, as do I, what is the ramp starting pressure? I need 5.6 or higher to stop that feeling, a pressure of default 4 left me panicked and gasping.
RE: Gasping for the oxygen - Ghost1958 - 02-22-2016
One of the most common things seen here on the board is folks with min pressures to low causing them to feel smothered.
Set your min pressure at a setting where YOU feel your getting plenty of air.
That varies from person to person.
Myself 8 is bare min i can deal with. I prefer and run no less than 10 min.
For you could be 7 8 10 whatever you are good and darn comfortable at.
RE: Gasping for the oxygen - Jim Bronson - 02-22-2016
Your situation sounds familiar. I started with a nasal mask and found that I awoke with an extremely dry mouth more often than not. So I tried a full face mask for a while and couldn't get used to it. So I went back to the nasal mask and began to press my tongue firmly against the roof of my mouth after I started the machine. It took me a month, but my tongue now stays there all night, and I haven't had a dry mouth in six months. I didn't invent this technique all by myself. Someone here suggested it, and it works.
RE: Gasping for the oxygen - Restless sleeper - 02-23-2016
Ok I changed the pressures to 8 on the low side and 16 on the high side from 20 to keep from blowing up. I switched back to the nasal mask and it felt much better. I need a chin strap to keep my mouth shut and I hope that doesn't cause problems. Last night I was able to use it for about 3 hours. Until I had to jerk it off. Ugh. I'll keep training and hopefully get used to it. Thanks for the sugestions.