[Symptoms] Are Weight loss and aerophagia correlated?

[nab311]

I need help. And i cant wait three months to see the Dr. So i'm hoping the kind folks here can assist.


I am on Bi-pap therapy for several years. Successfully use it every night. However, when I experience weight loss the bloat, pain and gas just makes it hard to sleep though the night. It used to be a nuisance, but now its literally painful. 



Here is the timeline:

Machine: AirCurve 10 VAuto  bipap
Mask Full face Resmed f30


August 2023 / weight 455lbs / Pressure 25,20

January 2024 / weight 350lbs / Pressure 21, 17 (This was the pressure set after i went for a new sleep study. They gave me a new machine at this time because it had been over 4 years since my last machine)

April 2024 / weight 335 / Pressure 19, 15 (Told my Dr., that i was still experiencing bloating. He agreed to lower pressure since i was tolerated the current pressure with less than 1AHI per hour. This felt fine initially and was okay until now)

Over the summer through December 2024 I went back to 355 pounds, however, I recently dropped back to 335 pounds after the holidays and suddenly the aerophagia was back.

I lowered my own pressure settings just two weeks ago to 17,13.

But im still suffering and barely sleeping. What gives? Any advice? Please look at my charts and tell me if I uploaded the right info. Grateful to anyone who can help me out. I'm so tired!! 

[Lucid]

Hi, nab311

First, congratulations on your amazing weight loss, and on figuring out how to attach your charts.

Here's more information on how to organize your charts and what to present so that forum members will need to see in order to help fine-tune your settings:

https://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.ph...ganization


I'm not sure if you can change the subject heading yourself, but if you can, it would be good to more explicitly request help in adjusting your bipap settings so that the people who know how to do this will be sure to read and respond to your post.

In the meantime, I'm wondering if you changed anything else after losing weight, e.g., are you sleeping more on your sides or on your back than you used to, or the mix of pillows that you are using?

[nab311]

Hi Thanks for responding. I don't think I can edit the post or even see the option to delete and repost.

Honestly my sleep position hasn't changed too much. I rotate all night from side to side and then to my stomach. Not often on my back. I guess I'm wondering if i can go down more in my pressure based on the numbers in my Oscar chart? Or is there other settings that would help?

[Lucid]

This is a valid question, and there are people here who understand bipap really well and will answer before too long.

[Jay51]

Your Oscar chart looks pretty good IMO.  Quick inspiration time, basically normal stats.  0.00 95th percentile flow limitations.  Looks like your settings are just about optimized. 

Two things that are positively correlated to aerophagia are 1.  Raising pressure.  If you continue raising pressure indefinitely, there is a greater chance of getting aerophagia.  2.  GERD is positively correlated to aerophagia.  Any GERD?  

I am with Lucid in that it is most likely something that changed that is causing the increased aerophagia.  Try to look at every possibly variable that you can think of.

[Lucid]

Here's a link to the Wiki section on sleep hygiene, which lists factors that undermine quality sleep in general:

https://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.ph...ep_hygiene

And here's a link to the Wiki section on aerophagia, which explains causes of aerophagia and ways to prevent it:

https://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.ph...Aerophagia

I haven't studied this section thoroughly yet, but I would just observe that your body shape and posture must have changed a lot with your significant weight loss.  This may have changed the alignment of your head and neck when sleeping, and you may need to change pillows or sleeping position in order to get back into alignment.