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New both to this forum and cpap... Started just a week ago.
Every morning that I wake up (stille not used to cpap, waking up at 5.ish) it is due to uncomfortable amounts of air in my stomach. Feels like i ate a balloon of air.
I have read up on this, and I understand that I am most likely swallowing air - even though I believe my mouth is closed when sleeping (if I open my mouth this causes a rush of expelled air, which is not very comfortable).
So, I have capturen data from my SC-card, and it tells me that my average pressure is around 7 - which seems to be in the low area. I originally reduced my span from 4-20 to 4-18, but this shouldnt have any effect when I am so much farther down on the pressure.
Report from last night attached (oscar) in case that might shed some light on this
Are there any tips for resolving this (I have tried sleeping on my left side, though that didnt help).
To sleep perchance to dream - ay, there´s the rub!
Hello censor,
There are several folk here that suffer from swallowing air (aerophagia). I’m bumping up this thread so it is more visible and others can respond.
Some things to consider...your pressure range of 4-18 is too wide open. I believe you are, without realizing it, gulping or swallowing air.
The minimum pressure of 4cm could make you feel air starved and you may be unconsciously opening your mouth to get more air. That air, instead of entering your lungs is entering the esophagus and into the stomach.
Most folk that suffer this tend to try lower pressures. You can try a range of 6cm minimum with a maximum of 14cm, EPR 2. Or, you could switch to straight cpap with a steady pressure of 6cm with an EPR of 2.
Try for a few days and see if that helps. Sometimes its a trade off between minimizing the painful effects of aerophagia and possibly seeing a little higher AHI.
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
Censor, your results were pretty good at a default pressure of 4-20 and I think EPR full-time at 3, but you need to avoid the disruption of aerophaagia. Based on what I'm seeing on this chart, lets set your minimum pressure at 6.0 and maximum pressure at 8.0. Leave EPR as-is and let's see if you can be a bit more comfortable. Limiting upper pressure should help with the sleep disruption and aerophagia, and increasing minimum pressure will avoid a lot of pressure variation.
Future charts should use the Daily Deatails chart as shown in the Organizing OSCAR Charts link in my signature.
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
Thanks for advise, and for looking through my chart - much appreciated. Will fiddle with setting as suggested and post progress here (with chart in correcy format - hopefully).
To sleep perchance to dream - ay, there´s the rub!
In my eagerness to upload data, I forget to return the SD card to the unit - so no capture for this night.
Myair info tells me I still only have 1-2 AIH using the unit with my new settings. The new settings were pressure between 5 - 7.6, EPR on and set to 3. I have turned off ramp.
However, I still wake after about 5 hours sleep, with a tummy filled with air. Sigh...
Would it help to switch unit to the vauto from Resmed ? Kind of desperate for a full nights sleep, and I really feel the benefits of using cpap (no brainfog or tinnitus - but still tired due to too few hours)...
To sleep perchance to dream - ay, there´s the rub!
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
Sometimes this problem abates with time. Whenever I’ve raised my pressure, I’ve taken a lot of air into my digestive tract, but after a week or two, things start getting better. I hope things will work that way for you—soon!
10-14-2019, 01:54 AM (This post was last modified: 10-14-2019, 01:57 AM by censor.)
RE: Air in stomach after using cpap
Managed to sleep 06:50 with only small awakenings. Less air in stomach this morning, which is great! (Resmed Myair score of 99)
Still there though, and I am trying to adjust sleeping positions to improve the situation. Started without pillow, but grabbed one during the night. When I woke up a few times, I tried shifting to my side, which is recommended in some posts I have read.
Chart attached below - is there anything I should adjust now? - or perhaps turn back as I have shifted the pressure rate quite a lot (from 4-20 to 5-7.6). EDR is on level 3, and I have turned off ramp - I think 4-5 pressure is actually nice for starting to sleep.
Also want to thank for input and suggestions, which have already proved very helpful!
To sleep perchance to dream - ay, there´s the rub!
Machine: Resmed Air Curve 10 VPAP mode Mask Type: Full face mask Mask Make & Model: Resmed Airfit F20 Medium Humidifier: VAUTO's original: 5 CPAP Pressure: EPAP:8.8 IPAP:18.0 PS:4.4 CPAP Software: OSCAR
Other Software
Other Comments: The goal is to turn data into information, and information into insight. (Carly Fiorina).
Hi, Censor
I wish i Will be deadly wrong, however It looks to me you would be one more case, in which folks ended up with untreated Flow limitation, typically trapped between aerophagia and EPR: 3.0.
Your pressures and leakings are roofing at 7.6 due to FL, which still too high for your comfort.
Particularly, I would not see solution other than moving to BPAP.
All the best!
(10-14-2019, 08:00 AM)mper6794 Wrote: Hi, Censor
I wish i Will be deadly wrong, however It looks to me you would be one more case, in which folks ended up with untreated Flow limitation, typically trapped between aerophagia and EPR: 3.0.
Your pressures and leakings are roofing at 7.6 due to FL, which still too high for your comfort.
Particularly, I would not see solution other than moving to BPAP.
All the best!
Thanks for your input.
I asked in an earlier post on this thread if vauto from Resmed was an alternative to me, but the response was that my pressure levels were too low to warrant this unit (which I understand is BPAP?)
It would seem that my pressures are not so high that I should have trouble breathing out. When I go to sleep, I put on the unit - and I have turned off the ramp. that means it goes straight to 5.0, and I have no trouble breathing. I actually put in on for 20 minutes after work today just to strectch my legs and relax - it is so comfortable with the extra air
I am wondering if my spikes up towards 8 mean that I should increase pressure from 5-7.6 to 9 or 10 - but I do feel that 10 feels like to much airforce into my lungs, like they are involuntarily expanding beyong my comfort level. Too me that reads like the opening or access through my airpipes is not constricted enough to warrant this pressure (doesnt seem like this is considered very high pressure, but this would depend on how tight the air passage is I suppose?).
Am I missing the point here?
To sleep perchance to dream - ay, there´s the rub!
