[CPAP] First night of CPAP was bad- help please

[rodea24]

Also,

HOw do I turn on the EPR and adjust it? How can I tell if its currently on? Thanks

[archangle]

Welcome.

Get the SleepyHead software or use ResScan to read your machine settings and data.

Get the clinician's manual from the "Setup manual" link at the top of the page.

CPAP through the nose is a better choice than CPAP through the mouth and nose on several fronts. However, if you can't make nasal CPAP work, full face masks are better than no CPAP.

If you start your auto machine at 4, it often won't go up until after you fall asleep because you aren't having apnea. Once you get some data, you can set your starting pressure to something a little closer to what you need.

[retired_guy]

On your machine there is a minimum and a maximum. Likely the minimum is set to 4. So that won't change as long as you're awake because you are not having any sleep apnea events. Once asleep the machine will adjust upwards as it needs to towards the maximum, which is probably set at 20.

When you get up at night, just turn the machine off by pressing the button. Then after you go to the bathroom, put the mask back on and turn the machine back on. It'll start fresh from 4, awaiting your return to sleepyville.

Yes, it will take you a little while to offset the effects of years of less than quality sleep. But a bit of drowsiness in the afternoon or evening? I'm not so sure but what that isn't kind of normal. A lot of sleepiness? Not so normal.

About the EPR: There is a setting in the menus to turn it on, then the next setting down specifies how much EPR you want, 1, 2, or 3. What it does then is whatever your inhale pressure is it will lower it by 1, 2, or 3, but not less than the machine minimum of 4. So it doesn't do anything at all when you're running on 4. Once the machine decides to increase the pressure, to 10 for instance, then the exhale will be lower than the inhale.

Have you requested the Clinician manual from the links at the top of the page? You need those to figure out how to change stuff on your machine. Just remember to only make small adjustments. Finally, install the Sleepyhead software so you can see what is really going on and monitor your changes for awhile.

[PaytonA]

With your machine's current settings, it will start at 4 and ramp up to 4 which is to say no real ramp at all. Then it will stay at 4 until the machine senses some breathing anomalies that signal impending apneas at which time it will start to raise the pressure. One of the problems with a minimum pressure of 4 is that once the machine has blocked the apneas the pressure will start to decrease and if you are doing well enough, it will end up back at 4.

Need to raise the minimum pressure to 6 or 7 and with the clinician's manual, you can find out how to do that.

Best Regards,

PaytonA

[Galactus]

Yes, what they just said and they said it well. But at least we have you on the right track and in the right direction.