Hello Guest, Welcome to Apnea Board !
As a guest, you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use.
To post a message, you must create a free account using a valid email address.

or Create an Account


New Posts   Today's Posts

Shortness of breath
#1
Shortness of breath
After decades of insomnia, RLS, and OSA, I've finally been making progress with my sleep. I'm now able to fall asleep most nights without any sleep aids, and sleep most of the night with the PAP therapy. My numbers are beginning to improve (usually AHI below 3) as I've been adjusting my machine. My daytime sleepiness is greatly reduced, although not completely gone.

One thing I'm now noticing is that if I have a successful night's CPAP therapy, when I get up in the morning I feel a bit short of breath. It doesn't feel like oxygen starvation (I know what that feels like). It just feels like I can't breathe properly. This feeling goes away after an hour or two and then I feel fine until the next morning. 

I don't have this feeling before I take of my mask in the morning. So it seems to be that my body learns how to breathe with the help of the machine during the night, and then has to adjust to suddenly being without that support.

Does that make sense? Is this familiar to anyone else?

Note, I was first diagnosed in 2012, but haven't been able to tolerate the therapy until recently.
Post Reply Post Reply
#2
RE: Shortness of breath
Most of us need more than an explanation, we look at data and that data is produced with the use of OSCAR.  That software is totally free to download and use.  It is available at the top of the site.  Please use it with a SD card (32 gb or less) in the machine while you sleep.  If it is not in the machine you will lose the data.

From you left panel you have your pressure 5-20 which is what many DME set it to as a default.  5 is almost alway to low for most adults.  I for example need at list 9 min pressure or I feel air starved.   I would suggest you set your Machine to 8-20 and see if that makes a difference.  If you have proiblems breathing out you can turn on EPR to full time.  EPR is exhale relief pressure which if you have 8 as a min you can set EPR to 3 and that would give you an exhale pressure of 5 that you have now with the inhale pressure of 8.   (Min 8 - 3 EPR =5.

Sorry What I gave you was for a Resmed machine.  Yours does not have EPR but I would still try the 8 min to see if that helps.
I did not see the type of machine befor I first posted.
Apnea (80-100%) 10 seconds, Hypopnea (50-80%) 10 seconds, Flow Limits (0-50%) not timed  Cervical Collar - Dealing w DME - Chart Organizing
Post Reply Post Reply
#3
RE: Shortness of breath
Thank you for taking the time to reply. However, it feels as though you weren't understanding my post. My breathing is fine during the night while I'm using the machine. I only notice the problem first thing in the morning after I take the mask off and get out of bed.

I will correct my user profile data to better match what my current therapy is. I have three machines, and I don't always use the same one.
Post Reply Post Reply


Possibly Related Threads...
Thread Author Replies Views Last Post
  Falling asleep holding breath onetwothree 8 405 10-28-2024, 12:33 AM
Last Post: onetwothree
  [Equipment] Air Fit F20 Face Mask - Condensation Issue from Breath xirokx 21 855 08-25-2024, 08:50 AM
Last Post: xirokx
  Hard to breath with CPAP and RSD(CRPS) Biggz 85 10,796 08-22-2024, 04:52 PM
Last Post: Biggz
  Hearing a squeal every 2nd or 3rd breath gpreston24 8 411 08-11-2024, 06:45 PM
Last Post: Rickyricardo
  New to CPAP - Noticing big breath pattern during sleep. SnoozEm 4 316 07-31-2024, 01:00 PM
Last Post: Deborah K.
  Airsense 10 autoset not detecting breath? Camerongates79 12 733 07-11-2024, 12:04 AM
Last Post: HalfAsleep
  [Health] BREATH RATE Navy Bob 1 261 07-01-2024, 01:27 PM
Last Post: SarcasticDave94


New Posts   Today's Posts


About Apnea Board

Apnea Board is an educational web site designed to empower Sleep Apnea patients.