[Equipment] New User - several questions

[LoopSleeper312]

I have been using the S9 AutoSet for just under two weeks and I have a few questions...please...

1. I do not feel any better like more energy or more alertness but I read other users who report major improvement...so does anyone have an idea when someone starts to feel better or is it just...stay with the treatment and one day...sooner or later...I will feel better ?

2. When I fill up the water tank, the water in there lasts three nights. Do most users just fill up the tank and go three nights or is it better to do as the manual says and empty the water each morning and wash the tank with soap and water ? Does leaving the water in there for 24-48 hours matter muchly ?

3. If I yawn before going to sleep a few times...each yawn lasting about ten seconds max...will the machine recognize that as one of the three types of apnea events and thus affect my AHI score ?

4. And finally, my device is set for the auto on and off via taking the mask off and putting it back on...and almost always after taking the mask off for maybe 2-3 minutes to go to the bathroom and then putting it back on...the ramp starts from the beginning...BUT...maybe once or twice a night when I put the mask back on it does not ramp and begins at a strong pressure like where it left off before I took the mask off. Has anyone else experienced this occasional failure to ramp after taking the mask off and putting it back on...it only happens one or twice a night ?

Thank you very much in advance for your insight. I like this board very much !! My sleep center hasn't called me since my pick-up of the equipment about a month ago and I thought they were supposed to call to say hi and be supportive and answer any questions...but they haven't...so this board is a very important source of support and information. I am grateful to have found the board. The best to all of you.

[trish6hundred]

Hi LoopSleeper312,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
Not everybody feels really good right away so I encourage you to stick with it; you've only use it for two weeks and that's not very long at all.
There is lots of differing opinions about weather you should empty the humidifier chamber every night, I usually don't and I wash it once a week in mild, warm soapy, water, (I use Ivory Liquid dishsoap,) with my other parts.
Hang in there for more answers to your questions.
Best of luck to you with your CPAP therapy.
By the way, it's not uncommon for DME, (Durable Medical Equipment,) companies to just send you home with your machine and leave you hanging, glad you joined this board, ask as many questions as you need.
Edit: back to the humidifier for a second, I use distilled water in mine and there are lots of differing opinions about that on the board as well.

[RonWessels]

I'm really sorry you do not see an immediate improvement being on CPAP. My sleep apnea was untreated for quite some time, and when I went for my sleep study, I only had about 1-2 hours sleep under CPAP as they were titrating my pressure. However, despite being tired due to lack of sleep, I could feel a qualitative difference in my tiredness that is hard to describe. All I can do is echo what others will say and recommend sticking with it. Perhaps you are not sufficiently comfortable with your CPAP (yet) to be able to get into the deep delta sleep.

If you ask 3 CPAP users how they handle their humidifier water tank, you will get 4 different answers. Personally, I top mine up every evening (I don't want to risk it completely drying up) and wash it weekly. I also use distilled water, but in Canada, it's easily available in grocery stores.

With regards to yawning, yes, your machine will think that is some sort of breathing obstruction. The machine cannot tell if you are awake and consciously controlling your breathing or whether you are asleep and require its intervention. I find that I personally also tend to hold my breath as I adjust my pillows, and looking at the machine data the next morning, I can see that. I have frequently gotten nightly AHI readings greater than 5 that, upon further analysis, are entirely because of "events" registered when I am still awake.

I personally have my machine set for auto-on, but have the auto-off and mask-alarm disabled. This is because I like to run air through the hose and mask after I have washed it to remove any lingering soap odour. [ I detect a smell even from unscented soaps. ] When I get up in the night, I remove my mask and turn the machine off. I find putting the mask back on again not particularly onerous.

Now, I'm not sure what you mean by "ramp". Are you talking about your AutoSet starting at your minimum pressure, or are you talking about the explicit ramp feature? It seems like you mean the former, and I can imagine that, for a quick bathroom trip, the machine might not recognize that you have disconnected and is picking up where it left off. This is why explicitly turning off the machine might be a good idea.

[archangle]

1) Are you feeling bad? What symptoms? Apnea kills slowly. Maybe it hadn't done enough damage yet to feel the difference, but it would still be slowly killing you over time. Sometimes, CPAP just keeps things from getting worse.

Download the free SleepyHead software and check to see how your therapy is going.

2) If you use tap water, empty it and at least rinse every morning. Refill at night.

If you use distilled water, I recommend rinsing and cleaning once a week unless you get a smell. I think the manufacturers recommend dumping and rinsing every day, even with distilled water.

With either type, you may get a smell if the tank ever runs completely dry. If this happens, rinsing and refilling may fix the smell.

3) Don't worry about the yawning. It probably won't show up as apneas. Even if it does, it won't be significant. You should look at your results with the software, and will learn to ignore much of the stuff that happens as you're falling asleep.

4) Turn the machine off with the button and see if the ramp problem goes away. By the way, don't use ramp once you get used to the machine unless you just can't get used to the pressure. It screws up your therapy until it ramps up and is really only appropriate for newbies who panic from the pressure.

[OMyMyOHellYes]

I have been using the S9 AutoSet for just under two weeks and I have a few questions...please...

3. If I yawn before going to sleep a few times...each yawn lasting about ten seconds max...will the machine recognize that as one of the three types of apnea events and thus affect my AHI score ?

Quite probably.

I know that I can tell the exact moment I awake, even though I usually lie in bed and try to sleep for a while longer simply by looking at breathing patterns on Sleepyheard or Res Scan detail graphs.

OMyMy