New to Cpap

[Chad121130]

Had my cpap for a week now and it’s not getting any easier.. Have not been able to sleep with it at all.. My pressure is just set on 7 now until I can go back to the sleep center.. when I get my settings will there be a low and high setting most everyone I talk to says theirs is set on a 4 for normal breathing.. Any tips or help with the feeling of not getting enough air...

[SarcasticDave94]

Hi Chad121130,

Welcome to the Apnea Board. First, I'll suggest posting a chart from the program OSCAR. It's free to download in a link on the top banner. This will help us know what's going on while sleeping so we can suggest various setting edits to get you the most effective and comfortable therapy. Also, identify and post which machine you've got exactly. There's various models within the DreamStation line-up. And you can grab a copy of the user manual for that machine as well.

[Gideon]

Welcome to the forum Chad,

unless your settings are way off 7 should at least be comfortable, Are you using Flex?
Do download OSCAR and post your daily charts. You will need an SD Card (2-32 GB) if one is not already in your DS. This is info that will help us help you.

[DaveL]

Welcome to the forum!
I've done this a long time. Improvements come from little things. Another member here helped me recently. He told me that the biggest change for him was using a hose reel to support his hose, so the hose doesn't tug on the mask.
I had a hose reel that I had stopped using. I put it back on the wall over my bed and set it up; it made a huge difference.

Other members here will have lots of hints for you so that you may improve sleep quality as you improve your treatment.

I use OSCAR. It's amazing. I recommend that you take the hints here to set it up. Once you start using it, you will see where your treatment can be improved. I've never had the wonderful help I've experienced here on other forums. I'm so grateful.

If I can do it you can too!

[OpalRose]

Had my cpap for a week now and it’s not getting any easier.. Have not been able to sleep with it at all.. My pressure is just set on 7 now until I can go back to the sleep center.. when I get my settings will there be a low and high setting most everyone I talk to says theirs is set on a 4 for normal breathing.. Any tips or help with the feeling of not getting enough air...

Welcome to Apnea Board!

Are you able to identify which DreamStation you have?
DreamStation Pro is a “straight pressure” Cpap. (Stays at one pressure all night.)
DreamStation Auto (Can set a minimum and maximum pressure range.)
DreamStation Cpap (Hopefully, you don’t have this one, as it can only give you summary data.)

Setting a machines minimum pressure at 4cm is usually not optimal treatment. Most feel a bit “air starved” with a pressure that low. Right now, your pressure is at 7cm, you should be able to breathe comfortably.

Without seeing some data, we’re sort of flying blind in advising. Download the OSCAR software, and post a screenshot here of a typical night. This way, we can see what’s going on. You can use the links in my signature line to guide you.

And remember that it can be hard in the beginning, as having something hanging off your face all night is not exactly a normal experience. But it will get better with the correct settings.

[Dormeo]

If you hit any roadblocks with Oscar or with posting charts, just let us know and we'll try to help.