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12-11-2023, 11:57 AM (This post was last modified: 12-11-2023, 12:02 PM by Kathy14225.)
Need help with pressure change using Bleep
When I first started with the Bleep mask my pressure was 10. It was blowing my mouth open. Prior I was having a slight problem with opening my mouth, I used tape and trained it to stay closed for the most part. AHIs always under 1. I am still trying to fine tune things because I'm groggy and super tired, some nights getting 4-6 hrs sleep. Once I wake up during the night I often can't fall back asleep or it takes hours.
Here is a chart with 8.6, up part of the night, unusual my mouth was open a lot. The last part of the night I was dozing and I always get a lot of centrals when I do that. I'm sure I was tossing and turning.
Last night's chart shows I put it on APAP 8.0-9.2 to find a set pressure. I don't know why the pressure graph is so small but the summary is showing it was almost always at 9.2.
Have I gotten used to the higher pressure? I did wake up a bunch of times with air blowing out of the corner of my mouth but did sleep a long time. Possibly just because I've been so sleep deprived or maybe I was more comfortable with the higher pressure? Wondering if those were times I woke up were when the pressure went up? I've been on a larger range and didn't do well, I was constantly waking up.
I would like the right set pressure but obviously don't want to wake up, there's always a chance of not falling back to sleep. I've had a set pressure from 8 to 10 and AHIs always under 1.
What is my next step, raise the max pressure? I'm afraid that will blow my mouth open even more. Or set it to 9 or 9.2? Aren't you suppose to have it as low as possible as long as AHIs are good. I'm more focused on getting some sleep.
Because of my lack of sleep most nights I'm considering a dental appliance. If I can sleep enough like I did last night I might stick with the CPAP.
Hi Kathy, why do you want to increase your pressure? Overall your sleep data looks good and although you are leaking out of your mouth it doesn't look that bad.
Optimally, you'd want to target a 0.00 95% leak rate but I wouldn't sweat it too much. The biggest opportunity you have at the moment, in my opinion is to increase the amount of therapy you're receiving by sleeping longer once you become more comfortable.
What happens when you wake up in the middle of the night? Why can't you get back to sleep? Is your mind racing?
I thought it would be best to APAP and see just where my pressure went thinking it would verify the 8.6 and was surprised that it went to 9.2. That was the only thing left to check to try to get more sleep. It's been over a year and still not feeling the benefits. I'm sick of brain fog and not being productive. Finding the perfect mask I thought was the answer. All this time I couldn't tolerate anything on my face.
If I wake up 3,4 hrs in I can usually fall back to sleep but if it's over 5 my body just doesn't want to sleep anymore. I toss and turn and the machine starts flagging centrals. I think I'm holding my breath but I'll lay there thinking my AHI is going up and I'm not even sleeping. Sounds stupid because I know that doesn't matter. I hate that I'm being recorded. Sometimes I take the mask off but still can't fall asleep. I guess it's a mind thing. If there is such a thing maybe CPAP anxiety!
My first 6 months I was only getting 3-5 hrs and started working with a Dr to get my circadian rhythm back. I'm much better but when I can't sleep I revert back to the vicious circle of not getting enough sleep and worrying about not getting enough sleep! I never had a sleep problem before, ever. I slept 8-9 hrs., I would wake up in the same position I fell asleep in!
So with it showing my pressure was up on APAP I might be able to sleep? Or leave it at this range? I would prefer a set pressure.
I do sleep on my back in an adjustable bed and am going to try a collar to hopefully get the mouth leaks down even more.
I'll do anything to get consistent sleep because now I know it's not the mask or being uncomfortable.
12-12-2023, 11:29 AM (This post was last modified: 12-12-2023, 11:32 AM by Kathy14225.)
RE: Need help with pressure change using Bleep
Here is last night and showing the pressure is going to 9.2 at 95% again. But I kept waking up and way less sleep. I did wear the cervical collar so that didn't help with the mouth leaks, I had even more. Not sure if it's the higher pressure or it going up and down. I did take less medication last night, no muscle relaxer. Don't know if I should go back to the 8.6 or meet somewhere in the middle? Definitely want to get off the APAP. Want to be done tweaking and see how I do!
What is your experience when waking up in the middle of the night? Are you too hot? Are you feeling like you're suffocating? Are you getting air into your stomach and it's causing pain? Are you waking up multiple times a night, every night?
What your data from last night tells me is the machine would like to go higher in pressure but your range is too tight to allow it to. Essentially you're got a rate limiter on the cpap as it senses it needs more pressure.
Are you using EPR? I can't tell without the pressure chart or settings on the side visible in your screenshot.
Your leak rate is just fine. It's the med rate that matters. Ignore the column on the left. On the left side of the chart itself, you will see 0.00. That's great. It doesn't mean no air is leaking. There is always some. It means that not enough air is leaking to cause any problems with your therapy.
You slept straight through the night when you used APAP. I think you should stick with APAP, and increase your upper-pressure limit to 15. It won't go higher than you need, and you will probably feel and sleep better. We don't sleep the same every night, and our pressure needs can change from night to night. That is why a range of pressure is better for most people.
For the time I used Bleep products I found I needed to lower my pressure by 1 from my full-face mask settings.
I do not see anything in your chart that would suggest to me you need to change anything. A few mouth leaks that you need to address either through tongue placement, soft cervical collar, mouth tape, or just accept it and move on until it becomes a significant issues.
Overall things look good. A few things to could be tweaked, but nothing I see that needs to be tweaked.
I think Deb K is spot on. Leave it alone for a while and let’s see how things progress.
Will try to answer all the questions in all 3 replys, I just want to emphases I'm groggy and feeling tired and non productive. Trying to get everything just right because I have a RX for a dental appliance, which I've heard horror stories about and although my insurance will cover most of it it will still be expensive. So if I can feel better on CPAP I'll stick with it.
Nothing is happening when I wake up, not hot or cold, don't need to use the bathroom, no noise, I live alone and room is pitch black. EPR is 3 and my flow limits went down when I went from 2 to 3 but sometimes still over .1 at 95%. Since APAP mouth leaks have gotten worse, waking up but falling back to sleep. No symptoms before CPAP went for sleep study due to meds.
I did lower my pressure with Bleep. Before Bleep, using a nasal pillow, my doc had me on apap, 5-15 and after 2 wks set my pressure at 10 so I did lower it, don't think I need my max higher that that. I know for sure I was waking up from the air pressure, I was startled by a burst of air. 10 was ridiculous, I didn't last more than a few minutes. That is why I made the range small when I did it myself and why I'd like to be at a set pressure or at least a small range. My doc was fine with me making changes.
As you can see on the chart it's blowing my mouth open more and more, never seen anything like it!
And I tried a collar the last 2 nights, it's doing the exact opposite of what it should do! And I was waking up because of that, it's startling when you feel like you're mouth is a wind tunnel! Including close up graph to show inhale/exhale. At one point I was advised to look into a BIPAP. My inhales are way bigger than exhales so they speculated UAOS? I was told by sleep doc it was for people with higher pressures? She doesn't seem to know much but pat answers.
So I know I need at least 8.6 so maybe put it at 8.6-9.6 for a few nights?
Or raise to 9 and maybe the more pressure will keep me asleep but not blow my mouth open? Going up to 9.2 certainly blowing it open since I didn't have this problem before this but it might be the going up and not the pressure?
Not sure now if my lack of sleep is causing daytime symptoms or the pressure/flow limitations? I'll get 5-6 hrs all week but once I get a string of 8 hrs. at least I'm a little better even though I'm waking. I use to sleep 8-9 hrs consistently. 10 hrs during my sleep study.
Appt next week for the dental appliance so time is at the essence in making my decision. I don't want to have a new set of issues.
You do not have near enough pressure to “blow your mouth open”. There is not enough there to blow up a balloon, let alone force your lips apart. You have used the Bleep for quite a while, so something changed somewhere.
It could just be a one-off night, so I suggest keeping things as they are and if it continues we can address it.
I had the same issues initially with Bleep. I concentrated on sealing my tongue to the roof of my mouth and it solved the problem after about a week of practice. I can now open my mouth with tongue sealed and not leak at all (this with pressure 18/9)... stick with it
