Gasping for air at wake up
Hello! I've been on and off of CPAP therapy for several years. However, I finally found the correct combination of pressure and mask (Quattro full face).
I switched to a full face mask and found that I needed to nudge the pressure from 10 to 11.5 to get the same AHI as I did with the nasal. However, I'm still experiencing that gasping, fast heart rate, shallow breathing indicative of a severe AHI.
My AHI numbers, however, have remained very steady -- 1.5 and below (usually below 1). No leaks. But, again, every few days, I wake up this way.
I am a mouth breather which is why I finally switched to full face. I'm not sure it matters with that type of mask, though?
I sleep almost exclusively on my left side. Oh, my last sleep study was about a year ago -- no significant weight fluctuation since then. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
RE: Gasping for air at wake up
(02-25-2014, 01:30 PM)robofthreelittles Wrote: I switched to a full face mask and found that I needed to nudge the pressure from 10 to 11.5 to get the same AHI as I did with the nasal. However, I'm still experiencing that gasping, fast heart rate, shallow breathing indicative of a severe AHI. I don,t think you need to change pressure setting whenever you change masks
gasping and heart racing .... best see your doctor to be on the safe side
RE: Gasping for air at wake up
I agree. You need to see your doctor. I have been on cpap for about 4 months and still on rare occasions a nasty apnea will slip through and cause me to wake up with heart racing. However recently I woke up with heart racing and adrenaline discomfort but my machine showed a smiley face and 0.0 AHI when I looked over at it so I figured it could have been a nightmare which caused a rush of adrenaline that mimicked the symptoms of a bad apnea with desaturation. However, If this keeps happening and is frequent, I would definitely see a doctor because you could be desaturating without and apnea. You may need a cardiac work up so don't just ignore it if it keeps bothering you.
RE: Gasping for air at wake up
(02-25-2014, 01:37 PM)zonk Wrote: (02-25-2014, 01:30 PM)robofthreelittles Wrote: I switched to a full face mask and found that I needed to nudge the pressure from 10 to 11.5 to get the same AHI as I did with the nasal. However, I'm still experiencing that gasping, fast heart rate, shallow breathing indicative of a severe AHI. I don,t think you need to change pressure setting whenever you change masks
I noticed a distinct difference in the quality of sleep with the nasal mask. And, since I was titrated on the nasal one, it made sense that there would be some differences in the way air was being forced into the airway -- pressure is pressure but not when it's being scattered vs. directed. Anyway, I titrated in .5 increments until my AHI number came down to around 1.
I'm starting a new diet and still weaning off of caffeine, etc. Plus my sleep has been limited due to work. I'm going to give the weight loss and caffeine stoppage a bit of time to quit wreaking havoc on my body  But excellent points! Thanks for the quick reply.
RE: Gasping for air at wake up
Hi robofthreelittles,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
Hang in there for more responses to your post and best of luck to you.
trish6hundred
RE: Gasping for air at wake up
(02-25-2014, 03:32 PM)trish6hundred Wrote: Hi robofthreelittles,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
Hang in there for more responses to your post and best of luck to you.
Thanks so much! Not sure why I waited so long to participate.
RE: Gasping for air at wake up
(02-25-2014, 04:05 PM)robofthreelittles Wrote: (02-25-2014, 03:32 PM)trish6hundred Wrote: Hi robofthreelittles,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
Hang in there for more responses to your post and best of luck to you.
Thanks so much! Not sure why I waited so long to participate. I know what you mean, but now that you're here, just feel free to jump right in.
trish6hundred
RE: Gasping for air at wake up
(02-25-2014, 01:30 PM)robofthreelittles Wrote: I switched to a full face mask and found that I needed to nudge the pressure from 10 to 11.5 to get the same AHI as I did with the nasal. However, I'm still experiencing that gasping, fast heart rate, shallow breathing indicative of a severe AHI.
Hi Robofthreelittles, you might want to see the doc, but it might have nothing to do with OSA also. You could have stuff going on in your life that bugs you more than you realized and you could be dreaming about it and just having a panic attack. Or it could be a claustrophobia type thing. There is really no way to know without getting more data and that is something your doctor can do. But definitely see him because we can all sit around here guessing, but you need to get to the bottom of it and that's what he is there for!
Good luck! I hope you get this resolved quickly!
Mike
As always, YMMV! You do not have to agree or disagree, I am not a professional so my mental meanderings are simply recollections of things from my own life.
PRS1 - Auto - A-Flex x2 - 12.50 - 20 - Humid x2 - Swift FX
RE: Gasping for air at wake up
Reiterate: See you doctor.
Glad you are participating and even happier you are starting to get your treatment together.
Yes, I have seen enough evidence to confirm that different masks can give different AHI with the same pressure -- different NASAL PILLOWS can likely do that with same mask.
It's probably not a BIG effect but it may be noticeable.
Also, PRESSURE is PRESSURE -- direction doesn't matter except to the comfort as in "wind" and usually manifests are leaks.
For the size of these systems, the pressure everywhere is equal, tube, mask, and you if your not blocking the flow. 
Besides the doctor, my though though is that you might be experience a LACK of air. Some masks or the volume they deliver can make "sucking" in air hard and that is unpleasant for many people (and it either a cause of claustrophobia or exacerbated by claustrophobia.
It's a cycle -- you can't get enough air which makes you panicky which makes you feel like you need more air etc.
When I use a RESTRICTED flow nasal pillow, I have to consciously slow down my breathing and relax to settle into it.
Sweet Dreams,
HerbM
Sleep study AHI: 49 RDI: 60 -- APAP 10-11 w/AHI: 1.5 avg for 7-days (up due likely to hip replacement recovery)
"We can all breathe together or we will all suffocate alone."
RE: Gasping for air at wake up
when you make changes, it sometimes takes a while to adjust to those changes. I recently was put on a VPAP Auto machine and after 30 days, we tried it for a week on a set pressure. I was not happy with the results (I sent the report each night to my RT). Now I am back on VPAP Auto and will, for one week, at the request of my RT, send a report each night.
Even though my AHI was below 5, it was a whole lot higher than it was on the auto setting and the events were a lot and one right after the other. To me, even though it was under 5 (one night, it was close to 5), I suspected not having the auto pressure that could go higher if it was needed and not having the lower EPAP, that came in to me having more AHI's.
We will see what the next week brings.
I said all of this to say that give your body and you a chance to adjust to the new mask and for sure talk with your doc about your symptoms.
For almost 3 years I was using a Quattro FX ffm and was not having good results. Almost immediately after I got a nasal mask, I had a lot of improvement. I will get there and so will you. The main thing is to not give up and stay with your machine.
FYI: I never saw a sleep doc on a consistent basis...I didn't even have one when I got my first sleep study. I was given a machine and a mask and turned loose. If only I knew then what I have learned from this forum...life would have been a lot better with my therapy.
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