What is Your Breathing Pattern?

[Peter_C]

While I was laying in bed tonight trying to fall asleep (as you can see I gave up), I noticed, then thought about this for a while, and then it occurred to me that other folks may be different than I.

The question is; when you're in bed, mask on, minutes from falling asleep, how do you breathe?
Meaning, we all usually have three different states; inhale, exhale, and pause. Not counting random stuff like coughing, swallowing, etc...

So, do you:

• Breathe, then exhale, then pause?
  
• Breathe, then pause, then exhale?
  

I suppose someone could-breathe, then pause, then exhale, then pause again? If you do something else entirely, please choose 'Other' and tell us in a post?

[kmar92]

I do not really notice a pause, but maybe if I do it would be after the exhale.

[herbm]

How about inhale then exhale with no significant pause? (other than turn around itself.)

[justMongo]

Mine is in; then out.

Typical pattern is a 1:2 ratio of IPAP time to EPAP time.
My respiratory rate averages 15 per minute. That's 4 seconds per cycle.
On average, I spend 1.33 seconds inhaling; and 2.67 seconds exhaling.
During periods of no obstruction, my inhalation flow pattern rises to a nice round peak and falls in the same manner.
Exhalation flow is more like a step function to negative flow with a exponential decay of negative flow before returning to inhalation.

[Whitewabit]

I breathe between 12 and 4 times a minute according to what stage sleep I am in.

inhale between 1.28 - 1.66 seconds
exhale between 2.85 - 3.33 seconds

inhale - exhale - pause, inhale - exhale - pause, inhale - exhale - pause

[Peter_C]

I wasn't so much thinking, what do we do during actual sleep, but rather what is your usual pattern as you lay there waiting for sleep to take you? Dunno why, but last night I just got to wondering if we all have the same basic pattern, or if we vary? It is my belief that whatever your usual pattern is, it's the same all the time unless you're thinking about it and forcing a change...

It's of no great import, nor do I imagine that one way is better/worse than another. I did notice that my lovely wife is different than I am, she is inhale, pause, exhale-repeat.

[Galactus]

When going to bed I put on my mask, and turn on the machine, at which point I breathe in, and then out, then I usually take a few decent in and out breaths. I try to avoid swallowing as much as possible because as soon as I do my ears clog, and then begins the in out to unclog them.

I find it quite interesting to learn that we exhale twice as long as we inhale as I thought my bipap saved me half the night exhaling but now I find out it it's even more. I never bothered to look and see what my flow chart says. But interesting to know none the less.

[TyroneShoes]

It seems like a pause after inhaling would oxygenate better than a pause after exhaling.

Slow inhaling and exhaling also has the advantage of more oxygen passing more receptors due to the venturi effect, than just air sitting motionless in your lungs.

In wakefulness I sometimes take a large breath; don't know why. It does seem to relieve stress, tho. And sometimes I take a lot of very shallow breaths in a row; again, don't know why. Sometimes this befuddles my CPAP. It also seems to think that clearing my throat or coughing is a snore.

One thing I know for sure, and that is if you spend too much time trying to figure all of this out, you may never get to sleep.

[wrangler]

I asked the same question in the 70s when I was sitting on the window pane!

[Ghost1958]

My breathing pattern seems to be re modeling itself after being on Cpap than what it was before cpap. Im about two months into it.

Before I inhaled exhaled with very little pause almost as if I was panting for air slightly.

Now my inhales seems deeper exhale longer and there is a fairly long pause then inhale again. Almost as if I dont need to breathe as fast to get more air. Noticed it on my daily walks as well which left me breathless before dont wind me at all now.