Where to set pressure after a month of use?

[prodoula]

I'm new to wearing a cpap. I have an AirsSense 10 for her. I read somewhere that after about a month of use, it's wise to change your pressure settings based on your average pressure usage. But I can't seem to find the exact specifics of the recommendation. Anyone have any advice? Thanks.

[justMongo]

If you Dr wants you to switch to fixed level, then the 95th percentile pressure is used.
Not the average, mean or median, that would be too low.
95th percentile is the pressure you are at or above about 5% of the time.

However, why put a good autoset on fixed? With a range of 10-15, it would (usually) accommodate for the differences that occur each night.

[Sleeprider]

Sure! Best bet is to take a look on Sleepyhead or other software to see what your average and 95% pressure has been over this period. You want to minimize the range that the machine needs to change during the night. So set the minimum pressure at either the average pressure, or average pressure minus 2-cm if you are more comfortable starting at a lower pressure. And set the maximum pressure at the 95% pressure plus 2.0. This will give your machine a head start, while keeping you in your therapeutic range. This can be tighted again in the future at your discretion.

This is just a rule of thumb, and it would be easier if you replied with what your pressure history has been this month.

[cpdaniel]

I'm new to wearing a cpap. I have an AirsSense 10 for her. I read somewhere that after about a month of use, it's wise to change your pressure settings based on your average pressure usage. But I can't seem to find the exact specifics of the recommendation. Anyone have any advice? Thanks.

Step one: Download and install Sleepyhead (there's a link at the top of every page on this site).

Step two: Download the data from your A10's SD card into Sleepyhead and take a look at your data.

Step three: If you need assistance post some screenshots from a typical night or nights and the good people of the forum will assist you in analyzing what the data means.

Step four: get the clinicians manual for your machine - there's a link at the top of the page (CPAP Setup Manuals) that tells you how to get it.

Step five (many consider this optional): Discuss your data and any changes that you think would be beneficial with your doctor. Some Drs. don't like patients taking charge of their therapy - only you can decide what's best for you.

Step six: Make any changes that analysis of the data indicated. Generally it's best to make small changes at first, and let each one soak for a week or two, looking at how the change affected the data as reflected in Sleepyhead, before making further changes.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

[justMongo]

Did I misinterpret the OP? Is the intent to adjust the auto window?
I thought the question was when going to fixed pressure -- but I may have misunderstood the intent.
If so, disregard my post and go with Sleeprider's advice.

[prodoula]

I'm so new to all of this that I'm not sure what I really meant!...LOL

I think have a vague memory of reading something that said after a month to set your new range based upon your current month's readings.

I have downloaded the clinician's manual and also Sleepyhead. But at first glance Sleepyhead seems complicated and I have no idea how to take "screenshots" and post them to this board. There's also something about formatting (or not formatting?) the SD card and I'm afraid I'll screw something up by messing with it. (I have a Mac computer.)

I'm not a "techy" person and I can't make heads or tails of all of the screenshots that other people have posted from Sleepyhead.

My doctor is a young general practitioner and doesn't know much about cpap's, and my sleep clinic is not the best. The tech that did my testing reeked of smoke and never even had me try on different masks or sizes of "pillows." I did at least ask to try the pillow mask, and even then I was just handed a medium. I didn't even know enough to ask to try on different size "pillows". But on the other hand, I shouldn't have had to ask. In hindsight I realize I could have been fitted much better, but I think I've figured it out on my own.

I was also somewhat belittled when I said I wanted the "For Her" cpap. I was condescendingly told the only difference was cosmetic. I finally gave up and just bought the machine I wanted via the internet so I wouldn't have to deal with anymore people that seemed to be even more ignorant about cpap's than I am.

But the bottom line is I have very little confidence in the people that I should feel confident in advising me, so thanks for everyone's input and I'll probably ask more questions in a month or so after I've had time to gather data and figure out Sleepyhead.

Thanks!

[Sleep2Snore]

If you are new to this I would leave well alone until you have a good grasp of what you are doing.
If your machine is an APAP it will adjust itself, though it can be more comfortable if the low pressure is a bit nearer the upper pressure, but not to close. This saves the rise in pressure sometimes wakening some people.

Sleepyhead software will help, but you have to understand what you are looking at.

[Sleepster]

I'm new to wearing a cpap. I have an AirsSense 10 for her. I read somewhere that after about a month of use, it's wise to change your pressure settings based on your average pressure usage. But I can't seem to find the exact specifics of the recommendation. Anyone have any advice? Thanks.

It depends on so many factors that specifics are hard to state. Do you feel like you're getting at least some good quality sleep? Does the CPAP machine cause any discomfort from things like the swallowing of air?

The first statistic you want to look at is compliance. Are you using the machine all the time, every time you sleep. Next is leaks: look at your leak statistics and your leak graph. Then finally look at your AHI and see if it's under 5 on a regular basis.

After that you can look at your pressure statistics and think about pressure adjustments. Look at the median pressure and 95th percentile pressure.

You can post all of that here without doing any screen shots.

Also, just slide the switch to lock the SD card before putting it in your computer, then unlock it before putting it back in your CPAP machine.

[Sleeprider]

I'm not that familiar with the Resmed Airsense 10 Autoset, but I thought that the machine display gives you the daily, 7-day and 30 day AHI and pressure statistics. Anyway, one of the prerequisites to changing machine settings is a basic understanding of why you are making a change. Until you get Sleepyhead or ResScan installed, and can discuss what is going on, you should not modify anything.

You can count on getting the forum help you need to use the software, post information, understand it, then make educated changes to your therapy. Hang in there.

[prodoula]

I'm new to wearing a cpap. I have an AirsSense 10 for her. I read somewhere that after about a month of use, it's wise to change your pressure settings based on your average pressure usage. But I can't seem to find the exact specifics of the recommendation. Anyone have any advice? Thanks.

It depends on so many factors that specifics are hard to state. Do you feel like you're getting at least some good quality sleep? Does the CPAP machine cause any discomfort from things like the swallowing of air?

The first statistic you want to look at is compliance. Are you using the machine all the time, every time you sleep. Next is leaks: look at your leak statistics and your leak graph. Then finally look at your AHI and see if it's under 5 on a regular basis.

After that you can look at your pressure statistics and think about pressure adjustments. Look at the median pressure and 95th percentile pressure.

You can post all of that here without doing any screen shots.

Also, just slide the switch to lock the SD card before putting it in your computer, then unlock it before putting it back in your CPAP machine.

Yes, I'm using my machine every night, with no leaks as far as I can tell, and yes, my AHI is under 5 so far.

My 2 problems are burping a lot when I wake up, and I've woken up a couple of times with my mouth open. My tongue felt like beef jerky! I'm trying a chin strap tonight so hopefully that will solve the mouth opening.

Thanks for the tip on the SD card!