DanM

Some patients have found it helpful during the early days of treatment to actually take the machine out of the bedroom in the evening and practice wearing treatment while they are distracted by another activity. I mentioned reading or watching TV, but some patients have told me they knit or do puzzles. When I started treatment, I used to take my machine into the living room a couple of hours before I went to bed and would wear it while I watched television. The distraction was helpful, and being outside the bedroom helped lessen the anxiety about needing to fall asleep. By the time I went to bed, I was ready to sleep and was used to the feeling of the mask and the air pressure. Remember to empty the water tank before moving the machine if you try this, and good luck!

Thanks for sharing, wiredgeorge! I had never heard of this product until it was mentioned here on the Forum.

Hi Trulyfrustrated. ASV devices are, indeed, more difficult to obtain because of the criteria required for an actual diagnosis of central sleep apnea. They are also regulated, so a prescription is required (as with CPAP, BiPAP, etc.). ASV machines generally have a wider variety of settings that must be tailored to the patient than CPAP and BiPAP machines, and using a machine with incorrect settings can actually worsen breathing. This is true of any form of PAP treatment. It would be great if physicians were allowed to prescribe the best treatment they think necessary for a patient, and they likely can. The bigger issue for most is whether insurance will pay for the prescribed treatment. As you have found, ASV devices are costly. Does a download of the data from your current device continue to show that you have central apnea? It would be interesting to see how much of your breathing issues have resolved with CPAP and what kind of events remain. Many forum users seem to like Sleepyhead software because it provides quite a bit of detail for some of the machines. I have not seen research on electro shock therapy related to breathing, but there has been quite a bit of research on nerve stimulation. The Inspire device has been discussed on the Forum, and a quick internet search will help you find some information. Best wishes, and if any Forum users can share, it would be great to read about your experiences!

Hi Hopalong86. Wiredgeorge provided a pretty good explanation of BiPAP, and it is sometimes used for patients who need higher pressures than are generally comfortable on CPAP. There are also times when BiPAP is used for other reasons or health conditions. Adjusting to the machine can be difficult, and some patients find it helps to wear the treatment while doing some other activity (reading or watching TV) before actually trying to go to bed and go to sleep with the mask on. It helps to get used to the feeling of the mask and the air pressure. As for why you were prescribed your specific treatment and pressures, you sleep physician should be able to answer that question based on your sleep study results. Please keep us posted on how you are progressing!

Hello, and I am very sorry to hear you are so tired while using treatment. If you are not having success with your current sleep physician, I wonder if there is another provider who may be more helpful. Are you sleeping through the night while wearing treatment, or are you waking up during the night? Are you finding that you wake up with the mask off of your face? A bit more information might help determine what is happening, but the bottom line is that your physician/sleep clinic should take a look at the data downloaded from your machine to see if everything is as it should be. There are other factors that can contribute to tiredness such as medication and other health conditions, so talking to your primary care physician might also be helpful. Please feel free to post any additional information that might be helpful. We have a supportive community, and some of our members may be able to provide some feedback. Best wishes!

I agree with @Sleep that downloading and reviewing the data may be helpful. The DME provider should also be able to do this to determine if he is getting the treatment he needs. I replied to you in another post about possible mask fit issues and potential solutions. Best wishes! The sounds these masks can make can sometimes be as bad as snoring. Hopefully, you will be able to find a solution.

It would be interesting to know if you were using the same brand of machine when using the auto-titrating machine, and if all conditions were the same (humidifier setting, heated tubing vs. regular tubing, etc.). Even though humidifying PAP treatment seems simple, different manufacturers use different sensors and algorithms in their machines to measure room temperature and humidity. As for the mask change, some patients on nasal masks experience dry mouth if they open their mouth and air escapes. Patients wearing a full face mask sometimes experience dry mouth because of the air blowing into the mouth. Have you attempted to humidify the room you are sleeping in with a room humidifier? If conditions are dry where you live, this may help.

Hi AmiableLilacAardvark1624. A squealing, vibrating mask is usually a pretty good indicator of leak and possibly poor mask fit. Mask liners may help with this, and you can do an internet search for CPAP mask liners to find some available options. Aside from mask liners or changing to a different mask, attempting to adjust the headgear can sometimes help.

Hi mhugs. If the dry mouth issues are new and have not been a problem in the past, it may be worth making sure your humidifier is working properly. I have worked with patients in the past where we did find the humidifier failed and stopped warming the water. Best wishes!

Hi again, you make good points about patients needing to be able to find reliable information when self-educating. Those of us who work in the sleep medicine community are trying to forge relationships with primary care physicians, cardiologists and others who may not be as well-versed in sleep apnea as physicians who are trained in sleep medicine. Many physicians who work in sleep medicine started in other fields or practice in multiple areas. The most common in my experience are sleep medicine physicians who are either pulmonologists or neurologists. Also, when compared to other medical specialties, sleep medicine is still considered fairly new. Ideally, sleep physicians would follow patients with sleep disorders just like a cardiologist follow a patient with heart issues. Thanks for posting!