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I read this:
Optimal treatment options for mixed sleep apnea still need to be refined. Currently one of the best treatments is still CPAP devices, but set at the lowest possible pressure setting that successfully keep the airways free from obstructions, but don't allow CSA symptoms to develop.
Has anyone experienced such symptoms developing? I noticed obstruction when the air pressure is at its highest, but assumed the pressure increased when there was an obstruction (chicken or egg?). I need to find out more about the activities of the machine and how to regulate it. Woeful lack of guidance. I will try calling the machine company.
The chinstrap seems to be working okay. But I am noticing that I still feel the sensation of the uvula closing. In the early morning, I wake up to find that the air pressure is very strong and the sensation of closing is still there, and the pillows are leaking a little (probably because of the air pressure). I am still not sure about the way the CPAP is supposed to deal with the closing uvula - is it supposed to prevent closing or minimize it or keep air going around the closed uvula? Probably I needed a better training session than the 15 minutes with a rep.
I just started using CPAP and nose pillows this week. I think I had my first restful sleep in years last night. At first I thought there was something wrong with the machine because there were many little pauses when I felt I was getting no air or could not exhale. I shut it off and when I tried to go back to sleep, I felt the same little pauses in my ordinary breathing! It was like a revelation, my first time noticing the closing of the uvula. Somehow by the third night, I was breathing smoothly and slept through the night.
I am wearing a chin strap to keep my mouth closed, but no matter how tight I make it, I can open my mouth enough to cause the air to leak out. So if I did not open my mouth last night, it was not because of the strap. Has anyone experienced that they could learn to keep the mouth closed without any aids like that?
