Why System 1 blasts awake at 3 hrs.

My Respironics System 1 works fine to go to sleep but after 2 1/2 - 3 hrs increased air blasts out edges of mask and use for the rest of the night is hopeless. It is as consistent as an alarm clock in doing this.

Does anyone have any suggestions - this has been the situation for 3 -5 years since receipt so I gave up on even using the darn thing until last September. Have repeatedly mentioned it to M.D.s who went their way, Am trying to get some assistance from DME.

Lower pressure is 6.5 - 7 which seems fine but factory upper pressure says 25. Why? what is the significance of upper pressure?

sleepysteve,

First of all, I have a big disclaimer: I am a newbie and I don't even understand your question about factory upper pressure. I also have a Respironics System 1. I use nasal air pillows.

I have also run into the problem with what feels to me like "too much air" after 3-4 hrs sleep. This is what I think is going on in my case. I think I am changing the position of my head and neck (once sound asleep), in such a way that air cannot flow freely into my lungs and it has to go somewhere. In my case, "the excess air" which really needed to go to my lungs was going in my mouth or out through my mouth. The first time I made the connection was on a night that was unusually cool here in FL. Because it was so wonderfully cool, in my sleep I was tucking my chin down toward my chest which is my position of comfort in cool weather. When I straightened my head and neck, the air was going into my lungs...no "excess air" escaping into my mouth. I remembered (from many years of teaching CPR) that the way to open the airway is to tilt the head back. This is by no means a comfortable position for sleeping. I have since run into problems with air collecting in my mouth when I am on my side, and my shoulder is tilted forward, also if my head is tilted slightly forward as a result of repositioning my pillow. I think this problem might be worsened by being 20+ pounds overweight with a somewhat chunky neck.

I recently ordered a CPAP pillow which helps keep my head and neck in alignment. I sleep mostly side to side, so this is a good option for me. I have only had it for 2 nights, but it helps me keep my head and neck in alignment, and allows space for my headgear when I am sleeping on my side. It was a $50 investment on a non-returnable item, so I am happy that it seems to be helping.

The pressure on my machine is at a fixed pressure. This has been adjusted once at the Sleep Clinic. I have a follow up appointment in 2 weeks. It is possible that a slight adjustment in pressure will help get the air to my lungs with less fuss about my position. I will let the Nurse Practitioner decide on what changes, if any need to be made.

I am wondering if that factory set upper pressure is giving you a blast of air out of the mask. The air has to go somewhere. Also, do you know whether you tend to open your mouth while you are asleep? I think the open mouth/relaxed tongue (while asleep) can interfere with air getting to your lungs. I need to use a chin strap to keep my mouth closed. It seems like a lot a straps all over the place, but it seems to help.

I decided to respond to your question, because it had been unanswered from March 21. Good luck. I do think that the 2 1/2 - 3 hrs of CPAP is probably better than no CPAP. I hope that in this lengthy response, there is some little nugget that is useful to you.

Philips/Respironics System One covers 4 different machines. Which machine do you have...........BiPAP Auto with Bi-Flex .........BiPAP AutoSV Advanced......... REMstar SE or
REMstar Auto with A-Flex?

Joe

Thank you 2sleepy for trying to jump to my rescue. And, Joe, it happens to be the first you listed but as of my visit to the DME yesterday, that is immaterial. Yesterday I made my own appointment with DME, Apria and to their credit, an astute and attentive Resp Therapist (R/T) determined that my humidifier starts off at a partial full temp., operates for a short period of time - presumably the 2 -3 hrs. cited by which time I am hopefully asleep, and then shuts down.

A replacement unit is being ordered as I type this. Further, from the SD report she pointed out that the 90% statistic warranted a re-examination of the upper limit to be reset, referred to the M.D. for consideration.

2Sleepy, I can't offer any intelligible comment to your kind suggestions as I too am a newbie - at least in terms of how long it has taken to get any meaningful results from the machine.

SS

Good luck, Sleepy Steve

This whole process of adjusting to using CPAP seems like such an adventure, but I do believe it will be worth it in the end.

Hope that someday I will no longer be 2sleepy

2Sleepy, and any other newcomers that might peruse this I have found this journey to be more uniquely self-directed and unguided by professional help than any I can recall; but even one hour or more a night produces a discernable benefit. The five hour nights that I had been enjoying produced outstanding returns.

I found myself that the upper limit had to be set on my original Autoset T, Resmed unit. Many believed that as it was an AutoPAP you cold leave the upper limit open, which is 25 max. When my Auto went above 16 CM pressure I had Central events. My Autos since then have been set at 6 cm bottom end and 16 limit on top side. Since then no more centrals. I now use a ResmedS8 AutoPAP which is a fantastic machine. As I'm presently using nasal pillows I keep the humidity set at 85%. The machine senses the relative humidity in the room and adjusts it to 85%. I also have the heated hose, which I love. No more rainout. Sleep Apnea is also very positional for most of us. More pressure is required when sleeping on your back then if you sleep on your side.

Joe

Good point Joe - re positional, last comment... does the machine automatically adjust pressure?

All of the "Auto" CPAPs adjust for each breath you take. I know that the S9 AutoPap I have is downloadable so that I can download the last 30 days of sleep and look for events, pressure change and leaks on line graphs. The program to do this is not available to patients and doctors do not generally hand the program out to patients, however, links to the program can be found on other sleep message boards. I know the program for the Philips/Respironics are also available. I won't give the locations of this information here as I'm sure the moderators would frown upon such things. My first sleep Doc, who set me up with my first AutoPAP, gave me the program for the Autoset T so I could track my PAP usage. I ran an AWAKE group for that doc for 5 years. I personally find my use of the programing beneficial, however, I can understand why patients are not given access to it. Knowledge is GOOD but knowledge in the wrong hands can be a problem.

Joe