I was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea back in 2008. I had the ResMed S8 Elite up until a month ago. It broke down and I was forced to buy a brand new machine. However, the new machine was set to default everything except the pressure, which I was at 18 on my S8 machine. So the company set the new machine, an S9 Elite, to 18 pressure as well. Ever since I got it, I have not had good sleep at all. I am waking up throughout the night and resetting the machine. I called the company and they suggested that I turn on the EPA feature, which was defaulted to off, and I did so and I found that I slept through the night but was still very tired upon waking up. I did only get about 5 and a half hours or less last night from going to bed late. I don't know if I should decrease the pressure or raise it. I do have the fluid in the left ear problem and I do wake up sometimes having to belch swallowed air. I am living in Thailand and I had a family member buy the machine through a website where I got a legitimate prescription in order to be able to purchase the machine, and the family member sent it to me. I am not under any health care at the moment as it is difficult to be under any care here, especially sleep study wise which I think I should do again, but they are really expensive here from what I have found out. I really want to have a good sleep and get back to that point when the other machine was working (I have to point out that the old machine is completely dead now and I cannot check the settings so I can duplicate them on the new machine) but I have no idea what to do. I am stuck and not in a good position to seek medical advice from a doctor or sleep analyst because of my situation. What I would like to know is if it would greatly affect me in a bad way if I lowered the pressure one or two points, say from where it is at 18 to maybe 17 or 16? Then test the pressure to see if it helps me for a few weeks. I don't want to play with my health, but as it stands, not getting good sleep with the machine is just as bad I think. Thank you for your help.
Hello, @DyreLogan, and welcome to MyApnea.Org. It sounds as if you have a challenging situation with both your new machine and with getting proper healthcare. While we cannot give medical advice regarding pressure adjustments, it may be helpful for you to look at the data from your machine. Many posters here on the Forum have talked about Sleepyhead software, which can be found by doing a quick internet search. It is software that allows a user to download data from the memory card in most machines. The machine data should give an idea of whether it is controlling your sleep apnea. Any changes made to your pressure settings should be monitored so you know whether you are having respiratory events. I hope this information is helpful, and maybe some of our other members can help by providing their experience with Sleepyhead or other monitoring software. Best wishes!
I have a new CPAP as well. From 2008 on I had a ResMed that worked well, but after many years of use, the bearings have started to fail and it generates a high pitched noise. The new CPAP supposedly is setup the same, but it reacts to when I am breathing in or out, by ramping up and down. The noise of the variable speed drive certainly is not good for sleep. Worse is the feeling that I am gasping for breath as the machine transitions from inhalation to exhalation. I also find that I am snoring though the CPAP. I quit using the new unit and went back to the old one. I am wondering if the settings can be changed so that it operates like the old unit operating at constant speed. The data from the memory card shows that I am snoring and had several events of cessation of breathing with the new machine. Also, has anyone else had similar experience with new versus old CPAPs?
Hi @ToughCeruleanElephantseal6828. Many CPAP have adjustments, some that can be made by the patient and others by the home care company, that control the amount of pressure relief. If you are on CPAP, it may be as simple as adjusting the exhalation feature (often referred to as the EPR or Flex setting). If you have been changed to APAP or BiPAP, then the process may be a bit different. I encourage you to contact your equipment provider and tell them what you are experiencing to see if they can check the machine and make adjustments. To answer your question about similar experience, I did have the same experience with a new machine several years ago. The pressure relief setting was at the highest level, and I was able to turn that off. I also experienced the noise of the variable speed from the unit, and my home care company exchanged the machine for a new one. Hope this helps!
It is my understanding that a machine that lowers pressure during exhale phase is a BIPAP machine. I have one and these are typically used if the pressure required to keep the airway open is pretty high. My number is 25 and the relief pressure is 20. I think with higher settings there is a chance of the machine singing away during the night if the intake filter gets clogged or the water reservoir isn't seated firmly. I was unaware I had an intake filter until my first set of replacement supplies arrived and a bunch were in the shipment. I took a look at the machine and figured out how to open the filter door and changed filters and bingo! Noise gone. I also am guess here but if the machine you have runs at a relatively low pressure, these issues may be mitigated somewhat by the lower pressures. FWIW, the only setting on my Resmed BIPAP that can be changed is the humidity level from 0 to 8 and that setting seems to be of no real use as the tank runs out of water in about 4 to 5 hours. If I sleep 7 hours, it will be bone dry on a setting of 2 or 3. The humidity doesn't seem like it makes much difference as far as mouth/nasal dryness anyway.
You're sleep therapy provider doesn't want you to know this but there is a hidden settings menu where you can fine tune your machine. My provider was terrible with response time and support. After one year of fitfully using the machine, and 6 months of giving up on it, I now use it nightly with great success. Just do a YouTube search for "adjusting resmed machine". Very simple and you can take control of your sleep.
