Adjustable vs. Consistanant pressure?

Both my mother and I have the same c-pap machine, a Resmed Airsense 10 Autoset. My c-pap is set up to adjust automatically between 4 to 20. Her c-pap is set up to consistently be at 8. I have been having trouble waking up too early. I'm wondering if maybe some of this early waking is due to the machine shifting from one pressure to another throughout the night. Why would her doctor set the machine up one way and mine another? Is there a preferred way to do it?

Thanks, Eric

When you have a sleep study, the results dictate the type of therapy and pressure required to mitigate apnea events. I suspect the sleep study goes into a doctor's hands who then uses his skill and judgement and interprets what is going on in order to write the prescription so there may be variation in therapy as a result. In other words, what is good for the goose is not always what is good for the gander.

If your doctor let you use auto then I think you can do either. I get the feeling here in Australia Doctors seem to let you use Auto or constant in most instances at your own preference it is definitely not dictated. Constant is more likely to be necessary and is recommended the higher your pressure. Personally I just can't sleep with CPAP. I don't think Doctors "prescribe" Autopap at all here in OZ they simply recommend what CPAP pressure would be the right one and give you the option of buying an AUTOPAP. An Autopap adjusts to whatever is required especially the RESMED's machines which are pretty sophisticated.

In other words everyone gets told what CPAP pressure is right and can use a CPAP but people that want to can use an AUTOPAP and if for some reason it didn't work for them they switch the AUTOPAP to a CPAP (which is an expensive way to do things here in Aust.)

In my family 3 of us have apnea. One brother of mine uses CPAP and swears by it, 2 of us use Auto.

What is for sure is that you should not just use the same setting as your mother. If you can pull out your data either from your study as recommended or from your Autosense data (using Sleepy head and a SD card) look at your 95% level and try the CPAP at that. If it works then I'd go with CPAP on your machine. Personally the Auto is quieter and is my personal preference. But as long as you have it set at least high enough CPAP does the job.

CPAP's are much cheaper than AutoPaps here in Australia (about 2/3rds of the cost) the same AUTOPAP machine that costs $883 in US dollars in the USA costs $1500 in US dollars here in Australia. In OZ A Resmed CPAP costs $1000 US dollars compared to $1500 US for the Auto and that saving of $500 USD influences many (note Australian insurers only give you $US300 back towards the machine so you are at least $US700 out of pocket and up to $1200USD out of pocket. I suspect that is more the reason why the CPAPs are more popular here.

Since you have a machine that works either way I'd give CPAP a try once you find out what the right level is.

Not sure why the doctor would set your machine one way and hers another. Sometimes when someone is recently diagnosed with sleep apnea I doctor will give the autopap (varying pressures) and have the person use it for awhile to help determine which pressure works best for them, they then may switch them over to CPAP. But I have to say I am surprised by the number of people on this forum that use autopap all the time. personally I would prefer autopap, it adjusts to your breathing, so if you have a cold and are more congested on one night and perhaps need more pressure the machine will respond. as far as the changing pressures waking you up, I would tend to think that is not the case, but hard to say.

Sometimes a person might have other issues...for me, it has been my weak exhalation. I was miserable on a straight CPAP. Plus, if you continue to have problems, I would think it might be good speak to your respiratory therapist or your doctor.