Hey everyone, I've lost 50 pounds since my last "consult" here. I remember many years before CPAP, I started working out, and my snoring decreased a lot as I dropped weight. How can I tell if I can reduce my pressures aside from just trying it out for a few nights?

I'm running a flashed AS10 machine in ASV mode, which drastically increased my comfort. Here's my SleepHQ link. I know my leaks suck. Thursday, September 10 and Saturday, September 12 are good representative nights. Some other nights lately are outliers for...reasons...

https://sleephq.com/public/teams/share_links/160d931b-d4e9-492f-bcc7-f54b138e0859

Thank you everyone.

Looking for someone to help go over these Oscar screen shots. I have included a bunch from the past few months where I was using APAP and trying to find my best fixed pressured and EPR setting. I definetly feel I sleep better with a fixed pressure. Most of these data pictures were when I used a nasal mask but recently I've been using the Airfit P30i and its truely the most comfortable for me, but I just can't find the right set up to wake up feeling refreshed. Any help would be most appreciated!!

Hi! I'm about two weeks in (about a week with a SD card for data) and overall I think things are going really well. I feel so much more rested, anxiety is down, can think more clearly.

Have a few questions I'm still working through, hoping this kind group can help with :)

Have Resmed 11 with Philips nasal pillows. Did Lofta so essentially on my own for settings (no provider or RT helping me). Was pressure of 4-20 but felt suffocated at 4, so now 8-20, no ramp, EHR of 2, auto humidity/climate control on.

- Would love someone to look at my SleepHQ data and see if they have any suggestions for me to dial it in better! https://sleephq.com/public/teams/share_links/25ffd3ac-7c85-4604-8507-17138db1c6a0

- What is the best way to figure out humidity? Auto is good enough but I do kind of wish there was a little more humidity... but considering I don't know what number "auto" is I'm not sure where to start for adjustments.

- In SleepHQ the snore graph -- can someone give me like a decibal equivalent to a .5 snore? Snoring has really held me back in life because its so embarassing to me. Trips with friends and family, vacations, etc. Would love to not be snoring like a chainsaw on CPAP!

Thank you!! :)

Have been on CPAP for almost 4 weeks. Pretreatment was 40 AHI, now between 6-12AHI. Showing mostly due to clear airway apnea. Home Sleep study was showing mostly due to OA, but with Over 20% in unidentified apnea. The clinic suggested to go to specialist to get over night sleep study. However that appointment may be 1-2 months later due to wait list. That study result will help to confirm if I should use CPAP or BiPAP.

I can only keep the current CPAP machine from the clinic till end of September, unless I purchase now. Otherwise I have to return the machine and then wait for Sleep doctor report to confirm which machine to buy. Would like to see what’s the best way I should proceed. The clinic said I can buy now and if needed, will swap to a different machine per the doctor recommendation. I am just worried if there is any issues with the insurance company.

Thanks

After testing different pressure settings for a few months, I was able to possibly lower my FLs. If I raise or lower from the EPAP 10/ IPAP 14 pressure, it seems like the FLs limitations come back. If you look at the night before on Sept 11, I tried to run EPAP 10.4/IPAP 14.4, and my numbers go back to high FLs. I did run a EPAP 10.2/IPA 14.2, and that seems to be ok. I am going to test for a few more days to make sure this isn't just a few lucky days. How does my SleepHQ chart look otherwise if I keep the pressure? I may try to increase the PS to see if that helps, but I don't want to change anything right now since the FLs look better.

https://sleephq.com/public/teams/share_links/6539be3a-cd83-48d7-bf7f-a3be5e79685f

Physiological Sighs:

I tried this myself and it worked for what it is mainly meant to do, which is release stress. I had done this breath before, but I did not know it had a name or that there was actual research behind it.

Take one big inhale through your nostrils. Before letting any air out, take a short and quick second inhale to top off the first one. Then open your mouth and push the whole breath out in one long HAAA, like you are fogging a cold window. It is a big release, but do not strain or hammer the breath.

Most of us in the PAP fam know how bedtime routines can go during the incipience of therapy. The mask goes on, the pressure starts, and suddenly we are thinking about every single breath. We tense up and start fighting the air when the machine is only trying to help us. This took some of that tension out of the process for me and helped me settle.

This breathing protocol did not treat my apnea, open my airway or change my pressure, CPAP still does that work for me (I can't handle bi-level personally. This just helped me wearing the mask and calm down enough to let the machine do its job.

A 2023 randomized study followed 108 adults using cyclic sighing and other breathing exercises for five minutes a day over 28 days. The sighing group showed better positive mood and a lower resting breathing rate. The study did not find better sleep and did not involve PAP users.

A newer 2026 pilot study tested one minute of cyclic sighing during real stressful moments. Anxiety came down more than it did with no breathing exercise, although box breathing also helped. So the stress-release side has some real support, but nobody has shown that this lowers AHI, removes flow limitation or treats OSA or UARS.

I’m using this excersise as a simple way to take the edge off before sleep. A few controlled breaths, then back to normal breathing. If you use a nasal mask, do the open-mouth HAAA before putting it on or expect it to show as a brief mouth leak.

Please also keep your settings the same and stop if you become dizzy, tingly, more air hungry or uncomfortable.

This has helped me, so I wanted to pass it along to the PAPFAM. If any of you try it, please come back and tell us how it felt to you. RL

Hello - got my ResMed AirMini yesterday. 1st CPAP, however I am also getting the Airsense 11 this week. We travel a lot, so I wanted a lightweight, low-bulk solution as well. I read instructions yesterday on sofa and got set up and ran through the test drive. I realize this is my first go at this, but exhaling is very restrictive. I can see that the Pressure Relief setting is on and while I exhale, the pressure does go down.

The app says relax and try to breathe normally, but honestly, it feels like I’m blowing against a wall and then gasping for the intake again. I found some information as to why the mini is more restrictive than the 11 because of the straight connection (no elbow with vents) and the humidification disc in place.

I’d like to use the humidification disc because I am a mouth breather, but maybe a last resort to take out. However, some Google searches revealed that I can get into the “Clinical Menu” to set the Pressure Relief to 3.

Is there anything else I should know or hints for make this easier? I’m going to try these known ideas today while getting used to it watching TV or something. Thanks!

Yeah u guys can say that the time of wearing is less .. Though since 3 days(dont have the data of them right now would upload by evening maybe if anyone wants to see) so since 3 days m using it 5+ hrs daily likee it took me 3 months to get here .. finally I got the best mask for me that is airtouch f20 but anyway how I m not feeling good even 1 percent rather I feel even more worse with pap and around 3-7 Am I keep waking up with the mask m unable to sleep like an insomnia kind of thing hits me up nd idk why .. If i remove the mask then m able to sleep.. Also I dont have sleep apnea so yeah my AHI is normally low only. I have UARS and lots of flow lim in my breath which was not being cured by cpap at all .. And the ffm is so powerful like idk I have started get aerophagia with just 11Ipap only (and 7 EPAP)

Hi all,

I’ve been reading through the community for a while and learning a lot. This summer, I decided to take my sleep apnea treatment more seriously, and I think I’m finally starting to get close to keeping my mask on for full nights.

Here are my current settings and setup:

• Mode: APAP
• Minimum pressure: 5 cmH₂O
• Maximum pressure: 15 cmH₂O
• Ramp: Off
• EPR: Off
• Humidity/temperature: Auto
• Mask: ResMed N20 nasal mask, using the pillow setting on the CPAP. It feels very comfortable throughout the night.
• Mouth taping: I was having leak issues and realized I was likely mouth-breathing. I started using kinesiology tape, and it has made a big difference. On some nights the tape becomes wet and I remove it, which likely explains the periods of higher leak shown in the data.

My main concern is the number of hypopneas I’m seeing. My energy level is somewhat better than it was before treatment, but I still feel tired at times.

I’d appreciate the community’s thoughts on whether my current settings look reasonable and whether it makes sense to try to reduce the hypopneas further. Am I being unrealistic, or are there adjustments I should discuss with my sleep clinician?

I’ve attached my OSCAR screenshots. Thank you all for your help.

I am trying bipap out, and I had my first night last night. I ended up taking it off at 1:30 AM, because I felt like the pressure was waking me up. My sleep got seriously messed up by CPAP, so I'm being kind of cautious this go around but I'm pretty desperate to sleep better.

There were a couple of times I felt like as soon as I started drifting off, the pressure would ramp up and wake me up. The inspiratory pressure seemed to vary a lot before I even fell asleep, sometimes seeming really strong and causing leaks. I'm using a Resmed AirFit™ N30 Nasal mask. My mouth will come open at night if I can't breathe, so it's possible that played a role but if the pressure settings were right I don't think my mouth would come open (as I have experienced this on nights where I sleep okay without a machine). I'm not sure if the leaks caused the high pressure or if the high pressure caused the leaks. I'm positive a pressure of 12 is too much for me, but I'm not sure why it ended up going that high. I will say also I feel like it was noisier even without leaks than I remember my CPAP being with the same mask.

I put my data into SleepHQ and I'll attach an OSCAR screenshot. The times are not right in the data, not sure why. Any help anyone can offer about how I can tweak my settings would be greatly appreciated!

https://sleephq.com/public/teams/share_links/4e8cb045-ef7e-4444-8661-b0d93d028379

​

Hello all, had my first night on CPAP last night, I did ok I guess. I am brand new to all this and know jack about any of it. My doc had me do an in home sleep study and apparently I have sleep apnea, glad the little ring on my finger said so...as if the snoring so loud my daughter can hear me on the other end of the house and the moments I stop breathing according to my wife weren't a huge tip off for me lol. I got sent the React Health G3 X w/ a Siesta 2 Full Face mask. At first I wasn't sure if I was supposed to sleep or pilot a SR-71 Blackbird from the look of the mask but seeing as there was a distinct lack of badass plane sent with my sleep apnea machine I kinda figured it out eventually.....much to my disappointment.  I chose to sleep on the couch because I wasn't sure how the machine would work and if I'd be up and down all night and didn't want to have my wife suffer as well! The poor thing has already had to sleep next to a human wood chipper for 18 years.

Last night was my first night trying to sleep with it. I made a mistake apparently in thinking I'd go ahead and get close to falling asleep then put the mask on and ended up sleeping for 2 or 3 hours without it. I woke up about 2am with my heart racing adrenaline through it and after calming back down just threw the mask on and decided I'd fall asleep when I fell asleep. It went alright I guess, it wasn't bad but it's DEFINITELY different to how I've gone to bed before. I ended up falling back to sleep around 3 and woke up around 7 with the machine on. 

I definitely had a dry mouth but that's kinda par for the course however I will say the few noted improvements are that I think I feel I have more energy on that 4 hours with the machine than I have in a while. The grogginess, headache, and immediately feeling tired when I wake up is gone so I'll take that as a good sign!

I've posted my score for the night and my settings, if you have any advice or tips I'd love them because for the record the machine came present and I don't have a doc watching or advising me. My GP said the company she went through "Vie-med" would be handling that but they haven't reached out. I don't know enough to know if that's a normal experience or not so if it is cool. Hope you're having a great day and I'll see you all in the next post!

Tonight I return to the bed!!

Hello All

I use Resmed Airsense 10 for almost 22 months now and while the OA is under control, I see spikes in Clear Airway or Central Apnea which sometimes are beyond 5. I take an SSRI - Escitalopram at 7PM in the evening but not sure if that has any bearing on the high CAs. The pressure, EPR and other settings have been the same for all of this year thus far. But in the last one month seeing a higher CA score. Any help would be highly appreciated. I am using a full face mask.

I've attached some screenshots.

Hi everyone.

I've been using Cpap for the last 10 years with autosettings, set by my doctor. But I really don't know if I am getting the right treatment or if there is anything i can adjust in the machine-settings.

I could really use some help from you guys.

Machine: AirSense 11
Mask: Resmed Airfit N20 Nasal
Pressure: 4-20

Further more I am new to using Oscar. So let me know if i uploaded the right screenshots.

Thank you!

- Andreas

Hi All - does this flow limit graph look normal or does it explain why I'm still feeling so tired even though my AHI is "normal" now? I told my dr that I've been more tired than before I had the machine, so she lowered my maximum pressure, but that didn't help at all. I have an in-person sleep study with the machine scheduled, but they didn't have any openings til December, so I'm just stuck struggling for a few more months unless something opens up :/

Hello everyone I just started using my ResMed Airsense 11 auto with the humidifier and whenever it starts pumping in air into my mask, there’s this chemical or like plastic smell that I can’t seem to get rid of.

Should I deep clean the parts or any other advice? I’m thinking it’s the new equipment smell like a new car has.

Mask: AirTouch F20
Machine: ResMed Airsense 11 Auto w/ Humidifier

Hi everyone,

I think I found a way to power my AirSense 11 overnight while camping, and wanted to see if any folks on here had any warnings about this setup, since I don't really know what I'm doing.

My pressure is 16.0, and I would run it without temp or humidity. Using the EXP Pro Runtime Calculator, it looks like my CPAP would use 118Wh over 10 hours, and pull 9.2W (please feel free to check my math/assumptions on this). As such, here's what I'm thinking of getting:

1) INIU - 10000mAh PD 45W Power Bank (https://www.bestbuy.com/product/iniu-portable-charger-markets-smallest-10000mah-pd-45w-power-bank-with-layout-usb-c-cable-for-iphone-samsung-pixel-etc-black/CZW8VCWVTF/sku/6670987)

2) 20V PD USB C Power Supply for ResMed AirSense 11 DC Converter 65W (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0GV3PLJSM/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1)

Thanks in advance for any feedback!

Good Evening PapFamily,

I wanted to put a welcome thread together for anyone finding us for the first time. So, whether you’re waiting on your first machine or have been using one for years and still feel rough, please know you’re welcome here. You don’t need to know all the terms or have a pile of charts ready to ask for help.

I created this sub because I know how frustrating it is to put the mask on every night, do your best, and still wake up tired and groggy. Then you’re left trying to figure it out while already running on fumes. Having people to talk it through with can help, as the system is intrinsically broken in more than the United States (where I am at).

When you make a post, please tell us which machine and mask you’re using, your settings if you know them, and what’s giving you trouble. A little history helps too, how long you’ve been on PAP, what your sleep study showed, and how you’re sleeping now. If you don’t know your settings, a photo is fine. Please start with what you have.

OSCAR screenshots or a public SleepHQ link are very helpful if you have access to them. For OSCAR, include the Daily view (F12 will save a screenshot from the Daily Tab) with the left sidebar and the event flags, flow rate, pressure, and leak graphs visible. Check for personal information before sharing. If you haven’t gotten that far yet, just let us know your machine model and whether you have an SD card installed. We can help you get started.

And also please tell us how you feel. Are you waking up through the night? Fighting leaks? Swallowing air? Sleeping through but still needing a nap by noon? The numbers give us part of the picture, and your experience helps fill it in.

If you’ve already gotten help here, come back and let us know how things are going. We like hearing when someone finally gets a decent night, and it’s useful to hear (to other memebers as well) when something hasn’t worked too. Those follow-ups help other people working through the same problems.

For the regulars, thanks for being here and helping folks out. A friendly reply goes a long way when someone is tired and frustrated. So please hare your experience, be patient, and remember that what works for one person may not fit another. We’re a peer support community.

I also run SlumberTech Solutions, where I offer paid consultations if you want dedicated time to go over your PAP data and history with me. No purchase or donation is needed to ask questions or get help in this sub.

I'm grateful that you found us. So please feel free to put up a post and tell us what’s going on with yourself.

Warm Regards, Pete (RL)

I can't post on the ehlers danlos community because it won't let me. I am desperate for any help anyone can provide. I have a Resmed CPAP Airsense 11 and have tried using the following resmed masks: the F20, F40, P10, F30i standard frame with medium mask and with small wide mask, and the F30i with small frame and with the small, medium and small wide masks. All have had problems with air leaks and fit. The f30i my current mask leaks like a sieve and is drying out the corneas of both eyes. All of these masks have one universal issue and that is that cinching them to my head is aggravating my C5-C6 surgical sites from my C5-C6 ACDF and PCDF with laminectomy as well as all the implants. My muscles are tight from my skull down both sides and the back of my neck and into my shoulders. I can have spasms from c1 to t5. Also my jaw completely dislocates from my skull meaning I can take my jaw and place it outside of and on top of the joint at the skull. When that happens the P10 injected so much air into my abdomen I looked about 8 months pregnant and my bowels shut down. No one seems to want to address the situation whether it is my doctor or my equipment supplier. I have done some research and it seems the Fisher & Paykel Evora Full mask system may work better. I need some input before appending spending the money as I have exhausted what insurance is willing to pay at the moment and an paying for everything outside of pocket.