Smothering Feeling

[avskip]

I'm wondering if anyone else ever has a smothering feeling when sleeping with a bipap?

I'm on 13/9 with a heated humidifier, phantom mask.

I wake up feeling of smothering and as soon as I lift the mask I'm fine. There seems to be a lot of flow from the bipap.

My Dr. wants me to have Yet Another Sleep Test but I had one just 3 or 4 months ago. Not sure my insurance would cover it.

My Resp Therapist says it may be too low of a pressure.

Your thoughts/experiences?

[DeJaVu-alloveragain]

No experience with a bipap. However - at a setting of 13 on my RemStar Pro, and with C-FLEX (setting of 2), I was drifting off to sleep last night and thinking just how ABSENT of any smothering feeling there was. It is SO easy to inhale and exhale and it is SO soothing, that I really cannot imagine ANY machine being topping this one.

By the way, I did have C-FLEX wide open at a 3 and that was just TOO easy, so I figured I would go back to the mid-range setting.
DJV

[<Toth>]

Never had a bipap.
If its a tolerable and transitory feeling, perhaps its bearable.
I would get a copy of your most recent sleep test and the sleep test report and see how you did at 13 and at 14.

[Dragonlady]

I have a bipap and its set at 18/9 and use a 'cold' humidifier. Been using it since July. I use (2nd mask) the ultra mirage. The first mask I had the air seemed to be blowing very hard and mask had leaks. Turned out mask was wrong for that stength and got the Ultra mirage. It has a tendancy to touch my nostrils and side of my nose once in a while and that drives me up the wall and get a slight smothered feeling. I wear glasses so the bridge part of my nose is used to that. It's taken me a month but I tolerate the mask more now and seldom feel smothered...unless I've eaten something I have a sensitivity (allergy) too and then whole face gets that twitch feeling. I also use first aid tape, new product with cloth type feel to it along side of nose and that certainly helps for the rubbing and irritation - another problem. Maybe you should have mask resized so it doesn't touch your nose except at the bridge? Shrug. Sorry I couldn't be of more help, I'm still trying to get used to being a hosehead myself!

[avskip]

When I was napping today I noticed this same feeling. I was wondering if I really had the mask on. I did.

I have a Respironics Tranquility BiPAP. It has a 'Comfort Setting' switch on the front. I have it set to the 1st position. It has 2 more but I can't tell any difference in them so I leave it at the first one.

I think it's supposed to be about the same as the C-Flex but I'm unsure.

What is C-Flex and this 'Comfort Setting' stuff really supposed to do?

quote:

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Originally posted by DeJaVu-
alloveragain:
No experience with a bipap. However - at a setting of 13 on my RemStar Pro, and with C-FLEX (setting of 2), I was drifting off to sleep last night and thinking just how ABSENT of any smothering feeling there was. It is SO easy to inhale and exhale and it is SO soothing, that I really cannot imagine ANY machine being topping this one.

By the way, I did have C-FLEX wide open at a 3 and that was just TOO easy, so I figured I would go back to the mid-range setting.
DJV

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[avskip]

I'm new to hoseheaddom myself. I'll take any suggestions!

Hm. This makes me wonder if the bottom of the mask is closing off or restricting my airflow. It does tend to slide up on me instead of staying in place like the Ultra Mirage. I'd use the UM but it's not a fun mask for me to sleep with as I tend to bury my head into the pillow when asleep. The resulting forehead pain is just not worth it!

I'll have to pay attention to this the next time it happens.

quote:

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Originally posted by Dragonlady:
I have a bipap and its set at 18/9 and use a 'cold' humidifier. Been using it since July. I use (2nd mask) the ultra mirage. The first mask I had the air seemed to be blowing very hard and mask had leaks. Turned out mask was wrong for that stength and got the Ultra mirage. It has a tendancy to touch my nostrils and side of my nose once in a while and that drives me up the wall and get a slight smothered feeling. I wear glasses so the bridge part of my nose is used to that. It's taken me a month but I tolerate the mask more now and seldom feel smothered...unless I've eaten something I have a sensitivity (allergy) too and then whole face gets that twitch feeling. I also use first aid tape, new product with cloth type feel to it along side of nose and that certainly helps for the rubbing and irritation - another problem. Maybe you should have mask resized so it doesn't touch your nose except at the bridge? Shrug. Sorry I couldn't be of more help, I'm still trying to get used to being a hosehead myself!

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[DeJaVu-alloveragain]

Sleepy -- you asked what C-Flex is. Instead of trying to explain it, open this link http://www.cpapman.com/cpap.html and scroll down to the RemStar Pro machine -- there is an excellent description of C-Flex, including a chart graphing the three settings.
DJV

[avskip]

I see what it does. Makes it easier to exhale with a CPAP.

Thanks for the link!

quote:

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Originally posted by DeJaVu-alloveragain:
Sleepy -- you asked what C-Flex is. Instead of trying to explain it, open this link http://www.cpapman.com/cpap.html and scroll down to the RemStar Pro machine -- there is an excellent description of C-Flex, including a chart graphing the three settings.
DJV

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[<Snuzy Suzy>]

Can a person on a bipap use a c-flex? For some reason I thought a Remstar Pro was a bipap, but I think I'm confused (maybe not enough sleep).

[avskip]

I'm not an expert on this, but this is what I think.

A person on a bipap would not need c-flex as it appears c-flex is very much like a bipap.

I don't know about Remstar Pro's.

I guess that's it.

quote:

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Originally posted by <Snuzy Suzy>:
Can a person on a bipap use a c-flex? For some reason I thought a Remstar Pro was a bipap, but I think I'm confused (maybe not enough sleep).

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[dareman]

Well, I've never used a Bipap machine but from what I've been told, they greatly ease exhalation. I do know about the Remstar since I have one. I cannot imagine that a Bipap could make it any easier to exhale than the Remstar does. It is effortless.

[okie-girl]

Hm. This makes me wonder if the bottom of the mask is closing off or restricting my airflow. It does tend to slide up on me instead of staying in place like the Ultra Mirage. I'd use the UM but it's not a fun mask for me to sleep with as I tend to bury my head into the pillow when asleep. The resulting forehead pain is just not worth it!



burying your face and or mask in the pillow could be much of the problem, are you creating leaks or blocking exhale ventilation with the pillow?
Have you looked at these pillows in the sleepestore, they might help with the "burying your face" problem
http://www.sleepestore.com/viewpillowuse.html

[Kosar]

The difference between a BiPAP and Respironics Pro with C-Flex is: the BiPAP is prescribed at a specific low and high end of air. Only a DME is supposed to do the prescribed set-up on a BiPAP.

The C-Flex is a CPAP and can only back off slightly and at three positions. But a layman can set-up his/her own machine. I set mine at one...but you can get even more comfort at the two and the most at the three position.

BiPAP's are prescribed for certain sleep conditions, a C-Flex is a CPAP and again is used for specific OSA situations.
Later. Dr. Kosar, Hosehead

[<Snuzy Suzy>]

This is such a great place with so many helpful people! That really explains to me the difference between a bipap and a c-flex!

[<dizzy>]

sounds to me like one of the following:

1. Too much heat on humdifier, this can cause the nasal passages to congest (try with lower heat).
2. You condition changed requiring higher pressure to treat you.
3. Worn out cushion on your mask, this allows more leaks and prevents the machine from delivering its prescribed pressure.

If your congested, be careful using a decongestent too long, otc types like Afrin used longer than 10days at a time can have the reverse effect.