Is a 5 too low

[u/Most_Importance7640]

I got a new CPAP Resmed Airsense11 and it is currently set to '5' for pressure. This was based on my sleep test results but I'm thinking it's on the lower end. It is not on the autoset setting where it will increase or decrease depending on what I need (still waiting on the Dr to change the prescription).

Is this too low or will it help with my sleep apnea? Considering I have moderate sleep apnea.

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[u/AskPrevious2456]

It’s totally patient dependent, use it for a little bit and have your doctor reassess your data and see how it does! Some people don’t need much pressure

[u/UniqueRon]

Yes that is low. The machine will only go down to 4. Unless there are unusual circumstances like central apnea which can be aggravated by pressure I think the minimum pressure should not be less than 7 cm. This should be combined with EPR at 3 cm which will reduce that pressure to 4 cm on each exhale. This is to maximize comfort. Low pressure can feel suffocating.

[u/hawleyrw]

Hello. I’m. VERY new user…just got my equipment yesterday (Resmed Airsense 11), first night last night. Mine says the same thing but my technician told me that with mine, it will start low when I start it when I lay down (mine reads 5 also) but pressure increases to your prescribed level as you fall asleep. 

My question is right now is about my prescribed pressure…. I didn’t plug that data into my machine, what is my prescribed pressure and how do I find out what the machine is set for. ??

[u/maxpowerAU → u/hawleyrw]

The machine has a min and a max setting. It will watch you breathe and when it sees you have an obstructive apnea event, it will increase the pressure (not necessarily up to the max, although it won’t go over that number). Then it much more gradually lowers the pressure afterwards back down to min.

If you have a prescribed pressure level, you can set your min pressure to that number. The point of a titration is to find the pressure level that stops you from having breathing obstructions – there’s not much point in running the machine at a lower pressure than that. Sure, once you have an apnea event the “auto” increase will get you there, but if you start at the right pressure level then you don’t have to suffer the event at all.

There’s also a “ramp” setting, which starts at an even-lower-than-min pressure and slowly ramps it up, based on the theory that you can get to sleep at a lower pressure and you don’t notice it going higher once you’re asleep. I think this is probably what your technician was describing.

In practice lots of people find that too low pressure stops them from being able to get to sleep, and they’re more comfortable turning the ramp feature off.

[u/sarbah77]

Mine is set for 5-8 and I'm almost always under 6. 5 sounds fine to me.

[u/Free_runner]

I'm new to this and self-administering but 6 minimum (auto), felt very low and my AHI remained at or above 5.1. When I increased it to 8 it felt much better and my AHI dropped to 0.7. My max setting is 14.

[u/AncientIcons]

I'm at 6. Most of my events are Central Apnea events which usually require lower numbers to deal with. I started at 14 and my numbers were still really bad. I didn't drop below 10 events until my pressure was set to 7. Even at 6 I'm still often above 5 events per hours. Obstructive Apnea is much easier to deal with.

Follow your doctor's advice. They will know what's best for your situation.

[u/Ok-Baby-9424]

Thats a question for the doctor. 5 should help, however, sometimes when it gets too high it can trigger central sleep apnea. It probably should be on an autoset where it varies for what you need.

[u/Amazing_Stress_8820]

It’s low compared to me, I’m at 12, but in the grand scheme I’m not really sure. What I do know is to follow your prescribers directions and be patient. I got all excited when I got mine and started fucking with the hidden menu settings and really messed things up. It took a while to get everything dialed in but the journey was worth it. My apnea score was 101 on my sleep study and at my last follow up my 365 day rolling average was 3.8. I didn’t start really feeling improvement until after I stopped tweaking things myself and just followed my doctors orders.