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Re: Problemsexhaling wih C-PAP machine

Posted by Jeff on May 05, 1998 at 07:41:41:

In Reply to: Re: Problemsexhaling wih C-PAP machine posted by Greg Harper on May 03, 1998 at 19:49:33:

Greg,

That was a fascinating explanation. Thanks.

I, like BAS4, feel that when I exhale while using CPAP I'm not getting all the air out of my lungs. I don't get a feeling of shortness of breath or any discomfort whatsoever but I've wondered if this isn't part of the reason CPAP has proven relatively ineffective for me over the last 2 years. Here's what my wife and I have observed.

While I'm awake and using CPAP, there's a natural point where I stop exhaling against the pressure. My guess is that point is reached after exhaling about 50 to 70% of the volume of air in my lungs. With a little extra effort, I am able to push out the rest of the air. After such an effort the next inhalation is a large volume of air. This is how I used to breathe. The problem is that emptying my lungs while on CPAP requires a conscious effort. When I fall asleep, I am only able to partially exhale against the pressure resulting in very shallow breathing. For all I know, the air in the bottom of my lungs when I wake up is the from the last deep breath I took before falling asleep.

Is a bi-level machine helpful in a situation like this? Could the shallow breathing and inability to empty my lungs of CO2 be adversely effecting the quality of my sleep?

Jeff


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