CPAP-Reviews

I used to think my snoring was normal since I have been snoring for as long as I can remember. My girlfriend would complain often about her migraine headaches however I never put two and two together until these two events:

1. A massage therapist suggested that the root cause of her tension headaches were related to knots found in her neck and shoulders
2. She read in a magazine <source unknown> that women that sleep with men that snore are more prone to developing hearing loss and snoring [by their partner] could cause tension headaches!

I decided to get checked out for sleep apnea. I’m not overweight; I’m 5’6, 155 lbs and I go to the gym about 3 times a week. However I was diagnosed with minor sleep apnea after taking a home test from the Kaiser sleep lab.

The options were to go with a CPAP machine or to get surgery. I originally wanted to get surgery however the sleep lab technician quickly talked me out of it. Why? The procedure had a 50% success rate at best and there have been some strange side effects recorded (side effects could occur even if the surgery is not successful). I chose CPAP since it wasn’t permanent.

Like many people I found it extremely difficult to sleep with the CPAP mask and machine in the beginning. I’d say it took about 5 months to really get used to the whole setup, but the results are well worth it.

Now after about a year with CPAP I have noticed the following:

1. It seems like I’m getting more restful sleep in a shorter amount of time
2. I take less/shorter nap
3. [and the most important] My girlfriend no longer has tension headaches on a daily basis!

I would say #3 is the most important reason to try out CPAP if you are diagnosed with sleep apnea.  If not for yourself, do it for your partner. It’s not permanent like surgery, and if you have the proper insurance (durable medical equipment) you may only pay about 20% of the retail price.

You can adjust most CPAP machines without a Doctor if you can unlock it. This is especially useful if you purchase your machine second hand and you need to adjust your CPAP machine to your prescription. I’ve seen people SELLING this information on Ebay. Search around on the internet before you pay for free information.

I own a remstar mseries CPAP machine and here is how to get into the menu where you can change the settings:

1. Unplug the CPAP power supply.
2. Open the top plastic flip cover
3. Hold down BOTH arrow buttons
4. Plug the AC power back in while continuing to hold down the arrow buttons
5. Release the arrow buttons after you hear two quick beeps

Now you can get into the setup menu by pressing the + button. You will see:

1. Therapy Mode (not adjustable on my machine)
2. CPAP Pressure (This is the normal Pressure-put in what your doctor has prescribed for you)
3. Altitude (1, 2, or 3-I believe 2 and 3 are for higher altitudes; I just leave mine at 1 since I’m at sea level)
4. Fine Pressure Adjustment (I haven’t ever changed this)
5. Ramp Time (This is great for fine tuning how long you want the Ramp time to be. I started out with the longest ramp time of 45 minutes and now after CPAPing for a while I’m down to 30 minutes. You shouldn’t have to go to the doctor to adjust this!)
6. Ramp Start Pressure (My prescription is 7.0 cmH20 and I have my Ramp Start Pressure at 6.0. If you’re just starting out it may be easier to use a lower Pressure initially, maybe even the lowest setting then work your way higher if needed.)
7. Mask Alert (This will send out some beeps if your mask comes during the night. I leave mine OFF since sometimes it’s hard for me to get back to sleep after waking up in the middle of the night.)
8. Auto OFF (This doesn’t work as well as I want since it takes maybe 30 to 60 seconds for the machine to turn off, and it’s really loud. I usually reach over and just turn it off myself even though I have this feature on.)
9. Patient Reminder (I don’t use this feature)

You can adjust the C-Flex feature without unlocking it, but it is also available in this unlocked menu.