Still Snoring with PAP Treatment?
Have you or your bed partner noticed that you are still snoring or have started snoring again while on PAP (Positive Airway Pressure) treatment? Snoring while on PAP treatment might be the result of the following:
- Mask leak
- Weight gain
- Age
- The need for pressure adjustments or a titration study
Any one or combination of these factors above can cause and or contribute to snoring while on PAP treatment. Make sure that your mask fits well and that you are changing out the mask cushions on a regular basis.
Weight gain and age are also likely responsible for snoring issues that weren’t there before or were previously being managed by your PAP treatment. This may indicate that your pressures need adjustment and for some of you, this may mean a titration study. A CPAP titration study is a sleep study that is performed while you sleep at the sleep lab with your CPAP or the lab’s CPAP equipment. While you sleep, a sleep techinician monitors your sleep apnea and titrates (adjusts) the CPAP unit to make sure that the unit is eliminating your sleep apnea obstructions. However, if you are using an Auto Titrating Unit and you recently completed a sleep study, your sleep doctor or clinician can make adjustments to your APAP unit to help with snoring issues.
Make sure you let your doctor and or clinician know if you are snoring…
Safe travels!
Katia
I have been on the CPAP for over two years and have had my memory card read a couple of times to find that everything seems good. I have noticed that while my mouth is closed and I am on the machine that occasionally air fills my mouth and I have began snoring again. The air thing is bothersome to say the least. When I first started using the machine I could not even open my mouth while it was on because the air flow was tremendous. Now it doesn’t seem to even be an issue. I am a little confused. I have lost 25lbs and thought that the weight loss would have helped the situation but it seems to be getting worse. Any suggestions?
Hi Dennis,
Congratulations on your weight loss! Weight loss is a great place to start with regard to sleep apnea and for some people it may help decrease the severity of sleep apnea. It sounds like you may need to have your pressures adjusted- especially if CPAP was working for you in the past with regard to your snoring. You must consider that sleep apnea worsens with age, so it is important to have your perssures assessed a couple of times a year, and modified when necessary. Have you discussed this with your sleep doctor or whomever is processing your memory card? It’s up to your doctor about how they want to address your situation- whether you go back for a titration study or just have your pressures modified to see if snoring is eliminated.
Good luck!
Katia