When I saw the sleep doc about two weeks ago, I asked about getting an AutoPAPA or similar to adjust to my allergy congestion, my snoring, etc. vs using a machine with the same pressure all the time (other than ramping) that does not adjust to daily/nightly situations.

He said he didn't feel the adjusting xPAPs did any good. That the constantly changing pressure did not help patients in the least. That using one pressure all the time was better. He said that they only recommend BiPAPs for people with severe breathing difficulties that made breathing out against the pressure impossible.

I mentioned this to the DME and she said that they (meaning the doc office) did not like any of the newer machines and they rarely prescribe a BiPAP.

I've had my machine (Resmed S7) 4 yrs and ins. won't pay for another one for another year, and even then it is difficult to get them to do so. Although they rented the machine for 2 yrs, paying, basically, for about 7 machines in that time period. Even now, I don't actually own this machine. They still pay a yearly fee to cover repairs and such, which it has never needed.

What does research say about the effectiveness of the AutoPAPs? Meaning, the ones that can be set to change pressure depending on nightly needs?

What about research that say keeping the pressure the same is better?

I would like to know the answer to that too. At present I'm doing a home titration to see if my pressure needs changing and when that machines blows 20cm I can't stand it. It wakes me up so then I turn the machine off and back on again so it's back at 4cm. Much more comfortable to breathe. If I need a higher pressure I would like to know how people feel about apap and if it makes a difference. At what pressure do they start considering one?