How Do I Change the Settings in CPAP?

When you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea, you may be prescribed a continuous positive airway pressure machine, or CPAP. This machine helps you to breathe during the night and prevents you from experiencing the breathing pauses while you sleep. Typically, a health care provider or other technician will adjust the settings of the machine, but users can also make adjustments with the guidance of a physician.

Respironics REMstar M Series

• To reset this machine, you must unplug the machine. Open the LCD display cover, and press the two buttons at the back of the machine. Hold the buttons while you plug the machine back in. The machine will beep twice and the word "Setup" will appear on the display. You are then able to scroll through and adjust the settings, such as CPAP pressure, altitude, ramp time and starting pressure. Once you have finished adjusting the settings, the machine will reset to normal operation within a couple of minutes.

Puritan Bennett GoodKnight 420 Series

• Find the button that is located between the two "Os" in the word "GoodKnight." Press this button and the Information Access button together. After several seconds, the machine will move into the provider setup mode, allowing you to make changes to the settings. Some of the settings you can change include CPAP pressure, starting ramp pressure, ramp time, hour-meter value and offset to pressure sensor. The Information Access button allows you to scroll through the options, while the arrow buttons allows you to make the necessary changes.

ResMed S8 Series

• For the ResMed S8 Series CPAP machines, you must press the right and down arrows at the same time for about three seconds. The word "clinical" will appear on the display window to indicate you are in clinical mode. This mode allows you to make changes to the settings on your machine. The left and right arrows will cycle through the options and the up and down arrows will change the settings. Some of the settings you can change include minimum and maximum pressure, ramp settings, leak alerts and mask type.

Philips-Respironics PR System One

• Plug the cord into the wall first and then into the back of the CPAP machine to power up the machine. A home screen will appear with four boxes that contain various aspects of the machine you can enter. Remove the smart card from the machine. Use the scroll wheel to highlight the settings box. Press and hold the scroll wheel, while simultaneously pressing the ramp button for about five seconds. The machine will beep twice, and the provider mode menu will appear. Scroll through the settings, and make any necessary changes.