10 months on CPAP. Low AHI. Still feel like crap

[planetf1]

I have been on CPAP for 10 months after diagnosed of severe sleep apnea (AHI - 54)

I still don’t feel any better with my brain fog and fatigue.

I have attached my OSCAR report for the past few nights.

Any basic advice would be extremely appreciated.

[Geer1]

Overall your data looks pretty decent, it seems hard to believe you would have seen little to no improvement going from 54 AHI to effectively 0. The only thing that looks slightly less than desirable would be the amount of flow limitation but it seems like a long shot it would be the cause of noticeable brain fog and fatigue.

You can try increasing EPR to 3 which should help reduce this flow limitation a bit. If that doesn't make a noticeable difference you could try switching to APAP mode (instead of autoset for her), it more aggressively targets flow limitation and may make a minor difference.

For the most part what you are looking for is a decrease in the 95% statistic for flow limitation which in these three nights was 0.08, 0.08 and 0.1 and if you feel any better because of it.

[Melman]

I will second what Geer has recommended. EPR of 3 should reduce your flow limitations.

[Dormeo]

Ditto re EPR and mode. But also give some thought to other things that may be contributing to poor sleep and/or daytime fog and fatigue.

1. Sleep "hygiene." I hate the word, but the advice is sound. You may get better sleep if you follow these guidelines:

• Keep a consistent sleep schedule. Get up at the same time every day, even on weekends or during vacations.
• Set a bedtime that is early enough for you to get at least 7 hours of sleep.
• Don’t go to bed unless you are sleepy.
• If you don’t fall asleep after 20 minutes, get out of bed.
• Establish a relaxing bedtime routine.
• Use your bed only for sleep and sex.
• Make your bedroom quiet and relaxing. Keep the room at a comfortable, cool temperature.
• Limit exposure to bright light in the evenings.
• Turn off electronic devices at least 30 minutes before bedtime.
• Don’t eat a large meal before bedtime. If you are hungry at night, eat a light, healthy snack.
• Exercise regularly and maintain a healthy diet.
• Avoid consuming caffeine in the late afternoon or evening.
• Avoid consuming alcohol before bedtime.
• Reduce your fluid intake before bedtime.

2. Medications. Google each medication you take -- prescription and over-the-counter -- to see whether they can either interfere with sleep or cause daytime fog or fatigue.

3. Other causes. It's important for your health that you are treating your severe apnea, but it may have been only one of several reasons for daytime fatigue and fog. I'd recommend bringing this up with your primary care physician, if you haven't already, to see whether he or she might do some tests to screen for other conditions. Possible candidates: low testosterone, low thyroid, anemia, autoimmune disease, Lyme disease. I'm sure there are many others.