Frustrated [Not getting enough sleep]

[brianj1965]

Hello, 

I am new to the forum. And, I love it! 

Last year 2016 I received a call from my 1st cousin in Chicago. He called to remind me that it was the 60th birthday. Two weeks later his wife found him dead. He had a heart attack. He had not been using his CPAP consistently.

This was the first time I'd ever even heard of a CPAP machine. It turns out that several of his fraternity brothers were using CPAP machines and told me that I should get tested. 

After returning to Michigan I schedule a test and it turns out that I averaged 16.4 incidents per hour!!!

So, I was immediately prescribed CPAP therapy. Unfortunately, after 3 months on CPAP I was unable to exhale whenever the machine "ramped up". So, I had an additional test and was prescribed BIPAP which, I was able to wear without issue.

The problem that I have had since childhood is that I have never been able to sleep more than 4 to 6 hours at night. Which means that I have only scored a maximum of 80 points at the highest on the myAir web dashboard.

What is the lowest acceptable score, compliance or hours allowable?

Any response is greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

Brian Jefferies

[gwc2795]

4 hours per night

[mjoereid]

I am in no way and expert as I have only been on cpap a 3 months myself. I am sorry about your cousin but do you know how bad his apnea was? Yours at 16.4 AHI does not seems that severe but should be treated. Not sure how to teach oneself to sleep longer have have the same issue of managing only 6 hours with some time 2-3 bathroom breaks which doesn't lead to a restful sleep.

[JesseLee]

24 days out of 30 with 4 hours use will skate you by, but it's not effective for good therapy. 8 hours a night for 30 out of 30 with quality sleep should be your goal. Welcome to Apnea Board!

[kiwii]

I thought that it was 'normal' for me to sleep less too (5-6 hours), but.. Surprise! With treatment I am now sleeping a solid 8 hours every night.

I don't know if this is a common result of successful treatment, and I didn't do anything to 'try' to sleep longer. It just happened on its own.

edit: Uh, wait a second. I have made changes that may have impacted my sleep:

1. sleep hygiene, especially getting rid of any light sources in the bedroom and not using devices within 2 hours of going to bed (as they are known to interfere with melatonin production)

2. being diligent to monitor vitamin D levels and try to keep them within normal ranges (this is difficult for me)

[OpalRose]

Hi Brian,
"What is the lowest acceptable score, compliance or hours allowable?"

That depends.  Are you trying to meet compliance for insurance purposes?  If yes, then this is a guideline that Medicare and most insurance companies use:  

Compliance:
Must use CPAP a minimum of 4 hours a day, 70% of the time, for 30 consecutive days within the first 90-day period.
Must also have a face to face Doctor Appointment after the first 31 days, but before the 90-day period is up.

I wouldn't put too much stock in what "My Air" reports.  

You should definitely try to get in more than 4-6 hours sleep.  In the beginning, I used Melatonin for a few weeks to try and reset my "clock."  It seemed to work.  
I also had to change my habits of watching late night TV and started to go to bed around the same time each night.  If I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep after 20 minutes, I got up and read a book until I got tired, then went back to bed.  Bottom line, you have to change old habits...one at a time.

[Hojo]

Brian:  Please download Sleepyhead and post your results, this way we can see exactly what is going on, even better than what your doctor will see.  When I took my laptop to the doctor and showed him the results, he had a much better understanding as to what was going on and that I needed an immediate change in my machine.

[trish6hundred]

Hi brianj1965,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
It's great to hear that you are treating your sleep apnea.
Hang in there for more responses to your post