Just tried SH... how bad are my stats?

[ProApneaMatt]

sorry for the late response, everyone

just wanted to show a daily chart from last night:

i.imgur.com/P5qRaeS(dot)png

and here is my machine: i.imgur.com/yBK1sK4(dot)jpg

I'm not sure if I can change my pressure.. thought my doctor had to do that?

in any case, my old mask would fall off all the time. last night, I used ducktape and paper clips to keep the velcro in place (it kept coming off at night) so I thought that'd possibly improve my stats.

looking at the daily charts make me think otherwise, though...

please let me know. I may need to visit a sleep doctor again, huh? or is it not as bad as I think?

I do feel kinda tired, but not terrible. I do want to figure this out though because around the diagnosis of my apnea is when I started experiencing panic attacks, so I do wonder if it's related.

thanks!

[ajack]

turn off vs2 little snore and it will look a lot better right click on flow rate chart name and do it from there. Under cpap overlays
fix your masks and leaks, maybe try min 10?

[DeepBreathing]

Matt, please attach your charts directly to your post rather than using Imgur. See how: http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Thread-...ttachments It will improve the readability of your chart if you turn off the calendar and the VS2 indication (which doesn't give much information but does clutter everything up).

http://i.imgur.com/P5qRaeS.png

http://i.imgur.com/yBK1sK4.jpg

The excess leaks show up very clearly at 01:45 and for the entire period from 05:30 onwards. These do need to be addressed to improve your therapy. Having said that, the rest of the night looks pretty good with a small number of events and the pressure generally staying near the minimum. Bumping up the minimum just a bit might improve things even further, if this is a typical night for you.

[ProApneaMatt]

thanks for your help... but how do I manage my settings? I am pretty sure I can't adjust anything except for maybe heat and humidity levels?

thanks

[DeepBreathing]

If you're on good terms with your sleep doc / therapist / DME you can ask them to adjust your settings. However most of us here find it's quicker, easier and more effective to manage our own therapy. Go to the CPAP Setup Manuals link at the top of this page and request the clinical manual for your machine. That will allow you to make any changes you need. First make sure you know exactly which machine you have, and follow the instructions on the download page exactly. There should be a label with the model number on the bottom of the machine - make sure the humidifier is empty before you turn it over!

[Walla Walla]

Agree with the above. The leaks have to be fixed. When your machine starts showing large leaks it means the machine can't see whats going on and is having a hard time maintaining pressure. I'm guessing you had more events during the large leaks and the machine couldn't detect them. So figure your AHI was actually about 2.
Like ajack said bumping your minimum pressure up 1cm would probably help. To access the Therapy settings hold the ramp button and the large control dial in together for 5 seconds. You can also get the clinic manual in the private files section of this site.

Two things you should read up on. Mask Primer and the leaks section in Beginners Guide to SleepyHead. Both links are just below.

[ghstudio]

I must be missing something here......the goal with any xPAP is to reduce your AHI's below 5 which is actually what "normal" people experience....and you are below 2. I agree that, of course, you should fix the air leaks, one way of the other...but I'm not sure making any adjustments is necessary....you're doing fine, you are getting effective treatment (as defined by medicare, etc). At best, changing setting might reduce your AHI's a little more, but you are fine tuning something that really doesn't need tuning.

I just don't see a reason to find the manual and go to the advanced (doctor) settings, unless you are comfortable with that sort of thing...and I don't see anything suggesting a visit to your sleep doctor unless you want to discuss masks or calm your nervousness.

Obviously, others will disagree....but then, that's what these forums are for....you get different opinions and then decide what is right for YOU. (always keep that in mind......do what you thing works for YOU, not what works for someone else).

[ProApneaMatt]

Figured how to change the settings. Going to go up to 10.5 tonight and see how that helps. I am not sure how to fix the leaks, though. I don't know if it's really leaking? maybe a little bit of air on an exhale? not too sure.

[ajack]

In my signature below there is a link to mask fit. There are also YouTube videos. I'd fix the leaks first before I change pressure

[DeepBreathing]

ghstudio, you make a very valid point - each of us has to decide how far we want to go chasing a perfect score. But I think many people on the forum would agree that getting the AHI as low as possible (and certainly well below 5.0) does lead to more restful sleep. From my own experience I know that a night with AHI over 4 or so is not at all restful - below 2.0 gives the best results.

I suspect that 5 was adopted a long time ago when diagnostic techniques and treatment machines were not as sophisticated as they are now. It was a nice convenient line to draw which prevented too many people being diagnosed. Importantly (and it still applies today) to consistently get below 5 requires an ongoing attention to detail which is not feasible in the clinical setting - doctors just don't have enough time to spend with their patients. They have to be satisfied with "good enough". The beauty of a forum like this is that we do have the time to work with each other, review the results daily if necessary, and make the small adjustments necessary to optimise the treatment.