When I first came here, I'd just gotten a Resmed Airsense 10; had seen my pressure, first, upped to 14, then set to Autoset with a top range of 20.
Even *with* those changes, I was having 100 events a night. Some nights, I was having as many as 160 events. Lots of obstructions and hypopneas. A bunch of clear airs and RERA's. I was fighting leakage and dry mouth because my mouth was being blown open as the pressure ramped and the full face mask cushion couldn't handle it. I wasn't sleeping well
My respiratory therapist didn't know what to do...she eventually just kicked me back to my pulmonologist who, in turn, thought I "shouldn't worry too much about my AHI".
The advice I got on this forum was what changed things for me.
Looking at my numbers, the forum gurus suggested that I might have positional problems. Too many pillows that was allowing my head to tip forward and letting gravity (and CPAP pressure) blow my mouth open and drop my chin. They also suggested I try a cervical collar to help keep my neck straight and my mouth closed.
I tried the collar first, and my numbers dropped. Pillows next, and my numbers plummeted. I had *never* had an AHI under 5 until I started laying flatter, using the collar to keep my neck straight.
I also suffer from GERD and, laying flat, started to have reflux issues, so to the above changes, I propped the head of my bed up a brick high.
That change has let me see AHI's of 1 and a few that are less. And I haven't had a single obstructive event for days. Still HA's, a few CA's, and mostly RERA's, when I have events.
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While it's always worth noting that not everyone will have the same issues or experience the same successes and failures in apnea therapy, I've become a firm believer in the notion that addressing positional problems should be a "try me first" step. Apnea is hard enough to treat if the neck is crimped and pushing the airway closed.
Of course, you should always talk with your doctor, especially if you think things aren't working or when you're looking for advice from the Internet.
Fixing position might not be the solution for everyone, but it's *also* something you can try without having to buy a lot of super-expensive equipment. It's also *not* something that doctors and respiratory therapists seem to know as much about or are as willing to suggest their patients try.