RE: New CPAP user
Yes. I think you are right that an OA that results in little SpO2 drop does not constitute a health concern.
It may have disrupted your sleep, though.
With your chart, I would think any min pressure from 4 to 8 will not have much effect on your score. Once you get to 8, any small adjustment beyond that will probably impact machine behavior. So, once you graduate from 8.0, I would adjust about 0.4 at a time. See what 8.4 and then what 8.8 does for you.
QAL
RE: New CPAP user
The 2 things I would look at are- the flow limits. Flow limits are obstructive apnea just like oa and H events. ResMed raises the pressure as soon as it detects flow limits, they need better controlled. We use EPR in an autoset and PS (they are the same thing) in the VAUTO.
Look at your pressure chart - looks like a mountain rang. When the pressure goes up and down like that it stops people from getting deep sleep or wakes you up. We limit that with EPR or PS.
AGAIN MIN8 and EPR 3 will help both problems.
12-01-2021, 11:26 AM
(This post was last modified: 12-01-2021, 11:28 AM by SarcasticDave94.
Edit Reason: PS added
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RE: New CPAP user
"The Aircurve was $250 more expensive than the Airsense 10, which is okay if I am going to hook up every night with this"
If by every night you mean needing to use the PAP and mask. Yes this is every night or it'll not be helpful. PAP therapy is like medication that you take every night. You need to do so consistently.
PS, it looks like your pressures are still default starting at 4 with EPR 3. If you want EPR 3 to work, Min pressure 4 will need to be at least 7.
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEBSITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
RE: New CPAP user
Cylinderbear, I recommend that you turn off the ramp feature, which is keeping your pressures too low whenever your start or restart the machine. Also, this way you'll get the nice EPR feel from the outset (see Dave's comment). Also, I think you'll like a minimum of 8.
Although pressure changes don't bother a lot of people, they do bother some, and you might be one of them. So smoothing things out will be good. When you get your VAuto, try pressure support of 3.6, say, and see how that goes. It should be fine. Then you can increase PS by increments of .2 until your flow limitations decrease and your pressure smooths out.
Events can mess with your progression through sleep stages during the night, so even if your O2 levels are fine, they can be a problem. We need adequate deep sleep to keep our bodies in good repair, and we need adequate REM sleep to function well during the day.
That said, your AHI is nice and low, and as long as it stays in that range, you're good as far as that goes. You'll want to focus on the other issues that may be fragmenting your sleep, and the main potential culprit for you right now seems to be flow limitations.
How did you achieve zero leaks? That's amazing!
Next time you post a chart, you could replace the mask pressure graph with leaks and snores. To fit them in, grab the horizontal gray bars that separate the graphs and push them up a little.
RE: New CPAP user
Thank you for all your help. I tried minimum pressure of 8 last night but I felt it’s blowing a bit hard. It made my nose itches and I broke the skin when I scratched it.. ??
Broken skin didn’t go well with the mask… so yesterday was not compliant..
I will try 7 tonight and gradually increase to 8.
About the zero leak - I think I subconsciously try not to move around with the mask on. This makes my back a bit sore after staying in the same position for 8 hours straight. Maybe my sored back contributes to my arousal too…
RE: New CPAP user
Inching up to 8 sounds like a good plan. And see what happens if you worry less about moving around.
