So on May 4th of this year, I finally joined the ranks of an official CPAP owner Having had issues with snoring and daytime somnolence, I figured I would get checked out. So, like many of you, I did the sleep lab assessment, followed by the titration study. Results indicated I have Moderate OSA with a preferred pressure at 14cm H2O on a full face mask. Now, my first comment on that is that I'm not sure how they got that, because I felt like I slept only about 10 minutes that evening What I do remember is having woken up to someone holding a leaf blower in my mouth (at least it felt that way). I walked away with probably the worst sleep of my life that night. So, I was given a Phillips Respironics Dreamstation APAP and an Amari Full face. Worked for a week or so, but since I am a side sleeper, kept on having issues and didn't feel good forcing me to breath through my mouth (i always thought I was a mouth breather). So, I tried the Wisp. Low AHI's (.5-1.5), but felt like inspiration was being hampered. Tried the large size, then leaks ensued. Finally, tried out the Dreamwear Nasal Pillows. I like the minimalist aspect, the comfort, and ability to sleep on the side. it also provides me with low AHI's (.4-1). So that's the back story. Now the issue...I have always awoken multiple times nightly, unsure why. Tossing and turning. True insomnia or OSA. I felt like after the sleep study this was due to awakenings as a result of having sleep apnea. But to be honest, it feel like my sleep has gotten worse. I will usually get about 3-4 hours of sleep initially (9:45-2-2:30), and I habitually wake-up for some unknown reason. Then, its almost impossible for me to return to a good sleep. I've looked at Sleepyhead charts seeing if I can account for that, but it's relatively Greek to me. I've looked at RERA, but what I do have, seems to be at the very beginning of my night, and then no more. I've aligned pressure with the 90% (9cm) with a ramp of 7. Still no change. I use breathe right strips to help, anti-histamines, exercise daily, good sleep hygiene, to no avail.
In closing, any thoughts and advice would help so much. If I need to post reports, please let me know. I think I had better sleep without it, but know I need to continue for health reasons. As a side note, i'm healthy, and take only multi-vitamins and an Anti-depressant (SSRI).