Hello all,
I’m new to CPAP having been diagnosed only last month. My Sleep Study AHI was 25.1 during the overnight visit. I have also been diagnosed with a deviated septum by an ENT who suggested that corrective surgery might alleviate some of my difficulties with CPAP. This would be my last choice.
I’m using the Philips Respironics DreamStation Auto CPAP with a Philips Respironics DreamWare nasal cushion mask. I have also tried a full face and nasal only mask with poor results. At this point the mask I’m using seems to work fine and is comfortable.
My initial setting was 5-9 with AFlex-3 and ramp. I quickly figured out that the ramp was of no help and that 5 was just too low as I was starved for air. I upped the min pressure to 6 and turned off the ramp feature. I have set the humidifier to 5 with the heat on 3.
I’ve struggled through about 25 days of therapy with bad to awful results. I’m having a difficult time falling asleep as my nasal passages seem to close up when CPAP is applied. Although, changing the heat and humidity settings have helped. The most troubling problem I’m experiencing is that I wake up each morning between 3:30 - 4:00 AM and am unable to fall back asleep. Eventually after 30 minutes or more I remove the mask and find I can fall asleep again. I’m averaging about 6 hours of use per night with what I would guess to be about 4:30 of actual sleep. Needless to say, I’m more exhausted now than I’ve ever been.
To date I have changed the min setting, turned off ramp, adjusted the humidity and temp and have started using Flonase nasal spray. I am also using a Breathe Right Nasal Strip each night which has actually been one of the better remedies that I have found.
I’m in a profession that will require that I use the CPAP a minimum of 70% of the time for at least 6 hours per night with an AHI < 5 and my doctors sign off that my condition is being managed successfully. Additionally, I have to actually be rested. At this point I’m a bit freaked out to say the least. I can force the usage compliance even if it kills me but actually having the therapy work so that I receive a good night’s sleep is another thing.
I have posted, I hope properly, my last night of SleepyHead data and can post more if it would help.
My main concerns are as follows.
- How do I keep my nasal passages sufficiently open so that I’m not starved for air and can fall asleep more naturally? I would like for surgery to be a last resort.
- How can I stop this pattern of waking in the early morning hours so that I can receive a full night’s sleep?
- What adjustments to my settings might help the above as well as lower my AHI to a more therapeutic level.
As a side note my Sleep Specialist Doctor seems to be of the mindset that continued Sleep “Titration” studies are the answer. I’m not apposed but if the outcome would be minor adjustments to settings I believe this can be accomplished without taking more of time. Additionally, he was verbally upset that I purchased equipment from an online supplier rather than his inhouse representative. That is a red flag to me. Especially since I’m not using insurance for the equipment.
Any help or thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for taking the time to assist with my journey. I’ll make reports and keep this thread current if people believe it might be of assistance to others in the future.
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GuppyDRV