UARS Proof - Resmed Airlink Nasal Cannula
This is a nights sleep (without CPAP), as measured by nasal cannula using my Resmed Airlink sleep unit that I purchased myself outright to measure what the hell is going on whenever I want and also so I can experiment with curing my SDB by being able to test potential remedies and accurately measure nasal flow by cannula.
I am a typical low/zero AHI but high RDI case and have previously had many home sleep studies, but never a lab study. I'm slim, healthy. However I do have a significant underbite and forward head posture..
I thought you lot would appreciate a screenshot of the flow rate - the effort sensor wasn't tight enough this particular night and there's not much to show with o2 or heart rate so I have excluded these to primarily demonstrate the flow limited breathing.
The top section is a 5 minute window of my breathing. The bottom shows the entire night.
See the juicy green flow limitation all night long. You can see in the blue flow rate graph at the bottom where my breathing is more variable - this is the part of my sleep where CPAP cannot help sufficiently and where I'm continually aroused (EEG or awake). This is likely why you see short sections of no flow limited breathing during these variable sections - when I've been aroused either by EEG or actually awake briefly before heading straight back to flow limitation sleep land.
![[Image: Screenshot-1.png]](https://i.ibb.co/VWstSDS/Screenshot-1.png)
I ruled out my nasal passages by using a 3" Alaxo nasal stent after 5 months of steroid nasal spray which has improved my nasal breathing - this ultimately made no difference though. My nasal passages are absolutely fine.
I have a 6" Alaxo soft palate stent arriving shortly which I will be testing in both positions - the soft palate position and if that doesn't alleviate it, I will be stenting further below at the toungue base position, as per the clinicians manual. I suspect I may have to stent the tounge base due to my underbite. This is likely my whole problem, in my opinion.
I will only be running another test once the 6" stent arrives, as sleeping without my CPAP absolutely destroys me the next day.
Why isn't CPAP working for me? Because during REM especially (but also during other stages) it cannot eliminate flow limitations well enough causing severe sleep fragmentation. CPAP does well controllong flow limits throughout the rest of my sleep, so I'm well rested in respect to tiredness - but the effect it's having on my memory, cognition, blood pressure, waking up sweating/heart pumping during REM etc is wrecking me.
I want this fixed. CPAP for me, unfortunately, is not the complete answer.
I am hoping with the Alaxo 6" then CPAP may work as it ought to, as I have no issue using CPAP if it's treating all sleep stages effectively.
Anyway I'm babbling.
* I will update this thread when I have used the Airlink on the 6" Alaxo in the soft palate position. I have been promised it will arrive within 2 weeks from the USA distributor.
I am a typical low/zero AHI but high RDI case and have previously had many home sleep studies, but never a lab study. I'm slim, healthy. However I do have a significant underbite and forward head posture..
I thought you lot would appreciate a screenshot of the flow rate - the effort sensor wasn't tight enough this particular night and there's not much to show with o2 or heart rate so I have excluded these to primarily demonstrate the flow limited breathing.
The top section is a 5 minute window of my breathing. The bottom shows the entire night.
See the juicy green flow limitation all night long. You can see in the blue flow rate graph at the bottom where my breathing is more variable - this is the part of my sleep where CPAP cannot help sufficiently and where I'm continually aroused (EEG or awake). This is likely why you see short sections of no flow limited breathing during these variable sections - when I've been aroused either by EEG or actually awake briefly before heading straight back to flow limitation sleep land.
I ruled out my nasal passages by using a 3" Alaxo nasal stent after 5 months of steroid nasal spray which has improved my nasal breathing - this ultimately made no difference though. My nasal passages are absolutely fine.
I have a 6" Alaxo soft palate stent arriving shortly which I will be testing in both positions - the soft palate position and if that doesn't alleviate it, I will be stenting further below at the toungue base position, as per the clinicians manual. I suspect I may have to stent the tounge base due to my underbite. This is likely my whole problem, in my opinion.
I will only be running another test once the 6" stent arrives, as sleeping without my CPAP absolutely destroys me the next day.
Why isn't CPAP working for me? Because during REM especially (but also during other stages) it cannot eliminate flow limitations well enough causing severe sleep fragmentation. CPAP does well controllong flow limits throughout the rest of my sleep, so I'm well rested in respect to tiredness - but the effect it's having on my memory, cognition, blood pressure, waking up sweating/heart pumping during REM etc is wrecking me.
I want this fixed. CPAP for me, unfortunately, is not the complete answer.
I am hoping with the Alaxo 6" then CPAP may work as it ought to, as I have no issue using CPAP if it's treating all sleep stages effectively.
Anyway I'm babbling.
* I will update this thread when I have used the Airlink on the 6" Alaxo in the soft palate position. I have been promised it will arrive within 2 weeks from the USA distributor.
