What the heck happened last night?

[WillMakeIt]

Hi, and thank you for such a great forum!  This post might get confusing, though.  

I was diagnosed with a mild sleep apnea (6.4AHI, saturation as low as 84%), but the symptoms feel anything but mild.  I’m overweight, with a thick neck.  Sleep habits are bad (6.5 hrs max a night, also waking up at least twice due to my two young boys)


I finally picked up an AirSense 10 last week with a full face mask.  I was prescribed a 5cmh2o, which the DME made me very aware that it’s low.   I can fall asleep pretty easily with it on, but after that it’s anyone’s guess.  


Last night, with the mask on, I woke up gasping for breath.  But it was weird, it wasn’t as severe as other times (without Cpap) where I would I jump out of bed.  I simply woke up, wondered what just happened, and fell back asleep.  But this is where it gets blurry.  I don’t know if I took the mask off or not after that.  The next time I woke up, though, the mask was on.


I finally had enough of it around 7am, and fell asleep until 10 with no mask.  


Last night was definitely the most struggle I’ve had with the mask.  Even my wife was P*ssed off, and she’s a heavy sleeper.  She said I woke up several times, fiddling with the machine, but my mask was on every time she saw me.  


In the morning, i opened my snore recording app, and for about an hour of it, I can hear the sound of air blowing through a mask that’s not on face, with my snoring faintly heard.  Then for another hour, the loud air sound is no longer heard but a light snoring is heard.  Was I snoring with the mask on?  If so, is my pressure too low?


I remember through the night that I looked at my sleep report, and it said I had an AHI of 22.  When I woke up, it was 5.2.  It has been less than 1 all the other nights.  This has been accessed through the machine and myAir app.  


I have had a dry mouth since treatment, but that was the case even without treatment.  I couldn’t tolerate pillows at the study, but maybe I’ll buy some to try out again.  Also, I get a sore spot on the bridge of my nose, with a pressure that lingers for a lot of the day.  


Anyways, I’m just trying to make sense of my night.  Was I in such deep sleep that I can’t remember the time I took my mask off?  If so, that might be a small victory because I actually slept deeply.  It’s actually happened two or three of the previous nights.  


I think overall, despite last night, I’m having success with adjusting to CPAP.  A lot has to do with the fact that I just want to get better, and that I had been anticipating a sleep apnea diagnosis for several years.  But, will CPAP actually help me alleviate my issues? I have had a couple decent days, but otherwise I have felt the same.  

Thanks for reading.

[Sleeprider]

I think the first step is to download and install the free #Sleepyhead software. I provides breath by breath data that lets you analyze problems in a way MyAir can't. There is relatively little we can tell you from your description, but with the Sleepyhead data there will be no guessing. One important question is what Airsense 10 did you get. The CPAP does not produce any useful data, but if you got the Elite or Autoset the information we need will be there.en

It sounds like your pressure is too low, your mask may be leaking and other issues may be there. I assume you had a diagnostic study, but did you have a titration study to set the pressure? Did you obtain copies of any studies for your records?

[WillMakeIt]

Thank you! I will start using Sleepyhead tonight.

I have the Autoset. It says I used it for 5:53 last night (I think it is including my attempt at a nap yesterday afternoon - 40 minutes with the mask on). Mask on/off 6 times, with a “good” seal.

Does Sleepyhead show if there was snoring? Is snoring even possible with the CPAP or am I just imagining things?

Do you have any ideas of why AHI was 22 at a point? Could that be due to the mask being off while the machine was running?

[WillMakeIt]

It sounds like your pressure is too low, your mask may be leaking and other issues may be there.  I assume you had a diagnostic study, but did you have a titration study to set the pressure?  Did you obtain copies of any studies for your records?

I did not obtain copies.  Who do I talk to for that? My PCP?  What should I be looking for in those documents?

I had a titration study as well, but only slept for 2 hours straight.  My PCP said I had 0 events during that time.  I’m guessing the pressure was 5cmh2o, since that is what was prescribed.

[SarcasticDave94]

Thank you!  I will start using Sleepyhead tonight.  

I have the Autoset.  It says I used it for 5:53 last night (I think it is including my attempt at a nap yesterday afternoon - 40 minutes with the mask on). Mask on/off 6 times, with a “good” seal.  

Does Sleepyhead show if there was snoring?  Is snoring even possible with the CPAP or am I just imagining things?  

Do you have any ideas of why AHI was 22 at a point?  Could that be due to the mask being off while the machine was running?

Welcome to Apnea Board.

Sleepyhead can and will show a snoring chart. And, yes snoring is still possible with a CPAP. I'd be inclined to believe it is more possible when the settings are not optimized. However, even I show snore activity on occasion despite an AHI under 2.0 over the past 5 months. It may be caused sometimes by positional issues (side vs back or stomach sleeping). There is also a soft cervical neck collar that helps keep the head and neck aligned to minimize throat restrictions. Maybe that can reduce the snore episodes as well.

The AHI of 22 possibly could be a mask off situation like you describe.

[WillMakeIt]

Thank you!  I will start using Sleepyhead tonight.  

I have the Autoset.  It says I used it for 5:53 last night (I think it is including my attempt at a nap yesterday afternoon - 40 minutes with the mask on). Mask on/off 6 times, with a “good” seal.  

Does Sleepyhead show if there was snoring?  Is snoring even possible with the CPAP or am I just imagining things?  

Do you have any ideas of why AHI was 22 at a point?  Could that be due to the mask being off while the machine was running?

Welcome to Apnea Board.

Sleepyhead can and will show a snoring chart. And, yes snoring is still possible with a CPAP. I'd be inclined to believe it is more possible when the settings are not optimized. However, even I show snore activity on occasion despite an AHI under 2.0 over the past 5 months. It may be caused sometimes by positional issues (side vs back or stomach sleeping). There is also a soft cervical neck collar that helps keep the head and neck aligned to minimize throat restrictions. Maybe that can reduce the snore episodes as well.

The AHI of 22 possibly could be a mask off situation like you describe.

Thank you for the welcome and the reply


I was always under the impression that sleep apnea is caused by snoring, so that’s why I’m a bit concerned about the snoring.  I don’t really care that I snore nor does my wife.  It’s typically a light snore.


Any idea why I was gasping for breath despite having the Cpap running?  That kind of upset me.

[Sleeprider]

It sounds like your pressure is too low, your mask may be leaking and other issues may be there.  I assume you had a diagnostic study, but did you have a titration study to set the pressure?  Did you obtain copies of any studies for your records?

I did not obtain copies.  Who do I talk to for that? My PCP?  What should I be looking for in those documents?

I had a titration study as well, but only slept for 2 hours straight.  My PCP said I had 0 events during that time.  I’m guessing the pressure was 5cmh2o, since that is what was prescribed.

All medical records must be provided to you by law (HIPAA) just ask and they are yours. Your Titration study may not be representative of your sleep. If you have the Autoset, put it in Autoset mode from 5 to 12 pressure and we will learn what you really need pretty quickly. 

Your machine is capable of so much, but what is the model and do you have EPR on?