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+--- Thread: Disturbing breathing patterns? Please help. (/Thread-Disturbing-breathing-patterns-Please-help)
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Disturbing breathing patterns? Please help. - mRFstro - 10-18-2017
Hello,
I was diagnosed with OSA with an AHI of only 7, but 95% of the events were hypopneas. I felt like hell - like my heart was failing, extreme dizziness, major insomnia, but never ever did I feel "sleepy" while awake. The opposite actually, overcharged. I've been under APAP treatment for about 4 months now and have improved only a little.
What worries me is that my AHI is extremely low now, but I still wake up a ton during the night and struggle to keep a regular pattern. I'm far from a Sleepyhead expert but my Flow Rate chart looks extremely erratic every night as far as I can tell. Would somebody mind telling me how it should look? Should there be giants spikes, dips, areas that look like scribbling, multiple flatlines not flagged, clusters of tight waves followed by clusters of wide waves and vice versa? Do these represent normal transitions to different sleep stages, or should I get checked for brain damage?
RE: Disturbing breathing patterns? Please help. - Gideon - 10-18-2017
Post your sleepyhead daily charts. We will look at and interpret the data for you. We cannot properly advise on a complex pattern without seeing it.
In addition to the daily's post some 2 minute segments of the problematic flows.
Fred
RE: Disturbing breathing patterns? Please help. - Apnea Infant - 10-18-2017
Hi and welcome to the Board.
I see its your first thread and first post. Reply 3 more times will get you to 4 posts after which you can attach files but better still upload to imager which will keep your history as oversized attachments can get detached.
You can get 'how to' in the wiki, I believe.
RE: Disturbing breathing patterns? Please help. - Apnea Infant - 10-18-2017
Helpful links also in Bonjour's signature.
RE: Disturbing breathing patterns? Please help. - mRFstro - 10-19-2017
http://imgur.com/a/kYI48
Thank you guys. Here are a few screenshots. Every night has absolutely banana sequences like this.
I see "normal" patterns 1/3 to 1/2 the night.
RE: Disturbing breathing patterns? Please help. - Mogy - 10-19-2017
I can't tell you if the breathing in the images you posted is particularly bad, but I know that if you look closely enough you will find something that looks funny in everyone's waveforms sooner or later.
I have stopped looking too closely at mine.
RE: Disturbing breathing patterns? Please help. - PaulaO2 - 10-19-2017
(10-18-2017, 11:40 PM)Apnea Infant Wrote: Hi and welcome to the Board.
I see its your first thread and first post. Reply 3 more times will get you to 4 posts after which you can attach files but better still upload to imager which will keep your history as oversized attachments can get detached.
You can get 'how to' in the wiki, I believe.
Help folks by telling them how to break up the link, not to spam the forum just to get their count up. Please and thank you.
http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Thread-How-to-Insert-Links-as-New-Member
RE: Disturbing breathing patterns? Please help. - Apnea Infant - 10-19-2017
(10-19-2017, 12:39 AM)PaulaO2 Wrote:(10-18-2017, 11:40 PM)Apnea Infant Wrote: Hi and welcome to the Board.
I see its your first thread and first post. Reply 3 more times will get you to 4 posts after which you can attach files but better still upload to imager which will keep your history as oversized attachments can get detached.
You can get 'how to' in the wiki, I believe.
Help folks by telling them how to break up the link, not to spam the forum just to get their count up. Please and thank you.
http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Thread-How-to-Insert-Links-as-New-Member
Sorry Paula, I had read other posters advising such and followed. Did not realise it was undesirable. Will not do it again, promise........
RE: Disturbing breathing patterns? Please help. - Sleeprider - 10-19-2017
mRfstro, interesting charts. For future screenshots, please minimize the monthly calendar by clicking the triangle in the date line. We have a screenshot from August 9, and the rest are October 17. The August 9 shot shows use of a wide range of autoset pressure (4-20) with EPR at 2, and the October 17 shots are all with undetermined auto pressure ranging and no EPR. The event rate in all charts is good.
On October 9, the breathing shows a section of what appears to be awakening where you take a breath, hold it, exhale, and it is very erratic. I don't think this is a sleeping pattern. The remaining shots from the 17th all resemble RERA events, and one includes a RERA flag. The pattern is shallow, relatively rapid breathing with arousals and large recovery breaths. The segment at 08:24:40 shows considerable flow limitation. I can't say what causes these patterns or if they are common through the sleep session. If the clock on your CPAP is accurate you are a day sleeper, and this can be quite disruptive by itself, especially if your hours are not consistent.
I don't have specific recommendations based on this, except your pressure range appears fairly wide, and I'm not sure why you moved away from EPR. Maybe you could fill us in a little more.
RE: Disturbing breathing patterns? Please help. - mRFstro - 10-19-2017
(10-19-2017, 08:27 AM)Sleeprider Wrote: mRfstro, interesting charts. For future screenshots, please minimize the monthly calendar by clicking the triangle in the date line. We have a screenshot from August 9, and the rest are October 17. The August 9 shot shows use of a wide range of autoset pressure (4-20) with EPR at 2, and the October 17 shots are all with undetermined auto pressure ranging and no EPR. The event rate in all charts is good.
On October 9, the breathing shows a section of what appears to be awakening where you take a breath, hold it, exhale, and it is very erratic. I don't think this is a sleeping pattern. The remaining shots from the 17th all resemble RERA events, and one includes a RERA flag. The pattern is shallow, relatively rapid breathing with arousals and large recovery breaths. The segment at 08:24:40 shows considerable flow limitation. I can't say what causes these patterns or if they are common through the sleep session. If the clock on your CPAP is accurate you are a day sleeper, and this can be quite disruptive by itself, especially if your hours are not consistent.
I don't have specific recommendations based on this, except your pressure range appears fairly wide, and I'm not sure why you moved away from EPR. Maybe you could fill us in a little more.
Thank you for your reply, Sleeprider.
I've experimented with higher minimum pressures lately because I suspected I might have severe UARS. Trying to inch closer to my 90% pressure. Is this advisable? The staff at my sleep clinic don't seem to know anything besides how to monitor AHI.
I turned EPR off the past few nights because I've read that it doesnt offer benefits besides comfort and may harm. Just experimenting.
Not really a day sleeper except for that day, but it's good to know irregular sleep hours can be behind all of this. I do struggle to keep regular hours between midnight and noon. Thank you for that information, it's a huge relief and something for me to focus on.
I don't suppose there's a flow pattern guide floating around somewhere?