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First time posting, asking for advice - pavitazavala - 02-03-2023
Hi everyone,
I've been using my CPAP consistently for a couple of months now after a rocky start of a few weeks.
To be honest it's a hit or miss, one night i'll have a low AHI and the next day with same settings it'll be a lot higher.
I thought i had found the right combo of settings/sizing with my FF dreamwear (attached 2-1 and 2-2)
It's been 2 nights with this size (medium) excellent leakage rate, first night super low AHI but second is over 2.
I'll keep monitoring using this mask but wanted to post now since something is consistent, and that is Central AHI.
It makes the bulk of it don't matter which mask, i'm wondering why it would be so much higher from one day to the next using same mask, pretty much same settings etc.
Any feedback is appreciated
Note: the attached file for Jan14 i'm using the p10 pillows. Attached for comparison
RE: First time posting, asking for advice - SleepingFish - 02-03-2023
Same sleeping position? Back vs right side vs left side?
RE: First time posting, asking for advice - Dormeo - 02-03-2023
Welcome!
Your leak rate with the P10 is perfectly fine UNLESS the leaks wake you up. Your machine can compensate for leaks up to, and probably beyond, 24 l/m. The very short large-leak interval is insignificant. But again, if the leaks wake you up, stick with the FFM. Otherwise, feel free to use the P10 if that is more comfortable for you.
CAs are, as people here say, consistently inconsistent. It is normal to have a scattering of CAs during the night, and it is normal to see variation in the CA index from one night to the next.
Sometimes CAs happen during or after an arousal. You can tell if that's what is going on by zooming in on the flow rate. In cases like that, it's the arousal, rather than the CA itself, that may be problematic. See attachments.
If you're interested: CAs often happen when you've been breathing more deeply than usual, as in a period of arousal from sleep. The deeper breathing washes out a bit of CO2 from your bloodstream, which in turn slows your "breathe now" neurochemical respiratory response. The result is a pause between breaths, and if the pause is 10 seconds long or more, it will earn a CA flag.
I've attached two examples of CAs that came after an arousal. The arousal breathing is irregular by comparison with the sleep respiration that comes before it. In these two examples, the arousals were pretty innocuous; you can see nice sleep breathing resuming shortly after the CAs. I find that if I have a longer wake-up after an arousal (with or without a CA), the amplitude of the flow rate graph will be smaller than it is when I'm sleeping.