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[CPAP] BelovedMonster - CPAP Treatment
#1
BelovedMonster - CPAP Treatment
Hi all,

I'm a 40-year-old male who has always suffered from loud snoring (likely sleep apnea) and terrible sleep as long as I can remember. I finally took an at-home sleep study and got diagnosed with moderate sleep apnea in June of 2021. I got a CPAP machine immediately but didn't start really using it consistently until the following February, 2022. Since then I have been trying to be consistent but have been wrestling with it on-and-off ever since. Sometimes I sleep really well with it, sometimes I don't. I have had a couple of weeks well I stopped using it and then went back. Finally decided I absolutely need to do this right and so I've been working to be more consistent and take the time to figure it out as not sleeping right is absolutely ruining my life.

My sleep specialist has been kind of useless so I've been trying to figure out my pressure myself, which hasn't really worked. I downloaded OSCAR and last night I set my APAP pressure to 6 - 20 to see what the machine ended up using. Attached are the OSCAR charts from last night.

The most common issue I run in to is that I will take my mask off in the middle of the night. Sometimes I wake up and notice and put it back on, but sometimes I don't notice until my alarm goes off.

I feel like taking the mask off must mean something is disrupting my sleep enough to wake me up. I'm a side sleeper so I recently switched from the Philips Dreamware Full Face mask to my current Airlift F20 to reduce middle-of-the-night leakage and it does seem to be helping somewhat. The F20 is a little harder to tolerate since I have allergies and it can sometimes push on my sinuses, but it feels easier to manage than the leakage from the other mask.

I have to admit - given how awful my sleep is and how exhausted I am all the time - I am surprised to see as few 'events' as there are. Does this just mean the machine is working? Am I missing something? Mainly, I'm wondering if someone can help me determine the best pressure + what might be causing me to wake up and pull the mask off.

I'll also mention I am quite overweight and am working on that, but I also have had this issue forever, even when I was a healthy weight, so I do not think weight loss is going to be a silver bullet here unfortunately. I also have been working with my ENT who observed that I do have a slight deviated septum but he does not think surgery will help my sleep apnea all that much.

I really appreciate anyone who takes the time to chime in. This has been such a long journey, this really does feel like it is ruining my life, and at this point I'll take all the help I can get!

       
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#2
RE: Keep waking up and removing mask
Hello BelovedMonster,
From your description:  "The F20 is a little harder to tolerate since I have allergies and it can sometimes push on my sinuses........"

If you are wearing a mask that's uncomfortable in any way, you are going to remove it whether you're aware at the time or not.  This is the first thing to fix.  

Read the Mask Primer
This will help you with fitting your mask.

Another thing... are you taking anything for your allergies and sinus issues?  Talk to your doctor to get that under control, or you'll still be uncomfortable with any mask.

Your AHI looks pretty good, but you may want to set your minimum pressure to 8cm.  
It's a good idea to set your pressure closer to or at what your median pressure reads.
Set your maximum pressure to 15cm.  

Summary:  
Min 8
Max 15
EPR 3
OpalRose
Apnea Board Administrator
www.apneaboard.com

_______________________
OSCAR Chart Organization
How to Attach Images and Files.
OSCAR - The Guide
Soft Cervical Collar
Optimizing therapy
OSCAR supported machines
Mask Primer



INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE.  ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA.  INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
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#3
RE: Keep waking up and removing mask
I came across this video y-day.  Not sure if it's helpful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SP2FEvRIIU

Another from a famous Youtuber:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2oBqnfwG3Y

 I personally struggle to understand the mask removal issue some people state.    Sometimes I wonder if it's a mental state as my thinking is don't wear this thing, die early.  It's not 'optional' in anyway nor ever has been.  It seems to be a common issue, but moreso among the group that doesn't believe it's absolutely critical to wear it. If you went 8 months after getting prescribed the therapy w/o seriously trying to use it consistently, that shows something. I'm glad you're getting more serious about it.
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#4
RE: Keep waking up and removing mask
If you have sinus or upper nose sensitivities, you might want to try the F30 or other similar masks.
I found that anything on the bridge of my nose felt like it was squeezing my nasals closed and I would mouth-breathe.
The F30 did the trick for me.
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#5
RE: Keep waking up and removing mask
Everyones advice here was really helpful. I tried the pressure settings suggested by OpalRose and that seems to be working well - thank you! I definitely had the pressure too high prior to this which I imagine was not helping the mask-removing situation.

A little bit more context for the mask removing:
  • I suffer from anxiety so I am probably more susceptible to mask-removing than some. I am in therapy, mediate, exercise and take prozac to address this.
  • I definitely did not have a positive attitude about CPAP in the past but I am trying to change that.
  • I suffer from allergies / congestion but I do take Flonase and an anti-histamine before bed and sometimes use a NetiPot as well. This actually does seem to help and has made using the F20 mask tolerable, although I think it's a really good call that even slight discomfort might make me pull the mask off.
I actually do have an F30 but it's too small for me and they don't make a 'large' size, only small and medium. I have a huge head. I do agree that this type of mask would be ideal for me though, does anyone know of any other options along this line that might work for bigger-headed-folks?

The other issue I'm running into - which is contributing to me pulling the mask off at night - is I have sometimes been having a bad cough at night. I have turned up the humidity to try to address that but I suspect it's being caused by my blood pressure medication. I'll be visiting my doctor about that next week.

I'm going to keep going with the current settings I have and then review what OSCARS telling me. Hopefully my doctor can help me manage my cough and get me into a better spot as it seems like when I can keep the mask on, the therapy really is working.
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#6
I always wake up around 6am
Hey everyone,

It's been a long journey for me getting used to my AirSense 10 CPAP. I've tried many different pressure settings as well as almost every mask on the market. I've finally settled on, ironically the second mask I tried, the Dreamwear Full Face Mask. My main issue with CPAP is I was having trouble falling asleep and rip the mask off in my sleep. I'm able to keep the mask on now, but I still have a bit of trouble with waking up throughout the night.

I'm wondering if anyone has any ideas on how to prevent this? I'm looking at my OSCAR data and everything looks mostly okay, I'm just waking up each and every morning way too early. Often I don't actually get back to sleep. I suspect the problem might be leaks - I have a particularly big head and even the L size mask is just barely big enough for me. If only they made more XL masks Sad

Things I've tired already:
- Adjusting sleeping position
- Many many different masks
- Making sure I'm following instructions re: putting the mask on and fitting the mask
- Taking a variety of sleep aides (Helpful for putting me to sleep, not so great at keeping me there)

When I lasted posted here I got some great guidance so hoping ya'll might be able to help me again Smile


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#7
RE: I always wake up around 6am
Your flow limits are quite high But you already have EPR as high as it can go 3.  Try moving the min up 1 and see if that helps the flow limits. 

There is another Cpap machine resmed makes called an air curve Vauto that can increase the PS (what they call EPR on yours) but is more expensive and I don’t know if it would help more.
Apnea (80-100%) 10 seconds, Hypopnea (50-80%) 10 seconds, Flow Limits (0-50%) not timed  Cervical Collar - Dealing w DME - Chart Organizing
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#8
Help interpret my CPAP data?
Hi all,

First off thanks to Stacey Burke who reviewed my last batch of data and gave me some advice to increase my min pressure, which I applied. I am still having a hard time making it through the night without waking up a couple of times. I also always seem to wake up before my alarm and can't get back to sleep.

I think it's possible that some of this may not be CPAP related, but I don't really know how to interpret my CPAP data fully. Would someone be able to help me? I really appreciate it. <3

A little context: Have been on CPAP for two years but only recently have gotten to the point where I can make it through the night without ripping my mask off. I've tried almost every mask on the market and have settled on the Dreamwear Full Face mask which is 1) the only mask that fits my giant head and 2) is the only mask that doesn't leak excessively. I do feel like I'm on a roll now through and I've been taking anxiety meds and a sleep aid which have both helped me be more tolerant to the mask.


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#9
RE: BelovedMonster - CPAP Treatment
BelovedMonster  -  I see all your previous threads ultimately deal with your therapy.  For this reason, I have merged them into one thread and renamed it, to BelovedMonster - CPAP Treatment.  Please use this thread for all further posts concerning your CPAP related issues.  This allows a reader to reference previous posts in an effort to avoid duplication of posts and setting recommendations.

- Red
Crimson Nape
Apnea Board Moderator
www.ApneaBoard.com
___________________________________
Useful Links -or- When All Else Fails:
The Guide to Understanding OSCAR
OSCAR Chart Organization
Attaching Images and Files on Apnea Board
Apnea Helpful Tips

INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
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#10
RE: BelovedMonster - CPAP Treatment
Oops, sorry about that! I was having a little bit of trouble figuring out how to reply to my own thread but I will keep it consolidated here moving forward.
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