01-23-2025, 09:01 AM
(This post was last modified: 01-23-2025, 10:02 AM by UsuallyTired. Edited 2 times in total.)
EERS 1st night
Despite good AHI/RDI numbers, I continue to fight fatigue and nighttime arousals. I decided to give EERS a try.
I use a ResMed CPAP @ 10 and EPR 2. My mask is currently ResMed P10. I used a 6" EERS tube, and that's in addition to the tube that's part of the P10.
Subjectively, I could feel myself taking larger breaths but also more frequent breaths. It was both relaxing and feeling a subtly bit more of air hunger.
More objectively, I still woke up during the night as usual, and my Oura ring measured my nighttime temp as 0.7F above baseline, triggering a warning from that app for "major signs" of stress. My O2Ring heart rate continued to show numerous spikes. I've taken to measuring the standard deviation of my heart rate as a gross measure of spikes, and that showed a statistically significant increase. I have found that the standard deviation to (inversely) correlates well with improved subjective sleep. That is, the lower the standard deviation (fewer, smaller spikes in HR), the better I feel.
As compared to my lifetime CPAP averages, my median Tidal Volume increased from 280 to 420. This is a welcome increase as at 5'8" (and now obese), my numbers have always been on the low side. Respiratory Rate increased from 17 to 18.4, and Minute Vent increased from 4.88 to 7.25. The Minute Vent is a welcome increase as well, but probably not at the cost of increased Resp Rate.
My Oura sleep stages appear slightly improved. Hard to know if this was a one-off or not, but I had few awakenings/arousals throughout the first half of the night. This could have been b/c I was very tired or maybe this is significant. I don't know.
I've had a couple professionals look at my CPAP data, and they didn't think I was a clear candidate for high loop gain and EERS. I do have a few induced CAs/Centrals, but they aren't numerous and nearly always follow sigh breaths. From what's typical for me, I didn't experience any change in number of CAs.
I've heard a few people complain about the vent noise, and that wasn't a problem for me. Though, I always sleep with quite a bit of white noise.
I think I'll try 1 more night of EERS but this time remove most of the extra tubing. (I'll cut off most of the 6" of tubing except for a coupling between the mask tube and the vent.) Otherwise, I don't think the metrics warrant me continuing this experiment.
If anyone else has any comments, questions, or suggestions, please reply. I'd love to hear what others suggest, especially if you think I should continue EERS.
Edit: Also Apple Watch and Oura recorded lower HRV, which is an indication of stress.
I use a ResMed CPAP @ 10 and EPR 2. My mask is currently ResMed P10. I used a 6" EERS tube, and that's in addition to the tube that's part of the P10.
Subjectively, I could feel myself taking larger breaths but also more frequent breaths. It was both relaxing and feeling a subtly bit more of air hunger.
More objectively, I still woke up during the night as usual, and my Oura ring measured my nighttime temp as 0.7F above baseline, triggering a warning from that app for "major signs" of stress. My O2Ring heart rate continued to show numerous spikes. I've taken to measuring the standard deviation of my heart rate as a gross measure of spikes, and that showed a statistically significant increase. I have found that the standard deviation to (inversely) correlates well with improved subjective sleep. That is, the lower the standard deviation (fewer, smaller spikes in HR), the better I feel.
As compared to my lifetime CPAP averages, my median Tidal Volume increased from 280 to 420. This is a welcome increase as at 5'8" (and now obese), my numbers have always been on the low side. Respiratory Rate increased from 17 to 18.4, and Minute Vent increased from 4.88 to 7.25. The Minute Vent is a welcome increase as well, but probably not at the cost of increased Resp Rate.
My Oura sleep stages appear slightly improved. Hard to know if this was a one-off or not, but I had few awakenings/arousals throughout the first half of the night. This could have been b/c I was very tired or maybe this is significant. I don't know.
I've had a couple professionals look at my CPAP data, and they didn't think I was a clear candidate for high loop gain and EERS. I do have a few induced CAs/Centrals, but they aren't numerous and nearly always follow sigh breaths. From what's typical for me, I didn't experience any change in number of CAs.
I've heard a few people complain about the vent noise, and that wasn't a problem for me. Though, I always sleep with quite a bit of white noise.
I think I'll try 1 more night of EERS but this time remove most of the extra tubing. (I'll cut off most of the 6" of tubing except for a coupling between the mask tube and the vent.) Otherwise, I don't think the metrics warrant me continuing this experiment.
If anyone else has any comments, questions, or suggestions, please reply. I'd love to hear what others suggest, especially if you think I should continue EERS.
Edit: Also Apple Watch and Oura recorded lower HRV, which is an indication of stress.