First Sleep Test

[OwenTrantor]

Hi all,

I was getting some really good results but the past week has seen my 7 day average AHI increase to over 4.5.

Still fairly low numbers to what I was scoring at the start of the sleep apnea treatment but I'd like to reduce this number down again as I seem to feel the effects when the AHI is as high as 4.

Can anyone see anything in the graphs that would indicate some settings that I should change?

I'm using p10 nasal pillows and a collar.

Many thanks 


   

[Dormeo]

Can you think of anything potentially relevant that changed this past week? Bedding? Medications? Allergies? Sinuses? And is there any chance your chin is sometimes sneaking down the front of your collar?

You can try inching up your minimum. To start with, you could try a minimum of 16. With luck, a small increase in the minimum will manage to head off some of the OAs before they can get started. After maybe 4 or 5 days with 16, if you see no change, try 16.4, or a little more if you can hack it.

[OwenTrantor]

Hey Dormeo,

I honestly can't think of anything. I slept in a hotel last week with a very plump pillow and in this room my AHI was 0.49, with the first 3 hours scoring 0AHI. My pillow at home is very thin, something that I swapped to at the start of my CPAP journey to try to reduce my chin coming down and it did seem to work initially.

Allergies a little bad at this time of year but I take meds for that and at night my nose is fairly clear (I use P10 nasal pillows). I've lost approx. 8lbs over the last few weeks.

Here's my graph from last night, back up at 4.84 again. Do you think it merits nudging my min up even more?

    en more?

[Dormeo]

Well, what a shame; things were going so well there for a while. How long have you had the minimum at 17.2? If it hasn't been at least a week, then I'd say stick with it to see whether the OAs will come back down for some reason unrelated to your settings.

If you keep having an AHI above 4 (which is where you start feeling lousy the next day), then I do think your minimum needs to come up a little more. You can either keep your EPR of 3 and raise the minimum pressure setting, or you can try reducing your EPR to 2. What you're looking for is something that's effective and tolerable.

[OwenTrantor]

Well, what a shame; things were going so well there for a while.  How long have you had the minimum at 17.2?  If it hasn't been at least a week, then I'd say stick with it to see whether the OAs will come back down for some reason unrelated to your settings.  

If you keep having an AHI above 4 (which is where you start feeling lousy the next day), then I do think your minimum needs to come up a little more.  You can either keep your EPR of 3 and raise the minimum pressure setting, or you can try reducing your EPR to 2.  What you're looking for is something that's effective and tolerable.

Let's hope that it's just a little bump in the road!

I'm actually thinking that it might be time to try a FFM instead of my current P10s. I wonder if at these higher pressures my mouth is opening more often than before. Or perhaps it's seasonal allergies, again maybe a FFM might help.
I just couldn't get used to the mouth taping or chin straps unfortunately.

I've ordered the Dreamwear FFM and will give it a try.

I've tried 17.2 for a few weeks now. I'll see if I can manage 17.8 tonight and if not will nudge it down.

Thanks again,

Owen

[OwenTrantor]

Hi all,

I hope you're all doing well?

Just wanted to check in and see if anyone could lend an eye over my OSCAR charts. AHI is still fairly low, but feeling a little tired during the day and my sleep seems feel quite disturbed.

Still using the P10s with a AirSense 10 + Heated Tube. 

Can anyone see any settings that is worth tweaking? Is moving from APAP to CPAP potentially worthwhile?

All the best,

Owen

       

[Dormeo]

I don't see any particular value for you in switching from APAP to CPAP. You could try going up on your minimum pressure a tiny bit; if it's tolerable, give it a couple of weeks to see whether you think it's producing improvement.

Could you remind me: do you mostly sleep on your sides or on your back, or is it some of each? You're still having some mini-clusters of OAs, and I know you didn't get along with a collar, but you might have a better night if somehow you could address whatever positional issue there might be.

It'd be good if you could get the leaks under control. Do you think they're mostly from the pillow interface, or mostly from your mouth? I know you don't like a collar or tape, but has tongue position come up earlier in your thread? If not, here's the deal:

Put the tip of your tongue behind your upper front teeth. Then position the main part of your tongue up against your upper palate. Finally, give a little suck or swallow to create a bit of suction. You should now be able to open your mouth while breathing entirely through your nose. Practice this during the day, and see if you can get it grooved in deeply enough to help while you are asleep at night. For some people, this is really all it takes to avoid mouth leaks.