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Most obstructive events are while Im awake
#11
RE: Most obstructive events are while Im awake
I want to go back to something sheepless wrote. One of the basic rules for better sleep is to use the bed just for sleep and sex. Another is not to use any screens (TV, phone, iPad, etc.) close to bedtime.

My guess is that sticking to these rules would mean big changes in your regular routine, but if you were willing to try it for a month, I think you might be pleasantly surprised by the results.

And I wanted to throw in a question: is there a particular reason why you use your machine while you are awake for TV watching or reading?

Here’s hoping you have a pleasant vacation, travel cpap and all!
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#12
RE: Most obstructive events are while Im awake
We frequently recommend performing a normal and enjoyable activity as a mechanism to get used to the mask and pressure of CPAP. To say to your body that this is normal, get over it.
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#13
RE: Most obstructive events are while Im awake
(07-15-2019, 12:15 PM)PaulaO2 Wrote: I am an insomniac. When I go to bed, I usually put on the mask and turn on the machine. But if I lay there a while before I start feeling sleepy, I'll reach over and turn off the machine for a bit then turn it back on. When I view the data later in SH or OSCAR, I can turn off that part of the data report so it is into counted in the AHI.

AHI is apnea events (obstructive and central) plus hypopnea events divided by the time used. So that time the machine is on but you aren't sleeping is going against you. Plus the "events" being counted is going against you. Your numbers are essentially useless like that. CPAP machines get their data from the feedback the air pressure encounters. Our irregular breathing while awake probably confuses the heck out of it.

Oh, and events are not counted unless they last 10 seconds or longer. So unless you clear your throat for 10 seconds, it isn't being counted. What IS being counted is your unconscious reactions to what you are watching on tv or reading in your book or whatever. We hold our breath, we change rhythm, we yawn.

Do an experiment. Take a timer. Put on your mask, turn on the machine, then start the timer. At regular intervals, do various things and note the time of each, leaving plenty of space between each one. Yawn. Clear your throat. Cough. Hold your breath by blocking throat (tongue). Hold your breath by just stopping breathing (vs blocking). Turn off machine and go download the data into software of your choice. See what does and does not appear.

How do you turn off that part of the report?
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#14
RE: Most obstructive events are while Im awake
I have no problems falling asleep . In fact if I lie in bed watching TV I will often fall asleep in minutes if the show is boring.
In that situation I would fall asleep without my mask. 
When I am wearing the mask in bed, I often find myself closing my eyes and then close the book or turn off the tv and promptly fall asleep.
My problem is sleep duration. I usually wake up at exactly 2:30 in the morning. It will be daily like this for months and it does not depend on where I am . I can be in Florida, Los Angeles or even in Ireland. It is always the same time. It does not matter what time I go to sleep.
As a result, if I cant get back to sleep then Im exhausted all day.
If I take a melatonin I may make it to 4 AM but no matter what I take I am tired all day.
I was placed on provigil which has helped significantly keeping me alert all day.
I used to get up and run 7 miles at that time and then came home took a shower and would get back to sleep. Im too old to do that anymore. Too many injuries.
When I had my sleep study, at 2:30 when I was awakening I was in a rem state .
I have tried the sleep rules for months and nothing changed. No tv in bed room, no iphone or ipad etc before bed.

Yesterday I reviewed all of my dream station settings and found the wrong setting for my mask type. It was on x2 and the mask is x1.
This morning the number of obstructive events was down to 9 instead of the double digits I had been seeing. Again most were while awake while watching tv or after awakening. I turned off the machine when I got up today.
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#15
RE: Most obstructive events are while Im awake
There are great sleep meds designed for people who wake up at that time. Ambien has an extended release that does this. It kicks in again at about that time. There are others that do the same.

Melatonin is for re-aligning your sleep rhythm such as with jet lag. It really is not for a regular sleep medication.

Using Tylenol PM or benedryl to get to sleep becomes ineffective after about 4 nights. Just read an article on that a few days ago. The longer a person uses diphenhydramine, the less effective the sleep properties become.

I don't have a PR machine so can't give you the answer for how to change the setting. Sorry.

Sleep hygiene is an important part of getting a good sleep. If you are falling asleep shortly after laying down, then don't open the book or turn on the TV. Just lay down and go to sleep.
PaulaO

Take a deep breath and count to zen.




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#16
RE: Most obstructive events are while Im awake
Thank you for your answer. Being a senior I no longer do well with most medications . If the medication has fatigue as a potential side affext I get it. 
Ambien,xanax, benadryl and even non sedating anti-histamines slow me down mentally the next day. My sleep doc gave me an Rx for a very short lasting sleeping pill but that also ruined my day. These things will let me sleep but I would like to function the next day.
Its funny, I am a retired physician and treated many of my patients with many meds which were potentially sedating but non had the reactions I have.
I used to be able to have a couple of glasses of wine at dinner but no longer. First it wake you up at 2 and then it kills my day.
Im best using a lavender essential oil and nothing else.
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