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Questions
#1
Questions
Since being diagnosed in Feb due to an eye doctors concern over "normal tension" glaucoma, it has been a roller coaster ride.  I feel as if the coaster ride is calming down a bit.  The second sleep study (2 months after the initial one which found the problem) caused the Doctor to comment "What a mess!"  Not very reassuring.  She did recommend positional therapy to keep me off my back.  This appears to be working fairly well, with 69 days out of 72 days with AHI scores under 4.  (Many under 1)  I can't honestly say I feel any different, but I am somewhat less anxious.  My main concern at this time is I still wake up every couple of hours.  I become aware enough to check time and change position.  I do have some joint issues (I'm over 70 and have earned a few cranky joints).  I also wonder if heat and humidity can be a factor in increased events.  We slept without a fan on some nasty evenings, and the results would indicate that this is a contributing factor.  Any comments are appreciated.  Thanks for all the info you have already provided in various postings.  Not always easy to ferret out info, but it seems to be there for the tenacious searcher.
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#2
RE: Questions
An alternative to conventional positional therapy is the use of a soft cervical collar.  A soft collar often lets people sleep in any comfortable position, including their back, because it prevents the chin tucking and mis-alignment of the head and neck that can obstruct the airway.  In any event, they only cost $10-20, and if fitted loosely, they can be pretty comfortable, prevent mask leaks and keep the airway open.

Glad to hear the therapy is doing better, and I think you will eventually start to feel more rested.  The benefits can be subtle.  I find a lower heat and humidity setting in summer helps with humidity induced stuffiness or congestion.
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#3
RE: Questions
Thanks for the prompt response!  I'll run it by the Dr. and see if she salutes.  Sounds as if it is worth a try.
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#4
RE: Questions
(07-12-2017, 09:46 AM)Queen Celeste Wrote: [The doctor] did recommend positional therapy to keep me off my back.  This appears to be working fairly well, with 69 days out of 72 days with AHI scores under 4.  (Many under 1)  I can't honestly say I feel any different, but I am somewhat less anxious.  My main concern at this time is I still wake up every couple of hours.  I become aware enough to check time and change position.  I do have some joint issues (I'm over 70 and have earned a few cranky joints).
Not all wakes are related to apnea events getting through the CPAP defenses. It sounds to me like the remaining wakes are probably NOT being caused by your OSA or your CPAP therapy.

It's normal to have a brief wake after every REM cycle, and REM cycles tend to occur in roughly 90 minute intervals. So some (or all) of your wakes could be normal post-REM wakes. People with totally normal sleep have post-REM wakes, but they typically don't remember them in the morning because they wake up just enough to determine there's nothing wrong in their sleeping environment, readjust their position, and drift right back to sleep in less than 5 minutes.

Since you also have a few cranky joints, joint pain may also be triggering some of those wakes. Folks with joint issues usually need to readjust their position several times during the night so they don't wake up extra stiff and sore in the morning.

You also write:
Quote: I also wonder if heat and humidity can be a factor in increased events.  We slept without a fan on some nasty evenings, and the results would indicate that this is a contributing factor.  Any comments are appreciated. 
Hot, humid sleeping conditions can do all kinds of things to your normal sleep patterns.

And many people are far more restless on hot humid nights, particularly in a bedroom without a fan.

So if you have more wakes on a hot humid night, that may just mean you're sensitive to sleeping in hot, humid conditions.

Now if you are also seeing an increase in AHI in addition to the number of wakes/restless periods during the night, that may or may not be a huge concern. In general if you have some isolated nights with a (much) higher than normal AHI, but your overall AHI is good and you're feeling ok (except for the occasional, isolated bad night), it may not be worth trying to "fix" the problem. But if your AHI has started to creep up and in consistently in the 4+ or 5+ range on more nights than not, then a pressure adjustment may be needed. But we'd need to see some data before we can tell you whether you need to adjust the pressure settings on your machine.
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