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Sleep Fragmentation
#11
RE: Sleep Fragmentation
If it helps, I'm struggling with the same problem. One thing that I've found useful has been setting up a night vision camera to record myself while I sleep. I've learned, for example, that all my reported OA incidents in OSCAR are not what they seem: I'm inhaling hard and waking myself up, then holding my breath while I roll over and re-adjust my blankets. Now I just need to find the source of those inhale awakenings...

Might be worth a try.
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#12
RE: Sleep Fragmentation
(01-26-2020, 07:23 PM)geauxdbl Wrote: I'm inhaling hard and waking myself up, then holding my breath while I roll over and re-adjust my blankets.  Now I just need to find the source of those inhale awakenings...

Why do you think they are not OA's?
Sleepster

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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#13
RE: Sleep Fragmentation
Instead of seeing a period of stopped breathing and then a recovery breath, what happens to me is backwards: normal breathing, an out of place recovery breath first, then breathing stops while I toss and turn.  The video was crucial, because I can match up the waveforms of the events in OSCAR with the sounds of my breathing from the camera.  It’s clear then that when the machine flags an OA I’m already awake.

Don’t want to hijack the thread, just a big fan of video recording now.
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#14
Constant Pressure
    Hi Guys

Newbie here in again
I have been using an APAP with 6-14 pressure settings with good AHI results of below 2.0 mots of the time.
Nevertheless I am experiencing frequent sleep fragmentation , waking up almost every 2 hours at the end of each sleep cycle.
Someone in this forum suggested using constant pressure instead.
I had changed it to 13 and I am attaching the charts for comments
Basically the AHi has reduced to 0.2 which I think is a big achievement the waking up incidents have also reduced to twice
Nevertheless, my concern is having to put the pressure constantly at 13, would it in any way damage my lungs as I sometimes feel some chest discomfort although it is not too severe. Just worried about the long term effect as I have a very small frame ie 168cm and 70kg
Appreciate your views
P/S : my pressure previously has never exceeded 12. Hence the reason for setting it at constant 13
      : may also need guidance on how to optimise my chart appearance to ensure all relevant data appears in the screenshot
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#15
RE: Constant Pressure
While there are a very few extremely rare pulmonary issues that would contraindicate CPAP use your doctor would easily spot. These are not caused by CPAP use.

Do you mind doing an experiment.
Get a tall glass of water and a straw. With that straw on the bottom I want you to make like a child and blow bubbles. Seriously try it. Then come back.

Assuming the glass had 8 inches of water you just exhaled against the maximum pressure any CPAP can generate. No problem right. Didn't think so.

CPAPs, APAPS, BiLevels are really very low pressure devices and cannot hurt your lungs.
They cannot even blow up a balloon.
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#16
RE: Constant Pressure
As bonjour is saying, 13 cm H20 is not much pressure, in fact it is only 0.185 psi (less than 2-tenths). This level of pressure won't even inflate an air mattress, let alone damage your lungs. Many people find fixed CPAP pressure is better, and you have confirmed it is better for you. Even when we recommend auto-pressure, we try to get to a small range, so in your case, we would have tried to find a minimum and maximum pressure about 3-cm apart. Speaking of pressure change, you should start slowly raising the pressure of ramp. Eventually you won't need it.
Sleeprider
Apnea Board Moderator
www.ApneaBoard.com

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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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#17
RE: Constant Pressure
Thanks for the explanation here. Interesting.
DaveL
compliant for 35 years /// Still trying!

I'm just a cpap user like you. I don't give medical advice. Seek the advice of a physician before seeking treatment for medical conditions including sleep apnea. Sleep-well

http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.php..._The_Guide

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#18
RE: Constant Pressure
I used to get some chest discomfort the next day when the exhalation pressure relief (in whatever form) was not set right for me. It’s not the lungs that were uncomfortable though, it was the muscles. I was having trouble exhaling enough through constricted sinuses to make room for the next breath. That has been resolved with setting and mask changes.
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#19
RE: Constant Pressure
FWIW, I have my minimum pressure set so that I rarely go up more than 1 cmH2O during the night. If I do, it’s because I rolled into a bad position. I could easily get by on fixed pressure if I needed to.

My wife, on the other hand, needs a range. The pressure she needs during her deepest sleep is more than she can tolerate during lighter sleep.

Everyone is different.
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#20
RE: Constant Pressure
As Ragtop says, your muscles may be a little sore. The cartilage in your rib cage may also be a bit sore. Give your settings a week or two if the discomfort isn’t too severe. If the discomfort doesn’t go away, though, or if it changes or gets worse, see your doctor.
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