RE: anleva - therapy thread
(04-02-2025, 05:22 PM)anleva Wrote: I just started CPAP therapy on Monday night. I didn't have a SD card until Tuesday, so I currently have 1 night of OSCAR data that I am trying to interpret. Monday my AHI was 1.5, Tuesday 1.95.
The first night started rough as I got use to the mask and the machine. First couple hours I had feelings of suffocation, but as I got more accustomed to things and the pressure adjusted (APAP) I felt like I had quality sleep in the last 4-5 hours.
The second night felt smoother, though my AHI increased slightly. Overall I feel like when I sleep it is of a higher quality, but I have much more awake and restless time than I did pre-CPAP. But I feel better in the mornings so far.
I've attached a screenshot of last night. I'd appreciate any guidance on things to consider moving forward based on the initial data. I need to better understand the OSCAR data as well so I plan on taking a deeper dive on the wiki.
Thanks!
Andy
Screenshot with event flags toggled on. Sorry, still learning the software. It looks like I have many Clear Airway events? Not sure exactly what that means and how I should address.
RE: anleva - therapy thread
Welcome to the forum. Great job on the charts and on saying how you slept better but were restless.
Can you post a copy of your sleep report with your info redacted?
We need to know if you had central apneas.
Raise your minimum pressure to at least 7cm, 4 is too low for an adult.
Put EPR to 2, full time.
Try that for a few nights and see how you feel.
RE: anleva - therapy thread
(04-02-2025, 06:39 PM)jdougc Wrote: Welcome to the forum. Great job on the charts and on saying how you slept better but were restless.
Can you post a copy of your sleep report with your info redacted?
We need to know if you had central apneas.
Raise your minimum pressure to at least 7cm, 4 is too low for an adult.
Put EPR to 2, full time.
Try that for a few nights and see how you feel.
Thank you! I'll try adjusting those settings. It has felt like 4 is too low and it coincides with feelings of suffocation. I then tend to adjust the nasal mask (N30i) a bit higher and looser so I feel like a can breath better.
In regards to sleep study. It appears I can't post it yet. I think I need 4+ posts first? Or is pdf format the issue. Any advice on what to do or an alternative format? I have it ready in redacted form.
In general my overall apnea was mild/moderate, but more severe during REM which was tracking with what I was seeing on my Garmin watch (not enough time in REM sleep).
RE: anleva - therapy thread
Scan or just take a picture or screen captures.
This forum is all about pictures, preferably small jpg files.
04-02-2025, 07:11 PM
(This post was last modified: 04-02-2025, 07:16 PM by jdougc.)
RE: anleva - therapy thread
Many of us move more in REM sleep and also lose control to keep our mouths close.
Those flat leaks might be mouth breathing.
I use a cheap 2x5in strip of athletic tape.
[attachment=77471]
You can use a chin strap that goes under the chin and pulls straight up.
04-02-2025, 07:13 PM
(This post was last modified: 04-02-2025, 07:14 PM by anleva.)
RE: anleva - therapy thread
RE: anleva - therapy thread
(04-02-2025, 07:11 PM)jdougc Wrote: Many of us move more in REM sleep and also lose control to keep our mouths close.
Those flat leaks might be mouth breathing.
I use a cheap 2x5in strip of athletic tape.
You can use a chin strap that goes under the chin and pulls straight up.
That makes sense. It's worth a try for sure
RE: anleva - therapy thread
I use a cervical collar rather than a chin strap, its a matter of preference and what works. A chinstrap never worked for me, but the collar keeps my mouth shut, and also reduces the number of apneas because I have positional apneas when my chin slumps even with my mouth is closed.
I suggest you keep an eye on ratio of obstructive and central apneas. Your obstructive number appears to be zero, all of your events appear to be central, (or hypopnea which can be either). The central apneas are often reduced or eliminated over time as your body adjusts, but not for everyone (like me). If your central apnea number remains higher than your obstructive number you may want to reduce the maximum pressure. Over time I've reduced the maximum a little at a time until the central apneas more or less equal the obstructive apneas. In my case I have both central and obstructive , if I allow a very small increase in the obstructive number by reducing maximum pressure my central apneas decrease quite a lot. It looks like you could probably reduce the maximum to 10 or 10.2 cm and still control the obstructive apneas. There is no harm as long as you have none or just a few, as long as it brings down the overall number.
Finally, you have the response set to soft. For me this setting increases my central apneas quite a lot. EPR does as well. You may be different. These settings are considered "comfort" settings for most people. But they can have a pretty dramatic effect for people who have central apneas. My AHI is typically between 1 and 2. If I turn on EPR and soft response it increases to 3 to 4. It took me a long time and a lot of experimentation to learn this.
Good luck!
RE: anleva - therapy thread
I've attached a screen shot from last night's sleep.
I made a couple of changes.
- I turned on EPR with a value of 2.
- I increased my minimum from 4 to 6. So the range last night was 6-12.
- I changed response from soft to standard
Some findings:
- My AHI increased from 1.95 to 2.61
- My OA events increased from 0 to 3
- My RERA events increased from 1 to 13.
- My CA events slightly decreased, from 16 to 14
- My hypopnea events increased from 1 to 4
- Large leaks decreased from 24 to 6
- I had a significant increase in mask off events, 9 in total. They were 2 the night before (a MyAir metric, but shows in the large number of multiple sessions as well). I don't think I took my mask off at all except for 1 bathroom break.
- My median pressure increased from 6.4 to 11.14 and my 95% from 10.42 to 12.
- My machine is now working at the upper limit of my range, reaching or exceeding higher pressures during the night, might be related to mask offs. Could be a reaction to the airway instability of EPR?
I think I will turn off EPR tonight but I will leave the minimum at 6 instead of 4 and leave response at standard and see how I do. I think I may not be a good candidate for EPR? It may be causing a subtle narrowing of my airways and increasing my breathing effort and arousals?
