eazy2020 - Therapy Assistance

[eazy2020]

Hello - I have been on CPAP for about a month now. So far its going ok, but I am trying to get a better nights sleep. I feel I am waking up multiple times a night, and I seem to have consistent leaks according to MyAir. I also find that I have a consistent dry throat, even with the humidity set to 6, and a second humidifier in my room. I have never been a mouth breather, and use a ResMed 11 with a N30i mask.

I am hoping someone can help me narrow my settings down to reduce the leaks, reduce the wake ups, and get a better nights sleep. I attached the screen shots from the last 3 nights.
Thank you!

[SeePak]

You do appear to be mouth breathing, as seen by Leak chart which flattens out and flowchart that narrows.

also, OA events will probably need higher min. pressure, maybe 10 cm to start.

would be good to narrow your range as well, as you could inadvertently get high pressure when not needed, maybe try 13cm max.

For waking during the night, i discovered CBT-I, cognitive behavioural therapy for Insomnia.

Check it out!

Main things i took from it....

DO NOT NAP or sleep during the day.

Do not stay in bed if you cant sleep, get up and read or do some breathing exercises to get tired again.

Do not go to bed early to catch up on sleep.

Get up in the morning same time.

It is very interesting stuff, have a read!

[Deborah K.]

I see a few things that can be improved.

For your leaks, I suggest that you get the P30i mask.  If you want it quickly you can buy just the mask, not the headgear, from everyone's favorite online store for $20.  The P30i and N30i use the same headgear.  Otherwise, your DME can provide it, but it will take longer.  I had both of these in the past.  I found the N30i slipped around too much and leaked a lot.  The Pillows were better.  If you still leak you may want to consider taping your mouth. Many of us do and find it quite helpful.

I much prefer the F&P Nova Micro.  If you go that way make sure your DME can provide you with a fit-pack, as it's fiddly to find the right size.

I suggest that you raise your pressure settings to 10 to 17.  Your machine only goes as high as you need, but while you are new, if the pressure change disrupts your sleep set the max to 14, then work your way up.

Also, change your response from soft to standard.  That works better for most, especially for men.

Again, welcome, and best wishes for great therapy and comfort!  

[eazy2020]

Thank you both! I changed my pressure ranges from 10-13, changed the response to standard, and I have a new P30i mask on the way. I had already tried it before, but I got a medium and it just didn't fit well. I have a small coming in today and Ill give that a shot tonight.
Ill follow up with the results later this week.

Much apprecated

[eazy2020]

Hi all,

I posted a few weeks ago with some Oscar data when I was using a P30i. I was having constant issues with leaks when my mouth would open from the pressure at night. I tried mouth taping, and I just had a hard time with it. I decided to try a F30i, and I love the mask. I have a full beard but as long as I keep the mask snug my leaks seem very minimal. I am no longer waking up fussing with the mask or air blowing out of my mouth.

The data below is from the last few nights, and I am looking to see if there is room for improvement. I believe I need to raise my pressure from 11-13, to maybe 12-15 - however I am hoping someone can confirm that for me. My sleep and experience has improved greatly with the new mask, but I want to make sure there is nothing else that I can be doing to optimize treatment.

Thank you!

[Crimson Nape]

eazy2020 - Your 2 threads were related to your therapy. For this reason, I have merged them. This provides the reader a history of your past settings and results. Having the ability to see past attempts and their results will help to form better recommendations. Please use this thread for all your therapy related posts. I have changed the thread title to, eazy2020 - Therapy Assistance to be more inclusive.
- Red

[eazy2020]

Great thank you!

[Deborah K.]

You have done a great job getting your leaks under control.  Good for you!

I'd set your pressure range at 11.4 to 15, as your median pressure never reaches 12.  If you simply want to try 12 to see how you feel, go ahead.  It won't harm you.

I see you still wake up during the night.  Is it due to discomfort, or are they simply bathroom breaks?  You are still in the adapting to therapy phase, so I wouldn't worry about it unless the wake-ups are disturbing when they happen, not just when you see them on your chart.  

Keep at it.  You are doing well.

[eazy2020]

Hi Deborah,

Thanks again for your response. I made the changes, and put pressure from 12-15. Last week or so I seem to be sleeping alot better, and feel like I have less wake ups. Howeve my AHI seems to be the same, which begs the question - what should my goal be here? I have been aiming for consistent AHI of well under 1. How realistic is that, and should I even bother with any adjustments to do so?

I attached logs from the last three days. Let me know what you think, and if I should make any further adjustments

[Trombasolo]

Sorry, Error message - deleted.