Apnea Worse - What am I doing wrong?

[John Reston]

Since starting on the cpap about two weeks ago, I'm having 3 or 4 times as many apnea events per hour as I did in the sleep study. I'm getting less sleep than before, which is shocking since the reason I did the sleep study was because I don't get enough sleep. I know the cpap works for most people, so I'm thinking it's me. I think I'm doing everything I've been told to do and that I've ready about from reliable sources. Is this common and I should just stick with it and hope things improve? I can barely think after several nights of 2-3 hours of garbage sleep and over 30 events per hour. Any recommendations are very welcome. Thanks.

[BoxcarPete]

What are the nature of the events? Can you post an excerpt from your sleep study to let us see what the breakdown of obstructive/central events was?

If you don't have OSCAR already, it's the best way to communicate with the group as to how things are going. A screenshot from that program really is worth a thousand words. There's a link at the top of the forum page, and some primers on the wiki for how to format charts for sharing.

[Sleepster]

Since starting on the cpap about two weeks ago, I'm having 3 or 4 times as many apnea events per hour as I did in the sleep study.

The portion of the sleep study when when you weren't hooked up to the machine? Are those apnea events mostly central apneas? You need OSCAR so we can answer that question. The average number of events per hour is the apnea hypopnea index (AHI). It consists of the sum of the average number of obstructive apneas per hour (OA), the average number of central apneas per hour (CA), and the average number of hypopneas per hour (H). OSCAR can show you what those three individual numbers are that add up to the total number of events per hour, myAir won't.

For example, if your sleep study shows you have obstructive apnea (the most common type) and OSCAR shows us that your AHI is comprised mostly of CA's, then that is a common issue that tends to subside as you adapt to CPAP therapy; and meanwhile we'd recommend a decrease in pressure. On the other hand, if your AHI is comprised mostly of OA's and H's then we would probably recommend an increase in pressure.

I'm getting less sleep than before, which is shocking since the reason I did the sleep study was because I don't get enough sleep.

Most of us have been there! There's usually an adaptation period where we do get less sleep for awhile. But it's worth going through that because of the huge benefits that will eventually come your way. Right now you are extending your life expectancy by reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke.

I know the cpap works for most people, so I'm thinking it's me.

No, it doesn't work for a lot of people. They give up instead of suffering through the adaptation period. They often try other remedies such as Inspire, but those remedies are far less effective. CPAP is the gold standard. Without effective treatment you doom yourself to a miserable sleep-deprived existence, with cognitive impairment, a diminished sex life, and likely end up in a hospital with a stroke or cardiovascular disease.

I think I'm doing everything I've been told to do and that I've ready about from reliable sources. Is this common and I should just stick with it and hope things improve?

Things will definitely improve. Probably by a lot! You will likely get more in-depth advice here than from your doctors, as most doctors won't concern themselves with a lot of the details. They just focus on compliance (number of hours of machine use) and AHI.

I can barely think after several nights of 2-3 hours of garbage sleep and over 30 events per hour. Any recommendations are very welcome. Thanks.

You will get some good recommendations here.

[staceyburke]

We make recommendations using data you supply us and that data come from OSCAR.  It is a totally free software that is download from the top of the site.  You will need an SD card to put in the machine when you are sleeping.  I don't remember the max size the program can use but use one around 20 gig.  They are inexpensive and you can get one at Walmart or target.

[Gideon]

Wrong, you haven't posted charts.
One thing that sets apneaboard apart from other forums is that for the most part we don't guess. We read the charts that OSCAR produces to determine what is likely occuring and suggest changes to manage the cause.

My two guesses are TECA and positional apnea. Unfortunately the treatment for these are notably different. The charts will tell us

[Sleepster]

Every machine I've ever bought had a SD card already in it.

[paulag1955]

I had to buy a card for mine.

[Deborah K.]

If your machine does not have an SD card you can get one cheaply from Walmart and probably many other stores.  You want it to be not more than 32 GB.

[John Reston]

I appreciate the feedback. I downloaded Oscar and dug into the data, which showed me one of the problems was large leaks. With the nasal mask, I breathed through my mouth. So I've switched a full-face mask. Now that I'm not relying on the dumbed-down MyAir app for information, I can look more closely at the real issues that are presenting and try to make changes.