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On the whole my sleep seems much better than it was vs not using CPAP, however everytime i look at my Oscar data my Flow Limitations look really high. What does this mean (ELI5 please!) and is there a way to try and improve this? Two screenshots attached, both the same day (last night) but one zoomed into a particular cluster of FLs. This is a standard night of FLs.
I'm using a Lowenstein prisma, Min 7, max 20, EPR (called softPAP on this machine) is 1.
I can't be much help with the machine you are using. But I will try to answer your question. To start with FL are apnea they are to short in duration (at least 10 seconds) to be counted in the AHI but they do disrupt sleep and may wake you up. On a resmed we turn up the EPR to control them but with these I think they are positional in nature. So what that means is they are happening because of the position you are sleeping in. Many people get these when sleeping on their backs. It is also known as chin tucking when your chin drops down to your sternum - cutting down the flow of air. If you can't stop them then you could use a collar and I have collars linked in my signature at the bottom of this post. A collar keeps the chin up and by doing that stops FL.
Machine: Lowenstein Luisa Mask Type: Full face mask Mask Make & Model: Resmed Quattro FX Humidifier: separate F&P humidifier CPAP Pressure: Epap 4-20 PS 4-20; "auto" rate CPAP Software: Not using software
Other Comments: Using 45 degree angle upper body wedge (36"x36") and 4.5"soft cervical collar; 500 assured tidal vol
Advisory Members serve as an "Advisory Committee" to help shape Apnea Board's rules & policies.
Membership in the Advisory Members group does not imply medical expertise or qualification for advising Sleep Apnea patients concerning their treatment.
Well I have to admit, after 10 days of using a collar that definitely seems to have made a difference! Here's my Oscar data from last night and you can see a huge difference! Thanks for your suggestion.
Oddly though, it does seem to have led to an increase in Hypopneas (although maybe they just stand out more now...) - any suggestions there? It feels like I'm getting a more restful sleep so that's the main thing for me.
Machine: Lowenstein Luisa Mask Type: Full face mask Mask Make & Model: Resmed Quattro FX Humidifier: separate F&P humidifier CPAP Pressure: Epap 4-20 PS 4-20; "auto" rate CPAP Software: Not using software
Other Comments: Using 45 degree angle upper body wedge (36"x36") and 4.5"soft cervical collar; 500 assured tidal vol
Great job. Your machine has SoftPap settings that can reduce hypopneas (H's) and any lingering flow limitations. I am not sure which settings you have with the Smart Max, but you should have a couple of settings like this to try to see if they help you even more. You can try each one and see how it affects your therapy (and post an OSCAR chart for each one also for us).
Advisory Members serve as an "Advisory Committee" to help shape Apnea Board's rules & policies.
Membership in the Advisory Members group does not imply medical expertise or qualification for advising Sleep Apnea patients concerning their treatment.
