[CPAP] Started to feel good, then woke up feeling HORRIBLE

[TiredDude]

Hi, bit of a background for my situation: I was diagnosed with sleep apnoea in 2020 after years of feeling tired. 

I did a 3 night at home sleep study, which showed I have mild sleep apnoea (between 7-12 hypopneas per hour)
Oxygen sats never below 95%, but I experience severe symptoms.

I was prescribed a CPAP machine but just could not get used to it at the time so gave up. I trialled a mandibular advancement device and found it too painful, had surgery (tongue base and palate radiofrequency ablation, tonsillectomy, turbinate reduction), my symptoms persisted. I am pretty overweight (BMI over 30). I lost 25KG in weight, symptoms persisted and I gained back the weight. Fast forward to 2023, my symptoms continue to be unbearable so I bought a CPAP to try it out again.

After a week of using it, I managed to have a full night's sleep using the machine, and felt a little bit better. The next night I managed to use it all night again, but after waking up I felt truly awful. I felt so anxious and off all day, it's made me not want to use it again.

I was hoping to get some advice on what may have happened, I kept the settings the same as the night before but had very different readings. 

I've found that I can't use EPR at all because I feel the mask squishing up and down on my face and I can't fall asleep.

Also I'm brand new to the forum so apologies in advance if I've messed anything up rules-wise!

Thank you in advance!

           

[staceyburke]

Really doesn’t look to bad. I would try EPR(exhale pressure relief).

Set RPR on FULL TIME
EPR 3

Give it a try and post again.

[Lucky7]

You are having some leak related arousals too, looks like.

[Sleeprider]

Flow limits range from 0.07 to 0.28 on these charts, which is high. Flow limitation is confirmed by the long inspiration time compared to expiration time, which represents more respiratory effort to get a breath, followed by normal expiration. This effort is especially evident in the 8/15 flow rate. Turn EPR on full-time to setting 3, and most of those flow limits and the associated respiratory effort related arousals will resolve. You'll feel better.

[TiredDude]

Hey guys,

Thanks for your help before, sorry it's been a while but I was hoping you could possibly take another look at my data.

I've set my machine to EPR 3 full time and gotten used to it, I'm now falling asleep quite easily with it on. I'm only a couple of nights in sleeping with these settings but I just wanted to check if I should continue like this and see what happens or change the settings. I feel pretty knackered when I get up still.


Thank you in advance