Dry mouth and confusion. (Newbie)

[TimtheEnchanter]

I m using sleepyhead software and the numbers showing are not the same as my machine display! This confuses me and makes me wonder which one is right?
presumably because I have been breathing through my mouth a lot. Now I am congested and nose is runny.

[OpalRose]

Hello TimtheEnchanter,
The numbers on your machine display in the morning should match #SleepyHead results with a bit of rounding.

Dry mouth is due to mouth breathing.  Try a chin strap or a “soft” cervical collar to help.

Your AHI is higher than it should be, and it doesn’t look like you are using your machine that much.

As far as being congested (if you are not sick with a cold) try turning the humidifier setting down.
Over humidification can be as bad as not enough humidity.  Everyone is different...experiment.

You have an Auto Cpap set in Cpap mode.  It may be more comfortable to use the auto setting.

To get more precise advice on your therapy, please follow the tutorials in my signature line on how to organize SH graphs and how to download from Imgur.

We need to see the daily page, with the following graphs:  events, pressure, flow rate, leak rate and snore.  Also need to see the stats on the left side (minus the calendar and pie chart.)  You can eliminate the right side bar.

Since you are new, insert a space in the link from imgur, and we will figure it out.

[trish6hundred]

Hi TimtheEnchanter,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
Hang in there for more answers to your question and good luck with CPAP therapy.

[CTcentrals]

My wife's dreamstation and sleepyhead match with rounding (e.g., DS AHI = .6, SH AHI = .61) using the statistics page, on which I don't rely.  Mask fit on DS and Leaks on SH are different.  I presume DS is only displaying based on whether leaks exceed threshold but SH displays all leaks plus.

It's hard to imagine with ~4 hours usage a night and the percentage of time leaks exceed threshold that you will get any meaningful therapy or information.

ct

[HalfAsleep]

You’re not worried about compliance? You don’t have a 3-month deadline? Get on the compliance train ASAP if you didn’t buy your machine out-of-pocket; time’s a-wasting.

Yes, get sorted out with the data, but if they confiscate the machine at the end of 3 months, no amount of AHI finessing will get you anywhere.

In case no one has told you, the process of using a CPAP takes a lot of work and commitment. That’s why the majority of folks who try fail and get their machines taken away. There are people here who will bend over backwards to be helpful. But 99.9% of the work and commitment is on you: it’s your body, your health, and your motivation, and to get anywhere you’ll have to be putting in the hours to make it happen. A whole lot of hours, and every night.

[HalfAsleep]

When you say the numbers on your Dreamstation and SleepyHead are different, are you referring to leak numbers? I believe those two sources calculate them differently, but someone can correct me. Dreamstation includes intentional and unintentional, but SleepyHead only includes the latter?

I find that SH’s graphic display of leaks is more helpful than numbers. There are different size leaks! Then there are mask leaks and mouth leaks!

[TimtheEnchanter]

No, I am not worried because I am doing this for 13 month and the machine is mine after. Nobody will take it away. If you force yourself with this so called "compliance" you will just hate it more. I have a good insurance and they do not act like "sleep Nazis".

[ajack]

I think there is a high probability that you may be one of the 25-50% who discontinue therapy. Some take it more seriously later and come back to cpap when they get a scare, some don't. If you have been reading threads here, you would be aware of a few issues you need to resolve.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2679572/

[DeepBreathing]

G'day Tim. Welcome to Apnea Board.

Looking at the stats you've provided, and your mention of mouth-breathing, I think the first thing you need to get sorted are the leaks. You're over the red line for a high percentage of time, and the machine can't properly diagnose or treat events while over the red line.

The Simplus is an excellent mask, but it doesn't suit everybody. Finding a mask which fits properly, is comfortable and doesn't leak is the highest priority. If the mask isn't right, then everything else is wasted. Try usng the "check mask fit" feature of your machine (P15 of the user manual) and adjust the straps to get an optimum fit. They should be firm but not tight. The Simplus is also prone to leaking due to oily skin, so if necessary wash and dry your face thoroughly last thing before bed. If these actions don't work, you might need to look at an alternative mask. It's often a case of trial and error, and can get expensive.

Once you've got the mask sorted, then it's a matter of addressing the hours used. I understand that youre not worried about compliance, but the machine isn't doing you any good when it's not being used. The aim should be to mask up when you go to bed, and keep it on all night until you get up. This is easier said than done, as I know from my own experience.

[Sleeprider]

You need a new mask, and your therapy is marginal in terms of hours and AHI. You are using your Auto CPAP in fixed CPAP mode at pressure 11.0 with AFlex. This is leaving you with some residual obstructive events; however the leak rate appears to be very high which may make any events difficult to define. Perhaps, you would be more comfortable with the machine in Auto CPAP mode, and that might lead to more consistent and effective use.

In terms of the information on Sleepyhead and the machine not being in sync, we would need more information on what the machine is reporting. Also, the Statistics data is not entirely reliable compared to Daily Details. There are bugs in Sleephead that particularly affect the Statistics and Overview, and the bugs vary between the different supported machines.