RE: EPR 1, hight flow limit, but lots of CA
Mostly, all events are pretty low. You occasionally have a leak, but it's not for a long period.
You may need to increase the pressure range to see if comfort is better. Or maybe it's the mask itself that's not comfortable. Is it tight?
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEBSITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
RE: EPR 1, hight flow limit, but lots of CA
(10-19-2024, 08:54 AM)OpalRose Wrote: throwaway1242,
I've gone back and looked at all your threads. You've received some good basic advice here.
I know you have an aversion to higher pressure, but if you study your pressure graph, you'll see that your pressure and Epap have been pretty steady. Your pressure is not going past 9.4 and your maximum is set at 9.6cm. You are already at those pressures for most of the night.
I can't say what is exactly causing you to remove your mask except maybe the high flow limitation rate. This is known to be disruptive to sleep. And as you're aware, the one proven way, which we have seen many times on this forum, to lower FL is to use EPR and/or raise your pressure a bit.
You don't have to raise the pressure if you don't want to, but as I said, you are already at 9.4 for a good part of the night.
Go slower with this until you feel more comfortable. The FL is what is trying to raise your pressure and that may be what's waking you. At least try setting the minimum at 9.4 as suggested above and try EPR set at 2. Let's see if that helps.
In the meantime, try using your machine and mask an hour or so before bed, just sitting up reading or watching TV.
You would be surprised how fast you could adapt if given a chance.
Went back to sleep specialist. They have recommended CPAP mode, fixed pressure at 9.4 since I appear to be sensitive to pressure changes. EPR is still set to 3
I have a lot of CAs, and I woke up multiple times throughout the night, and it felt like I was in very light sleep the entire time.
RE: EPR 1, hight flow limit, but lots of CA
Your leaks may be a source of disruption. I think there's some mask and mouth leak patterns involved.
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEBSITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
RE: EPR 1, hight flow limit, but lots of CA
(Yesterday, 05:51 PM)throwaway1242 Wrote: Went back to sleep specialist. They have recommended CPAP mode, fixed pressure at 9.4 since I appear to be sensitive to pressure changes. EPR is still set to 3
I have a lot of CAs, and I woke up multiple times throughout the night, and it felt like I was in very light sleep the entire time.
The flat tops on the leak rate graph appear to be mostly mouth breathing.
Spikey areas on the graph are mask movement. Either can be disruptive to sleep.
You may have to use mouth taping or change to a full face mask. If you can't control mouth breathing, I would recommend a hybrid mask that covers nose and mouth, but does not set high on the bridge of the nose.
I'm not opposed to the recommendation by your sleep specialist. Fixed pressure may be more comfortable for you, but going back and looking at your pressure graphs, your pressure has been pretty steady. So it could be an issue with EPR use.
Note: Edited my advice:
Try 9.0 fixed, but lower EPR to 1. This will give you an Epap of 8 which should ward off Obstructives from occurring, and should lower CA's.
Try this for a couple days, but consider a hybrid mask or start mouth taping. That seems to be your biggest issue.
