Extreme Headaches.

[Realtor 1]

Close to 2 yrs of Pp therapy and still having so many issues. Since my problems started a couple of yrs ago I have been encountering the Headache issues but of late they have gone almost unbearable (Last 3 weeks or so) every morning the pain starts on my face , where the FFM sits and then goes to the forehead and then the whole had. does stay pretty much the whole day and eases up in the evening .I have brought my Auto pressure down just to see if the high pressure was causing it. Not big difference. One thing I noticed that the AHI did not go up at all even at a pressure of 9. & even then the events were central instead of Obstructive.

Question is can CPAP pressure or a FFM mask trigger Headaches ?

I am going to go 2 night without the machine just to see if it will make any difference. Unfortunately my sleep doctor is useless and I have given up on him completely a few months ago.

[3porpoise]

Hi Realtor 1,
Did you happen to get your diagnostic and titration sleep study reports of 5-7 pages each? Suggest you do if you haven't already.
What is the AHI breakdown of obstructive vs central? Pre Asv I got daily headaches.
Have you used an oximeter?
3

[retired_guy]

Hey real estate guy....

Those nasty pressure headaches can be caused by masks that are too tight, or a chinstrap that is too tight.

or even insufficient humidification.

or even weird sleep position, as in head position. Make sure the head of the bed is elevated some, and do not allow your chin to drop towards your chest.

So check that stuff and make sure you're good to go.

[archangle]

Don't forget that we apneacs get all the same medical problems that normal people do. It can get doubly complicated if the root cause is something else, but apnea or CPAP aggravates the symptoms.

You might try manual CPAP at a few pressures to see if that gives you some clues about what's going on. Higher or lower humidification might be worth experimenting with.

[trailrider]

I had a wicked headache a few weeks ago. Someone here suggested I was dehydrated. So I drank more water and made sure my humidifier was topped up. It was a miracle! Now I make sure I drink more water. Haven't had it since.
Of course that could just be a coincidence. My 2 cents.

[Homerec130]

Another thing to think about is do you have any allergies to pollen, dust, etc... I found that at first I had sinus headaches, but as the time went on, they went away. If you do have known allergies, I would also try changing the filters in the machine and see if that helps. Hydration also helps, but if you go to far, you will end up getting up several times during the night.

[Realtor 1]

Thanks for all the tips.
So I slept without my machine last night for the first time since Aug 2013.
No Facial Pain in the morning, Still Slight Headaches but bearable.
Just feeling more Fatigued then usual.

Maybe, I am cured and don't need PAP therapy anymore. My treated apnea #'s are great as most of the nights i get 0 to a max of 2 Non Clear Apnea events. the Ahi sometimes go up to 1.5 but mostly beacuse of the Clear Airway events. Still never feel good and still encounter a lot of sleep problems , I am still waking up almost on hourly basis.

I have been playing with the Humidifier Settings & also the pressure settings without much help.

I am encountering some seasonal allergies but no major Sinus blockages just Itchy eyes & throat sometimes.

Will try to go without the Machine & Mask again for another 2 nughts to see , how I will feel.

Has anyone healed completely from Sleep Apnea like that. Maybe The Headaches are because I don't need the machine anymore but am still using it and the Air pressure is causing them.

I did lose about 80 lbs weight right after my initial issues but my Treated AHI with The Old Icon Machine used to be anywhere between 3 to 5 range. (Though the F& P machine was not capable of Differentiating between the Central & OSA.

I can also try it on a very low air settings with the mask to see if the Ahi goes up.

[archangle]

Has anyone healed completely from Sleep Apnea like that. Maybe The Headaches are because I don't need the machine anymore but am still using it and the Air pressure is causing them.

In general, I wouldn't expect CPAP to cause headaches in someone who doesn't need CPAP.

[OpalRose]

Perhaps the headaches are from a whole different medical issue. Have you been to a doctor for your headaches, or do you just assume the headaches are from CPAP therapy?

I will say congrats. on your weight loss. . It is not easy to lose weight, but the only way to really know if your are cured of sleep apnea is to have another test done. Find another sleep doctor if you have to, but this self trial thing of using CPAP, then not using it for a day or two makes no sense.

Why don't your download some graphs from SleepyHead, it sounds like you have a lot of Clear Airway or Centrals. You may not be on the correct machine.

[CBELFORD]

I see you're using a ResMed - its a long shot but have you switched from a slimline tube to a normal/standard tube and not changed the setting on the machine?

I only ask since I did that last week and had a horrible transition - once realizing I needed to change the machine settings, it was fine. You'd think pressure is pressure and that an autoset would compensate but then again...

Realtor1 - I hope you find the resolution soon.