It's not working. Panicking and need help.

[taha]

Hello Guys. Last nights sleepyhead Data is below. So I remember I was still awake at 10.54 PM. Then i was awoken again at 11:28 PM, i looked at the clock and was gravely disappointed to see that I had barely been asleep 1 hour before God knows what woke me up. I tried to go back to sleep. But next thing I remember was that i had woken up sometime in the middle of the night and the mask was not on my face. I have no recollection of when, how or who (spooky) took it off.

I was too sleepy to be bothered to put it back on, so just went to sleep sleep without. I woke up at around 8 or 8.30 without further incident, or the mask.

Anyone care to tell me what happened, especially at around 11:28 PM, 1:08 AM and 2:10 AM?

WHOLE NIGHT




FLOW 11:24-11:38 PM

[jaswilliams]

At 11:28 PM you had some flow limitations (obstructions in your airway) so the machine increased the pressure to prevent the obstruction from becoming an Apnea at 1:08 AM it looks like you took off the mask as there is a huge leak rate and then the machine stops,  shortly after you put the mask back on and the auto start on your machine restarted your treatment until you took the mask off again at 2:10 AM and the machine shutdown


You might want to increase the minimum pressure to 6 or so then there’s not such a pressure jump that looks to have woken you up at 11:28


Jason

[Sleep2Snore]

Hi taha,
You appeared to be doing fine on your first settings, it was the mask that was causing you problems.

First two nights went ok, was hopeful and optimistic. But last 3 nights have been bad. The nasal mask leaks when I turn onto my side. I try not to tighten in too much. When I tighten it slightly using the upper straps it pulls up on my nose and there's pain on my septum. If I tighten the lower straps it's very uncomfortable on my inner lip where it presses against my front teeth.

If you can get then I would go  for Nasal Pillows, I had the same problem as you had with the mask hurting my teeth, then I thought a Full-faced mask would be better, however, I ended up with the bottom of the mask in my mouth when I tried in my sleep to get comfortable with the mask.  Or I would lay on my back and my mouth would open just for a few seconds and my jaw would just drop enough for the mask to shift and pop into my mouth again, then I would waken up.  I  moved on to Nasal Pillows and it changed my life.  No more problems with masks, now I have soft Nasal Pillows and an APAP and it is like sleeping with a model rather than her mother.
I would try Nasal Pillows and get a chin strap, or just use a stretchy bandage as a temporary measure until you can get one.
I found the soft Nasal Pillows is so good I don't notice them, it it were not for the hose and headgear.
I See you have an Airsense 10, this is what I have and it works with Nasal Pillows fine, I have the soft Swift FX type and the only thing I found was the plastic straps dug into my face, however the soft wraps stopped this.
As for your pressure, I would have it at 8 to 12.
My machine is set to 10 to 20, it has almost made it to 12, so it your mask has a good seal the Airsence 10 will not rise high in pressure.  Even when I knocked the mask off (which was a problem at the start as I was used to the hose going over my head, but I used Velcro to fix the hose to the side of the mask that I never lay on.  I had to give it a wide turning circle as the soft pillows would collapse one side, but it stopped me catching the hse on my arm and pulling the mask off my face.) it would slowly rise and the air hitting my face woke me up anyway.  I set the humidity to 6 and I found this to be ideal, but everyone is different, what suits me might not suit you, but give them a try.  Nasal Pillows can irritate the lining in your nose for a while until you get used to them, however, these are so soft I doubt they will annoy you.
I have a beard and I have no problems with the nasal pillows I now have and with the machine and similar pressures to you they should work fine with you.
Here is a link to a video of the Swift FX Nasal Pillows   https://youtu.be/gut4Kbbc-iM
There are other products out there that are similar, but I think Nasal Pillows and a chin strap will work fine for you.
I am adding a strap to the rear of my chin strap as I find it slides forwards during the night, but that is not hard to do if this happens to you with a bit of Velcro to adjust it if need be.
I found keeping the pressure just below what the machine rises to is the most comfortable and it will disturb you less when an event happens.
I keep it 2 below its maximum normal working pressure i.e. if it gets to 13 but normally get to 12, set it to 10.
I got this advice from a Sleep Tech and it works fine for me, though it might not work for others the same way.
The less EPR you use I think the better, however, some use it for comfort.  I found at these pressures it is better off.

I forgot to add that I side sleep most of the time, but do turn onto my back, I have had no problems with these type of Nasal Pillows.
Just got to wait to see how long they will last!

(Why is the link at the bottom of my post as well?)
[url=https://youtu.be/gut4Kbbc-iM][/url]

[taha]

At 11:28 PM you had some flow limitations (obstructions in your airway) so the machine increased the pressure to prevent the obstruction from becoming an Apnea at 1:08 AM it looks like you took off the mask as there is a huge leak rate and then the machine stops,  shortly after you put the mask back on and the auto start on your machine restarted your treatment until you took the mask off again at 2:10 AM and the machine shutdown


You might want to increase the minimum pressure to 6 or so then there’s not such a pressure jump that looks to have woken you up at 11:28


Jason

Thanks Jason, that makes a lot of sense. At 1.08, do you think i might have taken off my mask because I could not take the high pressure? I have no recollection that I woke up and removed and replaced the mask at that time.

Should I perhaps tie down my mask so its not so easy to take it off?

[taha]

it is like sleeping with a model rather than her mother

Hahaha. Made my day.

I have read your entire response and will re read it again to digest everything you have shared. But from the gist of it, it makes perfect sense. I am thinking of buying nasal pillows, as my 'stache gets pretty itchy with the nasal mask.

I am considering the Resmed Swith FX, Airfit P10 and Palairo Q Nasal Pillow and also the Dreamware Nasal Mask, which is not as intrusive as other nasal masks.

what is the difference between the Swift FX and P10?

Any suggestions? Maybe this question should be in a new thread.

[Sleeprider]

I have used both the Swift FX and P10. The Swift FX was the predecessor to the P10 and the nasal pillow itself is very similar, but they are not interchangeable. The Swift has an adjustable and more stable headgear strap system. The drawback of the Swift is the exhaust is directed from the front of the mask frame in a concentrated blast of air that is noisy and will blow on your arms and if you sleep with someone else, will blow on them. I find that exhaust stream very disruptive and uncomfortable.

The Airfit P10 is very quiet, and the mask frame incorporates a fine mesh diffuser that makes the mask very quiet, with almost no detectable exhaust. Some people have complained the exhaust is too restrictive, and it can become less porous if you use certain cleaners, leave it wet or scrub the mesh. The headgear is minimal, has no adjustment and stretches over time. A set of clips has been included in newer masks to offset that stretching. The fit of the headgear is adjusted simply by spreading the split-strap apart for a looser fit, or bringing it together for a tighter fit. The mask is very comfortable and is the most popular mask in use by those that tolerate nasal therapy.

Note that nasal pillows are not "prongs". They do not insert into the nose, but are shaped to comfortably float on the outside of the nares. The shape is not to insert into your nose, but to stabilize the position. Most people get better results if they try a larger nasal pillow size than they "think" they need. This gives better air-flow and more stable fit. Nasal pillows that are too small are restrictive, can cause discomfort, and is less stable.

[Sleepster]

Should I perhaps tie down my mask so its not so easy to take it off?

Yes, you should. And you need to convince yourself that keeping it on is necessary.

Here's the thing. The mask, hose, and pressure are all a huge bother, so they keep waking us up. But in a few weeks we adapt, and they don't do it as much. Eventually they stop doing it. Every time you sleep without the mask on you interfere with, and prolong, the adaptation period. Some people never make it because they eventually convince themselves that they don't need it.

What happens next is a miserable sleep-deprived life followed by heart disease or stroke. Our parents and grandparents had to put up with this because they didn't have the technology to correct it. We are so lucky to live in a time when CPAP therapy is available to us. Without it we'd be back where they were.

[Reznik]

Hi guys,

I'm also new here so take my advice with a large grain of salt.

Is it possible that it'd be easier to acclimate if he set the machine in CPAP mode at a fixed, comfortable pressure, and then increased it slightly on a weekly basis until he finds something that works well for him?

[MitchS]

You might try a chinstrap over your headgear if you keep having trouble keeping the mask on, even if you don't mouth breath. I have found it makes the mask much more stable and also harder to take off.

[taha]

You might try a chinstrap over your headgear if you keep having trouble keeping the mask on, even if you don't mouth breath. I have found it makes the mask much more stable and also harder to take off.

I might have to try that, but I will be ordering nasal pillows and trying those first before trying to hack the headgear. I'm only 8 days into therapy and hope i can settle in without a chinstrap.