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06-27-2023, 08:22 PM (This post was last modified: 06-27-2023, 08:26 PM by Khavoqi.)
Khavoqi - Therapy Thread
Hey everyone.
I have a ResMed AirSense 10 with nasal pillows. I'm a 19 year old male, 5'11, 165 lbs.
I've been struggling heavily with my CPAP machine. I don't know where else to go at this point. I've only had a good 2 nights on it, out of nearly an entire month of using it. Every day I wake up feeling like I got ran over by a truck; please help me sort out my settings.
Pressure: 5.8
Ramp Time: Off
EPR: Off
Humidity: 4
I tape my mouth each night to prevent mouth leaks, have a roll that prevents me from turning on to my back. It seems like I just randomly rip off the mask in the middle of the night without me even being aware of it; at least that's what I think it is. The weird part is that I apparently subconsciously put it back on or something. Please help me figure it out, I seriously don't know what I'm doing wrong. It feels like I've tried everything, all to no avail; those good night are as elusive as the wind.
Sorry to hear about your problems. Do you have a copy of your sleep test that you can post here? It is recommended that you block out your personal data before posting it here.
Most adults will feel air starved until the pressure is at least 7-8 cm. This may be a consideration for you.
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
I didn't realize my pressure may have been too low; I'll try adjusting that and see what happens. However, since I'm at a healthy weight (and may have UARS from my research), would this still be the case?
OK, I looked at your report. Your throat muscles may be relaxing to the extent that gravity is causing part of your problem. Avoid sleeping on your back as much as possible. The left or right sides or the prone are the preferred positions. Do you have any medical history or on any medications that you haven't mentioned? I'm guessing here, but your tossing and turning could be also caused from uncomfortable bedding or sleeping environment. Bedding includes both mattress and/or pillow. The sleeping environment includes noise, temperature, and light. Any problems with any of these?
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
First of all, I really appreciate the help and dedication your showing to a complete stranger. Really means a lot to me.
To answer your question, nah, my sleeping environment is pretty good. Almost pitch black, not a lot of a noise, nice, cool temperature, etc. I do all the typical things for sleep hygiene, so I got that checked too.
And nah, I don't really have any medical history. I take Vitamin D supplements, but that's pretty much it. I guess I'll try and take a look at my sleep environment and see what could be causing the tossing and turning.
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
I'd like to take a different approach and see if we can get you to a more comfortable place by changing some settings, and especially by using the exhale pressure relief feature on your machine. I think your flow limitation is under-stated on your results because your inspiration time is actually longer than expiration time. This suggests your are having to use respiratory effort to suck in each breath past airway obstruction and without EPR you get no "assist" from the pressure support your machine is capable of. I'm going to give you suggested settings. Try them out and report back with a chart and comments on comfort.
Mode: Autoset Standard
Minimum Pressure: 7.0
Maximum Pressure : 10.0
EPR: On, Full-time
EPR Setting: 2
I will probably suggest we move up to 3 cm of EPR, but want to see if this affects CA events with a lower setting of 2 to start. You will need to access the clinical settings to implement these changes. This may help if you're not familiar. https://www.apneaboard.com/resmed-airsen...setup-info
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
Funnily enough, I actually tried turning on EPR to 2 last night, whilst increasing my pressure to 8.4; still doesn't seem to have made a difference on my overall sleepiness.
Attached are my results from last night.
Since I apparently have inspiratory effort, would that point to UARS, which would mean that a Bilevel would be ideal?
Thanks.
*Note: I went to sleep at around 5. Yes, I know it's really, really late, but there doesn't really seem to be any point in going to bed earlier when I'm gonna be tired regardless of how long I sleep.
