Welcome to Apnea Board !
As a guest, you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use.
To post a message, you must create a free account using a valid email address.
Login or Create an Account
MaggieL, Better than a Sweaty Zombie Meat Sack Therapy Thread
Thank you for this resource. I'm starting my 2nd week with a ResMed Autosense 10 and the Philips Dreamwear Full Face Mask. When I have a good seal, all is golden, which is usually the first couple hours of the night. Wake up to leaks and a wind tunnel blowing through my face. I don't know if the pressure blows the leak or the leaks create the pressure. Just added mask liner, but again found myself with leaks and a frustrating hour of readjusting straps, re-seating the mask. End up with headaches and lean towards loosening if I can. I'm a side sleeper and deep sleep jaw dropper. Found top of head connector with hose holder to be great for taking away some of the mask shifting when I move, but it's not enough. Getting 2-4 hours of actual sleep, so starting to feel a little mental. Posted last night's sleep here. Hopefully there is enough here for some tips. Next move is going to be trying different masks, but want to make sure settings are right for success. Thanks in advance for any assistance.
RE: Starting 2nd week. all compliance, little sleep
Hello and welcome.
Just one quick and easy thing to do with your settings is up increase your minimum pressure to 7 so as to get the full benefit of EPR (see EPR wiki ). This should hopefully clear up some of your events and an improved degree of comfort.
RE: Starting 2nd week. all compliance, little sleep
Thanks, will do. Tried cervical collar, but need to order shorter size. Woke up feeling like I was being strangled and had massive crick in neck. Had read through most of the information you referenced before posting. Really thought I'd clinched it last night with the mask liner from Pad a Cheek, so I was very, very frustrated when the same issues arose, which led me to post. Bought the machine outright (not through insurance) after shady DME experience, but they definitely did not have a wide selection of masks, nor did they spend much time on fit, so that will be my next step after making sure my settings are well-adjusted. Thanks again!
RE: Starting 2nd week. all compliance, little sleep
After a nap attempt and the first hour of the night wrestling with the Dreamwear FFM, I switched to a nasal mask with mouth taping. I seemed to have less leakage and was surprised that I could tolerate the tape. Didn't sleep well, but AHI came down. Today I am dealing with a lot of ear pressure, so I don't know if I need to adjust my pressure settings again. I moved the minimum to 7.0, but still struggling to get more actual sleep. I know this is a long process of trial-and-error, but whew, with little sleep, I'm losing stamina quickly. Hope I start seeing more ZZZZZZZs soon. Thanks in advance for any advice.
RE: Starting 2nd week. all compliance, little sleep
Thank you, UnicornRider and Expat31 for your assistance. Last night I had the best night yet of sleep and my lowest AHI ever (.6). Upping the minimum pressure helped a lot and now that I've switched to a nasal mask and mouth taping, I'm not dealing with a zillion leaks that kept me on edge while trying to sleep. Now I just have to retrain myself to sleep and not keep nervously checking that everything is working okay. Thanks again!
RE: Starting 2nd week. all compliance, little sleep
(03-30-2024, 09:16 AM)MaggieL Wrote: I'm starting my 2nd week with a ResMed Autosense 10 and the Philips Dreamwear Full Face Mask. When I have a good seal, all is golden, which is usually the first couple hours of the night. Wake up to leaks and a wind tunnel blowing through my face.
Your equipment provider can supply you with a different mask. This is expected as getting the right mask is a trial-and-error process. Insurance companies tend to cover the expense.
Quote:I don't know if the pressure blows the leak or the leaks create the pressure. Just added mask liner, but again found myself with leaks and a frustrating hour of readjusting straps, re-seating the mask.
Adaptation is a bear for most of us. But it will subside. I suggest changing your pressure range to 8-12. You're starting out at 5, which is too low, and you're never reaching your max of 15.
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.
RE: Starting 2nd week. all compliance, little sleep
Thanks for the followup. The DME my doctor sent the script to was scammy, did not have a full range of masks nor did they spend much time on fitting. I learned, unfortunately, after the fact. I bought my machine outright with a FFM, but then ordered a nasal mask online. Last night, with nasal mask and mouth taping, managed to have a pretty good night - lowest AHI yet (.6 from 26 on sleep study) and 6 hours of sleep (I'd been getting 2-4 hours). I moved minimum pressure to 7, which was better, and will try some more incremental shifts upward. So grateful for a community that shares its knowledge. Thank you!
RE: Starting 2nd week. all compliance, little sleep
I am glad to hear you are doing well with the new settings, I tend to be conservative when increasing pressure on new *PAP users. You can make small adjustments in 0.2 cmH2O increments. I would give it a couple of days at each incremental increase to ensure you have the sweet spot and not just a lucky night. ALso pay attention to how your body feels and responds to the therapy. That is more important than an AHI number at this point.
When you have split sessions where you either wore the mask for fitting and leak testing or to get acclimated to the mask and pressure, you can turn off those sessions so they do not show when posting OSCAR Reports. At the bottom of the left hand panel in the Daily view, on the Detailstab is the Sessions Information area, just unclick those sessions you do not want to include in your OSCAR Report. It will also change your AHI calculation and the OverView and Statistics page calculations. Give it a try, on some of your previous nights to see what it is like.
When in OSCAR, under the HELP in the upper left corner of your screen is a link to Online Users Guide. Alway a good source for information for maneuvering around OSCAR is
I strongly suggest to new users to utilize the Notes tab to record any changes to therapy settings, what effects you are expecting and what results you recieved. There is also a slider to indicate how you feel and an area for weight. These are also reported on the Overview page. Many people lose weight, a few gain weight after starting CPAP, it can affect your mask fit therefore leaks, but also therapy pressure required for a good nights sleep. I also make notes for allergy season and respiratory illness. You never know when you will look back several years and wonder "what was I thinking", notes help.
CPAPfriend is a member of this forum and has some informative YT videos on OSCAR.
