My Leaks

[Sleepster]

I'm posting one of my leak graphs from SleepyHead. This is the total leak.

Does this look like a typical leak graph? I'm concerned because it seems to vary quite a bit. I'm using the Fisher-Paykel Opus nasal pillows. According to the manufacturer, the exhaust flow rate at a pressure of 10 cm is just under 35 L/min.

[Sleepster]

Let's see if a clarification will solicit any responses. I'm concerned that the spikes in my leak graph might be a sign that I'm mouth-breathing, which would of course permit my throat to close up, causing an arousal.

I have caught myself mouth-breathing. Happened several times during the second week of my therapy. Wore a chin strap for a few weeks, which fixed the problem. I was able to stop wearing the chin strap. Then it happened again one neight a few months later. Wore the chin strap for a few nights, and then it stopped. Went off the chin strap. Never noticed it happening any other time.

I wish I had some feedback from others who are monitoring their leak graphs.

[zonk]

Doesn't SH shows unintentional leaks.
Total leak - 35 L/min vents leak (intentional leak) = X? L/min mask + mouth leak (unintentional leak)
Its small print can not see the graph properly may be enlarge it but anyway its only a spike for a short time and if you can sleep right through as you did is not a problem in my book. The S9 report unintentional leak and draw the line at 24L/min but lately most of the times my leak is way over this line as trying to figure how to tame the beast the Quattro.

[pssnn]

H Sleepster,

Here is what my chart looks like when I am mouth breathing. Also I know when I'm doing it because my mouth is as dry as the Sahara.

[Sleepster]

Doesn't SH shows unintentional leaks.

Not in this case, zonk. Mark was having trouble getting SleepyHead to separate out the unintentional from the intentional for the PRS1 Bi-PAP. I therefore am showing only the total leak, which should be about 35 L/min.

Its small print can not see the graph properly may be enlarge it but anyway its only a spike for a short time and if you can sleep right through as you did is not a problem in my book.

You're looking at a thumbnail. You have to click on it to enlarge it!

But, I don't sleep right through. That's the problem. I keep waking up throughout the night, although I'm doing it less often than I did before I started CPAP therapy six months ago. And I usually find it pretty easy to get back to sleep. Unlike before therapy where I had a hard time falling back asleep. I think I would doze off and be awakened by an obstructive apnea.

[Sleepster]

[/quote]One of the things I've noticed is a great variation in the amount of water used in my PRS1 humidifier tank. Some nights I'll use almost none, other nights it's up to half a tank!

Last night I tried a new nasal pillow mask -- ComfortLite2. I used almost no water. My leak graph looks much better. I'm attaching the leak graph as well as the full SleepyHead report.

I think this is the way it should look every night!

Any feedback I can get from others about their leak rate would be appreciated. I'm trying to sort this out and find out if I'm leaking so much that it's having a negative effect on my therapy.

[attachment=190]

[JudgeMental]

You appear to have great AHI numbers, in my opinion.

Why do you feel the leaks are interrupting your therapy.

Your leak graph looks pretty normal to me, even with some spikes. The spiking may be caused by your movements during your sleep.

[Sleepster]

You appear to have great AHI numbers, in my opinion.

Why do you feel the leaks are interrupting your therapy.

Your leak graph looks pretty normal to me, even with some spikes. The spiking may be caused by your movements during your sleep.

My AHI averages around 2.0, which I'm very happy about. And last night's leak graph looks very good, too. Unfortunately, that leak graph is not typical. Look at the graph I posted in the first message of this thread. There the leak rate doubles from the intentional of 35 L/min to almost 70 L/min. This is the part that concerns me, because it's typical of most nights, and I think it indicates that I'm mouth-breathing.

Last night there was no noticable drop in the water level, but some nights I lose almost half the water. Another indication that I'm mouth-breathing.

I think this is a concern because it might be interfering with my therapy. If my mouth is open my airway is not pressurized and it could collapse.

This is why I'm soliciting responses from others who wear nasal masks and pillows. If your leak graphs all look like mine, then perhaps it's nothing for me to be overly concerned about. On the other hand, if others' leak graphs are flatter, it indicates to me that I might need to wear a chin strap all the time, or possibly even switch to a full face mask.

[zonk]

The Mouth Leak Cycle
http://www.resmed.com/au/clinicians/comp...clinicians

Dealing with Air Leaks
http://www.resmed.com/au/patients_and_fa...c=patients

[Sleepster]

Good info. Thanks for posting those links, zonk. One thing I learned is that I'm using the wrong terminology. My problem is not mouth-breathing, it's called mouth leak.

I don't often wake up with a dry mouth. The two things that seem to indicate to me that I'm mouth leaking are

1. Very different amounts of water being used each night from my humidifier tank. The ambient air stays about the same because we have central air conditioning and run it continuously from before the beginning of May until after the end of September. I also keep the humidifier setting the same. Some nights the water level doesn't drop enough to notice, others I lose up to almost half the tank.

2. My total leaks should be down around 35 L/min based on my mask type and pressure. Some nights it does stay down around 35 L/min. Most nights it has spikes that go up a lot higher, sometimes as high as 70 L/min.

So, am I mouth-leaking? I guess I'll start wearing my chin strap all the time. And record the amount of water being used by the humidifier each night. See if there's a correlation between leak rates and water used.