G'day John, welcome to Apnea Board. It looks like you're off to a pretty good start, but you might need to fine tune a couple of settings.
Quote:1) I generally have more Hypoapnoeas than OSAs - what i dont understand is why i have any at all. I know that "normal" people have apnoeas but why does the machine allow some apnoeas and not others?
Sooner or later somebody will ask to see your screenshot from Sleepyhead, so we can see in detail what's going on. In the meantime, it's not uncommon to get hypopneas, which you can think of as apneas which never grew up. The machine has provided sufficient pressure to avoid apneas, but not enough to clear the hypopneas. An upwards adjustment of your lower pressure may be all you require to fix it.
Quote:2) I have a minimal contact full face mask (it was all i was offered) and wake up at least once a night with it slipping. Sometines this is a leak but more often it moves up beyond my lower lip. Is this normal?
It sounds like the mask doesn't fit your face probably. Remember no two faces are the same, so no two masks are going to work for you. It's probably the main cause of people giving up - difficulty finding a mask which is comfortable and doesn't leak. Trial and error seems to be the most effective step forward. But at least give a new model a reasonable chance before giving up on it,
Quote:3) I suffer from anxiety and already find myself becoming fixated with the readings as soon as i wake. I note that others use analytical tools - are these useful or will this simply heighten my compulsion?
Most of us seem to be data junkies and will read their sleepyhead report before breakfast. It's an occupational hazard. Your shrink might have advice on how to manage anxiety in the context of sleep apnea therapy. However, having said that, most people bite the bullet and get on with it, It's true that using the hose becomes second nature.
Quote:4)There is no doubt that i am sleeping much better and feel much less tired during the day. However, i do feel slightly weird in that i feel slightly lightheaded etc - is this normal?
I reckon that will settle down with time, and is no cause for alarm.
Quote:5) Finally, i am 17 stone and i am wondering has anyone cured their Sleep Apnoea by losing weight?
Certainly the symptoms might get resolved, allowing you to use lower pressures. But I've never heard of people actually curing apnea by reducing weight.
Good luck as you progress through the early states of therapy, and let us know how you get on.