Newbie with sleep study results and questions

[Masta]

If I am not mistaken, 20-22 arousals an hour is considered normal.

If you don't feel good during the day, don't feel that you sleep well, have morning headaches or feel fatigued, want to close your eyes or want to nap during the day, then you should seriously consider going along with the program. You have little to lose even though your case is apparently mild, and your overnight ox reports appear not too bad at all.

I desperately want to try cpap. Im exhausted 24/7, and have been for the last 10yrs. The last month or so I have been feeling light headed, dizzy, and im not cognitively at my best, on top of exhaustion. Im sick of having no energy.

My appointment with my new sleep doctor is in 3 weeks. I want to be prepared for my doctors visit. I have called my health insurance company, so I'm aware of my portion of payment if a cpap machine is prescribed. I have read online "what you need to know before you meet your DME".

I have a couple of questions:
1. What would be the best thing to say to convince my new sleep doctor that I would benefit from cpap?
2. What are the best auto adjusting cpap machines out there at the moment?
3. Should I go to my consult prepared with a machine already picked out?
4. Should I ask for a titration study? is it needed?
5. How do i upload test results into this forum?

I want to view my sleep data on my computer once I start cpap therapy. Im aware that the Intellipap Auto Adjust and the the Respironics Remstar Auto have their own software and the Resmed Airsense Autoset for Her doesnt. I have heard of Sleepyhead but havent looked at the program yet.

Am I correct in the understanding that people who own the newer Resmed machines cannot access their sleep data, so they use Sleepyhead. And those people who own the newer Respironics or Intellipap machines are able to access their data if they buy the software? And anyone can use Sleepyhead, regardless of what machine they have?

I dont know what the pros and cons are to these machines, or if there is another top of the line machine available that I dont know about. Im willing to pay a little extra $$ for all the bells and whistles, quitness and a longer warranty.

For those of you who own one of the latest models of the Resmed machine, are you able to tweak your cpap settings or do you have to go to the doctors to get your settings tweaked?

Those who use the Respironics and the Intellipap machines are you able to tweak your settings?

[eseedhouse]

Am I correct in the understanding that people who own the newer Resmed machines cannot access their sleep data, so they use Sleepyhead.

No. Resmed provides and application to do that, and you can tell the machine itself to show more detail on it's own screen.

BUT - "SleepyHead" is a better application. I used ResScan for a couple of months alongside SleepyHead and then just didn't bother with it because SleepyHead is just much better from my point of view.

With any of the most recent APAP machines you can go into "clinician" mode and change any setting you like. Your DME might not want to tell you how to do that, but you can easily find out from this board.

[AndyB]

Ditto what eseedhouse said -- I am currently downloading daily data from my machine to both ResScan and Sleepyhead, but I expect I'll soon drop ResScan because Sleepyhead is a better program. I got the links to download both programs from this forum.

[quiescence at last]

The biggest notes are:

You are not having any REM sleep. That's a problem.

You are having little Stage 3 NREM sleep. That's a problem.

You are having lots and lots of PLM (periodic limb movement). That's a problem.

You are having arousal after/because of PLM. That's a problem.

Your apnea and hypopnea are fairly short. That is great news (except CPAP is not indicated).

Your oxygen did not desat very much for very long. That is great news (except CPAP is not indicated).

Your pulse rate is very high. Not so good. What is your blood pressure like? Any Afib going on?

It was a good thing to do to get the oximeter and know for sure how normal nights are.

Biggest suggestions:

If it were me, at this point, I would ask my doctor to prescribe an auto-titrating full data capable APAP/CPAP machine, and if the insurance will not cover, buy from one of the suppliers online (I have heard that supplier 2 has some really good prices.) I would contact #2 supplier and provide a copy of the sleep report, and ask if their MD can use that to prescribe from.

I would look for the types of meditation and light medication that helps the PLM. Gotta get those down (or at least the arousals). CPAP can reduce PLM.

see study: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12804680
and: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12048047
and: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11247054
and: ESPECIALLY http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14572125

Look hard at melatonin, magnesium, or manganese supplements. Look hard at self hypnosis, meditation, massage or brain wave entrainment, specifically delta.

Seriously consider eating 5 grams of almonds approximately 1 hour before sleep, and sleeping only when it is dark.

Sleep in a cold room with fairly heavy covers (to reduce the amplitude of PLM).

Take your temperature at bedtime.

Log your actions in a diary.

Good luck,
QAL

[zonk]

Am I correct in the understanding that people who own the newer Resmed machines cannot access their sleep data, so they use Sleepyhead.

Actually, any top of the range machine (ResMed or Respironcis) can be set in dumb mode or smart mode

I use ResScan but most of the time, the information provided on LCD each morning is all what I need

As for machine choices, there're few choices but there is nothing like ResMed
User friendly and comprehensive sleep report displayed on the screen
Best of its kind

[Masta]

Update:
I have been on Cpap since 3rd Aug 2015. I have had an overnight pulse ox test done because my CMS-50F shows I am in the 84%-8^ range. I want to add a new thread with pictures of my pulse ox test results, but cant because I need to have a total of 8 posts, my post count is 5 including this post. Is there anyway around this rule?

[DariaVader]

3 more posts?

that might be the quickest workaround....

[Masta]

Thank you. I dont want to get into trouble for adding waste of time posts. will i get bottled from the board if i do that?

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I guess im about to find out

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This is my last post so i can post with pictures, i need some advice on a pulse ox test results

[DariaVader]

well, I haven't seen you make any junk posts yet

The rule is there to keep spammers at bay. I don't think you are one.

[Masta]

I need one more post after this post in order for this to work. I hope someone comments so i can comment so i can post the pics