Thick head on waking

[SleepinginAdelaide]

Morning,

All in all I'm doing ok on xpap but most mornings when I wake and take off the mask I have a fairly thick head accompanied by a dull ache. It isn't what I would call severe but it is certainly noticeable. This passed within about 20 - 30 minutes but my head isn't what I would call clear. Attached is this mornings data, I'm not completly up on SH.

Steve

[Paptillian]

All in all I'm doing ok on xpap but most mornings when I wake and take off the mask I have a fairly thick head accompanied by a dull ache.

Well I've been called thick-headed myself, but I haven't tried blaming my CPAP for it. That's not a bad idea.



Your screenshot makes me wonder if maybe your pressure settings need some adjustment. It says your APAP range is 8-11, but there's a good chunk of time there where the pressure stays pegged around 11. Is it maybe wanting to go a little higher?

It doesn't look like you have any apneas during that time, though. That's what's making me second-guess myself.

[zonk]

If were me, I would raise both minimum/maximum pressure setting and cancel EPR, back down if centrals increases
Also see the doctor, headache can mean different things and maybe invest in oximeter to check oxygen levels during the night

[archangle]

How long have you been doing CPAP with your current pressure settings? Sometimes your body and brain have to adjust to breathing normally again.

[SleepinginAdelaide]

How long have you been doing CPAP with your current pressure settings? Sometimes your body and brain have to adjust to breathing normally again.

I totally agree and I've been on this pressure for about 7 days.

Steve

[SleepinginAdelaide]

Clear head this morning. I raised the pressure very minimally and got rid of the EPR,I also set the ramp to 10 minutes even though the pressure wasn't at all hard to deal with. The final thing I did was take off the climateline hose and use the plain slimline. I know one night isn't a trend but it is encouraging.

[tokyo43]

What was the rationale behind turning off EPR?

[PaulaO2]

Have you been using CPAP for 7 days or been at that pressure for 7 days? Either way, that's not a long enough time to form any conclusions. Leave it be for a while longer and log how you feel, what kind of day you had, etc etc. After another week, take another long look and decide what to do. Since you have an Autoset, if you keep hitting that 11 max like that, increasing it to 12 would be a good idea.

Also, you made too many changes at once. You don't know which one helped and which one didn't. Pick one thing to change and observe for at least 10 days.

@Tokyo - For some people, the exhale relief can cause more events than it helps. This is for all machines, not just ResMed's. I experimented briefly and got the best results with the EPR at 2 and the worst results with it off. Others, though, have the opposite result. It's is such a personal thing and is why a data capable machine is so important.

[jgjones1972]

What was the rationale behind turning off EPR?

I think, and I don't have any evidence to back this up, that pressure relief on exhale makes it harder for the respiratory system to adjust for some people; hence, some folks experience increased CAs. My rational for this is that with pressure relief on exhale, your system has to get used to the unnatural difference between pressure when you inhale and pressure when you exhale; whereas, without a pressure differential, your body just has to get used to higher pressure. Of course, the body can adapt - it just might take longer or be more problematic when the necessary adaptation is more complex.

Also, in regard to increased OAs, the pressure relief on exhale could possibly be allowing the airway to, ever so slightly, begin to close - which could then make it more difficult to keep the airway completely open (i.e. the pressure has to recover full splint, rather than just maintain full splint).

Anyway, that's just the way I rationalize it and it could very well be wrong.

Pressure relief may still be necessary for those who have a hard time adjusting to exhaling against the pressure and/or desirable to those who just have an easier time adjusting to the pressure differential; but, quite a few doctors have tightened up their policies on EPR and it is progressively being considered a part of therapy that has to be monitored and evaluated rather than just a comfort feature.

[tokyo43]

Thanks, I've been making many changes lately, but once my (already low) numbers stabilize I'll try turning off the EPR.