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I second clownbell's comments about CAs, though it'd be interesting to know what your CA index was during your sleep study.
Also, the transitions to and from sleep will sometimes include flurries of CAs, as one set of neurochemical controls hands off to another. These are also periods when a fair amount of "sleep-wake junk" can occur:
You may not need to use a collar. If you have several pillows, winnow the pile down to one. And see if you can sleep on your side with your head positioned so you're not tucking your chin down toward your chest.
Ahhh... Positional Apnea. That may explain some things.
I do tend to sleep curled up in a ball like a kitten. And I use a couple of pillows. I sleep on my side the majority of the time- 400 minutes vs. 40 on my back.
Speaking of my sleep study, it was a two night home test. Raw numbers show CAs far exceeding the OAs.
Night 1- 213 CA, 36 OA, 40 Hypops. Central Apnea Index 28.4/hr
Night 2- 132 CA, 83 OA, 51 Hypops. Central Apnea Index 17.8/hr
The overwhelming majority of events were on my right side, which is my preferred side although the time spent on each side is virtually even ( 4 minutes more on my right out of 450 minutes total.)
I may look into different pillow shapes to see if I am able to keep my chin up.
Thanks for the advice!
And yes, I will continue trying to get this sorted out. I woke up tired and cranky today, felt like crap most of the day until I took a 45 minute snooze on the couch. I woke up feeling better so I determined to figure this thing out.
I am not convinced by the reasoning behind your idea, but I see no harm in giving it a try. Bump your minimum up to 6.4 and see how it goes. If it gives you good results, then stick with it. If CAs persist, then see what happens if you stop using any EPR.
Did anyone talk with you about your CA index from the test? Your diagnosis should have been mixed apnea, based on the numbers you've provided. If you have a sleep doctor or clinic, please ask them about this, mentioning what your AHI is and what the breakdown into event-types is.
For mixed apnea (or straight-up central apnea) you might benefit from a more specialized PAP machine. Generally people are asked to try a regular machine; if that doesn't get the AHI below 5, then they may be trialed on a bi-level machine, e.g., the ResMed Aircurve VAuto. And if that doesn't do the trick, they may be prescribed an ASV machine (adaptive servo-ventilation).
But before your push to go down that road, let's see how you do with some adjustments using your current machine. Already your CA index is way down from what it was during your test.
09-07-2022, 12:20 PM (This post was last modified: 09-07-2022, 12:21 PM by eddiememphis.)
RE: New Guy With Lots Of Questions
(09-07-2022, 11:13 AM)Dormeo Wrote: Did anyone talk with you about your CA index from the test?
Nope.
I have had minimal communication with everyone involved, not for lack of trying.
I bought the machine based on the type that was going to be rented to me through insurance and supplier. I still haven't heard back from them two months later, despite weekly calls from me.
I definitely feel on my own until I can find a medical professional that cares about more than billing. It certainly seems that this was not a thorough diagnosis.
I asked one doc about dealing with a problem and he said we can't address that "until we become better friends."
Oh man, that makes my blood boil. So, one step at a time. Try bumping up the minimum to 6.4. Stay with that a few days and see what happens. If CAs persist in large numbers, leave the pressure settings where they are and try EPR = 0.
