Totally New CPAP User - CLUELESS

[Theilluminator]

Hi All,

I am new to this CPAP thing. I am a 41 yo male living in Chicago IL. in USA. I have just gotten diagnosed with a MODERATE level of sleep Apnea. (I dont know how only Moderate I am and have always been tired). 
I have been tired for my entire life. Especially the last 10 years, I sleep a big part of the morning. I cannot get up on time for almost anything. I admit I do not go to sleep early which is what i should do but I still should not be so tired 80% of the day. I have taken ADHD Meds to keep myself artificially awake for the rest of the day.  

Two other big issues: 

I often watch tv shows before bed with my CPAP Mask on. It helps me get used to wearing it but that data of course is still being recorded.  
Also, I am overweight. Not obese but i should definitely lose 50 plus pounds. I have huge cravings not just for sugar but for anything unhealthy!!

I have only used the CPap (dREAM sTATION pHILIPS) for a few days but it has not been helping. WhAT is going wrong? What should i do differently?


I am open to ALL FEEDBACk. I look forward to "meeting" and interacting with you all. I have been looking all over the boards but I fail to understand what I should be doing differently (ie pressure, sleep, etc) 

I have attached screenshots of sleepyhead. I have no idea what any of it means!

thank you for reading,
Sincerely,
Mark[attachment=3637]

[Sleeprider]

Hi Mark, welcome! Your attached image shows us that you are having quite a bit of obstructive events with many hypopnea, some obstructive apnea and accompanied by lots of snores and flow limitations. It would help if we could see the daily details. See the link in my signature on organizing a Sleepyhead chart, and we will be able to see settings, respiratory and apnea statistics that can help us to interpret your results.

Given the number of obstructive events, you need to increase pressure. It appears you may have an auto CPAP, and while your profile shows you have a CPAP pressure of 8.5, the chart shows a pressure declining from about 11.0 towards 10.0 during the time highlighted. You are using Flex which provides a lower exhale (EPAP) pressure by about 2-cm. So your settings are not what your profile describes. Whatever minimum pressure you have setup in your machine, I think you will benefit from an increase of 1-2 cm, and if in auto mode you may also need to change the maximum pressure.

[Theilluminator]

Sleeprider, 

First thank you for replying. Yes I have Flex which I am using at 3 I think. My thinking which is likely incorrect is if its meant for comfort, than it cant hurt me if I use it all the way. No?  

Also the ramp is on (45 minutes I think) The minimum is 7 and the highest is 20. 

Those links in your signature do not appear to be working. 

Mark

[Crimson Nape]

Hi Mark!
I'm having the same problem with the links. . .It's not you.   For help, try using the links in my signature below.

- Red

[Theilluminator]

I will also admit I changed my CPAP pressure myself. I was given 8.5 and initially the low level of 4 as the minimum was too low so I bumped it up to 6 or 7 and the ceiling I also raised to a 20 since in my mind I have an auto machine so if I dont need 20 I will never get there right? 

I am sure my thinking is wrong because my therapy is not working. 

Again to repeat in my data the first hour or so, I am awake watching a TV Show or movie with my mask and cpap on. 

I am trying to be as honest as I can because I have zero energy throughout my day and I want to help myself. 

thank you again,

Mark

[Gary1of2]

The cpap therapy will take awhile for result. Some people start seeing i provements real fast others take 1month or longer . So keep it up and you will start seeing results slowly.  I am on my third month and i am just now starting to be less tired. But I had other resulst faster,  lower blood pressure,  allergies improved, also myblood sugars dropped abit. So have patience.

[trish6hundred]

Hi Theilluminator,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
CPAP therapy can take some time to get used to, so just hang in there with it, you have come to the right place for guidance to optimize your therapy.
Good luck on your CPAP journey.

[Corvette817]

Welcome, Mark.  
I started out a lot like you (settings were the default 4 to 20 pressure, have fine-tuned to min 10 max 12.5) and have progressed only with the help of this forum.  Have had a few days where I felt good in the am before coffee - noticed that it's when AHI is under 1.0. 

It is a process.  Someone here explained that your body has adapted to rough night breathing, perhaps for years, and will need time to adapt to better sleep breathing and that thing on your face!  Glad that you were diagnosed at a relatively young age. 

Keep studying here.  Both the APAP machine, Sleepyhead, and other parts of the sleep environment; pillows, sleep position, neck collars, etc.  I even changed to a toothpaste that doesn't make me choke when I use it (from a vitamin store). 

Some of your unhealthy cravings may be looking for quick energy (carbs) to make up for your sleep quality deficit. Try to resist.  I'm working on no carbs after 7 pm, no computer/phone, bed after the first yawn.  Keep bedtime TV sound very low if you don't stop it.

Humans are so adaptable that we adapt to crap.   
Keep in touch.

[robysue]

I often watch tv shows before bed with my CPAP Mask on. It helps me get used to wearing it but that data of course is still being recorded.

There's nothing wrong with wearing the CPAP while watching TV in order to get used to it. Lots of people do that because it can help people become consistent, full time CPAP users.

But can you tell us how time you spend watching TV with the CPAP mask on before you turn the TV off and try to get to sleep?

We need to know this in order to determine how much of the data to ignore at the beginning of the night. In particular, if you watch TV until 12:30am (0:30), then all those Hs scored at the beginning of the night can and should be ignored. In other words, if events happen while you know you are awake, you need to ignore them when figuring out your AHI.

The reason why is this: Wake breathing is much less regular than sleep breathing, but your machine does not know that you are awake. Hence when you use the CPAP while awake, the machine may mis-score many normal wake breathing patterns as abnormal sleep disordered breathing events.

I'll write a lot more after you tell me roughly how long you watched tv with the mask on during the night you posted the data for.

[ajack]

lets have a look at the cravings, you know you aren't a lazy slob, it is biochemical

See if this rings true to you. This gives a simple overview to how it works for me. The more sugar/starch carbs I eat, the more sugar/starch carbs I want. They don’t give up easy and it’s biochemical
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEayi6IB...D8&index=6

what to expect the first week, besides being hungry for the first 2 days, then it stops
https://www.verywell.com/getting-through...ek-2242037

you may not need to go this low, but it will help you see what a meal plan is.
http://au.atkins.com/new-atkins/the-prog...ction.html

The hardest part is overcoming the low fat dogma for the last 40 years.
https://www.verywell.com/how-to-overcome...ia-2242208