[Treatment] What does this mean?

[dhol4]

Hi, I'm new to the forums and got diagnosed with sleep apnea around last October, I had to purchase a machine due to a delay on the NHS. I saw it mentioned that I need to post a picture of my diagnosis with information redacted. I don't have it to hand at the moment but I've written down what I was told.

AHI 18.9 (supine 26.9, non supine 12.9)
CPAP pressure - 11.5 cmH20

I had a terrible nights sleep two night ago despite a low AHI. I noticed when using the OSCAR software for the first time, a bunch of OA's an hour before I woke up. I'm only 14 days in to treatment and most days I've felt great, but when I woke up that morning I felt truly awful. I've included that hour as well as the whole nights sleep.

Thank you for any help.

   
   

[Gideon]

We4lcome to the forum.
Despite your very good numbers your flow limits are high and and you have some tendancy to a form of positional apnea, not bad, but let's try for a couple of simple fixes.

Flow Limits, EPR does an excellent job at reating flow limits and yours is maxed out at 3.  So let's raise min pressure to 9 and we possibly go higher.  This is what is driving your pressure higher.  If increasing min pressure, and the below 'pillow modifications do not work we will suggest further actions.

Positional Apnea, in the form of "chin tucking or cervical alignment.  The clusters of events that you highlighted are the signature of this.  Nor now I want you aware or it and to look at your pillows.  Change your pilloows to thinner/flatter, less firm, one vs 2, etc.  The idea is to sleep on a somewhat flatter surface.  Try this before we think about a collar.

Read the Soft Cervical Collar article linked in my signature.  It will explain more and show actual results.

[dhol4]

We4lcome to the forum.
Despite your very good numbers your flow limits are high and and you have some tendancy to a form of positional apnea, not bad, but let's try for a couple of simple fixes.

Flow Limits, EPR does an excellent job at reating flow limits and yours is maxed out at 3.  So let's raise min pressure to 9 and we possibly go higher.  This is what is driving your pressure higher.  If increasing min pressure, and the below 'pillow modifications do not work we will suggest further actions.

Positional Apnea, in the form of "chin tucking or cervical alignment.  The clusters of events that you highlighted are the signature of this.  Nor now I want you aware or it and to look at your pillows.  Change your pilloows to thinner/flatter, less firm, one vs 2, etc.  The idea is to sleep on a somewhat flatter surface.  Try this before we think about a collar.

Read the Soft Cervical Collar article linked in my signature.  It will explain more and show actual results.

Thank you for such a quick and informative reply.

I probably should have mentioned I basically sleep on the sofa. The arm of the sofa is at a height where my head is straight when laying down, if that makes sense. It's essentially 20 - 25 cm from where I lay down. I'm guessing that from where I'm led, I'm putting my head and neck in all sorts of strange positions.

I will increase the pressure. Just to let you know, I increased it to 10 - 20 last night and still woke up pretty grim.

Is your recommendation to sleep with one soft pillow, on my side? I currently use an anti snoring one which I had before my CPAP. And I'll obviously from now on sleep in a bed haha.

[Gideon]

Side sleeping depends on how you sleep on your side. If you are square on your shoulder you need something firm to keep your head straight, and side sleeping does nothing to stop you from tucking your chin. When doctors talk about positional apnea they mean simply Back, R Side, L side or front. They typically (a very few do) do not consider or recognize any cervical position as being an issue. Your couch I'm sure is not helping.