any help looking at my oscar data would be appreciated

[teamarliss]

            Well, my AHI has recently spiked. Im unsure if I should go up or down on my inhale pressure. Posted Oscar data, and suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated.

[Jay51]

Just some basic stuff.  Raise EPAP (you are bumping up against it).  Also raise IPAP (you are bumping up against it).  

I see clusters of OA's and H's also.  Sleeping on a less tall pillow; possibly switching from back to side sleeping; and getting a soft cervical collar if all of these fail could help you. 

Try the pressure increases first to see how much relief you can get.  If you still have clusters after you raise pressure(s) enough, then probably need soft cervical collar.  

740 median tidal volume seems very good compared to all of the events you have.  Are you a very tall person?

[teamarliss]

6ft 4in

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What do you mean I'm bumping up against it?

[Jay51]

By bumping up against it I meant that you hit those max values in each chart each night of sleep.  By increasing those values, the pressures on your machine could then go even higher to combat more of your obstructive apneas, etc.  Increasing pressure is what helps stop obstructive apneas (raising your EPAP).   The increased pressure helps open the airway more so you have less events in your OSCAR chart.  The pressure can only go so high though.  Raising your IPAP can help with the rest of the events (hypopneas, flow limitations, etc.)  And if you raise both EPAP and IPAP a lot, and you are still having significant events, then a soft cervical collar may help you further by keeping your airway open better and not "kinking" like a garden hose.  Try lowering your pillow height and possibly changing from back to side sleeping,  to see if your results are any better before you get the soft cervical collar. 

You can go as fast or slow as you like when increasing pressures.  Can raise EPAP by 1 and IPAP by 1 for a couple of nights.  Then increase further if you are still having significant events.  EPAP and IPAP can be raised by 0.2 increments also, but in your case, probably going up by 1 each time should be ok IMO.

[teamarliss]

Thank you

[Jay51]

You are welcome.  Hopefully some or all of these changes will help you sleep better with less OSCAR events.

[teamarliss]

     i tried increasing my epap and ipap by one and also ditching the second pillow i was sleeping under , but got worse results than the previous two nights. Im so frustrated, i wish i could get some sleep

[Jay51]

Not to worry.  You most likely need to jump straight to the cervical collar then.  I had an AHI of 20 on my s9 adapt ASV without a soft cervical collar (with very high pressures).  Came down to zero when I wore the collar. 

Your chin may be tucking towards you chest and cutting off your airway.   The collar keeps it straight and from tucking and blocking your airway.  A lot of new members come here with the same problem (clusters of events that even higher pressures don't help sufficiently). 

After you get the collar, we can tweak your setting even more to optimize them.  Measure from your chin to your sternum in inches and fractions of an inch. I am 6'2, so I use either a 4.5" or 5" collar.  You are 6'4, so you may need this size or even larger.  The fit is important also, to keep the chin from tucking.  A good collar can also keep your jaw from dropping open during sleep.

[teamarliss]

One potential problem with the collar is that Im a mouth breather in my sleep so I would need something that would keep my jaw open

[paulag1955]

I would caution against making any changes to your settings based on one night's experience. It may not be the case for everyone, but when I change settings, I need at least a couple of nights to adjust to the changes before my body settles in and I can see what's really happening.