confused and need help

[nosleepgood]

Hi there! i have just recently started my sleep apnea and cpap journey.

I got my cpap on saturday the 20th the machine was set to 6-14 autoset (used machine decided to roll with pressures) the second night i bumped the pressure up to 7-14(felt like i couldn't get enough air). first and second nights i woke up feeling surprisingly good even though i didnt sleep much the first night

third night i was a zombie when i woke up (only change was pressure (7.4-14)

and today im still pretty foggy and fatigued. (pressure 8-14 epr ramp only)

the problem i face is i like to tinker, probably too much so id like a second opinion on what to do.

i had really bad leak issues last night which was a first but im wondering if putting epr to ramp only and bumping pressure up to 8-14 would be the culprit


i turned epr to ramp only in an attempt to control central apneas and it seemed to work as i have got my lowest AHI yet.

i can post the oscar data for what felt like my best sleep yet(sunday) at the request of someone.

im really glad to be here and im really excited to hopefully tackle my sleep issues and get my life back.

[Deborah K.]

Your pressure settings look fine.  Did you have CAs in your sleep study?  If you did not, then your CAs are treatment-emergent and can be safely ignored, as they will lessen on their own as time passes.  If you don't know whether you did or not, post a redacted copy of your sleep study, and we can help you from there.  If you don't have a copy of your sleep study, ask your doctor for one.  I don't know Canadian law, but it might be like the US, where by law they have to provide it if you ask for it.  Until we learn if you had a lot of CAs in your sleep study, ignore the CAs, and use EPR full-time, set at 3.  That should provide you with better comfort for now.

Your leaks are not terrible but a bit too high.  Does your mask leak?  You can tell if you feel all around it when you are hooked up in bed.  You might have mouth breathing.  If so, some people use chin straps, but they don't work for a lot of folks.  I think the best solution is mouth tape.  I hated the idea at first, but now I love it!  Lots of people here like Cover Roll Stretch tape.  My favorite is Theraband kinesiology tape because I find it the most comfortable.  Another possibility is that your hose is leaking.  That's easy enough to check

If you can deal with it, turn off ramp.  You get no therapy during ramp, and most people feel air-starved while using it.

Well, best of luck with your new therapy!  

[nosleepgood]

Hi there! so my test is non specific they just sent me a ahi score of 12. it doesn't specify weather its central or obstructive

i actually have been mouth taping for a while now, however since starting cpap therapy it falls off quite often. i assume that means i have mouth leaking issues?

i wonder if ill have to combine a chinstrap and mouth tape.

can too high of a pressure cause wake events? ill try epr of 3 tonight and see what happens

[Deborah K.]

So your doctor did not provide a copy of your sleep study?  They just told you that your AHI was 12?  That doesn't sound right.  If they won't give you a copy of the study, ask them to tell you the specifics of how much of that was obstructive, hypopnea, or CA.  They should have a record of that.

As to your mouth tape, if the tape is falling off it's not any good for mouth taping.  Lots of people here like Cover Roll Stretch tape.  I like Theraband Kinesiology tape, as I find it more comfortable, but it does cost a good bit more.  Also, for myself, I have learned that I need to use 2-inch wide tape cut to about 5-1/2 inches long.  Narrower or shorter and I still leak.  Without tape I leak a lot more than you do, so you may not need as much tape, but for sure you need better tape.

Your pressure is not too high for you, but if you want you can lower your starting pressure to 7.  I did notice that you wake up a lot.  How long have you been using your machine?  If it's only for a short while you may be still adjusting to all the changes pap therapy involves.  It's good that you can fall back to sleep.  Do you wake up because you are uncomfortable, or is the therapy bugging you in some way?

Using EPR of 3 might cause more CAs, but if you sleep better it will be worth it, at least for now, until we learn more about your CAs.

[nosleepgood]

i got emailed a simple PDF all it has for information was AHI and my lowest o2 (81) i will send an email asking for the specifics. 

waking up a lot is my norm sadly, my nights with lower pressures i woke up less but that could be a coincidence.
ill try with an epr of 3 tonight and see how i fare.

this will be my 5th night wearing a cpap, i can generally get back to sleep it depends on the night. id really like to sleep a whole night
i never know why i wake up, i just generally wake up. my tape stayed on before the cpap. its mouth pressure from the cpap doing it.
i have a beard so tape doesn't stick overly well.