04-24-2022, 08:30 AM
overall review and questions
I've been using my CPAP close to a year and a half now. I dont have a sleep Dr, I did the home study and saw a sleep dr once for the results and at my requaest, they gave me a perscription to get everything myself ( it was MUCH cheaper than insurance with deductables. )
after this time I just dont seem nearly as rested every night using the CPAP as without it. Dont get me wrong, it does seem to help but I spend more time awake for various reasons like fighting the tiny tiny mask leaks than sleeping. I am a side sleeper and constantly switch sides. I am not 100% sure why, but possibly because I had an old fashioned full motion "sink in to it" waterbed for 32years and got too paranoid about possible water leaks and changed to a real matress 2 years ago. So by tiny tiny mask leaks I mean I can feel the littlest leak here or there with just the slightest facial change or change of position this constanly wakes me. I always (24hrs a day) have various "tickles" on my face or in my nose that of course have to be itched which again wakes me nonstopp since I have to jam a finger under the mask itch, then readjust the mask. Also ANY noise while sleeping bothers me. I cant stand a TV on or people walking past the house quietly talking at night so the air leaving the mask and hitting the bed also wakes me, I have to keep the pillow folded and the edge tucked back by my temple to have enough area between the mask and bed not to make noise. I would have thought after so much time I would have adapted to these issues, but sadly I havent. Sometimes I just cant get the mask to seat without a small leak so I lift a corner off my face and let the machine auto turn off then drop the mask back on and start again. ( Which I did on this chart around 1:15am )
If I Dont use a mask I "feel" much more rested ( I dont feel tired during the day) but I know I am worse. I def have much more apnea, my throat is very sore from snoring my O2 often drops into the mid 80's ( with mask I average 93%) Regardless of using a mask or not, if I'm sitting or in an upright position I'm awake, but if I lay down I'm asleep in under a minute ( usually 30 seconds - my wife gets sooo mad as she struggles to get to sleep) -95% of the time I have a 2am bathroom run, although last night in the attached chart I did not. My body/mind wakes me and I have to get up at the same time every day ( within 2 minutes+/- ) I cant go back to sleep if I try even though Im still exhausted
I have used a couple differnt masks, full face Simplus and Vitera ( plus some nasal, but i'm a mouth breather) and tried all 3 sizes of each, the medium seems to work best but barely covers the edges of my mouth which is usually the area of the tiny leaks with the slightest facial movement.
So I'm looking for suggestions, Do I need to try a different mask? ( I just saw the Evora? maybe that? but I see it can be noisey and doesnt swivel, could be a problem with constant side changes).
Are my settings way out of whack? I have randomly changed min/max pressures and turned off ramp ( which seems better)
Also, I'm curious about the recording, I know I still stop breathing I catch myself especially just when dozeing off. I know my respiration seems to sloooow down then I just stop for a bit. I dont see where that shows as an event, but I dont know how to read the charts either.
Sorry to have this ramble on, I was just trying to cover things
after this time I just dont seem nearly as rested every night using the CPAP as without it. Dont get me wrong, it does seem to help but I spend more time awake for various reasons like fighting the tiny tiny mask leaks than sleeping. I am a side sleeper and constantly switch sides. I am not 100% sure why, but possibly because I had an old fashioned full motion "sink in to it" waterbed for 32years and got too paranoid about possible water leaks and changed to a real matress 2 years ago. So by tiny tiny mask leaks I mean I can feel the littlest leak here or there with just the slightest facial change or change of position this constanly wakes me. I always (24hrs a day) have various "tickles" on my face or in my nose that of course have to be itched which again wakes me nonstopp since I have to jam a finger under the mask itch, then readjust the mask. Also ANY noise while sleeping bothers me. I cant stand a TV on or people walking past the house quietly talking at night so the air leaving the mask and hitting the bed also wakes me, I have to keep the pillow folded and the edge tucked back by my temple to have enough area between the mask and bed not to make noise. I would have thought after so much time I would have adapted to these issues, but sadly I havent. Sometimes I just cant get the mask to seat without a small leak so I lift a corner off my face and let the machine auto turn off then drop the mask back on and start again. ( Which I did on this chart around 1:15am )
If I Dont use a mask I "feel" much more rested ( I dont feel tired during the day) but I know I am worse. I def have much more apnea, my throat is very sore from snoring my O2 often drops into the mid 80's ( with mask I average 93%) Regardless of using a mask or not, if I'm sitting or in an upright position I'm awake, but if I lay down I'm asleep in under a minute ( usually 30 seconds - my wife gets sooo mad as she struggles to get to sleep) -95% of the time I have a 2am bathroom run, although last night in the attached chart I did not. My body/mind wakes me and I have to get up at the same time every day ( within 2 minutes+/- ) I cant go back to sleep if I try even though Im still exhausted
I have used a couple differnt masks, full face Simplus and Vitera ( plus some nasal, but i'm a mouth breather) and tried all 3 sizes of each, the medium seems to work best but barely covers the edges of my mouth which is usually the area of the tiny leaks with the slightest facial movement.
So I'm looking for suggestions, Do I need to try a different mask? ( I just saw the Evora? maybe that? but I see it can be noisey and doesnt swivel, could be a problem with constant side changes).
Are my settings way out of whack? I have randomly changed min/max pressures and turned off ramp ( which seems better)
Also, I'm curious about the recording, I know I still stop breathing I catch myself especially just when dozeing off. I know my respiration seems to sloooow down then I just stop for a bit. I dont see where that shows as an event, but I dont know how to read the charts either.
Sorry to have this ramble on, I was just trying to cover things
