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+--- Thread: NewlyDiagnosed therapy thread (/Thread-NewlyDiagnosed-therapy-thread)
RE: NewlyDiagnosed therapy thread - NewlyDiagnosed - 06-14-2024
Here are the screenshots.
RE: NewlyDiagnosed therapy thread - Dormeo - 06-14-2024
If your nose feels irritated again, you might try using a tiny bit of Lansinoh, which is intended to help nursing mothers with nipple soreness. A fair number of people report that it helps with nose irritation.
For what it's worth, with practice, the Bleep routine can become very quick, though it'll always be longer than just popping a traditional mask on.
Some while ago, I used a Dreem headband, which had an EEG function and could track sleep stages. While I could see some correlations between REM sleep and my flow-rate patterns, I could never see any correlation with deep sleep. That's just anecdotal, of course.
In general, we get quite a lot of our deep sleep during the first two or three sleep cycles of the night. We get little or none during the final sleep cycles. (Cycles generally last between 60 and 90 minutes.)
Is there any chance you're sleep on your side during the parts of the night when your flow limitations are reduced?
RE: NewlyDiagnosed therapy thread - Dormeo - 06-14-2024
I made my post above before seeing your additional posts.
The only reason to worry about leaks below 24 is that they may be interfering with sound sleep. If you don't think they're doing that, you needn't worry about them. But if you think they might be causing you to sleep less well, maybe try going back to the Bleep system for a bit to see how that goes.
RE: NewlyDiagnosed therapy thread - NewlyDiagnosed - 06-14-2024
Thanks, Dormeo. I sleep flat on my back (have for a very long time) and don't move at all. There have been a few times recently where I've slept on my side for part of the night as an experiment. I didn't think it made much of a difference, but I'll try it again with my improved knowledge.
I sleep now with my head tilted slightly back; I set the pillow up so that my head goes over it and is on the "downslope." I think that this helps.
I have a cervical collar, but haven't tried it yet.
RE: NewlyDiagnosed therapy thread - NewlyDiagnosed - 06-19-2024
I'm having very bad nights now, a couple of hours with CPAP and insomnia, then taking the mask off and sleeping like the dead, waking up to the alarm from very deep sleep, to the point that I'm disoriented. Erratic schedules; on Monday I had to start work at 7:30, Tuesday later, today a holiday, Friday I have to get up at 4 for a cross-country flight.
I'd been using the Nuance Pro with small pillows, decided a few days ago to go back to medium, after watching a Lanky Lefty video advocating using the largest possible nasal pillows. I wish I had taken notes so that I could try to reproduce the early successful nights of 7+ solid hours of sleep with only 1 wake-up.
I feel really rotten and had to end my exercise session this morning after 5 minutes.
I've attached Oscar results for the last few nights. Saturday night (Oscar results not attached) a fair amount of leaking, although no large leaks detected. I tape my mouth completely and have the sense that there is leaking from around the pillows. One thing that worries me about the Nuance Pro is that there is always a huge amount of air coming from the place where the hose connects to the mask, both on inspiration and on expiration. I might have still been using the small pillows then.
Sunday night, a tremendous amount of leaking. This might have been the last night with the small pillows.
Monday night, insomnia, took off the mask after 5 hours and then slept like the dead without it for a couple more hours. Felt awful.
Last night, awake until almost 3 am, then slept on my side for about an hour, huge leaks. Gave up after 3 hours of therapy, slept like the dead, feel really awful today.
I'm in my compliance month, but not worried because I have probably already met the requirements.
I keep thinking of going back to the Dreamports but each night I'm put off by the 20+ minutes it would take me to get them connected.
I'm also thinking of trying the Brevida pillows. They seem less likely to leak from the nostrils.
RE: NewlyDiagnosed therapy thread - Dormeo - 06-19-2024
For a while I used the RespCare Aloha pillow mask, which is fairly stable. You can also route the short hose up to the top of your head if you want to. Everyone's different, so I hesitate to recommend that you try it, but I'll throw it out there as something for you to consider.
I may already have posted these guidelines to you, but I do think you'll get better sleep if you can follow them. So here goes:
• Keep a consistent sleep schedule. Get up at the same time every day, even on weekends or during vacations.
• Set a bedtime that is early enough for you to get at least 7 hours of sleep.
• Don’t go to bed unless you are sleepy.
• If you don’t fall asleep after 20 minutes, get out of bed.
• Establish a relaxing bedtime routine.
• Use your bed only for sleep and sex.
• Make your bedroom quiet and relaxing. Keep the room at a comfortable, cool temperature.
• Limit exposure to bright light in the evenings.
• Turn off electronic devices at least 30 minutes before bedtime.
• Don’t eat a large meal before bedtime. If you are hungry at night, eat a light, healthy snack.
• Exercise regularly and maintain a healthy diet.
• Avoid consuming caffeine in the late afternoon or evening.
• Avoid consuming alcohol before bedtime.
• Reduce your fluid intake before bedtime.
I used to enjoy reading in bed before I went to sleep, and sometimes watching TV right up to the time I went to bed. I was sorry to give those habits up. Keep in mind that the 7 hours is 7 hours of SLEEP. This means you probably need to aim at spending at least 7.5 hours between going to bed and arising. Finally, over the years, we can become more sensitive to caffeine and alcohol. For example, I now can't drink coffee after 12 noon without feeling the effects during the night; back in the day I used to drink it right up until bedtime with no problem.
RE: NewlyDiagnosed therapy thread - NewlyDiagnosed - 06-19-2024
Dormeo, Thank you so much for the guidelines. I already avoid caffeine after noon, and these days I don't drink at all. I've never been a big drinker, but now that I'm older I have recognized that I feel a lot better if I don't have it at all. I had been drinking (only a small glass of wine) only when I'm with other people, but I've given that up as well. My son uses an Oura ring and he learned that if he has even a small amount of beer, his sleep is affected. I'm prioritizing sleep these days so wine is not in the picture.
I do have to become disciplined about my sleep schedule. I'm about to change 3 time zones for 2 weeks, but I'll work on this. I will also develop a relaxing bedtime routine; when I've done it occasionally in the past it does help.
I also have to exercise more, and my biggest sin is using my phone. I love to work on NYTimes crossword puzzles on my phone in bed. Will have to replace this with the meditation app.
I looked at the Aloha mask, and it could be a good possibility for me. I like the option to modify pillow angles. I do think that the angle on the Nuance pillows is not quite right, one reason I thought of the Brevida.
RE: NewlyDiagnosed therapy thread - NewlyDiagnosed - 07-10-2024
I'm having major problems with leaking, and I'm not sure what is happening.
I've been using Nuance Pro nasal pillows, which initially worked well, but lately (weeks?) I've been sleeping for a few hours, waking up from leaks, tearing the mask off, and sleeping without CPAP. I'd been getting 3-4 hours on CPAP. Three nights ago, I slept very deeply for 1:20, then woke up and tore the mask off. Decided to set it up again (nasal mask and mouth taping), slept another hour+, woke up. Oscar results are attached (July 7). From what I can tell, both times I woke up it was from leaking, which was triggered by increases in pressure. Not sure what caused the increased pressure.
I've been on vacation, still suffering from jet lag, Two nights ago, I went back to the DreamPorts. A new hose/connector had been delivered in my absence. I was able to connect the ports and I believe that there was no leaking there. I got more sleep than I'd been getting with the nasal pillows, but to my surprise there was even more leaking. I expected to see no leaking from the ports, and because I'm taping my mouth, I expected no leaks there, either.
Last night, with the DreamPorts, similar experience. I slept for a fairly long time (woken up by a text, not by leaking), but there was a lot of leaking. The leaks correspond to high pressure.
The DreamPorts work better than the pillows in that they are comfortable and I never have the urge to tear them off. I am forced to consider mouth leaking. I use kineseology tape, cover my mouth completely, and it is definitely stuck to my skin all around. There is no leaking unless it is through the tape. I do often feel air in my mouth, puffing out my cheeks, and I think that air gets out of my lips so if the tape is porous enough it might be getting through.
Assuming the leaks are from my mouth, I don't understand why they are so much worse with the Dreamports. Possibly because the pressure is higher, but why is that? My sense with the Dreamports is that I get plenty of air.
I have heard of the tongue training system, and I plan to try that at some point. I also have a SCC, which I have not tried yet.
I'm wondering if I should reduce my maximum pressure.
RE: NewlyDiagnosed therapy thread - NewlyDiagnosed - 07-10-2024
Oscar results
RE: NewlyDiagnosed therapy thread - Dormeo - 07-10-2024
Your pressures are mostly be driven up by flow limitations. Because you're not having a lot of problems with OAs, you could try setting your max to 9 or 10 and see what happens. If you don't see an uptick in OAs after maybe five days, you could even try min = max = 8 and see how that goes.
Your large leaks aren't horrible, but it sounds as though the leaks disturb your sleep, which of course is counterproductive.
But there's a mystery here, isn't there? With the Bleep system, you shouldn't be getting any mask leaks. Double-check that the Dreamway is properly connected to the ports by holding your hand over the end of the short hose and trying to exhale through your nose. You should not hear any air escaping, and you should see the sides of your nose inflate.
It's possible air is getting out through the tape. Take a piece of it and try your best to exhale through it. Can you?
Other things to check: is your water tank properly seated? Is your long hose securely fastened to your machine's outlet? And are there any leaks in your long hose (or your short hose, for that matter)?