+- Apnea Board Forum - CPAP | Sleep Apnea (https://www.apneaboard.com/forums)
+-- Forum: Public Area (https://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Forum-Public-Area)
+--- Forum: Main Apnea Board Forum (https://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Forum-Main-Apnea-Board-Forum)
+--- Thread: Really struggling with finding source of problem/right settings (/Thread-Really-struggling-with-finding-source-of-problem-right-settings)
Really struggling with finding source of problem/right settings - theswerve - 08-29-2024
Hi all,
About a month ago I was averaging AHI below 5 on CPAP 8 EPR 1 at which time I was still waking up a bunch in the early morning hours. I've since tried two different cervical collars and tried increasing pressures (9 and 10) and EPR (1 and 2) but have somehow ended up worse off even going back to the original settings.
My AHI over the past week is now consistently above five and I'm feeling more tired and getting more headaches.
I have the oscar data from the last two nights. My own reading of 8/27 was that I probably need a higher pressure than 8 (epr 1) since I'm still getting a lot of OA and hypopneas. On 8/28 after going up to pressure of 9 I am doing worse and seem to have a lot of clusters (although I was wearing a cervical collar). Am I reading the data right? Do I need to wear the collar more tightly? I find the Caldera Releaf product is not firm enough and a more stiff collar from amazon (Cozyhealth brand) is so big that I have to overlap the back to tighten it enough but then cannot sleep because of a bulge on the back of the neck. On these nights with worse AHI and morning headaches I notice I have a dry mouth and have had my mouth open for probably extended periods too (I wear a full face mask).
Do I need to keep trying different collars or different settings?
Any help or insight would be greatly appreciated!
RE: Really struggling with finding source of problem/right settings - SarcasticDave94 - 08-29-2024
The Positional Apnea pattern is still there with both these OSCAR shots. Sounds like neither collar is cutting it very well for you.
RE: Really struggling with finding source of problem/right settings - theswerve - 08-29-2024
Thank you so much! I’ll try some other products then. It’s reassuring to at least know the source of the problem.
RE: Really struggling with finding source of problem/right settings - staceyburke - 08-29-2024
The important size is the distance from your chin to your sternum. That would be the height of the collar. Of course then one that fits around your neck.