Different mask, different AHI?

[Jlfinkels]

No luck finding previous topics on this subject, so offering it up to the hive mind for advice…

I’ve been able to use the P10 nasal pillows thanks to the board members advice on how to stop/control mouth leaks and as a result my AHI has been < 1.0 and at times 0.0. Whilst on holiday the past few weeks I developed a very sore nose likely due to not being on my own bed and pillows, so switched over to using an N30i to relieve the pressure on my nose for a while. The N30i numbers were as good as i ever had with the P10, just not as comfortable a mask. I switched back to the P10 as my nose healed and found that my AHI is now > 2.0 for the first few nights so far with sleep not as restful as before.

I expect that I just need to get used to it again and am not concerned about the numbers, but am curious if others have seen similar changes.

[Goofproof]

Any change you make can affect your AHI, it will change from hundreds of things, it will change if you do nothing different. The object it to get it under 5, ( 2 is better). Worrying about everything doesn't make anything easier. Jim

[Pugsy]

first few nights so far with sleep not as restful as before.

How is it not as restful as before?
Waking up more often during the night?
Hours of sleep?

Post a before and after examples of your OSCAR reports for a chance of spotting something that might explain things,

FWIW...I can have AHI numbers vary widely with NO change in masks at all.

[Miss Emerita]

The Oscar charts will help. It also might help just to know the break-down of the AHI (OA, CA, H). CAs can be very inconsistent from one night to the next. Post-arousal CAs can also show up more often when sleep is restless.

[Jlfinkels]

Apologies, I should have posted the images in the original message.

First image: P10 on a typical night
Second image: N30i used while nose was sore
Third image: P10 last night

The only meds I use are allergy sprays and pills. On the third one the last hour were likely arousal's as I woke up originally around 7 but didn't want to get out of bed.

I wear a soft cervical collar to help stop my mouth opening and head dropping. It looks like last night I may not have had it correctly positioned, but not sure if that is related at all.

Thanks for taking the time to have a look!

[Jlfinkels]

first few nights so far with sleep not as restful as before.

How is it not as restful as before?
Waking up more often during the night?
Hours of sleep?

Post a before and after examples of your OSCAR reports for a chance of spotting something that might explain things,

FWIW...I can have AHI numbers vary widely with NO change in masks at all.

I did not wake up as rested as normal and remember flopping around. Plus the boss told me I was restless quite a bit.

I'm not worried about the AHI varying, just wondering if there is a cause/effect relationship. My sleep has been dramatically improved with CPAP with the help of this forum's smart kids who have helped me immensely.

[Pugsy]

The bulk of last night's AHI is going to be from that CA/central cluster right at the end of the night.
I am betting awake/semi awake arousal breathing false positive flags..
Mainly last video at this link
http://freecpapadvice.com/sleepyhead-free-software

I suspect just a crappy night's sleep for some reason or other. We all have them from time to time.

Unless we are really asleep the flagged events don't mean much except a crappy night in general. The false positives are a symptom of the poor sleep rather than the cause of the poor sleep.

We can have false positives in any event category. It's not limited to centrals though centrals are commonly seen false positives. I once had a bad night with AHI 9.4 but when I examined each event for awake vs asleep 95% of the AHI was awake/arousal related. It was also a night where I know I slept poorly from back pain.

[zonker]

I wear a soft cervical collar to help stop my mouth opening and head dropping. It looks like last night I may not have had it correctly positioned, but not sure if that is related at all.

here's the thing about those pesky firm foam cervical collars; they don't retain their shape much past three months. or at least, that's when i have to replace mine.

and it's always the same thing. air starts escaping from my mouth.

[Jlfinkels]

here's the thing about those pesky firm foam cervical collars; they don't retain their shape much past three months. or at least, that's when i have to replace mine.

and it's always the same thing. air starts escaping from my mouth.

Good call Z. I switched to a different cervical collar and AHI is back < 1.

[zonker]

here's the thing about those pesky firm foam cervical collars; they don't retain their shape much past three months. or at least, that's when i have to replace mine.

and it's always the same thing. air starts escaping from my mouth.

Good call Z. I switched to a different cervical collar and AHI is back < 1.