Will we ever adjust?

[Tahera1979]

I am not sure if this helps but on the prescription it also says Ramp X 8 mins humidity

[Tahera1979]

My apologies, I meant the only position he doesn't snore is when he sleeps on his right side otherwise he snores off and on. I am so tired and can't think straight

I also found this information on the prescription: CPAP 8 Ramp X 8mins humidity. Not sure if it helps.

[Hannibal 2]

My apologies, I meant the only position he doesn't snore is when he sleeps on his right side otherwise he snores off and on. I am so tired and can't think straight

I also found this information on the prescription: CPAP 8 Ramp X 8mins humidity. Not sure if it helps.

Hi, welcome, and well done for finding this forum, you will get a lot of very useful information and help here from those that live and breathe OSA every day.

The information means the CPAP pressure is set at 8cmh2o (machines generally go up to 20cmh2o), an 8 minute Ramp has been set, meaning it starts at a lower pressure to allow you to get to sleep before the max kicks in, humidity just means that a humidifier is being used.

Sounds like the pressure could do with being a little higher if he's still snoring a lot, keep making a nuisance of yourself until you get what is needed.

[Pugsy]

His machine is a full data machine.
Get SleepyHead so you can see what is going on.
https://sleep.tnet.com/equipment

His pressure is fixed at 8 cm...most likely it isn't quite enough pressure when he is on his back to hold the airway open well enough to prevent the airway tissues from starting to collapse. Now they may or may not be collapsing to the point of growing up to earn an apnea flag of some sort.
Usually easily fixed by increasing the pressure just a little as long as the snores aren't growing up and getting a grown up apnea flag.
If the AHI is high..might need more than just a little more pressure.
We really need the information from the software to offer more concrete ideas.

[ChicagoGranny]

It's very frustrating for me as again I didn't manage to get much sleep and it's taking a toll on us.
Is there anything we can do at this stage?

Is there a spare bedroom you can use as a temporary retreat until his therapy is optimized?

BTW, you describe yourself as a "light sleeper". In my experience, many people describing themselves this way have a sleep disorder, usually sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) - sleep apnea and related conditions. Besides "light sleeping", what other symptoms have you observed?

[Tahera1979]

Hi there,

Thank you all so much for the comments and recommendations. I will make sure to share the information as soon as I receive it. The doctor has told him to use it for 1-2 months and to then revert to him to read the findings to determine the next steps. Is this usual practice?

If it was for me we would immediately go and make the necessary changes but my DH said that the doctor insisted.
In the meantime I will make sure to use the spare room for a possible escape when needed.
Tonight was the third night we slept in the same bed again and we both got a bit of sleep which is great but the slight snoring still persists.
We haven't yet found distilled water so he has been using the CPAP without water.

In terms of being a light sleeper, I am very sensitive to noise and I have been this way since I can remember hence I sleep with earplugs since years. When I am sleeping in a quiet environment I sleep really well but whenever there is the slightest noise my sleep is disturbed and I have a hard time falling back to sleep.
I don't have any other conditions nor do I snore. Could I still have any disorder? I once went to see a sleeping doctor but all she prescribed was Melatonin.

[Julie]

The doctors always insist... but it is your (husband's) therapy and his machine, never mind his OSA. He either takes control (just as children are taught to do about their diabetes) or he doesn't. There are no Cpap police out there so you're free to make any changes you want! Just silliness and old fashioned doctor/patient control issues. If you know what you're doing (as discovered through Sleepyhead, not throwing dice ) then do it (with help from here).

[Tahera1979]

I couldn't agree with you more Julie! If it was for me we would have fixed it yesterday.

It's just that my DH doesn't agree and since it must be tough on his too going through all this I am trying to be supportive even though it is very challenging I must admit. I am very happy that he has agreed on getting the machine and I am hoping that we will sort these issues out earlier than later. And in the meantime I will use our guest room whenever required.

[Pugsy]

We haven't yet found distilled water so he has been using the CPAP without water.

If you can drink your tap water you can use it in the humidifier.

The worst that will happen is you get some mineral buildup in the water chamber that you have to use a bit of vinegar to remove.
Distilled doesn't have all those minerals.

[ChicagoGranny]

In terms of being a light sleeper, I am very sensitive to noise and I have been this way since I can remember hence I sleep with earplugs since years. When I am sleeping in a quiet environment I sleep really well but whenever there is the slightest noise my sleep is disturbed and I have a hard time falling back to sleep.
I don't have any other conditions nor do I snore. Could I still have any disorder? I once went to see a sleeping doctor but all she prescribed was Melatonin.

Here is something to work on. It's a checklist. In our society, it is a rare individual who is doing well with regard to all the items on this list. It's not meant as something to do immediately - just a way to check what might be the problem and work toward improvement.

- Practice good sleep hygiene (Google it and read several sources)
- Eat a good diet
- Have a regular, moderate exercise program
- Try to avoid daytime naps
- Practice total abstinence of caffeine including sources like chocolate (sigh)
- Review all medicines, vitamins and supplements you are taking to make sure none are interfering with sleep
- Use the bedroom for sleeping (and sex) only, and make sure the bedroom and bed are comfortable.
- Learn to appropriately handle emotional stress in your life
- Distract your mind by thinking of a pleasant, relaxing activity that you enjoy. Thinking of sitting under an umbrella on a quiet beach with a warm gentle breeze works for me.
- If you still don't feel or sleep well, make sure you have regular medical checkups to confirm there are no other medical problems

CG

BTW, prescribing melatonin supplements in a case like your is just a way for the doctor to get the patient out the door so the doctor can move to the next person in the waiting area.

[Okie bipap]

Something to consider is a cpap nightstand. I keep my machine in one, with the machine sitting on a thick mouse pad. With the doors closed, we do not hear the machine at night. I have a second nightstand coming today for my wife's machine. She started using a machine three nights ago.

[D.H.]

Yes, I like the idea of a thick mousepad.

While you can use any potable water in a pinch, distilled water is best. Second choice is purified water. Do not use "distilled" water from a gas station!

[Tahera1979]

Thank you all for the feedback. The thick mouse pad sounds great! I will give it a try and possibly even the nightstand. The noise of the machine doesn't bother me that much anymore, more so my HD's sudden snoring spells at night are what wakes me up and even though I fall asleep shortly after I am anxious that I will wake up again shortly after. I really can't wait for him to go back to the doctor to get the pressure fixed.

Do you guys have any suggestions in terms of earplugs? Wax works best for me and it blocks out a lot but the snoring. Sighhh

Regarding my own sleeping patterns, I think emotional stress could be the reason as everything else is fine. I must admit though when sleeping on my own I don't really have any issues. I sleep very deep and well. It's just that we tried separate bedrooms and it worked for sleep but unfortunately not for our marriage.

[Hannibal 2]

It seems to me that you're being very sympathetic to your DH's needs but maybe he's not being so sympathetic to your's. You should have him read what you have been posting and the responses so that he can make up his own mind how much control he wants to take for himself, and how much faith he should place in the hands of medical professionals. It is really important that his therapy is working for him but also for you. You're clearly and rightly very concerned about this and he needs to learn more about how he can help himself. Your relationship will be very much improved in many ways once you have got this right, believe me.

Good luck

[Tahera1979]

You are absolutely right and I really can't wait for the day this is sorted.
He assured me that he will go and see the doctor again soon so I hope that it can get adjusted and fixed once and for all as it's not a great condition to be in for us both.

Due to the lack of sleep he will be sleeping in a different bed till we fix the issue as unfortunately we hardly had any sleep again last night. It certainly takes a toll on us and I feel like a zombie. I will try and encourage him to read all these posts and even if he doesn't it really helps me to understand the whole concept better.

Thank you all for the support!