Newbie question regarding leaks

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
TinaWitt

Newbie question regarding leaks

Post by TinaWitt » Tue Oct 06, 2015 6:27 pm

I have been using cpap for a couple of months. I am still not feeling any better. As a matter of fact, I am feeling worse in regards to fatigue. I have been keeping record of how I feel and while reviewing, I noticed I had 4 days in a row that I actually felt pretty good. I was reviewing my graphs on those days and the only thing that stands out is having a low leak rate. So, what came first the egg or the chicken? Did I feel better because of the low AHI which causes the low leak rate? Or did I feel better because of the low leak rate causing the lower AHI? I am trying to figure what I did on those 4 days. I want to try and do it more often. Per ResMed MyAir, my numbers are great, I have good seal and my highest event was 3.9. Any ideas on how to feel better? Thanks!!!

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Wulfman...
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Re: Newbie question regarding leaks

Post by Wulfman... » Tue Oct 06, 2015 7:08 pm

TinaWitt wrote:I have been using cpap for a couple of months. I am still not feeling any better. As a matter of fact, I am feeling worse in regards to fatigue. I have been keeping record of how I feel and while reviewing, I noticed I had 4 days in a row that I actually felt pretty good. I was reviewing my graphs on those days and the only thing that stands out is having a low leak rate. So, what came first the egg or the chicken? Did I feel better because of the low AHI which causes the low leak rate? Or did I feel better because of the low leak rate causing the lower AHI? I am trying to figure what I did on those 4 days. I want to try and do it more often. Per ResMed MyAir, my numbers are great, I have good seal and my highest event was 3.9. Any ideas on how to feel better? Thanks!!!
Exactly which machine and mask are you using and what are all of your settings ( pressure, humidity, exhale relief, etc. ).
Without some background, it's virtually impossible to answer your questions.
Another item is.....how many hours are you sleeping?
A few nights or even a few months at this point in your therapy is just a drop in the bucket and is hard to pinpoint much of anything. This is all "baby steps" and "one night at a time".


Den

.
(5) REMstar Autos w/C-Flex & (6) REMstar Pro 2 CPAPs w/C-Flex - Pressure Setting = 14 cm.
"Passover" Humidification - ResMed Ultra Mirage FF - Encore Pro w/Card Reader & MyEncore software - Chiroflow pillow
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RogerSC
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Re: Newbie question regarding leaks

Post by RogerSC » Tue Oct 06, 2015 7:45 pm

Leaks wake me up, so a night with several large leaks is not going to be a good one for me, and the next day I feel more tired than usual. Could be similar for you, leaks may disturb your sleeping. In that case, minimizing leaks is an important part of improving your sleep.

TinaWitt

Re: Newbie question regarding leaks

Post by TinaWitt » Tue Oct 06, 2015 7:57 pm

I am using the AirSense 10 AutoSet. I am using the Mirage FX nasal mask. My pressure is set 4-14, I have never reached the maximum of 14. Humidity is set at 6. I'm not sure what exhale relief is. I sleep about 7 hours a night with Cpap. Should I just be more patient? Thanks for your help.

Tina Witt

Re: Newbie question regarding leaks

Post by Tina Witt » Tue Oct 06, 2015 8:07 pm

The leaks don't usually wake me up. But, that is the only thing with my untrained eye that was different on those few days. I was thinking my leaks were fine because I wake up to a smiley on my machine. How do you feel the next day with just "leaks" compared to large leaks?

Thanks!

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Wulfman...
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Re: Newbie question regarding leaks

Post by Wulfman... » Tue Oct 06, 2015 8:14 pm

TinaWitt wrote:I am using the AirSense 10 AutoSet. I am using the Mirage FX nasal mask. My pressure is set 4-14, I have never reached the maximum of 14. Humidity is set at 6. I'm not sure what exhale relief is. I sleep about 7 hours a night with Cpap. Should I just be more patient? Thanks for your help.
Thanks for reporting back. "Exhale relief" in ResMed machines is called "EPR"......and the settings are "1", "2", "3" or Off.
I would suggest getting Sleepyhead software in addition to the MyAir. Lots of forum members use it to monitor their therapy. It may show some things that MyAir doesn't.

Anyway, your pressure range may be too wide with your minimum pressure being too low. It can take quite awhile for the pressures to get to where they need to be.......or even never get to where they need to be, depending on the person's breathing characteristics. APAPs or Autos typically won't address an apnea in progress and rely on Flow Limitations and Snores to trigger pressure increases. If your machine is sitting at 4 or 6 and needs 10 or 12 cm. of pressure to prevent an apnea, it may never get there in time.......then the event occurs and the machine may drop back to a lower pressure only to start the process again later. So, the minimum pressure setting can be the most important one for effective therapy. And, in the process of all that pressure increasing and decreasing throughout the night, that can be very disrupting to a person's sleep.......by bumping them out of the needed sleep stages.

The humidity can be a very individual choice for many. Some like more and some like less.
Be open minded and willing to modify YOUR settings to find out what works best for YOU.


Den

.
(5) REMstar Autos w/C-Flex & (6) REMstar Pro 2 CPAPs w/C-Flex - Pressure Setting = 14 cm.
"Passover" Humidification - ResMed Ultra Mirage FF - Encore Pro w/Card Reader & MyEncore software - Chiroflow pillow
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library lady
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Re: Newbie question regarding leaks

Post by library lady » Tue Oct 06, 2015 8:15 pm

Large leaks lessen the effectiveness of the therapy... so you really don't want to have those happening. I don't know if AHI is lower when you have leaks, or vice versa... but too much leakage does negatively affect therapy. The important thing is how it affects your sleep and how you feel the next. If you are feeling good a few large leaks are not going to matter unless they wake you up a lot. Over time you'll figure out what affects you and what doesn't. You have come to the right place; as you come across problems or questions, come back here with specifics about your difficulty and we will help you.

_________________
Machine: PR System One REMStar 60 Series Auto CPAP Machine
Mask: AirFit™ F10 Full Face Mask with Headgear
Additional Comments:  Sleepyhead
Now using AirFit F10 mask; Quattro Air is backup mask. RemZzzz mask liners with both.

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Wulfman...
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Re: Newbie question regarding leaks

Post by Wulfman... » Tue Oct 06, 2015 8:21 pm

Tina Witt wrote:The leaks don't usually wake me up. But, that is the only thing with my untrained eye that was different on those few days. I was thinking my leaks were fine because I wake up to a smiley on my machine. How do you feel the next day with just "leaks" compared to large leaks?

Thanks!
Personally, I've slept through some very leaky nights, including some very lengthy LARGE LEAKS. Never even knew it until I looked at my reports in the morning. For me, they typically start and end abruptly.

I don't recall feeling any different. I've always had my machine set to keep blowing air on large leaks so it doesn't shut off thinking I'm no longer attached to it. That way, I'm still getting my therapy air in some manner.


Den

.
(5) REMstar Autos w/C-Flex & (6) REMstar Pro 2 CPAPs w/C-Flex - Pressure Setting = 14 cm.
"Passover" Humidification - ResMed Ultra Mirage FF - Encore Pro w/Card Reader & MyEncore software - Chiroflow pillow
User since 05/14/05

TinaWitt

Re: Newbie question regarding leaks

Post by TinaWitt » Tue Oct 06, 2015 8:40 pm

My EPR is set to "ON", my machine only has ON and OFF as options. I have Sleepyhead software, that is where I noticed the difference with the leaks/AHIs, MyAir is very basic. Can I change my pressure on my machine? Do I have to call the doctor's office? What you are saying makes a lot of sense! I totally agree with you, I was thinking the same thing that if I have an apnea, how can my pressure get to 12 to stop it? I have played around with the humidity and it is now fine. I had to raise it to prevent headaches.

I had my first large leak last night. I woke up this morning with my mouth open and dry as the desert! I slept right through the air blowing for about 8 minutes when I finally woke up.

Thanks again!

SleepCatz
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Re: Newbie question regarding leaks

Post by SleepCatz » Tue Oct 06, 2015 9:08 pm

I am in the same boat as you and really wondering why I'm not feeling better yet! I have been on CPAP for exactly a month, took to it right away, installed the Sleepyhead software and I've been monitoring my stats. Everything looks great, my AHIs are usually less than one, and thanks to the advice here I've narrowed my pressure range to 7.8 to 14, with most of the night the pressures staying somewhere between 8.5 and 9.5. I do have a little leakage, but the the software reports no major leaks each night and I am not usually awoken by them. I don't have any other health problems. I do wake briefly 2 to 3 times a night but for a perimenopausal woman, I hear that's very common. I wonder if the changes in pressure are somehow affecting my sleep architecture, even though all the numbers look good. I have been reading all over this boards and have noticed, anecdotally, that commonly it's women that report not getting an immediate burst of energy upon successful CPAP treatment but instead experience improvement over weeks to months. Sorry I don't have more advice to offer except that you're not alone. It's frustrating, as I really wanted to get the life back that I've lost over the last few years, or at least have the energy to make dinner AND clean the kitchen on the same day.

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Wulfman...
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Re: Newbie question regarding leaks

Post by Wulfman... » Tue Oct 06, 2015 9:14 pm

TinaWitt wrote:My EPR is set to "ON", my machine only has ON and OFF as options. I have Sleepyhead software, that is where I noticed the difference with the leaks/AHIs, MyAir is very basic. Can I change my pressure on my machine? Do I have to call the doctor's office? What you are saying makes a lot of sense! I totally agree with you, I was thinking the same thing that if I have an apnea, how can my pressure get to 12 to stop it? I have played around with the humidity and it is now fine. I had to raise it to prevent headaches.

I had my first large leak last night. I woke up this morning with my mouth open and dry as the desert! I slept right through the air blowing for about 8 minutes when I finally woke up.

Thanks again!
YOU most certainly can change settings on YOUR machine.......it's YOUR therapy.
You don't need to call the doctor's office.
As long as you're improving/tweaking your therapy, have right at it.
It's only the DME (equipment provider) office that needs to get an "order" from the doctor to change pressure settings.

Here's a link to download the manual for your machine.

https://sleep.tnet.com/home/files/resme ... -guide.pdf


Den

.
(5) REMstar Autos w/C-Flex & (6) REMstar Pro 2 CPAPs w/C-Flex - Pressure Setting = 14 cm.
"Passover" Humidification - ResMed Ultra Mirage FF - Encore Pro w/Card Reader & MyEncore software - Chiroflow pillow
User since 05/14/05

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Wulfman...
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Re: Newbie question regarding leaks

Post by Wulfman... » Tue Oct 06, 2015 9:20 pm

SleepCatz wrote:I am in the same boat as you and really wondering why I'm not feeling better yet! I have been on CPAP for exactly a month, took to it right away, installed the Sleepyhead software and I've been monitoring my stats. Everything looks great, my AHIs are usually less than one, and thanks to the advice here I've narrowed my pressure range to 7.8 to 14, with most of the night the pressures staying somewhere between 8.5 and 9.5. I do have a little leakage, but the the software reports no major leaks each night and I am not usually awoken by them. I don't have any other health problems. I do wake briefly 2 to 3 times a night but for a perimenopausal woman, I hear that's very common. I wonder if the changes in pressure are somehow affecting my sleep architecture, even though all the numbers look good. I have been reading all over this boards and have noticed, anecdotally, that commonly it's women that report not getting an immediate burst of energy upon successful CPAP treatment but instead experience improvement over weeks to months. Sorry I don't have more advice to offer except that you're not alone. It's frustrating, as I really wanted to get the life back that I've lost over the last few years, or at least have the energy to make dinner AND clean the kitchen on the same day.
You can always switch to a straight pressure and see if that helps.
One of the purposes of this therapy is to find the best/optimal settings for good sleep quality. It's highly individual for each of us.


Den

.
(5) REMstar Autos w/C-Flex & (6) REMstar Pro 2 CPAPs w/C-Flex - Pressure Setting = 14 cm.
"Passover" Humidification - ResMed Ultra Mirage FF - Encore Pro w/Card Reader & MyEncore software - Chiroflow pillow
User since 05/14/05

TinaWitt

Re: Newbie question regarding leaks

Post by TinaWitt » Wed Oct 07, 2015 8:55 pm

SleepCatz,
Glad I have someone in the same boat with me. I wonder if the up and down pressure isn't affecting my sleep also. My numbers are all good also, hmmmmm. Makes you think. Can't wait to start feeling more rested and get a life back! I guess we both just need to be a little more patient. I understand what you mean when you wish you had the energy to make dinner AND clean up the mess. I can't do both yet either. Who would have thought we would be happy to be able to do that! Some days, I don't have the energy for either one. Here is to us "getting our energy and health back". I wish you well and thanks for the response!