Snore vibration vs AHI

I am new to CPAP therapy and have a PR machine that detects snore vibrations (viewing results with Sleepyhead). These typically occur an hour after going to sleep and 1-2 hours prior to waking. My overall nightly AHI average is very good (<2) but the AHI goes up during these snoring periods (7-8). What is a good method for tracking down & reducing the snoring during these periods? My machine does not auto-adjust and I've been preferring minimal to no ramp. Some things I think it may be:
- I'm using a nasal mask and I *think* it's a bit small (feels like it's obstructing the nasal passages @ certain points). I've got a larger mask and will be giving that a try.
- Could be body position?
- Could mouth be opening?
- No major leaks are getting detected but could minor leaks result in increased snoring?
- Is some snoring common with CPAP? (i.e. I'm over-analyzing?)

Greg_R wrote:I am new to CPAP therapy and have a PR machine that detects snore vibrations (viewing results with Sleepyhead). These typically occur an hour after going to sleep and 1-2 hours prior to waking. My overall nightly AHI average is very good (<2) but the AHI goes up during these snoring periods (7-8). What is a good method for tracking down & reducing the snoring during these periods? My machine does not auto-adjust and I've been preferring minimal to no ramp. Some things I think it may be:
- I'm using a nasal mask and I *think* it's a bit small (feels like it's obstructing the nasal passages @ certain points). I've got a larger mask and will be giving that a try.
- Could be body position?
- Could mouth be opening?
- No major leaks are getting detected but could minor leaks result in increased snoring?
- Is some snoring common with CPAP? (i.e. I'm over-analyzing?)

"Snoring" is mostly "sound effects". A vibration while inhaling. Auto machines trigger pressure increases on Snores and Flow Limitations because they're believed to be precursor events to Apneas.

However I don't worry much about snoring.......or flow limitations.

Lots (maybe most) of the folks who were diagnosed with OSA probably snored. It's very common.
Could be body position. if the chin is tucked closer to the chest, that could contribute to it.
Mouth could be opening. Try to keep it shut. Practice keeping the tongue to the roof of the mouth.....or tape it shut.

A few things that can be done to reduce snoring:
Do nasal cleansing before bedtime (so you can breathe through your nose).
If using a higher humidifier setting, try turning it down or off (but leave water in the tank).
Increasing pressure a bit.


Den

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And you may just need another 1-2 cm of pressure. What is your setting now?

Greg_R wrote:I am new to CPAP therapy and have a PR machine that detects snore vibrations (viewing results with Sleepyhead). These typically occur an hour after going to sleep and 1-2 hours prior to waking. My overall nightly AHI average is very good (<2) but the AHI goes up during these snoring periods (7-8). What is a good method for tracking down & reducing the snoring during these periods? My machine does not auto-adjust and I've been preferring minimal to no ramp. Some things I think it may be:
- I'm using a nasal mask and I *think* it's a bit small (feels like it's obstructing the nasal passages @ certain points). I've got a larger mask and will be giving that a try.
- Could be body position?
- Could mouth be opening?
- No major leaks are getting detected but could minor leaks result in increased snoring?
- Is some snoring common with CPAP? (i.e. I'm over-analyzing?)

If the machine you have listed in your profile is correct...it DOES auto adjust if you set it properly. Is there a reason for not using the auto? What pressure are you using? When your AHI goes up to 7-8...what type of events are you having?

Thank you for updating your profile.
But, the software you have listed doesn't correspond with the PR machines. It's for an old Covidien machine.

Encore (several versions) or Sleepyhead would work with your machine.


Den

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I'm using Sleepyhead for analysis and have a constant pressure setting of 9.0.

I can't seem to find Sleepyhead as an option in the SW portion of the profile; otherwise I'd list it.

The machine I listed is correct but the people who set up the machine have it in c-flex+ mode (easier exhalation).

Thanks for all the tips so far!

Greg_R wrote:I'm using Sleepyhead for analysis and have a constant pressure setting of 9.0.

I like straight pressure myself.
You might need a little more pressure to bring down your AHI numbers (and snoring numbers, too.) if they're higher than what you like to see.


Den

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Greg_R wrote:I can't seem to find Sleepyhead as an option in the SW portion of the profile; otherwise I'd list it.

that's what comments are for