I haven't had access to my cpap data due to lack of card reader for the old data cards for a few years. Recently upgraded to the machine in my sig and started using sleepyhead. I posted the charts for my first week and asked for feedback here: viewtopic/t103468/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1 ... 96#p974796Apnea/Hypopnea Index (AHI): 80.2
*AHI 4% or greater: 62.4
NREM AHI: 80.2
REM AHI: -
Non-Supine AHI: 77.0
Supine AHI: 81.9
Respiratory Disturbance Index (RDI): 80.8
NREM RDI: 80.8
REM RDI: -
The only changes I have made since then was to increase the minimum pressure from 12 to 12.5. I don't think it made any noticeable difference, did it?
I finally replaced the ruby red chinstrap I had to throw out months ago. Since the night of 2/17, I have been using the new chinstrap. I don't think I see much of a difference with or without it so I may not have a problem with mouth breathing.
The numbers look very good, I think. Are there any of the charts that need closer examination? Is there any other tweaking that might be worth trying to make it even better? I see that sometimes the leak on my nasal pillows gets a bit high, but it's not that terrible, is it? It might be due just to moving around. I think I change positions quite a bit between sides and even on my back. The sleep study showed about the same AHI numbers for back or side sleeping. There's still lots of snoring but there's probably little I can do about that, right?
I hope that people new to cpap can be encouraged that it can make a huge difference and be well worth the initial trials and tribulations of getting the right equipment for you and getting used to using it. It can literally save your life. I lost a dear friend on the other side of the country with very severe apnea to a stroke. He just couldn't get used to using the equipment regularly. You may need to try different masks, different settings, different sleep positions, etc. - but you can improve the amount and quality of sleep that you get with the right cpap treatment.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in America, and stroke is the No. 5 cause and a leading cause of disability. High blood pressure is a major risk factor for both.
“The evidence is very strong for the relationship between sleep apnea and hypertension and cardiovascular disease generally, so people really need to know that,” said Donna Arnett, Ph.D., chair and professor of epidemiology at the School of Public Health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the incoming president of the American Heart Association.
