anyone used extra treatment with CPAP: MAD? aroma? recliner?

for those who couldn't bring their AHI with CPAP, have any one tried any joining treatment along with CPAP, like mandible advance device MAD, aromatherapy like CureSnore, recliner sleeping etc?

sleeping on the side with a ball in my back, high pillow, mouth tape, leak under control, APAP and CPAP tried, all varied pressure

yet AHI is still around 4-5 and regardless AHI number, I still feel tired, so members here pointed at the tongue as possible cause and that what made me think about Mandible advance device but I want to see other people experiences when CPAP is not enough
Thanks

Hi, have you seen your MD lately to check for other possible causes of fatigue? They do exist, of course, but we may forget them as we get involved with OSA and don't think about anything else. I presume you're getting enough hours of sleep (not staying up too late)?

Julie: whenever I get enough hours of sleep my AHI is still high so lack of sleep is excluded.
I haven't fixed OSA and stayed tired, in order to look at something else for sleep disturbance.
I know my CPAP treatment is not yet successful

Sleep time has to be pretty consistent before you see any change in how you feel, let's say 11PM-7AM. Just getting an occasional good night but mostly 4-5hr nights won't help your situation.

There are board members who use a MAD with their CPAP. Hopefully they will see this and weigh in. Just from memory I'm thinking the motivator was to use a lower pressure. I have used the Pur-Sleep aromas, not to lower my AHI, just for the pleasure of it and to hopefully help with sleep maintenance. I was not comfortable on a high wedge either, because I'm a side sleeper and it wasn't working for me. They do make lower wedges, but what worked better for me was to roll up a quilt and place it across the head of the bed between the mattress and box springs. It felt more natural than the wedge. Mine wasn't very high, as I didn't want to slide down, but I figured every little bit helps. Did it help my AHI? Really didn't check. Was trying to mitigate effects of GERD on my already fragile sleep.

Seems you are looking for answers to help your AHI more so than your tiredness. I was reading back thru your posts, and you have tried a lot of different things to optimize your treatment. Maybe at this point you could settle on whatever has garnered an AHI below 5 without significant desats and give yourself a de-stress period, knowing you are protected even if not to perfection (and who ever achieves that anyhow). See what a couple weeks of being in a no stress zone does for your numbers and how you feel.

My numbers are usually decent, but I know that I'm a breath-holder, and I believe it affects my numbers. I hold my breath when doing any activity, even have to remind myself to breathe sometimes. Since I toss and turn a lot, I know there must be a lot of breath holding going on, not to mention throat clearing and coughing. Any chance that could be the case with you? If so, tweaking won't "fix" that. Just a thought.

Length of sleep may not affect your AHI but it does affect how you feel. You can't really expect to feel your personal best until you're getting adequate quality sleep. Sometimes just improvement is the best we get for a while. Due to my limb movements, unless something changes after all these years, it doesn't look like consolidated good sleep is in the cards for me. However, the improvement CPAP has made to the sleep i do get has been life changing. Even so, there are nights I am frustrated to tears and almost desperate, wondering if my sleep will ever be good again. Then I get a grip and remind myself how far I've come. I only say that to say you have numbers some would envy. They may not be the best you will get, but please don't allow what is yet to be accomplished taint any appreciation for all you've already learned and accomplished. It's in relishing those successes we gain momentum to press on.

Hope you find the answers you seek.

Ok, stepping out of my "Grandma" cloak now.

Kathy

Thanks Kathy for your thoughtful response.
by the way, it is not a matter on numbers, it is a matter of feeling tired still and unable to work simply because my work is very mental not physical, so this apnea is still putting my life on hold

DoriC , the sleep amount is not really up to me. I have other disease that affect my sleep time so I can't control that part much
so my only hope is get whatever I can get of sleeping hours but in quality sleep

williamco wrote:Thanks Kathy for your thoughtful response.
by the way, it is not a matter on numbers, it is a matter of feeling tired still and unable to work simply because my work is very mental not physical, so this apnea is still putting my life on hold

DoriC , the sleep amount is not really up to me. I have other disease that affect my sleep time so I can't control that part much
so my only hope is get whatever I can get of sleeping hours but in quality sleep

Sleep is a question of quality and quantity. No way one can substitute for the other. You may be tired and still unable to work because your other disease robs you of the sleep time you need in order to function properly.

O.