Frequent awakening Cause

[SleepyHead1969]

I've only been on CPAP for 3 days and I'm experiencing many awakenings 5 - 6 + I'm suspecting that I may be experiencing mouth leakage, I know I had one awakening at around 2:00 AM and I attached the screenshot at around that time, can anyone help me identify the cause? Thanks in Advanced for your help.

[Cannuck 1]

The results are good, I believe anything over 24 litres is considered a serious leak by Resmed.
Try not drinking beverages after 7:30 pm to see if your arousals go down.

[SleepyHead1969]

Thanks Cannuck but my concern is not with a mask leak but rather a mouth leak. I'm noticing a spike in flow rate, leak rate and resp. rate which can be seen between 1:57 and 1:58, which I interprete as being a mouth leak. The same pattern appears every time I wake up. BTW thanks for the advice but I don't drink at all before bed and never have to get up to urinate in the night. These épisodes only started when using the CPAP.

[Wulfman...]

I've only been on CPAP for 3 days and I'm experiencing many awakenings 5 - 6 + I'm suspecting that I may be experiencing mouth leakage, I know I had one awakening at around 2:00 AM and I attached the screenshot at around that time, can anyone help me identify the cause? Thanks in Advanced for your help.

Pretty simple. You started having a bunch of Flow Limitations around that time, your pressure started climbing because Flow Limitations (and Snores) trigger pressure increases........and the pressure increases probably disturbed your sleep.

You've got a very wide pressure range. Might help if you'd bump up your minimum pressure a couple of centimeters and see if that slows it down a bit.
Also, if that's a "typical" night for you and the pressure changes keep disturbing your sleep, you might consider a very narrow pressure range or straight pressure. You're not having many/any apneas to be squashed by higher pressures.


Den

.

[Jay Aitchsee]

Don't overthink it, Sleepyhead. It is normal to wake up a few times in the night. When you do wake your breathing will change and SleepyHead will show that with results like you are seeing. Your overall leak rate looks good.

At this point, you just need to relax and get used to the machine and therapy. It's likely the therapy itself is waking you as you are not yet accustomed to it. As you do become accustomed, likely the awakenings will diminish. It does take some time to get used to an alien on your face.

It could be the pressure change (increase) of the auto function is disturbing you. But 3 days isn't enough time to know. At this point I don't think you have to worry about mouth leaks. Relax, gather some more data, and have another look after a few days.

I see Wulfman has just mentioned the pressure while I was typing, but I'll leave this reference, too.

[SleepyHead1969]

Thanks for the responses, I will try to bump up to 9 the minimum as I know I can stand that without issues and I guess patience is key here. I did however order a mouthpiece and will give that a try, for the price I think it's worth a try.

[Wulfman...]

It could be that sleeping position or head/neck position could have caused those Flow Limitations (your airway became compromised). Your leak rate jumped for a brief period as did your respiratory rate.......which leads me to believe that something in those possibilities caused it. Can't tell from the report what position you were in, but you may try to make mental notes (or have a notepad and pencil handy) to see if you can come up with anything on your own.


Den

.

[palerider]

Pretty simple. You started having a bunch of Flow Limitations around that time, your pressure started climbing because Flow Limitations (and Snores) trigger pressure increases........and the pressure increases probably disturbed your sleep.

have you ever considered that it just might be the *FLOW LIMITATIONS* that are disturbing sleep, because they involve decreased breathing function and increased breathing effort?? eh? eh?

[Wulfman...]

Pretty simple. You started having a bunch of Flow Limitations around that time, your pressure started climbing because Flow Limitations (and Snores) trigger pressure increases........and the pressure increases probably disturbed your sleep.

have you ever considered that it just might be the *FLOW LIMITATIONS* that are disturbing sleep, because they involve decreased breathing function and increased breathing effort?? eh? eh?

Not here. And, in studying the report a little further, I'm sort of altering my evaluation of this one.........
I think (in this case) it was a combination of events. Sleeping position and maybe mouth opening (nasal mask) led to leakage and increased respiratory rate and then the flow limitations and that led to the pressure increases.
Mouth leak and increased respiration (possibly dreaming) may have been an awakening moment (nasal mask). Possibly changing positions in bed then may have initiated the flow limitations and increased pressure.
After the leak, many things became more erratic on the reports.


Den

.

[palerider]

just in case anybody is wondering about what flow limitations are, and what effects they have, it's covered, (along with much more) in this resmed video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gie2dhqP2c

[PEF]

When you use a nasal mask, it is necessary to keep one's tongue at the top of the mouth and forward behind the front teeth. That will create a seal to prevent air from leaking out or into the mouth and causing awakenings. I had quite s struggle with this. I taped my mouth closed for awhile (not aggressively) with paper tape to remind my brain to pay attention to what my mouth is doing. I only need to use the tape occasionally now.

[Wulfman...]

just in case anybody is wondering about what flow limitations are, and what effects they have, it's covered, (along with much more) in this resmed video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gie2dhqP2c

Works about as well as anything else ResMed has come up with.........

In a black screen frame.....

"An error occurred. Please try again later. Learn More"


Den

.

[palerider]

just in case anybody is wondering about what flow limitations are, and what effects they have, it's covered, (along with much more) in this resmed video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gie2dhqP2c

Works about as well as anything else ResMed has come up with.........

In a black screen frame.....

"An error occurred. Please try again later. Learn More"

har
har

that's youtube, not resmed, or, maybe your computer.

your bias is showing.

[Wulfman...]

just in case anybody is wondering about what flow limitations are, and what effects they have, it's covered, (along with much more) in this resmed video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gie2dhqP2c

Works about as well as anything else ResMed has come up with.........

In a black screen frame.....

"An error occurred. Please try again later. Learn More"

har
har

that's youtube, not resmed, or, maybe your computer.

your bias is showing.

Absolutely!!!
But, I also read some of the comments below it, too.
And, I didn't have 24 hours or so to load a 12 minute video on dial-up, anyway.


Den

.

[palerider]

But, I also read some of the comments below it, too.

reading youtube comments is bad for one's sanity.