CPAP not working, or adjusting?

[garrett1812]

First, a little background. I have mild sleep apnea (AHI=13), and have been using a CPAP for about four months now. It is a Resmed AirSense 10 Autoset, with a Mirage FX nasal mask. With this I consistently have my AHI under 2 (as reported by the CPAP). I woke up feeling amazing after the very first night using it.

Now, months later, I feel tired through the day again, and am questioning why. When I first started to use the machine, if I opened my mouth I would feel air rush out and it would be uncomfortable. Recently, opening my mouth does not have this problem. It makes me wonder 1) has something changed with how much or where the airflow is going, and 2) do I open my mouth more when sleeping now because it is not uncomfortable.

I know I should try a chinstrap. I tried one once, but it was very uncomfortable and I need to find one better fitting. The CPAP does not report any kind of excessive leaks, which I would think it would do if my mouth was open often during the night, however, I question its ability to detect leaks, as I often have bad leaks in the morning hours when my mask does not fit as tight against my bearded face (but that is another topic).

I know the machine is supposed to adjust air pressure levels. Does that mean through the night, or does it also adjust over periods of days/weeks/months? I feel like either its not working as it used to, or my body has adapted to it in some way. Or it could be something else entirely making me tired, which if its not the CPAP I would like to be able to rule it out.

Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks!

[LSAT]

If your AHI is always under 2, your CPAP is doing what it is supposed to. Why not download Sleepyhead software and show us some nightly detail.

[OkyDoky]

You have a great machine that records important graph detail of events, breathing, and leaks, etc. So begin by downloading free Sleepyhead. This site will tell you how. https://sleep.tnet.com/resources/sleepyhead
Here is a copy of your Clinical Manual that tells you all about your machine and how to access the clinical menu. https://sleep.tnet.com/home/files/resme ... -guide.pdf
Do you know your machine settings?
If you don't already have you need to request a copy of your Sleep Study and Prescription. They are your records that you will need at sometime.

[garrett1812]

Settings:
Mode: AutoSet
Max Pressure: 12.0
Min Pressure: 5.0
Mask: Nasal
Ramp Time: Auto
Start Pressure: 4.0
EPR: On
EPR Type: Full Time
Humidity Level: 5
Tube: SlimLine
AB Filter: No
Essentials: On
SmartStart: On

Options:
Ramp Time: Auto
Humidity Level: 5
Mask: Nasal
Airplane Mode: Off

[garrett1812]

Below are my statistics over the full time using the machine, a 3 month overview, and daily stats from last night (which I feel I slept pretty good):

[Julie]

Can you see that the stats cannot be read?

Sleepyhead is easy to download (free), and relatively easy to install. There are instructions here about linking the reports you'd then download to Imgur.com to this thread so we can all see them (skip the calendar, include left hand side results list). Little old people here do it all the time and manage well, I'm sure you can do it too.

[garrett1812]

I can read it quite fine. No need to be a jerk. I will look into the other image hosting site.

[Julie]

Excuse me?

All I saw were a bunch of question mark boxes and as others have encouraged you to DL SH, I just added mine. We can't help you if you won't help yourself.

[garrett1812]

Julie, thank you but you're assistance is not required here. I will leave this open for others to comment.

[Julie]

Now they're readable, so you must have done something to fix them - don't blame me for that!

[chunkyfrog]

Never mind. Julie just found her glasses.

[Julie]

Hell with all of you, don't need this...

[chunkyfrog]

Good girl, kick the frog--just leave the newbies alone.

[OkyDoky]

Garrett, Your AHI and leak rates look good. You can see on your pressure graph it is adjusting for your events and the Maximum number seems to cover them. The only thing I would change is increase the minimum to 7. As for your tiredness check out other causes, any new meds? Check out side effects of all meds. Have you had recent Blood work?

For your next screenshot posts, I have some tips where we can see what we need to see most.

On the left side turn off the calendar by clicking on the triangle by the date.
Also the pie chart doesn't give us very much info so you can turn it off by going to File - Preferences -Appearance - Uncheck Show event break down pie chart
That allows us to see the machine details on the left.

The graphs that are usually helpful are:
1. Event Flags
2. Flow Rate
3. Pressure (not mask pressure)
4. Leak
5. Flow Limit (only with Resmed machine)
Put your graph in that order by grabbing, by the labels, with your mouse and dragging it where you want it.
Now grab the line between the graphs and resize them until you get them in one screenshot.

Take a screen shot after you organize your graphs.
F10 will close the right sidebar ( or click file - view - uncheck right side bar).
F11 ( or click file - view - check fullscreen toggle) on your keyboard before you take your screenshot and it makes it full screen with no ID info.
Take a screenshot by pushing F12 or under View - click on Screenshot
Screenshots are found on my computer under Documents - SleepyHeadData-Testing - Screenshots

Then at Imgur you have to sign up for an account then sign in. upload your pic.
Click on the triangle by your ID in the upper right corner and a menu will drop down.
Choose Images this will take you to a screen with your uploaded images on it. Click on the image you want.
Click on Large thumbnail then copy the Linked BB code into your reply. Here is an uploaded screenshot for example.

[garrett1812]

Thanks OkyDoky. No new medications. I have been eating better and losing weight recently, although, I would expect if anything this would help with my sleep. No recent bloodwork, but its a good suggestion for next doc visit.

Thanks for the information on formatting results. I will look these over and upload some new pictures soon.

Regarding leaks, is it normal to have air blowing out of your mask? My wife complaints about the whistling noise keeping her awake, which I hope to also solve, but I am primarily concerned about leaking so much air. Also I often wake up with a dry mouth. Yet the leak data always looks good. This is what puzzles me. What is this leak data looking for, major events like disconnected hoses?