New in town. Anything else I should be doing?

[billypilgrim]

Hello, all! Just wanted to say that this forum has been really helpful as I've been navigating the waters of sleep apnea these past few weeks.

I was just diagnosed with mild sleep apnea through a home sleep study. I forgot to get a copy of the final report (it's on the way from the doctor, though), but I had an AHI of 8.5 and my pulse ox dipped to about 88% at its nadir. In some ways, the diagnosis was expected but I was still pretty surprised by it, mainly because I was under the spell of the myth that only a certain subset of the population gets sleep apnea. I'm 39 and very, very active, mainly studying and competing in Brazilian jiu jitsu 3-5 times a week and logging 15 or so running miles weekly. I do need to drop about 5-10 pounds to get back to a healthier weight, though.

I always chalked up my fragmented sleep to being super busy with a full-time job, a lot of freelance work, and a 7-year-old. All the resources out there, including this one, have really helped me come to grips with the diagnosis, and I'm committed to making this work for my health.

My meeting with the DME was surprisingly good today, and I'm the proud owner (at least in a year I will be the actual owner) of a Dreamstation APAP with humidifier and Dreamwear nasal mask. It is set for the wide pressure range of 4-20, which I have come to understand through other threads will likely need adjusting. Should I raise the minimum pressure to 6 to start, or should I keep it at 4 for a few nights and wait to see what Sleepyhead has to say about it? Is there anything else that I'm missing?

Thanks a million in advance!

[Goofproof]

Pick a corner of the room, keep your chair against the wall, make sure your six guns are clean and loaded, don't close both eyes at one time. Drink slowly! Jim

[dreamingofdreaming]

Welcome. I just started my therapy in Jan. of this year. I have the same setup as you. 4 seems low to me, but it might be OK for you. If you feel like you're not getting enough air at the start, then raise it. Otherwise, see how you feel after sleeping. Did you download Sleepyhead? That gives you a lot of information. If you see that your pressure during the night stays above 4, then bump up the pressure. I'm sure there are more experienced people on here that can give you better info. I adjusted mine on the first night. They had me at a set pressure of 7. I felt like I wasn't getting enough air, so I increased mine and then ended up changing to auto and have had a happy setting since then.

[jnk...]

If your doc is actively involved (few are, but hey there are exceptions), he may want to see what the machine does starting at 4cm for some reason. But generally your comfort takes priority when starting out, and 4cm may not be a comfortable starting pressure for you. Comfort would be the main reason to raise starting pressure and range at this point. Then once you know what pressure is usually needed to prevent apneas, you will likely want to set the minimum pressure on the auto at one or two cm below the pressure that prevents apneas, if that turns out to give you the best therapy, as confirmed by software reports and how you feel.

Oh, and don't let Jim scare you; most of the gunfighters around here left Dodge and moved on a few months back.

[billypilgrim]

Thanks, everyone! I preinstalled Sleepyhead, so I'll see how it goes tonight and report back here with the findings.