Been a while

[Jack o]

The lower my pressure setting….. the lower my AHI goes, strange?
I have battled with aerophagia/gas for a long time with high pressure set between 10 and 13. Thanks to Pugsy, Miss Emerita and Chicago Granny, I now wear a cervical collar either 3” soft or 4” firm. The collars definitely corrected my chin tucking. For me the collar is much more tolerable than swallowing a lot of air when set at higher pressures. Now with my CPAP set at a High of either 6 or 7, Low at 5 and wearing my cervical collar, my AHI’s are averaging below 2. The last 3 nights I have been at 0.0, 0.5 and 0.3. I even tried setting High at 5 and got an AHI of 1.5 but had shortness of breath upon awakening so I moved the high setting back up to 7. My numbers are good now, with the collar, even while sleeping mostly on my back.

When I was set at 12 , the horizontal line stayed at 12 all night. Maybe because I was fighting it.
Questions:
Is there a chance that I don’t need CPAP that the cervical collar alone would be sufficient?
Could I have central sleep apnea?
Is it OK to have set at a high of 5 or maybe even 4 if I have shortness of breath? Maybe the shortness of breath has nothing to do with CPAP.

[Jack o]

Can anyone help answer any of my questions or make a suggestion for my last posting?
Thanks

[Pugsy]

Is there a chance that I don’t need CPAP that the cervical collar alone would be sufficient?

Always a chance but you would need a sleep study using only the cervical collar to prove it.

Could I have central sleep apnea?

I don't see it on these reports. Not nearly enough centrals to earn a diagnosis of central sleep apnea.

I don't know what to tell you about the shortness of breath stuff at lower pressures. It's entirely possible that the lower pressures just cause some air hunger issues which are very common at lower pressures.

[Jack o]

Thank you Pugsy.
I do not know where to look for "Central" apneas.
Is that "Unclassified" apneas?

[Pugsy]

Using OSCAR/SleepyHead...and the machine you are using....ClearAirway apnea events are essentially central apnea events.
If you were using ResScan software the label would be central apnea.

If you were having central apneas they would show up in the CA event category line.

[Jack o]

Pugsy,
Thanks for all your help.
I think I am in good shape now and will keep my ongoing settings at High 7 and Low 5.
The 4" Soft cervical collar works best for me for comfort. (I tried 3 and 4 inch - soft and firm).
So the reduction in aerophagia is good now at 7.0 and the collar has been the greatest suggestion ever.
May 1st thru the 16th, my average AHI has been just under 1.3.
So - good to go!
Thanks so very much!
Jack O "formerly Chin Tucker Jack O"