Need help. A good start and then the fall ?

[Albatros]

I am 6 months into my CPAP therapy.
The first 3 months, especially thanks to Cpap talk, were good: AIH of 1 or less, quite good sleep quality, feels pretty good...
Was I becoming the king of the world of CPAP ...?

For the last month, it's been going wrong: bad sleep, mediocre Oscar scores (AIH 2 to 3), not so good feeling...
And yet I did not change my parameters very much.
I check off all the good sleep practices.
Only new fact: a painful Covid 2.5 weeks ago.
Face mask, no leakage with a band on the mouth. Cervical collar.

I would appreciate your opinion.

Thank you

Enclosed Oscar report: real timing time is + one hour (GMT )

[Julie]

I would blame COVID and see how things go in the future - could be weeks before they settle down.

[Dzyan]

I
Face mask, no leakage with a band on the mouth. Cervical collar.

If you are using a full face mask, why do you need to tape your mouth and wear a сervical collar?

[ChicagoGranny]

wear a сervical collar?

A cervical collar prevents the chin from dropping toward the chest and crimping the airway. It keeps the neck in the best position for airway patency.

If you are using a full face mask, why do you need to tape your mouth

- It prevents the jaw from dropping and breaking the mask seal.
- It prevents dry mouth.
- Chipmunk cheeks are no longer a problem.
- Nose breathing is much healthier.

[Albatros]

I would blame COVID and see how things go in the future - could be weeks before they settle down.

I was wrong with the Covid, it was 2 months ago and not 2 weeks ago.

[Albatros]

I
Face mask, no leakage with a band on the mouth. Cervical collar.

If you are using a full face mask, why do you need to tape your mouth and wear a сervical collar?

if I don't tape my mouth, I get saliva in the face mask and it starts leaking.

[Albatros]

wear a сervical collar?

A cervical collar prevents the chin from dropping toward the chest and crimping the airway. It keeps the neck in the best position for airway patency.

If you are using a full face mask, why do you need to tape your mouth

- It prevents the jaw from dropping and breaking the mask seal.
- It prevents dry mouth.
- Chipmunk cheeks are no longer a problem.
- Nose breathing is much healthier.

My cervical collar is 2.95 inches. I wonder if a 3.5 inches would not be better. What is your experience ?

[Julie]

Even if you don't have "Long Covid" I'd be surprised if it hasn't had some longer term effect and a few wks is not a lot of time to be sure about that.

[ChicagoGranny]

My cervical collar is 2.95 inches. I wonder if a 3.5 inches would not be better. What is your experience ?

I'm a small person and use a four-inch collar. That's a bit extreme especially when it's used new. It will soften up some over a couple of weeks. I figure the wider the better, but the user has to be able to tolerate it.

Remember, it shouldn't be tight around your neck - just adjusted enough that the chin doesn't fall down into the collar.

[robysue1]

For the last month, it's been going wrong: bad sleep, mediocre Oscar scores (AIH 2 to 3), not so good feeling...
And yet I did not change my parameters very much.
I check off all the good sleep practices.
Only new fact: a painful Covid 2.5 weeks ago.
Face mask, no leakage with a band on the mouth. Cervical collar.

I would appreciate your opinion.

In my opinion, the nasty case of Covid explains the bad sleep, which in turn explains the mediocre AHI and the not feeling so good.

When my husband and I both had Covid back in November of 2021 (after being fully vaccinated!), it took me about a month to start feeling genuinely well again, and it took my husband more like 3 or 4 months to get fully over the fatigue.

So give yourself some more time to get over Covid. Pamper yourself (if you can) by taking it easy and getting plenty of rest. Expect the sleep to slowly return to normal.

For what it's worth: My own AHI often acts as an early warning system that I'm coming down with an upper respiratory illness: Sometimes my AHI will shoot up to the 4-5 range one or two days before I become clearly symptomatic. The AHI returns to its normal range as I get over the illness. I think the AHI goes up because of a combination of severe congestion and lots more sleep-wake-junk breathing as I'm tossing and turning because of the growing illness itself negatively affects my sleep.

[Dzyan]

Face mask, no leakage with a band on the mouth. Cervical collar.

Sorry to write in your topic, but I am interested in one more question. Why do you use a full face mask for nasal breathing? After all, there are nasal masks and comfortable nasal pillows?

[Albatros]

Face mask, no leakage with a band on the mouth. Cervical collar.

Sorry to write in your topic, but I am interested in one more question. Why do you use a full face mask for nasal breathing? After all, there are nasal masks and comfortable nasal pillows?

Despite several attempts, with a nasal mask or nasal pillow mask, I have to switch back to my full face mask during the night, in fact despite my "medical" tape+ somnifix tape + efforts to hold my tongue on the roof of my mouth, there is still an unpleasant pressure of air that would like to leave my mouth.

I managed to identify two full face masks that suit me well: the F20 Resmed and the EVORA full face.