Optimizing CPAP Settings Using OSCAR Data

[SleepyGuy92]

Hi all,

First post here, so I hope I'm doing this correctly and will include as much info as I possibly can. I recently purchased a ResMed Airsense 10 AutoSet on the hunch that I have sleep apnea. I had scheduled a sleep study prior to doing so, but I wasn't able to get in for a few weeks, and after finding a brand new AirSense 10 AutoSet with P10 mask for $200, I couldn't pass up the deal.

The first few nights were pretty bad, the P10 mask rubbed my nose raw and I found it fairly uncomfortable to use. I recently switched to a nasal pillow which has seemed to help tremendously, although I do feel like my mask now leaks more than it did before.

I've been trying to dial my settings in, resulting in a fairly narrow pressure window. The reason I decided to limit my max pressure is due to the fact that I get terrible gas from my CPAP throughout the night. It's so bad that when I get out of bed, I tend to have to burp to the point where it feels like I'm deflating like a balloon. I realized that I mostly get this gas because I sleep with my mouth open. Even with my max pressure set at 10.4, I still sometimes get bad gas from the pressure. As such, I've started taping my mouth shut before bed which has seemed to help slightly. I'm starting to wonder if I should begin wearing a full face mask instead.

Overall, I notice that I feel much more refreshed waking up in the morning. My eyes no longer feel sandy and heavy, and I can typically tell when my AHI was higher the night before just by how I feel in the morning. Taking a look at my data over the past few days, is there anything glaring that anyone might notice, or anything that I can improve? I notice my leak rate is high sometimes, and I think that's due to the nasal pillow coming loose at night sometimes, particularly the night where I had 2.38 AHI. Again, I feel good waking up in the morning for the most part, but the gas from the pressure is really uncomfortable and makes it hard to go back to sleep in the morning sometimes.

In the screenshots below, the times are two hours ahead I believe, I'm not sure how to adjust the times accordingly.

Thanks for any help you might be able to provide!

[palerider]

Hi all,

First post here, so I hope I'm doing this correctly and will include as much info as I possibly can. I recently purchased a ResMed Airsense 10 AutoSet on the hunch that I have sleep apnea. I had scheduled a sleep study prior to doing so, but I wasn't able to get in for a few weeks, and after finding a brand new AirSense 10 AutoSet with P10 mask for $200, I couldn't pass up the deal.

The first few nights were pretty bad, the P10 mask rubbed my nose raw and I found it fairly uncomfortable to use. I recently switched to a nasal pillow which has seemed to help tremendously, although I do feel like my mask now leaks more than it did before.

I've been trying to dial my settings in, resulting in a fairly narrow pressure window. The reason I decided to limit my max pressure is due to the fact that I get terrible gas from my CPAP throughout the night. It's so bad that when I get out of bed, I tend to have to burp to the point where it feels like I'm deflating like a balloon. I realized that I mostly get this gas because I sleep with my mouth open. Even with my max pressure set at 10.4, I still sometimes get bad gas from the pressure. As such, I've started taping my mouth shut before bed which has seemed to help slightly. I'm starting to wonder if I should begin wearing a full face mask instead.

Overall, I notice that I feel much more refreshed waking up in the morning. My eyes no longer feel sandy and heavy, and I can typically tell when my AHI was higher the night before just by how I feel in the morning. Taking a look at my data over the past few days, is there anything glaring that anyone might notice, or anything that I can improve? I notice my leak rate is high sometimes, and I think that's due to the nasal pillow coming loose at night sometimes, particularly the night where I had 2.38 AHI. Again, I feel good waking up in the morning for the most part, but the gas from the pressure is really uncomfortable and makes it hard to go back to sleep in the morning sometimes.

In the screenshots below, the times are two hours ahead I believe, I'm not sure how to adjust the times accordingly.

Thanks for any help you might be able to provide!

Well, first, congratulations on being one of the few people that seem to have read the instructions on what do do before posting, and how to post, well done.

Overall, I'd say you're doing pretty well, but I'd suggest a higher minimum pressure, when the pressure, when the pressure line is as bouncy as that, it means that you're having more breathing events that are driving the pressure up, and those events disturb your sleep. starting at 7 or 8 should result in a smoother line, and less breathing disturbances.

The time in the charts is based on the time on the machine. you can't move time backwards on the machine if there's any data in that 'day', (and the day starts at noon on the machine), so the best way to turn the clock back is in the evening, (as long as you didn't sleep past 'noon' as far as the machine time is).

[Julie]

What symptoms do you have that make you think you have apnea? What other testing have you had to rule out any other medical issues? Have you looked up 'aerophagia' in the forum search bar to address your abdominal problems?

[SleepyGuy92]

What symptoms do you have that make you think you have apnea? What other testing have you had to rule out any other medical issues? Have you looked up 'aerophagia' in the forum search bar to address your abdominal problems?

I'm not 100% sure that I have sleep apnea, moreso obstructive breathing that compromises my quality of sleep. It's a culmination of physical characteristics that I believe cause me to feel tired waking up and not feeling alert throughout the day, which affects my work. I have a very narrow nasal passageway and am always congested, which usually means I can't breathe through my nose at all, forcing me to breathe through my mouth while sleeping. I snore quite a bit, which leads me to believe that I'm not getting sufficient oxygen throughout the night, and I believe that is one of the reasons why I feel tired most days waking up, even with 8 hours of sleep. Since using my CPAP, I wake up feeling alert, most days before my alarm goes off. My eyes no longer feel heavy waking up, and I just generally feel all-around better. Additionally, my wife says I no longer snore.

I recently submitted my at-home sleep study, and was told that I didn't test positive for sleep apnea, but that the results may be skewed because I was already using my CPAP for a week before doing the study. Regardless of whether I have it or not, I feel much better when using it and will continue to do so as I can feel that it positively benefits my quality of life.

[SleepyGuy92]

Well, first, congratulations on being one of the few people that seem to have read the instructions on what do do before posting, and how to post, well done.

Overall, I'd say you're doing pretty well, but I'd suggest a higher minimum pressure, when the pressure, when the pressure line is as bouncy as that, it means that you're having more breathing events that are driving the pressure up, and those events disturb your sleep. starting at 7 or 8 should result in a smoother line, and less breathing disturbances.

The time in the charts is based on the time on the machine. you can't move time backwards on the machine if there's any data in that 'day', (and the day starts at noon on the machine), so the best way to turn the clock back is in the evening, (as long as you didn't sleep past 'noon' as far as the machine time is).

Thanks so much for taking the time to look at my data and suggesting to increase my minimum pressure. I had never even thought of that but when you mentioned the spikes in pressure affecting quality of sleep, it totally makes sense. In fact, I wonder if the drastic ramping up in pressure is what could be causing me to experience aerophagia. It'll be interesting to see if increasing the minimum pressure could reduce my symptoms. Thanks again for your help, I appreciate it!

[palerider]

Thanks so much for taking the time to look at my data and suggesting to increase my minimum pressure. I had never even thought of that but when you mentioned the spikes in pressure affecting quality of sleep, it totally makes sense. In fact, I wonder if the drastic ramping up in pressure is what could be causing me to experience aerophagia. It'll be interesting to see if increasing the minimum pressure could reduce my symptoms. Thanks again for your help, I appreciate it!

To be clear, it's not the pressure changes that affect sleep, it's the breathing problems that cause the pressure changes that affect sleep, the pressure changes are just an indication that you're having breathing issues.

If you zoom into the data, you'll find that the pressure changes aren't 'drastic', they happen over a period of minutes.

[Julie]

I'd also see an ENT MD to find out if anything can be done about your nose - it's not uncommon to have a small e.g. turbinate reduction or something similar if needed and it can make a real difference.

[ChicagoGranny]

am always congested

You need to have a consultation and examination with an ENT. Chronically congested nasal passages can make CPAP use more difficult and force unhealthy mouth-breathing when you are awake.

For future reference, here is some more information on OSCAR chart organization - http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.ph ... ganization

[chunkyfrog]

+1,000 for the ENT.
Nasal congestion is a major impediment to healthy sleep;
and it can often be treated or even cured.
Depriving yourself of healthy breathing is a big mistake.