Increase Pressure?

[zonker]

Very good points and appreciate the comment. I’m trying mouth tape for the first time, apparently it’s risky?

https://www.osfhealthcare.org/blog/is-i ... -sleeping/

dunno. there are forum members who try it. i'll leave it up to them to answer that.

i don't because i'm a full bearded fellow and am too stubborn to shave!

[jonesresidence]

Here are the last two nights. How did I get a 1.99 AHI with all those leaks?

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/8tcwtyj8 ... su9lo&dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/tr6c4mg4 ... p79eg&dl=0

[Pugsy]

Your images are so small I can't see the numbers clearly.
You are including graphs that aren't needed and with so many graphs it makes for tiny graphs.
I can't seem to enlarge them so that I can read the numbers.
http://www.cpaptalk.com/viewtopic/t1585 ... eview.html


As for why the low AHI in the face of those leaks.
1...either nothing happened
2...or the machine couldn't tell what was going on because the excessive leaks caused the machine to be clueless.

[jonesresidence]

I opened an Imgur account, it allows for BBCode which I guess photobucket and Dropbox don't do. This one should be easier to see.

[Pugsy]

Thank you....that is much easier to see.

You know it is entirely possible that nothing happened in terms of apnea events for the machine to sense and record.
Your pressure increases up there but it could be simply from the flow limitations and while the flow limitations can grow up into full grown OAs or hyponeas it doesn't always mean that they will grow up and have the machine be clueless.
Problem being of course, that when we have leaks that bad we just don't know if the machine couldn't sense the OAs or hyponeas or they just didn't happen. We can't trust the data be it good or bad data when we have leaks of the magnitude you are having. It wouldn't be impossible for just the FLs to be driving the pressure up....

Are you experiencing any nasal congestion????

There were a handful of UAs flagged and those happen when the machine senses something happening but doesn't know what to call it because the big leaks are messing with the machine's ability to sense accurately. It's not like you had a truckload of UAs though. So it is entirely possible that the low AHI numbers are correct and not a lot of OAs or hyponeas even happened but since we can't trust the data in the face of all those big leaks (over 30 L/min is my own personal line in the sand) we can't say for sure that nothing happened or a bunch of stuff happened but with those leaks the machine simply couldn't sense or record what was/is going on.

[Miss Emerita]

About mouth tape. I've read only two reasons for caution. One is that you'll suddenly vomit and inhale the vomitus (which would certainly be bad). The other is that your power will go off, your machine will shut down, and you'll slowly smother.

I've never vomited suddenly in the night, so that is just not something I worry about. Plus I have no problem overcoming the tape to open my mouth. The second scenario sounds pretty outlandish to me -- I would always wake up when our power went out -- but I got a circuit alarm to plug into the circuit my machine is on. Here's the one I got:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B018A ... UTF8&psc=1

It works very well.

You might buy a box of Somnifix tape strips to experiment with. Unfortunately Amazon doesn't sell it any more, so you'll need to get it here:

https://somnifix.com/

It's a little pricey, but I recommend it because it holds pretty well and is gentle on the skin. If you do OK with it, there's cheaper tape out there that you can get by the roll.

[Pugsy]

Plus I have no problem overcoming the tape to open my mouth. The second scenario sounds pretty outlandish to me -- I would always wake up when our power went out -- but I got a circuit alarm to plug into the circuit my machine is on

You know what happened to me the very first night I taped my mouth???? Big thunderstorm came through and we lost power...and I didn't have any power alarm to alert me. What woke me up was the silence.
Since that first night of taping (before I quit taping) I discovered that I could move enough air through the vent holes to prevent me to even feel like I was suffocating even with no power to the machine.

Also prior to my first taping trial I experimented with simply testing the tape to see how much effort it took to open my mouth with tape on it and I quickly realized that it takes very little effort to dislodge the tape.
A big yawn was enough for me.

Besides.....I was only asking the OP here to do the tape thing for one night only so we could try to isolate the cause of the leaks and THEN if it was determined that it was mouth opening/breathing....then the OP could decide on best option for them to try to stop the mouth opening. There are other options available if the OP wasn't comfortable taping full time.

And while our first thought when we see leaks like the OP is having would be mouth opening....it's not a certainty.
I once had leaks like that when trying a new mask and had trouble with the fitting and I taped my mouth to rule out mouth opening leaking. Even with tape and the tape not coming off I still had those ugly leaks which told me the fitting adjustments weren't doing a good job. Eventually it was determined that the mask frame was simply too big for my small head and it was no wonder the damn thing moved around all over the place.

[Miss Emerita]

Oh right, I was forgetting we were talking about maybe a one-time taping experiment!

Yes, I use a noise machine at night, and the sudden silence used to wake me up just about as quickly as the circuit alarm now does.

[jonesresidence]

Thank you....that is much easier to see.

You know it is entirely possible that nothing happened in terms of apnea events for the machine to sense and record.
Your pressure increases up there but it could be simply from the flow limitations and while the flow limitations can grow up into full grown OAs or hyponeas it doesn't always mean that they will grow up and have the machine be clueless.
Problem being of course, that when we have leaks that bad we just don't know if the machine couldn't sense the OAs or hyponeas or they just didn't happen. We can't trust the data be it good or bad data when we have leaks of the magnitude you are having. It wouldn't be impossible for just the FLs to be driving the pressure up....

What are the flow limitations and how do they relate to the other data points?

Are you experiencing any nasal congestion????

I do experience nasal congestion but I wear breathe rite strips and use nose spray which seems to allow me to breathe adequately. Still at square zero with identifying the cause of the leaks. I had mouth tape on last night but every time I woke up, it was not in place. This is what I bought because Walmart or Walgreens didn't sell "Mouth Tape" specifically. I'll try something online.

There were a handful of UAs flagged and those happen when the machine senses something happening but doesn't know what to call it because the big leaks are messing with the machine's ability to sense accurately. It's not like you had a truckload of UAs though. So it is entirely possible that the low AHI numbers are correct and not a lot of OAs or hyponeas even happened but since we can't trust the data in the face of all those big leaks (over 30 L/min is my own personal line in the sand) we can't say for sure that nothing happened or a bunch of stuff happened but with those leaks the machine simply couldn't sense or record what was/is going on.

[Pugsy]

That paper tape isn't going to stay stuck. It's too flimsy and doesn't have much sticking power.

[ozij]

2. My knowledge is limited to "If it's under 5, your good!" However I know there is more to it than that... My average range is between 3-6. My goal is to get to 0 and feel great but I need help understanding how to go about getting there. I still feel tired during the day.

yes, that "under 5" nonsense has got to go! if i get an ahi of 2, i feel a bit groggy and not very good at all. BUT 0 is something that you shouldn't chase. why? because it can lead to a lot of frustration. you might not need to get to zero in order to feel great. i feel great when i'm under that ahi of 2 i mentioned.

the goal of cpap, when you get right down to it, is to help keep your airway open enough to breathe more easily. getting an ahi of 0 does NOT guarantee a good night of sleep.

at any rate, good luck on your journey!

Very good points and appreciate the comment. I’m trying mouth tape for the first time, apparently it’s risky?

https://www.osfhealthcare.org/blog/is-i ... -sleeping/

Didn't look at the site you quoted.
Mouth taping has been used in real studies of the effects of mask type and of mouth leaking (I've read too many studies many to tell you in which - try scholar.google.com with the words "CPAP tape")

I was terrified of taping when I was 6 months into CPAP therapy (back in 2005).
I was terrified because I was still traumatized by the nightly pre-CPAP choking episodes.
So I first taped while wide awake, in broad day light.
Have been taping while using CPAP nasal pillows ever since - withe some periods of FFM mask use.

Is it risky for some people under some conditions? Yes, of course.
Is it a CPAP therapy saver for other people under other conditions? Yes, of course.

Only you know to which group you belong and whether taping is the right (helpful) thing for you.

[jonesresidence]

About mouth tape. I've read only two reasons for caution. One is that you'll suddenly vomit and inhale the vomitus (which would certainly be bad). The other is that your power will go off, your machine will shut down, and you'll slowly smother.

I've never vomited suddenly in the night, so that is just not something I worry about. Plus I have no problem overcoming the tape to open my mouth. The second scenario sounds pretty outlandish to me -- I would always wake up when our power went out -- but I got a circuit alarm to plug into the circuit my machine is on. Here's the one I got:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B018A ... UTF8&psc=1

It works very well.

You might buy a box of Somnifix tape strips to experiment with. Unfortunately Amazon doesn't sell it any more, so you'll need to get it here:

https://somnifix.com/

It's a little pricey, but I recommend it because it holds pretty well and is gentle on the skin. If you do OK with it, there's cheaper tape out there that you can get by the roll.

I just ordered these and will give them a try. I was thinking about hostage tape too. Have you heard of that?

[Miss Emerita]

Hostage tape: new to me! (Not loving the name....)

[jonesresidence]

Just thought I'd share this about hostage tape...seems like you can get Kinesiology tape according to this thread on reddit which is the same stuff but way cheaper...

https://www.reddit.com/r/sleep/comments ... tage_tape/

[Dog Slobber]

I, and a lot of CPAPers, use Cover-Roll Stretch:

• Convenient size, (rolls - 2inch x 10 yards)
• Sticks well
• Hash marks to cut to size
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGAHEENnatw
• https://www.amazon.com/Cover-Roll-Stret ... B01F9JFBBY