How to lower AHI, and a few other questions.

[CpapPorkchop]

Hi all! I was wondering how to lower my AHI. I was running around 26-34 every night. Then someone suggested i sleep on my side. I did last night and it went down to 13! WOW I could not believe it. Was that just luck? Anyway I have just started using a cpap machine and am finally getting to sleep with it easier now. When I looked at the result from the night where my AHI was 13 I noticed a Large Leak. How do I get rid of that? I never had that on my back much. Maybe the pillow which is why I asked about a cpap Pillow in another thread. Should I try one or is there a Mask that fits better for people who like to sleep on the side? Last question. What is a good AHI Number to shoot for? Thanks for your time in advance!

[Cereal Killer]

What are your pressure settings?

Please post one of the daily details graphs.

[mayondair]

An AHI of below5 is considered good treatment, though some feel better with it below 2 or 3. Don't expect 0 , even normal people have a few events.
Some people have more events when back sleeping, but not all. You will find some notes on this in your sleep study, get a copy of it and your titration if you don't already have it. You want the full report, 3 or 4 pages, not just a sumary.
Masks are an individual thing, are you using a full face because you can't breathe through your nose? You may be able to use nasal pillows or mask with a chin strap or taping. A smaller mask may be easier to get a good seal on and be more comfy.You need to get leaks under controll, so a good fitting , comfy mask is essential.
What are your pressure settings? Post some graphs of a typical night. Kathy

[Cereal Killer]

Masks are an individual thing, are you using a full face because you can't breathe through your nose? Kathy

Please don't leave a newbie the impression that "a full face mask is for people who can't breathe through their nose".

Full face masks are for people who open their mouths at times during the night. They maintain the pressure when the mouth opens.

Yes, full face masks are also a good solution for the small percentage of people who really can't breathe through their noses.

[CpapPorkchop]

An AHI of below5 is considered good treatment, though some feel better with it below 2 or 3. Don't expect 0 , even normal people have a few events.
Some people have more events when back sleeping, but not all. You will find some notes on this in your sleep study, get a copy of it and your titration if you don't already have it. You want the full report, 3 or 4 pages, not just a sumary.
Masks are an individual thing, are you using a full face because you can't breathe through your nose? You may be able to use nasal pillows or mask with a chin strap or taping. A smaller mask may be easier to get a good seal on and be more comfy.You need to get leaks under controll, so a good fitting , comfy mask is essential.
What are your pressure settings? Post some graphs of a typical night. Kathy

Thanks... I did not know for sure what to shoot for. I maybe asking this question a little to early since I have not slept a whole night on the machine. The most is 4 to 5 hours. My setting are 5 then go up to 13 over a ten minute span. I think they call it a ramp feature? Still getting used to breathing threw my nose. My mouth dries out to much when i don't. I have a copy of the sleep study in the other room and will check it out again. Again thanks for the help everyone.

[mayondair]

It all takes a little time to get used to. Be patient! You want to fit your mask at full pressure, turn on the machine without the ramp, lie down and adjust for leaks. Do you have the clinician manual? Most people don't use the ramp after a short time. Work on sleeping all night with the mask, post some graphs and we'll be better able to see what's going on.
Does your sleep study mention anything positional? kathy

[a1albert]

I don't know if this will help or not but I changed my flex setting from 3 to 2 and mine droped. My AHI have always been between 2.5 - 3.2 at a pressure of 6, when I changed my flex from 3 - 2 my AHI went to 1 - 1.5. Last night I scored an AHI of .4

Albert