Brain Fog

[jencat824]

If you have the ability to change machines, I would definitely TAKE THE ICON BACK. I got mine about a month before finding this forum, too late to return it for another machine. I've been on CPAP 12 years & just recently learned I had a right to my own data and how much that data can help with your therapy. I'm learning a lot from the good people of this forum and I hope you can still change machines. The ICON is a pretty alarm clock with a blower & humidifier. If you have to keep it you can purchase software ($89) but it does not give much data at all (Apneas,AHI, Hyponeas & Leaks). The more data you get, the more power you will have to clear that brain fog. It will clear with time on therapy, but to get the best treatment, you need the data. After 12 years on therapy I learned from this board that I have major mouth breathing leaks. My dr never told me, but I think he only looks at compliance data & collects his copay. You will thank yourself for going the extra mile to change that machine for a more data capable machine.
Jen

[Pugsy]

Maybe it isn't necessary then - one less component to worry about.

Maybe not but be aware that Black Spinner is using a S8 model machine and it doesn't use the new humidification system with humidity sensors so it uses heat only. The new machines with the humidity sensors use less water and less heat to maintain adequate humidity levels.
Part of humidity needs will be based on the ambient room humidity along with whatever temperature you keep the bedroom.

I am in Missouri so much further south than you and for 2 winters and I battled rain out and ice cube nose until I got a heated hose last winter. Also the hose cozy does a good job but it also adds weight to the mask...so kind of tugs on things a bit.

You may not need the heated hose...but it would be better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

[SleeplessInOttawa]

If you have the ability to change machines, I would definitely TAKE THE ICON BACK. I got mine about a month before finding this forum, too late to return it for another machine. I've been on CPAP 12 years & just recently learned I had a right to my own data and how much that data can help with your therapy. I'm learning a lot from the good people of this forum and I hope you can still change machines. The ICON is a pretty alarm clock with a blower & humidifier. If you have to keep it you can purchase software ($89) but it does not give much data at all (Apneas,AHI, Hyponeas & Leaks). The more data you get, the more power you will have to clear that brain fog. It will clear with time on therapy, but to get the best treatment, you need the data. After 12 years on therapy I learned from this board that I have major mouth breathing leaks. My dr never told me, but I think he only looks at compliance data & collects his copay. You will thank yourself for going the extra mile to change that machine for a more data capable machine.
Jen

Thanks very much for sharing your experience with the ICON. I definitely don't have to stick with it, and can switch to whatever CPAP machine best meets my sleep health needs. I am willing to go as many miles as required to fix my sleep - it's been a serious problem since my early teens, and maybe even earlier.

It also makes a lot of sense that

The more data you get, the more power you will have to clear that brain fog.

Being able to tap into the collective wisdom on this forum to optimize my CPAP seems far superior than just 'hoping for the best' with less data and relatively minimal input from a doctor.

In addition to the exhaustion, dry throat when I wake up and headaches in the morning, I have had nightmares at least 50% or more of the time since I was a child. (Bad childhood, PTSD, etc.) Since I've been on the CPAP the nightmares have dropped to 5% of the time or so. Pretty amazing. Every night I used to wake up with my sheets torn out from under my bed, and my duvet turned sideways. Now they have been in place for the last 2.5 weeks on the CPAP.

[SleeplessInOttawa]

You may not need the heated hose...but it would be better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

Thanks for the additional info Pugsy. It makes a lot of sense to me to have it "just in case". No downside really, right?

[BlackSpinner]

dry throat when I wake up

If you are using a nasal mask this is not a good sign. It means you are opening your mouth and losing therapy. "Loose lips sink ships( or therapy)"

[Pugsy]

No downside really, right?

No downside really. Some people think that the heated hoses are more fragile but with common sense proper care I don't see that as being a problem. I haven't seen one of the new Respironics heated hoses from the 60 series machine but I have one of the ResMed heated hoses and it hasn't given me any problems.
Haven't heard of any heated hose failures with the new 60 series machines and they were released last March I think.
Initially with the ResMed S9 heated hose there were some complaints of the hose tearing but I think that ResMed reworked the design and materials and that is no longer a common problem.

[SleeplessInOttawa]

dry throat when I wake up

If you are using a nasal mask this is not a good sign. It means you are opening your mouth and losing therapy. "Loose lips sink ships( or therapy)"

Sorry I should have been more specific - I blame brain fog for that confusing post. Those were the symptoms I USED to have before the CPAP... I.e., exhaustion, dry throat when I wake up and headaches in the morning, nightmares, etc. Now it's just brain fog.

[SleeplessInOttawa]

Initially with the ResMed S9 heated hose there were some complaints of the hose tearing but I think that ResMed reworked the design and materials and that is no longer a common problem.

That's good to know because I'm leaning towards the ResMed S9 Elite right now.

[archangle]

You may not need the heated hose...but it would be better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

Thanks for the additional info Pugsy. It makes a lot of sense to me to have it "just in case". No downside really, right?

There's a slightly higher initial cost. Unheated hoses are so cheap that you can just buy an unheated hose or two out of pocket and keep it on hand as a spare. For that mattter, if you don't need the heated hose in summer, just put it away and use the unheated hose and save wear and tear on the expensive one.

[archangle]

I'm also curious about what exactly I can do with the data from the S9 Elite, although I know it's probably a silly question. For example, I can change the pressure and humidity levels, which is pretty much it isn't it? I could also change my mask, but so far I'm not showing any leaks when the data from my ICON was downloaded at the retailer.

Once you learn to view the reports, you can see a lot of things.

See how you're doing in terms of number of apneas. See how this varies from day to day on a graph.

See your data in graph form from day to day.

See if you have periods of time with air leaks. This can tell you you're having mouth leaks, etc.

See if you have clusters of apneas, for instance, when you fall asleep. We're generally not as worried about "transition junk" as we are about the stuff that happens all night long.

See how bad your apneas are. For instance, a 120 second long complete stoppage of breathing is a lot worse than a 15 second partial stopping of apnea. Looking at the airflow graph shows your actual breathing at the time of the apnea.

A nice smooth breathing pattern vs. one where your have a lot of spikes and valleys.

If you zoom in on the waveform, you can see a nice, rounded airflow, or a "square" waveform that indicates airflow restrictions.

You can see how long you slept, how many times you got up, etc. and see this over time.

[SleeplessInOttawa]

Unheated hoses are so cheap that you can just buy an unheated hose or two out of pocket and keep it on hand as a spare. For that mattter, if you don't need the heated hose in summer, just put it away and use the unheated hose and save wear and tear on the expensive one.

That's a great tip - I will definitely use an unheated hose in the summer.

[SleeplessInOttawa]

Once you learn to view the reports, you can see a lot of things.

See how you're doing in terms of number of apneas. See how this varies from day to day on a graph.

See your data in graph form from day to day.

See if you have periods of time with air leaks. This can tell you you're having mouth leaks, etc.

See if you have clusters of apneas, for instance, when you fall asleep. We're generally not as worried about "transition junk" as we are about the stuff that happens all night long.

See how bad your apneas are. For instance, a 120 second long complete stoppage of breathing is a lot worse than a 15 second partial stopping of apnea. Looking at the airflow graph shows your actual breathing at the time of the apnea.

A nice smooth breathing pattern vs. one where your have a lot of spikes and valleys.

If you zoom in on the waveform, you can see a nice, rounded airflow, or a "square" waveform that indicates airflow restrictions.

You can see how long you slept, how many times you got up, etc. and see this over time.

Thanks for the details - this makes a ton of sense. What I was trying to figure out is how being able to access that data actually translates into being able to improve and optimize my CPAP setup. The mouth leaks seem like a prime example because from what I'm reading on the forum there is a lot that can be done to minimize these.

As well, the other data you describe seems like it could be made "actionable" by either changing the pressure or trying out different masks and seeing what happens to the data then.

My noob concern was that a ton of data is only useful from a practical standpoint if it can be used to make changes to my CPAP setup. Otherwise it would give me a rich picture of what's going on when I sleep, but wouldn't necessarily empower me to be able to improve the quality of my sleep. Not sure if that makes sense lol.

[secret agent girl]

Did you eventually get unfogged? How long did it take?

Wow, that sounds rough. Also curious to know if you got unfogged...Sounds like you never found out what the problem was.

Ah, that story tends to not mix well with some of the personalities/temperaments that visit here. Let's put it this way: I had no brain fog before using pap therapy, using cpap/apap over 2 separate trials of 3 months each and having brain fog appear on the scene and get progressively worse over time, and consultations with experienced and competent professionals which brought no resolution to said problems---I bet you can do the math.

There's still much we don't know about sleep, apnea, and optimal treatment. What we do know is wonderful for some people, not so wonderful for others. I'm glad that science and our knowledge keeps advancing. I could wish it advanced a little faster.

[SleeplessInOttawa]

Let's put it this way: I had no brain fog before using pap therapy, using cpap/apap over 2 separate trials of 3 months each and having brain fog appear on the scene and get progressively worse over time, and consultations with experienced and competent professionals which brought no resolution to said problems---I bet you can do the math.

Ouch... Sorry to hear that. I can't imagine how frustrating that experience must have been for you. I hope that in the future you can get the help you need.