IS MY CPAP TREATMENT GETTING BETTER?

[DeeCPAP]

Hi and MANY thanks to everyone who helped me figure out that my CPAP pressure needed to be increased! Now I can wear a chinstrap without feeling like I'm asphyxiating . I did increase the pressure. I slept last night, but unwillingly woke up, then slept again. It still didn't feel like I had a good night's sleep.

The first few hours of data look good. The second time I slept during the night, the numbers look "off" (more apneas, hypoapneas, leaks, pressure changes and flow rate, etc.). I don't know where the leaks come from now because the gear is in place when I wake up. Maybe I dislodge the Dreamwear nose piece to breath? Maybe it's sleeping on my back and my throat gets clogged when I exhale?

Here's the SleepHead data. Any advice??? https://imgur.com/gallery/UEiNg

Thanks!

[raisedfist]

get your leaks under control!

[Hopeful50]

You've got a lot of time in the second half of the night with significant leaks. Those can disrupt sleep more than you realize. What often happens with the Dreamwear mask is the strap in back slides way up to the top of the head, which loosens the fit of the cushion against your nose. If you find a way to clip the back strap to your hair to keep it down, that might help.

[DeeCPAP]

You've got a lot of time in the second half of the night with significant leaks. Those can disrupt sleep more than you realize. What often happens with the Dreamwear mask is the strap in back slides way up to the top of the head, which loosens the fit of the cushion against your nose. If you find a way to clip the back strap to your hair to keep it down, that might help.

Thank you very much, Hopeful50. I'll try clipping the strap to my hair (or maybe even to the headband? I REALLY need some decent sleep. It's literally driving me crazy. Maybe the chinstrap has something to do with how the Dreamwear fits? I put the chinstrap on first, then the headgear over it. I'm suspicious now because I may have pulled it off. Before I increased the pressure, my throat would clog when I exhaled. On the graph, the FIRST sleep was fine, but MAYBE I slept on my back during the second sleep. Too many alternative possibilities -- very frustrating!

P.S. This is the chinstrap I wear. https://www.cpap.com/productpage/deluxe ... hgodPawF5w

[Hopeful50]

If you're a side sleeper and move while sleeping, the Dreamwear is easy to dislodge, causing leaks. What works for me is that when I turn to my side or change sides, I have to "get settled" then lift my head just slightly off the pillow and use a finger or two to put slight pressure on the cushion to hold it against my nose and upper lip, making sure it's sealed, then lie back down. If I don't hold the cushion to my nose while laying my head down, the cushion gets jostled to the side by the process and starts to leak.

As for the higher number of events during the second part of your sleep, those definitely coincide with fairly high leakage. My guess is the machine couldn't keep up with your events because of the leaks.

I just checked the picture of your chin strap and had a thought - that chin strap is really wide and completely covers the area where the Dreamwear mask frame would normally sit against your cheeks and temple area. Is your mask possibly slipping and sliding around on the chinstrap fabric? That might also be a cause for the leakage.

Don't worry about your AHI - it's great! But it's far from the whole story. If your sleep is being disrupted, it's bad news no matter how low the AHI. I wouldn't be surprised at all if the leaks are what is disrupting your sleep. I agree with Raisedfist - you won't solve anything without getting the leaks under control. The ONLY air you should feel coming out of your mask is straight out the front right under your nose, and that's the intentional vent. Good luck!

[DeeCPAP]

If you're a side sleeper and move while sleeping, the Dreamwear is easy to dislodge, causing leaks. What works for me is that when I turn to my side or change sides, I have to "get settled" then lift my head just slightly off the pillow and use a finger or two to put slight pressure on the cushion to hold it against my nose and upper lip, making sure it's sealed, then lie back down. If I don't hold the cushion to my nose while laying my head down, the cushion gets jostled to the side by the process and starts to leak.

As for the higher number of events during the second part of your sleep, those definitely coincide with fairly high leakage. My guess is the machine couldn't keep up with your events because of the leaks.

I just checked the picture of your chin strap and had a thought - that chin strap is really wide and completely covers the area where the Dreamwear mask frame would normally sit against your cheeks and temple area. Is your mask possibly slipping and sliding around on the chinstrap fabric? That might also be a cause for the leakage.

Don't worry about your AHI - it's great! But it's far from the whole story. If your sleep is being disrupted, it's bad news no matter how low the AHI. I wouldn't be surprised at all if the leaks are what is disrupting your sleep. I agree with Raisedfist - you won't solve anything without getting the leaks under control. The ONLY air you should feel coming out of your mask is straight out the front right under your nose, and that's the intentional vent. Good luck!

Thanks again. I'm so strapped in right now that if I asphyxiate in my sleep because it's actually an undiagnosed soft palate problem (and that worries me), it'd take the medics a VERY long time to disassemble all this headgear -- straps, bobby pins, velcro, big elastic bands, (but still hyperbole). It does feels like a swaddle for the head, and a tight swaddle at that. Again, thanks for the tips.

[Hannibal 2]

Yes there is a lot of leak there but is it from your mask or your mouth? Chin straps do not work for many because you can still open your lips and leak air. Have you tried taping your mouth or wearing a FF Mask?

[DeeCPAP]

Yes there is a lot of leak there but is it from your mask or your mouth? Chin straps do not work for many because you can still open your lips and leak air. Have you tried taping your mouth or wearing a FF Mask?

I'm going to look at the data from last night at noon, when the data registers in SleepyHead. I don't think it leaked, but I won't know for sure until I see the data. I may have slept 6 hours straight, maybe with leaks, maybe not, but either way, I'll know from how groggy I feel in a few hours.

[Pugsy]

I'm going to look at the data from last night at noon, when the data registers in SleepyHead.

When using SleepyHead there is no noon thing. The data is on the SD card within just a couple of minutes of turning the machine off in the morning.
The noon thing is for viewing last night's data on the LCD screen and it's when the ResMed machine resets to 0 to start a new sleep session.
When using the SD card and the software it doesn't matter when you download the data from the card.
You can do it 5 minutes after you get up if you wish. It doesn't take very long at all for the machine to close out a sleep session and end the file to make it permanent on the SD card.

Now for viewing using MyAir...I have no idea when that data is transmitted from the machine to the MyAir website.

[prodigyplace]

I was told the MyAir data loads after the machine has been off for an hour.
I think sometimes it takes a little longer than that.

[DeeCPAP]

I'm going to look at the data from last night at noon, when the data registers in SleepyHead.

When using SleepyHead there is no noon thing. The data is on the SD card within just a couple of minutes of turning the machine off in the morning.
The noon thing is for viewing last night's data on the LCD screen and it's when the ResMed machine resets to 0 to start a new sleep session.
When using the SD card and the software it doesn't matter when you download the data from the card.
You can do it 5 minutes after you get up if you wish. It doesn't take very long at all for the machine to close out a sleep session and end the file to make it permanent on the SD card.

Now for viewing using MyAir...I have no idea when that data is transmitted from the machine to the MyAir website.

Thanks, Pugsy, wish I'd know earlier, but I did get data from this afternoon. Last night's data didn't transmit to to the software, just some numbers, no graph. I forced myself to take a nap to check leaking. Doesn't look good even though I was strapped in tight. My afternoon naps show better (usually) because I sleep on one side the whole time, but today's data it shows the leaks are huge. I'll replace the graph below after I get a full night's sleep. (Used a brand new Dreamwear nose piece and some bobby pins with a thick elastic chin band). I like this cpap gear and hope I don't have to change to a pillow stuck up my nose because years of wearing one distorted my nose a bit).

NEW DATA from this afternoon: https://imgur.com/gallery/yTZM0

P.S. there's a change the new pressure point was set too high and may have caused the leaking, but when it's very high, my throat doesn't clog when I exhale.

[Pugsy]

Your graphs from last night should be there if the SD card was in the S9 all night. If by chance you left it in the computer and realized it this morning and put the card in the S9 this morning you get only summary data because the files needed for the graphs aren't stored anywhere on the S9. Instead the card has to be inserted in the S9 so that the files needed for the graphs can go directly to the SD card.

Have you ever taped your mouth just to see if those leaks are mouth breathing leaks or mask movement leaks?
A chin strap won't necessarily prevent mouth breathing...heck we can clinch our teeth together and still mouth breathe.
I am not saying that you need to tape every night...just one night to see what the leaks look like.
If you still see extended time in large leak and the tape is secure in the morning then the mask must be moving around.

[DeeCPAP]

Your graphs from last night should be there if the SD card was in the S9 all night. If by chance you left it in the computer and realized it this morning and put the card in the S9 this morning you get only summary data because the files needed for the graphs aren't stored anywhere on the S9. Instead the card has to be inserted in the S9 so that the files needed for the graphs can go directly to the SD card.

Have you ever taped your mouth just to see if those leaks are mouth breathing leaks or mask movement leaks?
A chin strap won't necessarily prevent mouth breathing...heck we can clinch our teeth together and still mouth breathe.
I am not saying that you need to tape every night...just one night to see what the leaks look like.
If you still see extended time in large leak and the tape is secure in the morning then the mask must be moving around.

Thanks, Pugsy. I think one of the problems is the pressure was too high (max was 19) because I wanted to stop the clogging when I exhaled. That probably caused the leaks (maybe lips/mouth). I'm going to lower it tonight. I'm wondering whether the "trials" I'm doing in the interim show up in the machine's data? Like spending 5 min. or with various pressures (where I try to relax my throat to the max to simulate sleeping).

My sleep study showed 36 HIA, considered severe (or sometimes moderately severe)

I'm sure it'll work eventually and I'll FEEL the difference with optimal treatment. Great people here helping! A blessing! Again, thanks!

[Pugsy]

I think one of the problems is the pressure was too high (max was 19) because I wanted to stop the clogging when I exhaled. That probably caused the leaks

Your pressure was no where near 19 when the large leaks were flagged.
Your max available might have been 19 but the highest it ever got to was around 12.
Just because it can go to 19 doesn't mean it will go to 19 and in your case the max was apparently 12. Shown on the graph as well as statistics.

[DeeCPAP]

I think one of the problems is the pressure was too high (max was 19) because I wanted to stop the clogging when I exhaled. That probably caused the leaks

Your pressure was no where near 19 when the large leaks were flagged.
Your max available might have been 19 but the highest it ever got to was around 12.
Just because it can go to 19 doesn't mean it will go to 19 and in your case the max was apparently 12. Shown on the graph as well as statistics.

Thanks. I tried the 'simulated sleeping' again earlier tonight and the machine is now set to 6.2 and 13.2 -- Since the problem has been with exhalation when the back of my throat or "something" starts fluttering and breathing isn't smooth, this may do the trick. I'll find out tonight (I hope) and the data card is in this time. <too bad there's no palm-forehead icon here> Again, Pugsy, many thanks.

P.S. Rethinking tonight's plans, I think, for one night, I'm going back to the Amera View (the bottom right corner hurts a nerve there, but for one night I won't have to worry or think about sleeping while I'm sleeping! lol)