Change in sleep habits

[Golf016]

I have been using my CPAP machine for the past 2 1/2 years and have been averaging an AHI of about 1.2 over the past year.
About 2 months ago I quit drinking alcohol ( I averaged about 2 to 3 drinks a day ) and I noticed that my AHI reading now average about 0.5 per night and sometimes 0.0
but I wake up real early, I only get about 6 hours of sleep. I tried staying in bed but I never fall back to sleep.

My CPAP machine will often show no events for about 5 hours and them a couple events after that.

Is this normal ? Before I quit drinking alcohol I use to sleep about 7 to 7 1/2 hours.

My CPAP machine is set to 9.0 for air pressure and has not changed for about 2 years.

[ChicagoGranny]

My CPAP machine will often show no events for about 5 hours and them a couple events after that.

I don't know what is causing that. We tend to have longer periods of REM sleep in the last periods of sleep. The airway is most likely to collapse during REM as compared to other sleep stages. So, that could be the cause of these events you speak of.

My CPAP machine is set to 9.0 for air pressure and has not changed for about 2 years.

Do you have the auto CPAP (APAP) that is showing in your profile? You might want to change the settings to AUTO, pressure 9 min/11 max. The higher max pressure might help during those problematic periods.

About 2 months ago I quit drinking alcohol ( I averaged about 2 to 3 drinks a day ) and I noticed that my AHI reading now average about 0.5 per night and sometimes 0.0
but I wake up real early, I only get about 6 hours of sleep.

Alcohol impacts the quality of sleep. It's possible that, without alcohol, you are getting higher quality sleep and don't need as many hours. However, six hours is thought to be too little. 7 hours is better, so you might want to see how pressure settings change impacts the length of your sleep.

BTW, the apneas you are concerned about, what type are they and how long are they?

[Miss Emerita]

If you quit drinking, I know that's because you felt it wasn't good for you, so congratulations on making that big change. Your numbers are great. How do you feel during the day? Six hours of sleep is too little for most people, but what about you?

I've been reading Why We Sleep, by Matthew Walker, a professor at UC Berkeley. There's some good information there about the relationship between when we are exposed to sunlight and when we go to sleep and wake up, also how our "clocks" change as we get older.

If you'd like to experiment, you could try wearing sunglasses when you're outdoors in the a.m. and then taking them off in the afternoon, aiming to include some late-afternoon sun in your routine. This might have the effect over time of nudging your brain toward sleeping later.

[Golf016]

I have a APAP and it is set Min 9 Max 15, my normal max pressure is 12 during the past 2 months.

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How I feel ? ........I have to take a short nap during early afternoon ( 20 minutes ) to get through the day.

I go to bed by 9 PM and I am up shortly after 3 AM, Should I just stay lay there till 5 AM?

[Miss Emerita]

No, you should not lie there for two hours wide awake. Here is the advice that we are all supposed to follow:

Keep a consistent sleep schedule. Get up at the same time every day, even on weekends or during vacations.
Set a bedtime that is early enough for you to get at least 7 hours of sleep.
Don’t go to bed unless you are sleepy.
If you don’t fall asleep after 20 minutes, get out of bed.
Establish a relaxing bedtime routine.
Use your bed only for sleep and sex.
Make your bedroom quiet and relaxing. Keep the room at a comfortable, cool temperature.
Limit exposure to bright light in the evenings.
Turn off electronic devices at least 30 minutes before bedtime.
Don’t eat a large meal before bedtime. If you are hungry at night, eat a light, healthy snack.
Exercise regularly and maintain a healthy diet.
Avoid consuming caffeine in the late afternoon or evening.
Avoid consuming alcohol before bedtime.
Reduce your fluid intake before bedtime.

Many sleep experts recommend further that if you are awake for more than 20 minutes, you should get up and read quietly until you feel sleepy. They recommend against exposing yourself to TV or other sources of blue light during this interval.

And if you are just not getting sleepy again, you should stay up. You are trying to build a strong subconscious association between being in bed and sleeping. So you want to avoid lying in bed wide awake for long periods of time. Of course, if you follow this advice, you may wind up wanting to go to bed earlier than 9 the next night. Resist that urge; try to avoid changing your bedtime.

[Sheriff Buford]

Maybe 7 hours of sleep is all you need. I get most of my events in the last few hours before I awake. Maybe that's your norm. It was recommended that you switch to the autoset mode. I would put the lower settings at 8 and place the upper setting at 20. That way the machine will use whatever pressure it needs to treat the apneas you have. It was also asked how do you feel during the day. Rested? Let us know ho it goes.

Sheriff