UARS: a different approach

[tan]

I have been thinking lately that maybe combating UARS with higher pressure and pressure support isn’t necessary the best approach, trying to run flow limitations into the ground. Neither is an attempt to “optimize” sleep through expensive sleep gadgets, such as Zeo, Ebb, Dreem. For body of UARSer will eventually find a way to fuss about in the long run.

I initially had a great deal of success treating my UARS with higher pressures and pressure support, but about a year ago I noticed that my sleep’s quality began deteriorating again.

Maybe a better way (or in combination with the above) would be to reduce individual’s hypersensitivity to sleep disturbances, both breath- and non-breath-related.

What I am trying now is radically different: that is, NOT consuming any calories 16 hours before scheduled awakening. For example, if I am to get up at 7am tomorrow, then no calories (carb/protein/fat/alcohol) is to be consumed after 3pm today. It’s something I have heard from different people who travel a lot when they have to reduce the effects of jet-lag, resetting cycle and re-programming the release of hormones that happen to affect sleep.

And I think, however stupid my thinking may be, of treating UARS as constant jet-lag.

Basically, it’s that old wisdom “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper". Except it’s even more restrictive, like “have a walk for dinner”.

My personal experience is rather positive, but I obviously can’t tell whether it will work in a long run.

Anyone else tried a similar approach?

[slowriter]

I think UARS is too complex for simple solutions. I think, in short, that most people would need added pressure and pressure support, AND other lifestyle changes, which will likely vary by individual, that reduce nighttime arousals.

So diet, exercise, supplements and drugs (including caffeine) are among the variables that UARS sufferers should be experimenting with, if an xPAP machine alone doesn't magically solve your sleep problems.

As for tracking data, definitely a question of preference. I find the data valuable, particularly when looking for correlations among all those variables.

[slowriter]

To expand a bit, my sleep over past few months, after moving to a bileval a month or so after initial diagnosis, has been a (gentle) rollercoaster.

I started with some treatment emergent CA because of pretty high titrated PS, that went away at some point.

I then went through a period of weeks sleeping pretty well.

I then went through a period of weeks of poor sleep that corresponded to switching back into ketosis (but I don't know if this is just coincidence).

Then, last two weeks I've slept better than I have in years, which corresponded (though again, I don't know about causality) to a) switching from GABA, 5-HTP, L-theanine to valerian + 5-HTP), and b) dropped out of ketosis because of holidays and travel.

Below is last night, which is objectively pretty much perfect. The Dreem-derived sleep stage data is really good (not always the case), I slept more than 9 hours without waking at all, and I had an AHI of 0.

The other variable that explains that: hardly any sleep the preceding night, because of a red eye flight!

So what explains the changes in general?

Screenshot from 2019-12-31 10-00-21.png (308.09 KiB) Viewed 14215 times

[SteveGold]

What I am trying now is radically different: that is, NOT consuming any calories 16 hours before scheduled awakening. For example, if I am to get up at 7am tomorrow, then no calories (carb/protein/fat/alcohol) is to be consumed after 3pm today

I’ve been doing exactly this since the spring, not for UARS, but to lose weight. In my case, it helped.

I was under doctor’s orders to lose about 40 pounds. So I started eating three square meals within an 8-10 hour period eating day, no snacks. Reduced the amount of food I was eating at the start but still had days where I ate a ton (like if I was out cycling all day). The weight dropped off and stabilized.

Weight loss is very complex and there are lots of reasons this might not work for everyone. For one thing, a 9-5 workday doesn’t work well with this approach unless you eat dinner at work.

I also found I could “cheat” quite a bit. If I eat later one day, it’s not a big deal. I take weekends off and eat what I want.

As for UARS, I’m not sure I’m seeing the connection. I do think that avoiding late meals generally people settle and sleep, and I might’ve seen some of that benefit, but otherwise I haven’t noticed any changes in the apnea that’s been diagnosed or the UARS I suspect I might have.

[newuser1002]

@Tan

I initially had a great deal of success treating my UARS with higher pressures and pressure support, but about a year ago I noticed that my sleep’s quality began deteriorating again.

What happened here? Without changing your settings, you found your sleep worsening over time? Does that mean that the body adapts to the pressure and is less receptive to the therapy over time?

What I am trying now is radically different: that is, NOT consuming any calories 16 hours before scheduled awakening. For example, if I am to get up at 7am tomorrow, then no calories (carb/protein/fat/alcohol) is to be consumed after 3pm today. It’s something I have heard from different people who travel a lot when they have to reduce the effects of jet-lag, resetting cycle and re-programming the release of hormones that happen to affect sleep.

Are you still doing this now? How is your UARS nowadays? I'm a UARS sufferer who just started on Bipap and would love your help.