Downloaded CPAP info to Oscar, morning migraines & interpretation help

[tb123]

Hello All,

I have been on a CPAP machine since Oct 2019 with hopes that morning migraines (I wake up with them 4x a month) would dissipate.

No such luck : (

Any help interpreting this info for any insights (not just regarding migraines) would be SO appreciated. Thank you.

[Pugsy]

Is there some special reason you are limiting the machine to 10 cm max?
Do you see the dense cluster of hyponeas at around 00:40...the machine wanted to go higher to prevent those apneas but couldn't because of the limit. If the max had been higher that cluster might not have happened.

How many hours of real sleep are you averaging?
Wake often during the night? If so, why?

I see nothing that might explain the random migraines unless it might be related to amount of actual good sleep itself.
Sleep apnea headaches are related more to low O2 levels and will usually fade shortly after we wake up. If you are having a headache that classifies as migraine and lasts all day....probably not related to oxygen levels. I don't see enough apnea events happening here to to really impact O2 levels all that much but if you wanted to add an overnight pulse oximeter to your routine to rule it out...it is something you can do.

[tb123]

Thank you so much for responding!

I didn't set up the machine, the place that I rented it from did all of the settings.

And I'm assuming that it's possible for me to change the settings? If so, I will change it from 10 cm max to a number that you think would be helpful.

Soooo, 3 questions: Can I change the 10 cm max? If so, how and what number should I switch it to?

(Many thanks for this- the sleep doctor spent maybe 6 minutes with me at my first appointment and I never saw her again, I only saw her nurse practitoners. I asked to make an appt specifically with her and was told it'd be a long time. This is why I'm figuring it out myself).

[tb123]

I lied - 2 more questions:

1. Is it possible to get any information on REM sleep from this data?

2. From the looks of the data I posted, does it look to you like I sleep well? (My gut feeling is that I could have much better quality sleep).

[tb123]

Forgive my 3rd post- I realize I didn't answer your questions:

How many hours of real sleep am I getting?
Sometimes I will take the mask off and then sleep for about an hour more, otherwise, whatever the machine says is the amount that I am sleeping.

Do I wake up often during the night?
Yes I do. I'm not sure why. I know that I usually flip my pillow or kick my blankets off, so I'm probably hot.

Again, THANK YOU.

[Pugsy]

Yes, it's easy to change the settings. You just have to know the secret handshake or combination of button pushing to get to the secret setup menu area.
Go here and request a copy of the clinical/provider manual for your machine.
https://www.apneaboard.com/adjust-cpap- ... tup-manual
While the short version is also available at this website I always tell people to get that clinical manual and read it because there is more/better information in it that explains the features on the machine more than the user manual does.

I doubt that it needs to be much higher than the 10 cm max it is set at now but you can set it to 15 and see what happens.
It won't go higher without a good reason and from what is shown in this report I doubt you need much more but it won't hurt to have some room available for maybe some pressure need exceptions.

If the hyponea count doesn't come down much then the next thing I would try would be a small increase in the minimum pressure.
Shouldn't take much to deal with the hyponeas...0.5 to 1.0 cm most likely. Worth trying and won't hurt you.
If it were me I would like to see that AHI between 1 and 2 if possible.

Edit...just saw your additional questions.
No...we really can't gather sleep status data from the machine provided data. It can't even tell if we are asleep or not much less sleep stages. Sometimes people can spot probable REM from a pattern of breathing changes but I have never been able to see enough change to be definitive.

Don't sleep without the mask....that means untreated sleep apnea sleep and guess what your body always remembers first...the last sleep you got.

If you wake often during the night...your sleep quality isn't optimal and you don't get the nice normal progression into each sleep stage as well as the percent in each stage that we need for the restorative powers of sleep to work their magic.
I have this problem myself but it has nothing to do with sleep apnea. I have other health issues that mess with my sleep and I have to take medications that have the potential to mess with my sleep as well as how I feel during the day.
Not everything in life can be blamed on sleep apnea...and cpap only fixes airway issues. It can't fix problems unrelated to the airway.
If you have crappy sleep from something other than airway issues...cpap isn't going to help.
We do try to optimize our therapy though just to give the cpap machine the best chance of helping us feel better. Hurts nothing to try.

If I don't get at least 7 hours of sleep I know my butt will be dragging.
If I don't get at least 6 hours of sleep I will actually usually have a nagging headache. I don't classify them as migraines though. Are your headaches related to simply not enough hours of sleep or quality of sleep...dunno but it's a maybe and worth maybe keeping a detailed log to see if you can spot anything that might explain things.
If I get less than 6 hours...I feel like death warmed over all the way around...
All this with optimal OSA treatment and near perfect reports. Not everything is airway related that cause us to feel like crap.

So check your medication list (if you take meds) for any that might have side effects that can mess with sleep or how we feel during the day.
Keep an eye out for anything you can spot that might impact sleep quality or architecture or the wake ups.
Some wake ups are normal but we don't usually remember them...like it's normal to wake after a REM cycle. Usually it is so brief that we just roll over and go back to sleep and there's no memory. When we remember wake ups there's usually there's even more that we don't remember.

[Miss Emerita]

A couple of obvious things to try: more sleep, and a cooler room with fewer blankets. And you might want to review the full list of guidelines for better sleep:

• 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.

[tb123]

Wow- THANK YOU!!!!!

I'm going to go figure out how to change the settings and see what that does.

THANK YOU!!

[tb123]

Is the IPAP MAX where I want to change the settings to above 10? Or the "Auto Max" setting?

[Pugsy]

In auto mode there should be a setting for simple "maximum" and right now it shows 10.
I don't think that the machine itself will show you the words IPAP . IPAP refers to a different kind of machine than you have.

[tb123]

Ok, thanks!