Can I use Resmwed 11 to gauge my "baseline" sleep condition?

[haperlman]

Let me explain.... Through insurance, I had a basic overnight (at home) study to start to see if I had Apnea, which they said was "low moderate". Thus I got the Resmed 11 Airsense. I've been using it some, messing with the pressure settings, finding the right mask. Trying to stop my mouth leaks, etc. Generally my AHI can be from 6-20, varying each night.

What I am asking is can I use my Resmed to do a similar baseline sleep study as the insurance company did? I'd like to see my data for a night when the CPAP is not helping me breath...to see what my baseline conditions are, per AHI, and apneas, etc. Note all my apneas are labeled as Central Apneas.

-- If I turn the Max pressure down to 4, might that show my sleep patters without much influence of the CPAP? Should I allow air to escape via my mouth, thus not letting it assist my breathing?
To conclude, can I use the Resmed to measure my default sleep patterns, without it interfering??

Thanks for the advice.

[ChicagoGranny]

To conclude, can I use the Resmed to measure my default sleep patterns, without it interfering??

Don't you already know the answer to this question?

Note all my apneas are labeled as Central Apneas.

Where does this information originate? If you truly have central apnea, the machine you mention is unlikely to treat it successfully.

[haperlman]

Thanks for the note.
Not sure what you mean by my knowing an answer... I assume every night I use the CPAP, it is manipulating my sleep, so the data (I view in Oscar) is my "corrected" sleep.

For your 2nd point, not sure what you mean, unless it is that the Resmed 11 is not meant to work on people with Central apneas? I have read that, but my sleep doctor wanted me to use the CPAP for a month or more before he offers advice and help. I see him in a week or so.

Thanks

[ChicagoGranny]

I have read that, but my sleep doctor wanted me to use the CPAP for a month or more before he offers advice and help. I see him in a week or so.

Well, there you go. In this case, I would listen to the doctor's advice.

Note all my apneas are labeled as Central Apneas.

If you are seeing this in OSCAR, you could post a chart in this thread and let members give you an opinion on whether they are true central apneas or just SWJ.

[ozij]

I had a basic overnight (at home) study to start to see if I had Apnea, which they said was "low moderate".

Note all my apneas are labeled as Central Apneas.

That's from your basic overnight study?

-- If I turn the Max pressure down to 4, might that show my sleep patters without much influence of the CPAP?

Yes

Should I allow air to escape via my mouth, thus not letting it assist my breathing?

Never tried it, but at a pressure of 4 it shouldn't matter - since that's "atmospheric pressure.

I've been using it some, messing with the pressure settings, finding the right mask. Trying to stop my mouth leaks, etc. Generally my AHI can be from 6-20, varying each night.

"Using it some" and "messing with the pressure settings" is not going to help the doctor prove to insurance that you need a more expensive machine that will treat central apneas.
If you saw central apneas on the machine, and called your doctor and s/he said wait a month and you started making random changes -- well, you did yourself no service. The machine's labeled central apnea could be real, treatment emergent central apneas, but they could also be the result of the machine's incorrect analysis of the wakeful breathing of a person trying to get used to this bizzare new way of sleeping.

And, if your information about apneas being labeled as central comes from the machine alone, then what sounds like frequent changes and inconsistent use will not help you get over treatment emergent central apneas. Some people have them. For many, they disappear after about a month - when they get used to the treatment.

If you need help in setting up your machine to give you better therapy, please read the top post on the forum:
viewtopic/t172378/Sticky--Newbies-PLEAS ... STING.html
A CPAP machine set at a pressure of 4 is not the equivalent of a sleep study, and I doublt it will give more info than the sleep study did.
A real "central sleep apnea" is diagnosed when the EEG shows you're asleep, there is no indication that you are breathing from that thingmajig the shows breath flow at your nose/mouth, and the belts around your chest and abdomen show you're not trying to breathe. You have neither belts nor EEG when you only use your CPAP.

[Dog Slobber]

-- If I turn the Max pressure down to 4, might that show my sleep patters without much influence of the CPAP? Should I allow air to escape via my mouth, thus not letting it assist my breathing?
To conclude, can I use the Resmed to measure my default sleep patterns, without it interfering??

Setting your CPAP to the absolute minimum *might* lesson the influence of therapy, but not negate it.

You still are being treated and the pressure is still being increased by 4 cm.

Opening you mouth to let air escape won't change things.

When you open your moth and let the air escape, pressure is *not* reduced. CPAP's measure pressure, when you open your moth to let air escape your devices measure the loss of pressure and compensates by increasing the flow to ensure the set pressure is retained. This is why when we see graphs with huge leaks the mask pressure stays fairly true to the set pressure.

In fact, all you can expect is less accurate results because as the leak increases, so too does the devices ability to accurately measure events.

You also can't sustain this, while sleeping, so all you're doing is looking at results while you're awake, not sleeping.

Bottomline. CPAP's treat, but have very limited ability to diagnose.

[Miss Emerita]

As others have mentioned, you are unlikely to understand your baseline condition by using your PAP machine with the pressure set to 4.

I'm also a bit skeptical about the ability of a home test to support a diagnosis of central apnea. Ideally, your doctor will order a full in-lab polysomnogram. That way you and your doctor can be certain you are asleep during the CAs and truly experiencing no obstruction. Ideally, you'll also have a split study, or a second titration study, that tries you out on a regular PAP machine, a bi-level machine, and an ASV machine (adaptive servo-ventilation machine).

It would be great to see an Oscar chart. One thing you can do at home is to zoom in on your CAs and look at the flow rate to see if the CAs are preceded by arousal breathing. Arousal breathing will generally look disorganized and ratty, compared to nice smooth sleep breathing. It is often deeper than sleep breathing as well. If you do that, let us know what you see.

Has your doctor talked with you about why you have central apnea? Drugs/medications you are using? High altitude? Lung disease? Or ...?

[chunkyfrog]

No.
(That makes it unanimous.)

[billbolton]

What I am asking is can I use my Resmed to do a similar baseline sleep study as the insurance company did? I'd like to see my data for a night when the CPAP is not helping me breath...to see what my baseline conditions are, per AHI, and apneas, etc. Note all my apneas are labeled as Central Apneas.

No, it is intended for treating OSA. It simply can't measure when the CPAP is not helping me breath.