More newbie news - full face masks, chinstraps, etc.

[Gekko]

So, I managed to get hold of the Encore Software (ahem... don't ask) and I've been reviewing my progress on a night by night basis.

Here's what I've concluded:

1. Chinstraps are useless (at least the Sleeptec one). It doesn't hold my mouth closed and I snore all night, even with the chin strap done up as tight as possible. It also makes me wake up feeling like my face has been in a vice. Chinstraps may work for some people, but they do nothing for me.

2. A little disconcertingly, upping my pressure did not seem to decrease the number of apneas I was having. I was told my pressure was 14. At home, using this pressure gave me an AHI of 15 (+- 2.5). Much better than my untreated AHI of 40, but not good. Upping my pressure to 15 and then 16 made no discernable change to my AHI, although it did reduce my snoring slightly.

3. Moving to APAP also seemed to have little effect (using a range of 13-16 and then 12-17), although I noticed that I was at 12-13 for a good portion of the night - so maybe 14 is too high).

4. Forcing myself to sleep on my side seems to be the cure!! AHI down from around 15 to 2.5. Snoring down from mid-100's (i.e. snoring most of the night) to about 10. I've now moved beyond thinking about chinstraps, taping my mouth, etc., to looking at pillows or other devices that keep me on my side.

5. I've noticed that every night (whether AHI is high or low) I have about 2-3 central apneas. This scares me a bit. Is this normal? Can I do anything to reduce this? Is it to do with the pressure I'm using? Can any change in my lifestyle reduce or get rid of this?

[KatieW]

Yes, many of us have positional sleep apnea, and need to sleep on our sides. Good for you, for figuring that out.

Here's a good thread about Centrals:

viewtopic/t50411/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=47 ... 79#p435379

If you want to read more, do a search on the forum or in the Wicki. I find I may have 1 or 2 Centrals a night, especially if I'm stressed or overtired. And certain medications can cause them, eg. Benadryl.

[echo]

Good investigation there! Sleeping on your side will definitely prevent many apnea's.

That said, I'd like to remind that you that even if you're sleeping on your side, IF you're still mouthbreathing, your low AHI can be a red herring... the machine won't necessarily detect apnea's if all the air is leaking out of your mouth. So pay close attention to how you feel.

A few central's per night is no big deal, but if you're getting them a lot, especially at the higher pressures, time to talk to your sleep doctor.