Followed Board Advice - Please Compare 2 Days

[Pugsy]

Last night is a good example of why AHI doesn't mean much.
You had a crappy night of sleep. Multiple wake ups and even mask problems. If you have much REM component to your OSA it's doubtful that you got much REM last night.

I had a bad night last night too and I haven't even looked at the report because I don't need to.
Had trouble going to sleep because I knew some thunderstorms were on the way.
Woke up about 2 hours after going to sleep with itchy foot that was bugging me and I got up to check on the status of the thunderstorms.
Was up about 30 minutes and went back to bed only to be woke up again by the neurotic dog terrified of thunderstorms who was telling me it was thundering 2 counties over. The worst of it actually missed us but poor Toby was a mess and when he's upset no one else sleeps either.
So I might have got 4 hours if I add it all together. My butt is dragging this morning because this was the second night of short sleep because of thunderstorms. We had some the night before at around 3 AM.

[MurrayNevada]

Good morning Pugsy,
Went to bed but could not fall asleep. I got out of bed and read. Returned to bed and turned on the ramp (15 minutes - starting at 7cm). I fell asleep and things seemed better than last night. Attached are screenshots of the night overall and two expanded views of busy areas of the flow chart. Hoping the ResMed recognizes my problems more quickly and prevents some of this.
Thank you,
Mike

[MurrayNevada]

Hoping the ResMed machine arrives today, tracking says it should. Mask discomfort (too tight I realized) got me out of bed about 12am. Stayed up reading until 2am and returned to bed with the mask much looser this time and did better. One busy looking period that I expanded is below.
Thanks,
Mike

[Pugsy]

Yep, I just checked the tracking myself.

How was your sleep quality once you got back to sleep? It's a decent report for the hours you had.
Don't worry about those very small random clusters unless you know for a fact you woke up during/after it.

[MurrayNevada]

In those hours I slept I slept well. Don't remember waking during that time. Today was a morning that I wasn't in a hurry to take off the mask and get out of bed. My young grandson had different ideas and I had to get up. Until last night I did not realize that the mask didn't need to be on so tight. Much more comfortable last night. Question: After I complete the comparison with the ResMed I want to try nasal pillows. Not changing until after the test so I don't skew the comparison. I tried nasal pillows years ago and the pillows caused pain to my nostrils. In reading you material on this forum I remember you mentioning a product (used by nursing mothers) that may alleviate the discomfort. Please send me the name of the product. When I buy the nasal pillow mask it will be the AirFit P10 Nasal Pillow mask.

[Pugsy]

Having the mask on so tight is a common mistake that people make. The gut reaction is that tighter is better and sometimes it just is the wrong way to go. Besides messing with sleep quality because of the discomfort tighter can be counter productive because these masks need to inflate to get and keep the seal. We crank them down and they can't inflate.

We also try to get "perfect" leak graphs with minimal leaking and that's also counter productive sometimes.
Now if a leak (tiny or big) wakes us up it is unwanted and needs to be fixed but that's because it is disrupting our sleep more than anything else. Anything that wakes us up is unwanted.
A little leak (even big leak) isn't necessarily the end of the world as long as it isn't prolonged. These machines can compensate for quite a bit of leak. My leak graphs are rarely very pretty but as long as I am sleeping decently (for me anyway) and feeling decent I don't really care how pretty or ugly the leak graphs are. My time deep into large leak territory, if I even make it there, is usually relatively brief anyway.

My mask is disgustingly loose. Not tight at all. I let the inflating do the bulk of the sealing. One of the reasons I like the nasal pillows...just not much there to need to be sealed and they don't move much.

I see the machine is out for delivery. Tonight you get to move over to the ResMed user side and see how you like it.
I don't know if you will notice much difference or not. Everyone is different with this stuff.

[MurrayNevada]

I'm anxious to see if the ResMed reacts more quickly to my events and lessens the times it may awaken me, Also: I added a comment and question in my post above if you don't mind taking a look at it.

[Pugsy]

The product to help the sore nostrils is called Lansinoh lanolin ointment/cream. You can find it over in the baby aisle at WalMart where the nipples and bottles and stuff are.
It's used by nursing mom's to help with nipple issues from breastfeeding. Use liberally during the day if any soreness is present as it helps with the healing.
Use only a dab at night at bedtime. If you use too much your body heat will make it melt too much and you might end up with the nasal pillow in your ear (I did that which is why I warn about it).
The first few nights with a nasal pillow mask the nostrils might be just a little sore just from having something press on an area that is pretty much virgin territory in terms of ever having much against it. Minor tenderness only though...sort of like when you might press on a bruise.

Anything more than minor tenderness like abrasions, open wound, blisters or severe pain means something isn't right with the nasal pillow fit. Either wrong size or not fitted properly.
The P10 isn't quite as adjustable as some of the other nasal pillow masks in terms of tension but it is adjustable within the moving of the 2 straps on the head...further or closer together adjusts the tension.

A good many people find they can get by with less pressure with nasal pillows when compared to a full face mask. I think it is because of what the lower strap on a full face mask does to the lower jaw in terms of pulling it back ever so slightly and altering the airway opening just a little. Sometimes as much as 2 or 3 cm difference.

[MurrayNevada]

Reading some reviews of that nasal pillow indicates it may not work well for a person with a large head. I have a very large head (7 3/4 is tight) and wonder what you know about this. If that is the case, what would be considered the next best nasal pillow mask? I know all people are different but what might a majority opinion be?

[Pugsy]

The Swift FX would maybe be a better option. The headgear is totally adjustable and the nasal pillows themselves are very, very similar.

Only drawback to the ResMed Swift FX nasal pillow comparing it to the P10...the venting. The P10 vent is essentially silent and I have to have my hand about 1 inch away from the vent holes holes to even feel it. Not that the Swift FX is horribly loud...because it's quieter than it's predecessor the Swift LT and some of the other brands.
Plus hubby no longer gets that jet stream of cold air out the vent holes on his face or back. He never complained about it but about a month after I started using the P10 he said to me "did you change masks? I don't get the blast of cold air anymore. Not that I am complaining but something seems different".

You might also look at the F & P Brevida. Man that nasal pillow feels like silk against the skin and it's silent if you use the diffuser and the headgear is more adjustable. It's a pretty sweet little mask too. The silicone is sooooo much softer than the ResMed silicone pillows.

[MurrayNevada]

ResMed just arrived and in perfect condition.

[MurrayNevada]

I read the manuals and watched 2 YouTube videos then put it all together. Ran the mask test and all was good. I'll know more tonight but it seems quieter than the Respironics machine. On the ResMed machine I don't hear my inhale/exhale as I do with the Respironics. Looking forward to using it tonight. I think I like this machine.
Mike

[Jas_williams]

Hope you have a good nights sleep, let’s see how your data compares

[MurrayNevada]

I had a very good night with the ResMed AirSense 10 AutoSet. A very good night. The machine itself is silent as far as I can tell. The best part is that I cannot hear my inhale/exhale. With the Respironics DreamStation Auto CPAP I can hear every inhale/exhale and it is very annoying. That makes it difficult to fall asleep. For me, even with no other reason, that issue is enough to buy an AirSense 10 AutoSet. I now regret not buying this machine in the first place. I guess my Respironics machine could become a good back-up and travel machine.

It started with a minimum pressure of 8cm but I quickly moved it up to 9cm. I felt I wasn’t getting enough air at 8cm but at 9cm it was fine. Other than that it was good to go as set. My Sleepyhead numbers look good to my untrained eyes and the report itself looks much cleaner to my untrained eyes. If I have a repeat performance tonight I will order an AirSense 10 AutoSet tomorrow.

Now Pugsy could you explain again for me why ordering the “For Her” model makes sense for me. I know you say having something and not needing it is better than needing something and not having it. That of course makes great sense. In what ways might that benefit me? Below is a screenshot from last night with the AirSense 10 AutoSet.
Thank you,
Mike

[MurrayNevada]

This is a better screenshot for comparison to my Respironics screenshots previously posted. I moved the events, flow rate, pressure and leak rate to the same positions as earlier.