Need help with settings (as a solution to snoring)

[ChicagoGranny]

Doesn't snoring come out of the mouth?

No. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soNttX1dxY8

[scorpius777]

I didn't even see any settings anywhere on the interface about changing minimum and maximum pressure.

They're in the clinical menu. See page 14 in the clinical manual - https://www.respshop.com/manuals/ResMed ... %20her.pdf

Thank you for pointing this out....very tricky little hidden menu. I kept it still at Min 4 Max 20 to see where the machine sees fit to set it. It seems I may be averaging around 7 ish on pressure.

As mentioned I have been recording my snoring using Snore Lab app on the iPhone for about 6 months on and off just to see if different things can affect it for the better. I had tried forcing myself to sleep on the side, different pillows and mattress, nasal sprays, breath right , night guards, sinus rinse, etc... Nothing would significantly change the snoring. The one thing affecting my snoring was tiredness which affected it negatively, meaning extreme tiredness or sexual activity before sleep would actually lead to significantly louder snoring.

Cpap has completely eliminated the problem as evidenced by the recordings I've shared, the actual charts for each night (I have shared a multi-day overview instead) show a constant sound (which is sound of the machine) and nothing else and more importantly I actually slept in the same bed as my wife and she had to check a few times during the night to see if I'm there or still alive That by itself is worth more than a few thousand dollars to be honest. She's hypersensitive to sound and is a very light sleeper so I was worried the little breathing sound of the machine itself would keep her up but it didn't.

Overall I can say as a treatment for snoring Cpap has proven itself to me. I did have a bit of nasal pain a few times during some nights that woke me up temporarily, and I am playing with higher humidity values to see if I can resolve that. It also clearly takes me a little longer to fall asleep now since the machine forces me into this very systemic way of breathing in and out...makes me more aware and focused on the breaths.

If anyone has ideas for more optimizations or comfort features based on the data I've shared below, please let me know.

Resmed data.PNG (47.03 KiB) Viewed 3245 times

Snore reports.png (234.18 KiB) Viewed 3245 times

[scorpius777]

Doesn't snoring come out of the mouth? Are you closing your mouth now with the nasal pillows?

My understanding of what I had read before is that there are different reasons for snoring. A person might for instance have a deviated septom or other physical issues that could compound to cause snoring. I went to the specialist and he couldn't find anything out of the ordinary. Unlike some snorers I don't breath from mouth or have my mouth open at all during sleep and I'm considered very skinny and on the younger side of average Cpap userbase I assume (I'm mid thirties).

I think the throat muscles relaxing and collapsing causes my snoring and there is really no true scientific way to solve that currently other than creating positive air pressure to force the muscles to remain open and essentially simulate the way they would act when you're awake. I more or less knew this for a while but still thought I'd experiment with a few other things before committing to Cpap because honestly some people in this forum and elsewhere have posted horrific stories and experiences in using cpap that really discourages people like me to try it. By people like me, I mean people who are not medically prescribed this and are not diagnosed (at least not yet) with Apnea so technically they don't have to go through the presumed pain of dealing with cpap.

Now, I don't want to discount anyone else's bad experiences with Cpap here, because clearly the experience would depend on many factors, including the machine you'd use, the mask you're forced to use (for instance if you have to wear a full mask), and the pressure set on the machine. I can only imagine if I had to use my current machine on pressure 14 (instead of current 4 to 7), it would be a completely different experience.

I am just hoping that my posts can serve others in my shoes who are desperate to find a solution to snoring for their sake and sake of others sleeping in the same room. With my experience and the data I've collected so far (and will continue to collect), I think a good case can be made for snorers who have not been diagnosed with Apnea but clearly suffer (or make others suffer) from snoring and are looking for a real solution, not all the other ridiculous solutions out there that make no scientific sense (like that stupid pillow that raises up when it detects you snore...well duh, it's basically going to wake you up to stop you from snoring...that's not a solution is it!?).

Anyway, this is a very long post but I really want to thank the active members of this forum (you know who you are!) for encouraging me to try it by giving me information to setup the device, when there was no responsible sleep doctor around to help me do this.

[skinnysnorer]

Thanks for your post it made sense about snoring and cpap and I will get the machine. My roommate is in medical school said he will set it up.

[Dog Slobber]

My roommate is in medical school said he will set it up.

That's your first mistake.

All kidding aside, set it up yourself.

Coming here and getting advice and learning about your options and settings is a great first step towards self-management of your CPAP therapy. Cross the finish line.

Your buddy may not be around all the time to change settings for you. Learn to do it yourself.

[ChicagoGranny]

My roommate is in medical school said he will set it up.

I agree with SlobberPuppy. Set it up yourself and learn how to adjust it to optimize your therapy. You're going to be sleeping with it not Med School person.

Do you know what a data-capable auto machine is and how to find a good deal on one?

[ajack]

Looking at your summary chart, you could try min pressure 7, see if that clears your snoring. If it doesn't try 8. It's a matter of having enough pressure to have an effective air splint to keep your throat open.

[englandsf]

No you won’t- apnea’s don’t happen when you’re awake

[palerider]

No you won’t- apnea’s don’t happen when you’re awake

Dredging up an old thread, to make a nonsensical non-sequitur

[bjhunt01]

Scorpius777 - Hello! You are 1. a brave soul to take this on and 2. an awesome husband! Congratulations!

I just read your entire thread for the first time and I have an idea for you. My first sleep study was done at the sleep lab at the awesome amazing University of Texas Southwestern Medical School! Wouldn't think that would be so helpful? Mine too was about 4 years ago. The bed was as hard as cement and it was colder than the dickens. If I slept, it was for about 3 hours. So of course it looked like I didn't have sleep apnea. And who knows? Maybe I didn't at the time. But since I 've been tired for longer than I've been alive I doubt it. So I too came across the SnoreLab but because my partner at the time told me I talked in my sleep. "Wow! What do I talk about?" "I don't know - I can't understand you!" So I got the Snorelab to record whatever it was I was saying. Well! It also recorded the fact that I snore like a rooting, choking pig!! I mentioned this to my cardiologist a year ago at my checkup. He ordered me a home sleep study. What better place to do your sleep study? And that's so commonly done today. That study told me I had moderate obstructive sleep apnea. You could have knocked me over with a feather. I started CPAP in September. Like many, it has been a struggle to find the right mask that doesn't leak or blow off my face or etc., etc. I'm on mask 9. Then it's getting the pressures right. Finally in around January I started feeling like Superwoman most of the time. I began to have clarity of thought, energy, strength to workout again and have gotten better and better. I'm starting to clean my house and pickup clutter. None of which I could manage after working all day. Then I found and got on here about 2 weeks ago and and am receiving wonderful help from forum members and adjusting my pressures, ramp, EPR, etc. so that I can have more rested sleep. Am also having to tape my mouth as I breathe through my mouth. But even with it taped, my tongue will leave the roof of my mouth when I am sleeping deeply and I begin the piggy sounds deep in my throat. But I am pressing on with the help of this forum and it's members.

I also use an app called Sleep Better which shows basics: awake, light sleep, and deep sleep. It's not super accurate but when I get 80% or more of deep sleep I feel good. And it has made me more conscientious about my sleep habits, time, etc. Using that with SnoreLab results and the results of Sleepyhead or Oscar plus the feedback here - all together they are my sleep doctor.

So I highly recommend the home sleep study! They ship you the equipment and the instructions and if you do have a diagnosis, your insurance most likely will help with upcoming expenses.

[zonker]

Scorpius777 - Hello! You are 1. a brave soul to take this on and 2. an awesome husband! Congratulations!

bj, you are a kind and generous soul. however, scorpius hasn't logged in since january of this year.

[bjhunt01]

Scorpius777 - Hello! You are 1. a brave soul to take this on and 2. an awesome husband! Congratulations!

bj, you are a kind and generous soul. however, scorpius hasn't logged in since january of this year.

Oh my goodness! I am such a dufus - I could swear I checked his dates. Ok - I've been on here too long. My brain is frying. Time to stop and go eat!
Zonker - Thank you for pointing that out so I will be more careful and for your nice compliment!

[zonker]

Scorpius777 - Hello! You are 1. a brave soul to take this on and 2. an awesome husband! Congratulations!

bj, you are a kind and generous soul. however, scorpius hasn't logged in since january of this year.

Oh my goodness! I am such a dufus - I could swear I checked his dates. Ok - I've been on here too long. My brain is frying. Time to stop and go eat!
Zonker - Thank you for pointing that out so I will be more careful and for your nice compliment!

you haven't been here long enough to really insult!

[ChicagoGranny]

My brain is frying. Time to stop and go eat!

Hmmm?

[zonker]

My brain is frying. Time to stop and go eat!

Hmmm?

fried brains. YUM!!!