Daytime tiredness - Sleep apnia or other issue?

[palerider]

With the ASV maybe it's pressure spikes, but I had the same feeling on the ST which obviously was static pressures.

It's much more likely that it's the things that cause the pressure spikes, not the pressure changes themselves that wake people up, I feel that the pressure changes are unfairly vilified by the anti-apap crowd...

[palerider]

That <5 AHI thing is what bothers me most about my sleep doctor. He seems stuck on stupid there. I even asked him today why he thinks that is good why he isn't pushing for zero. He just says some can acheive close to it some can't.

Well, zero is possible, but it's a waste of time to pursue it, under 1m5 or so, and I (and most people I've heard from) can't tell any difference... So chasing zero is a case of diminishing returns, the lower you go, the harder it is, and the less improvement you get...

I get that zero is chasing perfection and isn't my goal. I just don't get why a sleep doc is like hey you are near 5 you are good to go and has no drive to bring it down more.

Because they've been told that it's "good enough", and they do not care about you.

[Pugsy]

Can you safely take some sort of OTC sleep aid?
Something to help you sleep a little sounder with less chance of wake ups.
Help you get over the hump of the brain reacting to the pressure changes with "hey dude..wake up...look what the machine did to you"
Eventually the brain will get used to this new norm but right now it wants to warn you about the least little thing and it's warning is to wake you up which of course we don't want.
Don't ask me how long....everyone is different but I have seen 3 to 6 months thrown around.

Frequent wake ups for any reason....mess with the normal sleep cycle and we need the normal cycle with normal progression of each sleep stage in the needed amounts for the restorative powers of sleep to work their magic.

[tsduke]

I'm sure I could try sleep aids. I haven't historical used them much because I don't usually have issues getting to sleep which I've thought to be their main purpose.

[Pugsy]

There's sleep onset insomnia....trouble falling asleep.
And then there's sleep maintenance insomnia....trouble staying asleep.
I don't have trouble falling asleep but I have trouble staying sleep. In my situation I know that 90 % of it is pain related and maybe 10% stress related. I do have to take something sometimes to help me "sleep through the pain" just so I don't have a gazillion wake ups with every little toss and turn I might do. Something to help me sleep a little deeper.
We gotta do what we gotta do sometimes.

Not suggestion for long term....just short term for 2 or 3 weeks to get you over the hump and get a little better sleep quality under your belt.

[tsduke]

Appreciate the suggestion and I may just try it. I do have lingering back issue which leads to less positions confortable to sleep in but it doesn't typically wake me up although it can make it hard to get back to sleep as I try to get comfy again.

[Pugsy]

When you get a chance you might change your comments section to reflect your new machine.
Avoid confusion later.

[tsduke]

So yesterday I emailed my regular doctor to inquire about what the sleep doctor said. He recommended blood tests which I went ahead with and they showed a Vitamin D deficiancy. Could very easily explain how I've been feeling. So...high dose Vitamin D it is and retest in a few weeks. No idea how it got this low. I get a very large fill of sun in the summer. But, hopefully this helps.

[palerider]

Vitamin D deficiancy.... No idea how it got this low. I get a very large fill of sun in the summer.

It's not something you can store up for the winter.

[tsduke]

Yes, I know, but I've felt like this for awhile so if related D has been low for some time.