Dark Circles / Numbers Update

[vincec2019]

Hello and Happy New Year! I'd like to start by thanking those who helped my adjust my settings last year(Pugsy, Pale), I'm getting better sleep, but still have some concerns, and want to make sure the latest "issues" are not related to cpap use. I've included numbers from last night. So here it goes:

I've recently been having darker circles under my eyes. I take zoloft 25mg, and noticed that when I went up on the dose(37.5mg) the circles increased. I'm back to 25mg which even at a lose dose appears effective for my ocd. My concern is that the pressure of the mask on my nose and face has been increasing the dark circles. I've tried to loosen the mask a bit. But, that's always a delicate process to make sure the leaks are not that big. Also, working at home on zoom may not be helping the circles either.

My numbers show that I'm doing pretty well with the apneas, but I'm still sleepy "tired" on awakening. I suspect that it is the medication, but my main fear is that when I had my sleep test my anxiety caused my numbers to spike. I tried to lower my pressure settings a few times, only to feel more tired the next day. Between the meds, and the high settings I'm afraid I'm getting some sort of hypoxia, and not getting enough oxygen during the night causing the circles. And with the ocd I over focus on these concerns. Thank you for reading.

p.s. My pressure is currently set 14-19.

[Pugsy]

You already know that your medication has some rather unwanted side effects and this is most assuredly one of them.

but I'm still sleepy "tired" on awakening. I suspect that it is the medication,

The half life of Zoloft is 26 hours...this means you pretty much have it in your system all the time and it builds up.

Known side effects which are numerous
https://www.rxlist.com/zoloft-side-effe ... center.htm
https://www.webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-35/z ... al/details

I have never known it to cause discoloration around the eyes though. Could it be related to fragmented sleep...possibly but some people just get those dark circles and we don't know why. My own daughter who is age 46 has horrible dark circles (and has had for years) and has zero health issues and doesn't take any medications either.

[Pugsy]

https://www.healthline.com/health/dark- ... yes#causes

https://www.healthline.com/health/how-t ... xedContent

I don't see you having enough apnea events to cause hypoxia concerns but if it bugs you too much because of your OCD I would suggest getting one of those overnight recording pulse oximeters so you can see what is going on in terms of oxygen levels and reassure you when you get too worried about it.

[Miss Emerita]

To follow up on Pugsy's suggestion: Oscar is able to import data from some oximeters:

Welcome to the Oximeter Import Wizard
Pulse Oximeters are medical devices used to measure blood oxygen saturation. During extended Apnea events and abnormal breathing patterns, blood oxygen saturation levels can drop significantly, and can indicate issues that need medical attention.
OSCAR gives you the ability to track Oximetry data alongside CPAP session data, which can give valuable insight into the effectiveness of CPAP treatment. It will also work standalone with your Pulse Oximeter, allowing you to store, track and review your recorded data.
OSCAR is currently compatible with Contec CMS50D+, CMS50E, CMS50F and CMS50I serial oximeters.
(Note: Direct importing from bluetooth models is probably not possible yet)
You may wish to note, other companies, such as Pulox, simply rebadge Contec CMS50's under new names, such as the Pulox PO-200, PO-300, PO-400. These should also work.
It also can read from ChoiceMMed MD300W1 oximeter .dat files.
Please remember: If you are trying to sync oximetry and CPAP data, please make sure you imported your CPAP sessions first before proceeding!
Important Notes: For OSCAR to be able to locate and read directly from your Oximeter device, you need to ensure the correct device drivers (eg. USB to Serial UART) have been installed on your computer. For more information about this, click here.
Contec CMS50D+ devices do not have an internal clock, and do not record a starting time. If you do not have a CPAP session to link a recording to, you will have to enter the start time manually after the import process is completed.
Even for devices with an internal clock, it is still recommended to get into the habit of starting oximeter records at the same time as CPAP sessions, because CPAP internal clocks tend to drift over time, and not all can be reset easily.

[vincec2019]

Thank you Pugsy and Miss Emerita for the replies. Yes, the medication and ocd play a factor in the quality of sleep. That's a whole story in itself, and I appreciate the feedback and links, as well as the personal experiences. I'm going to look into the pulse oximeters as mentioned above. I tried to take my oxygen level on awakening,with one of those little finger ones, but it seems that's not going to give me the data I need.

Also, one more question. If my average pressure is between 14-15, and my setting is 14-19 would it help if I lowered the base number, meaning lower 14 to 12 to see if that helps with sleep quality?

At this point I'm grateful to be getting the quality I am now even though it's not perfect. It was a terrible thing to have lack of sleep, and poor mental health on top of that. Thank God things straightened out over time. Rest well everyone.

[Julie]

It won't hurt to try a lower min. for a few nights to see how you (and Oscar) feel.

[BlueDragon]

OSCAR can also import Wellue/Viatom pulsimeters. I find the Wellue SleepU to be a lot more comfortable than the Contec line.

[vincec2019]

Thank you Julie and Blue dragon. I'm going to look into the pulse oximeters this week.

[ChicagoGranny]

zoloft 25mg

Was this prescribed before you started using CPAP? Are you aware that untreated sleep apnea is causative of some psychiatric illnesses? Discuss with your doctor whether tapering off Zoloft would be a prudent trial.

[vincec2019]

It's been a long stretch, over 14 years to find something that works relatively well, with not as many side effects. Yes, even at this low dose. Let's just say sleep apnea didn't help. Have an appointment in 2 weeks so I'll revisit the prescription status then. And thank you for your feedback.

[vincec2019]

Wellvue looks like they have one(pulse oximeter) that goes straight to the phone. Runs about 40 bucks so that's in the budget.

Wondering if that works with OSCAR?

[vincec2019]

Never mind I see the answer above. Going to order one this week. Thank you all!

[vincec2019]

Hi All. I got the wellue O ring. So no oxygen drops during the night. I’m going to try some adjustments with the pressure settings when I’m feeling up to it. And totally unrelated I got my first covid vaccine shot yesterday, the moderns brand. Thankfully, just a slightly sore arm so far. Thanks again!

[Miss Emerita]

Excellent news on the O2 front, and congrats on getting your first vaccination shot!

Please come back when you want to think about changes to your settings. When you post a chart, here are a couple of tips:

* turn off the pie chart (if I remember right, go to File, then Preferences, then Appearance; may now be under View, though)
* turn off the calendar (click on the little triangle to the left of today's date)
* turn off the right panel (under View)

Those steps will make more of the useful information visible in your screen shot.

Also, put only the following graphs into one screen shot:
** Events
** Flow rate
** Pressure
** Leaks
** Flow limitations
** Snores.

You can move the graphs up or down by left-clicking and dragging. You can change the vertical height of the graphs by grabbing and moving the horizontal gray lines that separate them.

Much quicker to do than to describe, so don't be daunted!

[zonker]

Much quicker to do than to describe, so don't be daunted!

this. i find myself typing in steps and think "crikey, if i were in front of the user's computer..."