Actual hours of sleep

[pine3874]

I am using the PR 1 auto and would like to know if there is anyway to see my actual hours of sleep. I know that I can see my therapy hours, but that is not the amount of time I actually slept.

[Slinky]

Unfortunately, nope. CPAPs can't do EEGs and its the brain waves on the EEG that tell our sleep techs we are sleeping during a PSG.

Sometimes, viewing the Wave Forms via EncorePro, we can make a "guess-timate" of when we are and aren't sleeping but ..... that is ALL it is, a "guess-timate". And not a particularly good one at that.

[pine3874]

So that would mean that the AHI average on the PR 1 is really not correct because it is taking the number of events divided by the number of therapy hours and not actual sleep hours. Is that correct?

[nanwilson]

That is correct.....but if you have the soft ware you can see exactly how many apneas and hypopneas you have had during the night and exactly when they occurred. That is why we hope and wish that every patient had the capability to actually see what happened during the night. By the way you can get the program from uncle_bob ( just pm him) or you can use the two programs that have been developed by two of the guys here, sleepyhead and oncor(not the guys names, program names).

[pine3874]

That is correct.....but if you have the soft ware you can see exactly how many apneas and hypopneas you have had during the night and exactly when they occurred. That is why we hope and wish that every patient had the capability to actually see what happened during the night. By the way you can get the program from uncle_bob ( just pm him) or you can use the two programs that have been developed by two of the guys here, sleepyhead and oncor(not the guys names, program names).

I am using sleepyhead, but still can't tell how many hours i actually slept. My AHI is 1.3 which is great, but still feel tired and feel as if I've only slept a few hours. I remember turning and tossing all night long.

[Otter]

So that would mean that the AHI average on the PR 1 is really not correct because it is taking the number of events divided by the number of therapy hours and not actual sleep hours. Is that correct?

Also, some of the events that the machine logs, especially the CAs, likely happen while you're awake.

Do you have any idea why you're tossing and turning?

[Pugsy]

If you are remembering tossing and turning a lot then your sleep is fragmented for some reason. Fragmented sleep can and will lead us to feel less than optimal. Do you have any idea what it is that is causing the wake ups, tossing and turning? Pain? Do take any meds? Bed comfort? Fiddling with mask? Leaks? Anything?

[pine3874]

I just can't find a comfortable position to sleep with the mask on. The mask itself is very comfortable and no problems with leaks no matter how much I turn and toss. Don't want to take sleeping pills. It's only been 4 weeks since going on cpap...hopefully I'll be able to get use to it soon. Really would like to feel rested in the morning.

[Pugsy]

Some people have good luck with using a hose management system of some sort that routes the hose up over the head so that it doesn't become a bother with tossing and turning and potentially wake them up.

There is some truth to the "adjustment" time needed to get better sleep with all this stuff on our faces. How many hours is showing on the therapy hours that you slept (yes, I know some of it you were awake but it gives me an idea how much time you are at least in bed trying to sleep.) So average hours a night? It took me about 3 months to work my averge hour of use from 4 hours to 5 hours...then another 3 months to get to 6 hours. I finally can average 7 1/2 hours and I do see the difference in how I feel with 7 1/2 to 8 hours vs 6 hours.

When you wake up with tossing and turning how long does it take to get back to sleep? Any idea?
Could this be a bit of sleep maintenance insomnia? There are some rather benign OTC ideas to promote sleep. Melatonin and Benadryl to start with if you don't want to go the RX route.

[Otter]

I just can't find a comfortable position to sleep with the mask on. The mask itself is very comfortable and no problems with leaks no matter how much I turn and toss. Don't want to take sleeping pills. It's only been 4 weeks since going on cpap...hopefully I'll be able to get use to it soon. Really would like to feel rested in the morning.

It does take a while to adjust. It might be worth thinking about a new pillow, though. What position did you sleep in before CPAP, and how does the mask change that?

[archangle]

There's one brand of CPAP machine that attempts to determine when you're sleeping and when you're not. I don't remember the name at the moment, and don't know how accurate it is.

However, the PRS1 and ResMed machines don't do this.

[Slinky]

Don't the Zeo and WatchPat attempt to determine and indicate hours of sleep and wake? And they can be used in conjunction w/CPAP?

[lee_leses]

So, when I look at the reports on the Encore Pro 2, and the graphs show segments that are all generally between 1 and 1.5 hours, what does that mean? Does it mean my breathing changed enough that the machine "thinks" I was awake, or what do the segments actually mean if they don't mean I was "awake?"

Lee

[Pugsy]

So, when I look at the reports on the Encore Pro 2, and the graphs show segments that are all generally between 1 and 1.5 hours, what does that mean? Does it mean my breathing changed enough that the machine "thinks" I was awake, or what do the segments actually mean if they don't mean I was "awake?"

Lee

No. The machine has no clue if you are asleep or not. The broken segments you see on your reports is when you wake up and turn the machine off...then back on.

[Otter]

Pugsy is right, but if you seldom sleep longer than an hour and a half, you're obviously not sleeping well.