Opinions about self treating sleep apnea please.

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
User avatar
avi123
Posts: 4509
Joined: Tue Dec 21, 2010 5:39 pm
Location: NC

Re: Opinions about self treating sleep apnea please.

Post by avi123 » Tue Aug 07, 2012 2:55 pm

MrPresident wrote:I don't have images of my original sleep study but here is the short version of the results.
0 Centrals
0 OA
25 AHI
38 RDI
Snore up to 70 db

Comment,

If Mr President still has the above results, then it might indicate an Upper Airway Resistance syndrome (UARs). This is b/c of the hi Snore and the much higher RDI than the AHI, and Mr President's complains of "suffocation" with a pressure of 12 cm in CPAP or APAP. If it is correct then read this about it:


Clinical Features

Patients with UARS have symptoms similar to those seen in OSAS, although there are some distinct features. Much of the research performed has attempted to identify and describe a group of patients with significant daytime sleepiness and disrupted sleep, but without the other dominant clinical features seen in OSAS. Typical symptoms reported by patients with UARS include excessive daytime sleepiness, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, morning headaches, and unrefreshing sleep. There can also be a significant impairment in daytime functioning; a recent study demonstrated that subjects with UARS performed worse than patients with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome and normal control individuals on different aspects of the Psychomotor Vigilance Task.

In a separate study, upwards of 30% of subjects with UARS had abnormal sleep-onset latency on the Maintenance of Wakefulness Test. Individuals with abnormal airway anatomy are at increased risk, including those with a decreased retrolingual space, narrow nasal passages, or a small neck circumference. Patients are typically not obese, with a mean BMI often <25 kg/m. They are also usually younger than those in whom OSAS is diagnosed, with a mean age of approximately 38 years. Snoring is not a requisite symptom, with 10% to 15% or more of patients having never or only intermittently snored.

Patients with UARS are also more likely to report symptoms of frequent nocturnal awakening with difficulty falling back to sleep. This is thought to be a potential reason for increased complaints of insomnia amongst patients with UARS, including sleep onset and sleep maintenance problems. In addition to difficulties with acute insomnia, patients with UARS also have an increased likelihood of carrying a diagnosis of chronic insomnia. Other notable complaints include parasomnias, especially sleepwalking, sleep talking, and sleep terrors. Patients may also have symptoms of abnormal autonomic function, including lightheadedness or dizziness on rising from a supine or sitting position, cold hands and feet, and low resting blood pressures (defined as a systolic BP <105 mm Hg with a diastolic BP <65 mm Hg). In a study of 400 patients with UARS, more than 20% met criteria for low BP, a significantly higher prevalence when compared with people who have OSAS (0.6%) or insomnia (0.9%). Interestingly, all subjects in the study had evidence of a small oral cavity on examination with a narrowed airway space dimension on cephalometric radiographs, consistent with other reports. Lastly, patients with UARS have increased rates of symptoms such as gastroesophageal reflux, muscular pain, diarrhea, abdominal pain, depression, and anxiety. This has led some authors to suggest a link between UARS and functional somatic syndromes, such as irritable bowel syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, and fibromyalgia.

In a study of 75 subjects equally divided into three groups (UARS, mild to moderate OSAS, and severe OSAS), those with UARS were more likely to report symptoms of headache, irritable bowel symptoms, and sleep-initiation insomnia. Subjects with UARS were also more likely to have alpha intrusion during slow-wave sleep, a polysomnographic finding described in a number of fatigue syndromes. In children with UARS, symptoms consistent with attention deficit disorder or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder may be present, with behavioral changes leading to poor school performance.

________________________________________
Source: http://www.chestnet.org/accp/pccsu/uppe ... e?page=0,3

A BiPAP (BiLevel) machine with top pressure setting of the IPAP and lower pressure setting on the EPAP (for exhalation) could be the answer.

________________________________________

_________________
Humidifier: S9™ Series H5i™ Heated Humidifier with Climate Control
Additional Comments:  S9 Autoset machine; Ruby chinstrap under the mask straps; ResScan 5.6
Last edited by avi123 on Wed Aug 08, 2012 9:08 am, edited 1 time in total.
see my recent set-up and Statistics:
http://i.imgur.com/TewT8G9.png
see my recent ResScan treatment results:
http://i.imgur.com/3oia0EY.png
http://i.imgur.com/QEjvlVY.png

User avatar
avi123
Posts: 4509
Joined: Tue Dec 21, 2010 5:39 pm
Location: NC

Re: Opinions about self treating sleep apnea please.

Post by avi123 » Tue Aug 07, 2012 8:08 pm

Mr President, you have not indicated any medical problems that you might have besides those few numbers from your at- home sleep study.

Do you suffer from any of the followings:

Clinical Features Associated With UARS

Daytime symptoms

Excessive daytime sleepiness
Fatigue
Morning headaches
Myalgia’s [muscle pain]
Difficulty concentrating

Sleep disturbances

Frequent nocturnal awakenings
Difficulties initiating sleep
Insomnia
Bruxism [teeth clenching]
Restless leg syndrome
Unrefreshing sleep

Autonomic nervous system

Hypotension
Orthostasis [maintenance of an upright standing posture]
Cold hands and feet

Functional somatic syndrome associations

Depression
Anxiety
Chronic fatigue syndrome
Irritable bowel syndrome
Fibromyalgia

Polysomnographic abnormalities

Increased RERAs
Increased nocturnal arousals
Increased CAP rate [cyclical alternating pattern in EEG]
Alpha intrusion during sleep

_________________
Humidifier: S9™ Series H5i™ Heated Humidifier with Climate Control
Additional Comments:  S9 Autoset machine; Ruby chinstrap under the mask straps; ResScan 5.6
see my recent set-up and Statistics:
http://i.imgur.com/TewT8G9.png
see my recent ResScan treatment results:
http://i.imgur.com/3oia0EY.png
http://i.imgur.com/QEjvlVY.png

User avatar
gertrude
Posts: 125
Joined: Thu Apr 26, 2012 2:52 pm
Location: Central Ohio

Re: Opinions about self treating sleep apnea please.

Post by gertrude » Wed Aug 08, 2012 7:16 am

Pugsy wrote: choose "View Image" and see if it changes to full view. Let me know either way because I might need to change something in my photobucket account if it doesn't show the entire image.
It must be my system -- Windows 7 home premium. There is a "show picture" on the menu when I rightclick on your screenshot, but it isn't highlighted and nothing happens when I click on it. But I could get a full image by clicking on "email picture." That sets up a message with the image as an attachment. And when i opened the attachment, it was the full image. An awkward approach, but I can use it as a workaround.

_________________
Mask: Swift™ FX For Her Nasal Pillow CPAP Mask with Headgear
Humidifier: S9™ Series H5i™ Heated Humidifier with Climate Control
Additional Comments: Began therapy March 22. Also use Sleepweaver advanced, Sleepyhead software.

User avatar
Todzo
Posts: 2014
Joined: Tue Apr 24, 2012 8:51 pm
Location: Washington State U.S.A.

Re: Opinions about self treating sleep apnea please.

Post by Todzo » Wed Aug 08, 2012 8:19 am

avi123 wrote:Mr President, you have not indicated any medical problems that you might have besides those few numbers from your at- home sleep study.

Do you suffer from any of the followings:

Clinical Features Associated With UARS

Daytime symptoms

Excessive daytime sleepiness
Fatigue
Morning headaches
Myalgia’s [muscle pain]
Difficulty concentrating

Sleep disturbances

Frequent nocturnal awakenings
Difficulties initiating sleep
Insomnia
Bruxism [teeth clenching]
Restless leg syndrome
Unrefreshing sleep

Autonomic nervous system

Hypotension
Orthostasis [maintenance of an upright standing posture]
Cold hands and feet

Functional somatic syndrome associations

Depression
Anxiety
Chronic fatigue syndrome
Irritable bowel syndrome
Fibromyalgia

Polysomnographic abnormalities

Increased RERAs
Increased nocturnal arousals
Increased CAP rate [cyclical alternating pattern in EEG]
Alpha intrusion during sleep
UARS is a "diagnosis of exclusion" mostly today. The labs do not have the equipment or expertise most of the time.

In it the "urge to breath" must be hugh. It literally warps the heart walls with the pressure of trying to breath. "Respiratory Effort Related Arousals" indeed!

So I do believe it relates to the over breathing - unstable breathing I have mentioned previously. A matter of messed up chemoreflexes. Perhaps the deoxygenated blood cell sensors become extremely sensitive so the drive to breath becomes intense. I have awakened to what I believe to be this state many times. I breath out gently, stop for five seconds, breath five slow shallow gentile breaths and repeat several cycles of stop and gentile breath. The urge to breath is intense at times during this but consistantly about the third cycle I feel the blood rush back to my feet, warmpth, my nose clear up, and the urge to breath so much so fast evaporate. Apparently with the CO2 I should have back in my system circulation and oxygenation is restored and even the oxygen sensors become normal again.

This is why I train with a pulse oximeter to find the lowest heart rate controling breathing.

It is also why I:

Do what I can to reduce stress and consider this critical.
Do aerobic exercise with interval training and some resistance training. I am currently running above 70% of my 10,000 steps per day for example.
Eat well and make sure I get my antioxidant and anti-inflammitory foods
Often go to sleep using the pulse oximeter as described above

Data capable PAP is simply a tool to help you breath better and sleep better at night and to see how you are doing with that. The rest is up to you.

May we all find better sleep!

Todzo

As a practical matter watch the Minute Volumes, Tidal Volumes, Respiratory Rate charts and data and zoom in on events which look suspicious.
May any shills trolls sockpuppets or astroturfers at cpaptalk.com be like chaff before the wind!

User avatar
Pugsy
Posts: 65019
Joined: Thu May 14, 2009 9:31 am
Location: Missouri, USA

Re: Opinions about self treating sleep apnea please.

Post by Pugsy » Wed Aug 08, 2012 8:37 am

gertrude wrote: It must be my system -- Windows 7 home premium. There is a "show picture" on the menu when I rightclick on your screenshot, but it isn't highlighted and nothing happens when I click on it. But I could get a full image by clicking on "email picture." That sets up a message with the image as an attachment. And when i opened the attachment, it was the full image. An awkward approach, but I can use it as a workaround.
That's odd. I have Windows 7 Home premium also. Sorry it is such a PITA to see the images.
What is your desktop resolution? Mine is at 1366 X 768 which is max for me on this laptop.
I have tried resizing the images in Photobucket but can't seem to get it right.
SleepyHead used to give us smaller images but now it is either full size or too small and scrunched up so I am playing with the minimized SH to see if I can get more manageable image sizes.
For a long time all of my images (no matter what software) fit here on the forum just right. I haven't changed the way I do things but it is almost like the forum image sizes available has been altered. I have been scratching my head over the image situation for a while now.

Give me a bit of time. I will start a thread to play around with image sizes to see what I can maybe come up with that won't be such a PITA for you or someone else. I have a couple of reports that would be interesting to see anyway...One really good report and last night's report which was awesome bad...looks like the aliens paid me a visit last night.

_________________
Machine: AirCurve™ 10 VAuto BiLevel Machine with HumidAir™ Heated Humidifier
Additional Comments: Mask Bleep Eclipse https://bleepsleep.com/the-eclipse/
I may have to RISE but I refuse to SHINE.

User avatar
gertrude
Posts: 125
Joined: Thu Apr 26, 2012 2:52 pm
Location: Central Ohio

Re: Opinions about self treating sleep apnea please.

Post by gertrude » Wed Aug 08, 2012 9:55 am

I'll try to figure out my resolution. Don't really want to hijack MrPres's thread. But I do learn from the comments on other's screenshots.

_________________
Mask: Swift™ FX For Her Nasal Pillow CPAP Mask with Headgear
Humidifier: S9™ Series H5i™ Heated Humidifier with Climate Control
Additional Comments: Began therapy March 22. Also use Sleepweaver advanced, Sleepyhead software.

User avatar
Pugsy
Posts: 65019
Joined: Thu May 14, 2009 9:31 am
Location: Missouri, USA

Re: Opinions about self treating sleep apnea please.

Post by Pugsy » Wed Aug 08, 2012 10:14 am

gertrude wrote:I'll try to figure out my resolution. Don't really want to hijack MrPres's thread. But I do learn from the comments on other's screenshots.
I don't want to hijack it either.
I have some time now and I will work on a couple of things and get a thread started in just a few minutes. Then you can talk all you want to about your viewing issues. My threads always go way off track. I don't care at all.

_________________
Machine: AirCurve™ 10 VAuto BiLevel Machine with HumidAir™ Heated Humidifier
Additional Comments: Mask Bleep Eclipse https://bleepsleep.com/the-eclipse/
I may have to RISE but I refuse to SHINE.

User avatar
avi123
Posts: 4509
Joined: Tue Dec 21, 2010 5:39 pm
Location: NC

Re: Opinions about self treating sleep apnea please.

Post by avi123 » Wed Aug 08, 2012 11:32 am

Todzo wrote:
avi123 wrote: UARS is a "diagnosis of exclusion" mostly today. The labs do not have the equipment or expertise most of the time.

In it the "urge to breath" must be hugh. It literally warps the heart walls with the pressure of trying to breath. "Respiratory Effort Related Arousals" indeed!

So I do believe it relates to the over breathing - unstable breathing I have mentioned previously. A matter of messed up chemoreflexes. Perhaps the deoxygenated blood cell sensors become extremely sensitive so the drive to breath becomes intense. I have awakened to what I believe to be this state many times. I breath out gently, stop for five seconds, breath five slow shallow gentile breaths and repeat several cycles of stop and gentile breath. The urge to breath is intense at times during this but consistantly about the third cycle I feel the blood rush back to my feet, warmpth, my nose clear up, and the urge to breath so much so fast evaporate. Apparently with the CO2 I should have back in my system circulation and oxygenation is restored and even the oxygen sensors become normal again.

This is why I train with a pulse oximeter to find the lowest heart rate controling breathing.

It is also why I:

Do what I can to reduce stress and consider this critical.
Do aerobic exercise with interval training and some resistance training. I am currently running above 70% of my 10,000 steps per day for example.
Eat well and make sure I get my antioxidant and anti-inflammitory foods
Often go to sleep using the pulse oximeter as described above

Data capable PAP is simply a tool to help you breath better and sleep better at night and to see how you are doing with that. The rest is up to you.

May we all find better sleep!

Todzo

As a practical matter watch the Minute Volumes, Tidal Volumes, Respiratory Rate charts and data and zoom in on events which look suspicious.

Comment,

Yes, it seems to me that Mr President has an urge to respirate:

Image

If I multiply Mr President's Tidal Volume (TV) x Respiration Rate I get:

From above SleepyHead's table for Mr President:

95% Tidal Volume = 780 Ml (a large person)
95% Resp. Rate = 19 per Min

780 x 19 = 14,820 Ml/Min = 14.8 Liter/Min = 3.9 Gallons/Min

{But it does not jibe exactly with SH 95% Minute Vent of 10.5 Liter/Min. }

An average normal adult person has a TV of about 500 Ml and at a NREM respiration rate of 12 /Min:

500Ml x 12/Min = 6,000 Ml/Min = 6 Liter/Min = 50% of Mr President's

I can compare my values to those of Mr President.

The following table is my results from SleepyHead (but the size of the window is expanded from that of Mr President above):


Image


All values at 95%

.....................Mr President..........My (Avi, 6' 1.5", 220 Lbs)
Tidal Volume Ml.....780.....................480
Resp Rate per Min....19.......................24
Minute Vent L/Min....10.5......................9.6
Pressure Cm............13.4....................11
Leaks Ml/Min...........28.8......................8.4

Well, not much difference, except, the Leaks should be below 24 L/Min.
As to Mr President's larger Tidal Volume and lower Resp Rate it's possible
that he is gasping more than I or that I respirate faster. The Minute Vent is close.

_________________
Humidifier: S9™ Series H5i™ Heated Humidifier with Climate Control
Additional Comments:  S9 Autoset machine; Ruby chinstrap under the mask straps; ResScan 5.6
Last edited by avi123 on Wed Aug 08, 2012 3:18 pm, edited 3 times in total.
see my recent set-up and Statistics:
http://i.imgur.com/TewT8G9.png
see my recent ResScan treatment results:
http://i.imgur.com/3oia0EY.png
http://i.imgur.com/QEjvlVY.png

User avatar
MrPresident
Posts: 56
Joined: Fri Jul 27, 2012 9:54 am
Location: Denver Metro

Re: Opinions about self treating sleep apnea please.

Post by MrPresident » Wed Aug 08, 2012 11:51 am

You guys have given me a lot of pretty technical data in the last couple of days and my weeks has been all long days and not much time. I am not ignoring you but I have not had much time to respond. I will try to get caught up tonight and post some more info.

Thanks.

_________________
Humidifier: S9™ Series H5i™ Heated Humidifier with Climate Control
Additional Comments: Sleepyhead software. Falling asleep at stoplights is Sooooo embarrassing!
There is no pillow so soft as a clear conscience.
Yes, that's right. Even you can run for President of the United States. See how here: http://2008election.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=001566

User avatar
MrPresident
Posts: 56
Joined: Fri Jul 27, 2012 9:54 am
Location: Denver Metro

Re: Opinions about self treating sleep apnea please.

Post by MrPresident » Wed Aug 08, 2012 5:34 pm

This is my sleep study. Remember it is an at home study so it does not test everything that a lab study does.
I am 58 years old and weigh 255lbs (down from 285 at the first of the year).
Regular exercise and eating right (basically if I put it in my mouth and it taste good I spit it out).

Image

This is from last night. I have been having trouble with mask but I think last night I found a setup that I can work with. Slept all night with the mask on.

Image
avi123 wrote:Mr President, you have not indicated any medical problems that you might have besides those few numbers from your at- home sleep study.

Do you suffer from any of the followings:

Clinical Features Associated With UARS

Daytime symptoms

Excessive daytime sleepiness
Fatigue
Morning headaches
Myalgia’s [muscle pain]
Difficulty concentrating
Yes Yes No No No

Sleep disturbances

Frequent nocturnal awakenings
Difficulties initiating sleep
Insomnia
Bruxism [teeth clenching]
Restless leg syndrome
Unrefreshing sleep
Maybe (3 or 4) No No No No Yes

Autonomic nervous system

Hypotension
Orthostasis [maintenance of an upright standing posture]
Cold hands and feet
No No No (but some numbness that as already improved significantly)

Functional somatic syndrome associations

Depression
Anxiety
Chronic fatigue syndrome
Irritable bowel syndrome
Fibromyalgia
No to all

Polysomnographic abnormalities

Increased RERAs
Increased nocturnal arousals
Increased CAP rate [cyclical alternating pattern in EEG]
Alpha intrusion during sleep
Don't know to all.
If Mr President still has the above results, then it might indicate an Upper Airway Resistance syndrome (UARs). This is b/c of the hi Snore and the much higher RDI than the AHI, and Mr President's complains of "suffocation" with a pressure of 12 cm in CPAP or APAP. If it is correct then read this about it:
Perhaps I misspoke. I am comfortable at 12 cm but was feeling like suffocating at the lower (<7 cm). BTW I am now at 9 cm to 15 cm range and it seems to be working quite well.

Even with all of the struggles of being new to this, finding a mask that doesn't keep me awake spending a night with burning mouth from forgetting to turn on humidification and so on and so on, I definitely feel a lot better in the sleepy/fatigued department. Besides that I have been struggling to heal a nasty case of diverticulitis. Since I began treating myself it is almost completely pain free. Previously it bothered me mostly at night. The theory being that low O2 was inhibiting healing. Also, I now remember dreaming every night. Not proof but an indication, along with everything else, that I may be getting some REM for a change.

_________________
Humidifier: S9™ Series H5i™ Heated Humidifier with Climate Control
Additional Comments: Sleepyhead software. Falling asleep at stoplights is Sooooo embarrassing!
There is no pillow so soft as a clear conscience.
Yes, that's right. Even you can run for President of the United States. See how here: http://2008election.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=001566

User avatar
avi123
Posts: 4509
Joined: Tue Dec 21, 2010 5:39 pm
Location: NC

Re: Opinions about self treating sleep apnea please.

Post by avi123 » Wed Aug 08, 2012 7:50 pm

Mr President, your last night SleepyHead, besides the leaks, looks OK to me. The leak should be below 24. So you don't have UARs. Both of us need to lose weight. Do you take any Rx for the blood pressure?

_________________
Humidifier: S9™ Series H5i™ Heated Humidifier with Climate Control
Additional Comments:  S9 Autoset machine; Ruby chinstrap under the mask straps; ResScan 5.6
see my recent set-up and Statistics:
http://i.imgur.com/TewT8G9.png
see my recent ResScan treatment results:
http://i.imgur.com/3oia0EY.png
http://i.imgur.com/QEjvlVY.png

User avatar
MrPresident
Posts: 56
Joined: Fri Jul 27, 2012 9:54 am
Location: Denver Metro

Re: Opinions about self treating sleep apnea please.

Post by MrPresident » Wed Aug 08, 2012 9:56 pm

avi123 wrote:Mr President, your last night SleepyHead, besides the leaks, looks OK to me. The leak should be below 24. So you don't have UARs. Both of us need to lose weight. Do you take any Rx for the blood pressure?
I take Losartan (Cozaar) for HBP.

I am loathe to use a chinstrap and absolutely will not tape my mouth shut (I think that is a disturbingly common safety issue). I am fortunate to be able to have relatively few mouth leaks, although I am sure that elevates my totals. However if I have acceptable numbers other than a little bit high leak rates I think that is a good trade off if it result in good compliance. My advantage is that when I get a big whooosh out of my mouth it kind of freaks me out, so I think I am kind of training myself not to open my mouth because the consequence is unpleasant to me. I am hoping that because of this my mouth leaks will decrease (as well as my RDI). From what I read here, that would be pretty fortunate for me. What do you think of that theory?

And once again, thanks for your comments. I think there are a lot of really smart people on this forum. My progress (with the help of this forum) is pretty good.

_________________
Humidifier: S9™ Series H5i™ Heated Humidifier with Climate Control
Additional Comments: Sleepyhead software. Falling asleep at stoplights is Sooooo embarrassing!
There is no pillow so soft as a clear conscience.
Yes, that's right. Even you can run for President of the United States. See how here: http://2008election.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=001566

User avatar
MrPresident
Posts: 56
Joined: Fri Jul 27, 2012 9:54 am
Location: Denver Metro

Re: Opinions about self treating sleep apnea please.

Post by MrPresident » Wed Aug 08, 2012 10:07 pm

Quote of the day:
"I have to admit its getting better, its getting better all the time.
It can't get no worse!

The Beatles

_________________
Humidifier: S9™ Series H5i™ Heated Humidifier with Climate Control
Additional Comments: Sleepyhead software. Falling asleep at stoplights is Sooooo embarrassing!
There is no pillow so soft as a clear conscience.
Yes, that's right. Even you can run for President of the United States. See how here: http://2008election.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=001566

User avatar
MrPresident
Posts: 56
Joined: Fri Jul 27, 2012 9:54 am
Location: Denver Metro

Re: Opinions about self treating sleep apnea please.

Post by MrPresident » Thu Aug 23, 2012 6:28 pm

Hey

Been gone a while. Hope your all still out there. I've been tweaking a lot of stuff, but on the whole doing pretty good so far. But now I have a question.
I was setting my APAP range from about 12 to 15. after some tweaking. But I was curious what would happen if I set wide open (almost). So I set it low at 4 and high at 15.

What I got is below. It ranges from 4 up to almost 15. Seems like a big range to me. Any idea what it means? Should I leave it that wide open? I got pretty good rest that night.

Image

_________________
Humidifier: S9™ Series H5i™ Heated Humidifier with Climate Control
Additional Comments: Sleepyhead software. Falling asleep at stoplights is Sooooo embarrassing!
There is no pillow so soft as a clear conscience.
Yes, that's right. Even you can run for President of the United States. See how here: http://2008election.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=001566

User avatar
Pugsy
Posts: 65019
Joined: Thu May 14, 2009 9:31 am
Location: Missouri, USA

Re: Opinions about self treating sleep apnea please.

Post by Pugsy » Thu Aug 23, 2012 6:40 pm

Do the pressure changes cause you any sleep disturbances or problems?
Any problems with aerophagia? Are you comfortable with 4 cm...some people find that pressure rather stifling.?
I used minimum of 10 and maximum of 20...often saw 18 or so. AHI was low, no aerophagia, no problems with pressure changes messing with my sleep...worked for me. So I had a 10 cm range and it was actually better for me...most of the time I was around 12 or 13 but sometimes in REM sleep I just needed extra pressure.

I assume you have tried other ranges...better? Same? any difference in how you feel or sleep?
If not..there is no urgent need to use something different. Some people do better with a tighter range but it isn't always something that everyone needs or has better luck with.
Some people do well with a wide range. Some people do better with a tight range.

_________________
Machine: AirCurve™ 10 VAuto BiLevel Machine with HumidAir™ Heated Humidifier
Additional Comments: Mask Bleep Eclipse https://bleepsleep.com/the-eclipse/
I may have to RISE but I refuse to SHINE.