Help needed with snoring

[old dude]

First off let me say that I don't really understand the significance of the graphs in SH, or the index number in EB-except that more has to be worse.

Anyway, here's what is going on: My snoring may be minimal one night and evidently significant the next, with no variables that I can isolate having changed. On what I would call an "average" night I might have 5 to 7 VS events of around 1 second each according to SH, with a VS index number of around 1 to 1.5 showing in EB. But thrown in the middle of a string of several such nights I'll have a night with 54 VS events in SH that were from 1 to 27 seconds in duration, and a corresponding VS index of 65.9 in EB. I actually had one night with 7 VS events of 1 second each in SH and an index of 1.1 in EB, followed by a night with 47 events in SH up to 33 seconds each and a VS index in EB of 123!

RERAs, PB, etc. all remain about the same and are usually pretty good. My AHI is consistently around .3 to 1.0 and normally is composed of hypopneas only. I consider that I'm sleeping pretty well and am consistently dreaming every night. I've tried bumping my pressures up a bit but that seems to have no effect.

To be fair I'm not aware of any negative effect this is having on me but I figure there must be some whether I'm aware of then or not.

And as stated, I can't isolate any variables that could be causative.

Any thoughts?

[Woody]

On days I don't exercise my AHI is between 4 and 6 . But just 15 min of exercise including one
30 sec wind sprint and my AHI is in the 1 to 2.5 range.

[ChicagoGranny]

But thrown in the middle of a string of several such nights I'll have a night with 54 VS events in SH that were from 1 to 27 seconds in duration, and a corresponding VS index of 65.9 in EB.

Do you feel any different the next day?

The machine records vibrations as snores. If the mask leaks and makes those "farting" noises, the machine will record them as snore.

ChicagoGramps

[old dude]

But thrown in the middle of a string of several such nights I'll have a night with 54 VS events in SH that were from 1 to 27 seconds in duration, and a corresponding VS index of 65.9 in EB.

Do you feel any different the next day?

The machine records vibrations as snores. If the mask leaks and makes those "farting" noises, the machine will record them as snore.

ChicagoGramps

CG, thanks for your response. I had high hopes when I read your thought, because I do from time to time get a small leak at one side of my nose. I don't think it rises to farting though, which would likely wake me up. Going back and checking though, the worst snoring seems to occur on nights when I have virtually no leaks at all. And I cannot tell any discernible difference in how I feel the next day after a snoring episode.

[Pugsy]

You don't sleep with a snoring pet do you?
My machine would pick up on my little Pug dog snores when he was up by my neck. Made for some wicked looking snore events when it happened.
How do you route the hose? Do you use a hose cover? Sometimes hose movement can cause vibrations that the machine might mistake for snores.
Might also be positional snores...worse maybe on your back?? Any clustering?

Back when I was seeing the wicked snore events before I realized it was the Pug dog...I didn't feel any worse and I was just ignoring them anyway.

[old dude]

You don't sleep with a snoring pet do you?
My machine would pick up on my little Pug dog snores when he was up by my neck. Made for some wicked looking snore events when it happened.
How do you route the hose? Do you use a hose cover? Sometimes hose movement can cause vibrations that the machine might mistake for snores.
Might also be positional snores...worse maybe on your back?? Any clustering?

Back when I was seeing the wicked snore events before I realized it was the Pug dog...I didn't feel any worse and I was just ignoring them anyway.

I sleep in a recliner all the way back so my head is close to being lower than my feet; not much room for movement. And unless it can pick up a loudly purring 20 pound cat about 5 feet away, no, not that either, I don't think it's the hose, it's pretty stable.

But yes Pugsy, when the snores are high, they do seem to cluster in about an hour's worth of time or slightly over that.

[Wulfman...]

"Snoring" is sound effects (on inhale).
Higher snoring levels usually indicate some type of nasal congestion or obstruction.

Suggestions:
Nasal cleansing before bedtime.
If using higher humidifier settings......try turning down or Off. (Higher humidity can cause more nasal congestion)
Bumping up pressure a bit.

From a personal perspective, when I started therapy, I had snore index numbers in the "hundreds" but AHI numbers at or below 1.0. Over time, the snore numbers decreased considerably. However, it wasn't until I came up with a nasal cleansing routine before bedtime (or anytime I felt somewhat congested) and at about a year, I bumped up my pressure by 2 cm.
Those changes resulted in my snoring index falling below 1.0......and staying there.


Den

.

[ChicagoGranny]

they do seem to cluster in about an hour's worth of time or slightly over that.

Did you say what time of night?

[old dude]

CG, the worst 2 nights of snoring in the last week have been clustered (on different nights) between 1am>2am, and 4:15am>5:45am. Those nights had snore indices of 65.9 and 123.8 respectively.

Den, I live in a constant state of nasal congestion. It ranges from bad to worse, and is always at it's worst when I lay down. I have a combination of everything that can go wrong with one's nose: vasomotor rhinitis, deviated septum, funky turbinates-you name it. I use saline solution all the time and probably wear out a neti pot every year. Sometimes it helps a little, sometimes not so much. I cannot take decongestants of any kind because of BP and atrial flutter issues. I do however use a lot of Olbas Inhalers, which sometimes helps a little.

I was under the impression that humidity helped with nasal congestion, not the other way around. I've always kept my humidifier at the max for fear of a nosebleed, which would be a real problem given that I also take a blood thinner (Xarelto). And I still wake up with a very dry mouth, since obviously I'm a mouth breather by necessity. But I'll give it a try on turning down the humidity some.

I have bumped up my pressures by .5 cm each but the snoring still seems pretty random.

I do appreciate the tips on congestion. I thought snoring was a collapse of the airway and had no idea it was related to congestion, but I'll try all I can to reduce said congestion (although I'm somewhat limited in what I can do).

[ChicagoGranny]

But I'll give it a try on turning down the humidity some.

When I visit Fl, I don't bring the humidifier. There in the Panhandle you may not need a humidifier because the ambient humidity is high and the temperatures rarely get cold. Check that your machine is not located where an air conditioning vent blows on or near it. I imagine your A/C runs a lot and it can be drying.

You mention funky turbinates and deviated septum, so maybe you have already had an endoscopy of the nasal airway including a laryngoscopy. If not, you need to get one done by an ENT/allergist. See http://www.tampaent.com/treatments-nasa ... el-fl.html

A good ENT will do some things for you. Allergy tests is one. Second would be prescribing a nasal corticosteroid for long term use. See http://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplem ... g-20070513 . At least one of them is now OTC and reasonably priced if you shop and look for coupons and special offers.

use a lot of Olbas Inhalers, which sometimes helps a little.

My opinion of these for chronic congestion is very low.

No use suffering with congestion. You will likely find that CPAP works better if your nasal passages are open.

[old dude]

But I'll give it a try on turning down the humidity some.

When I visit Fl, I don't bring the humidifier. There in the Panhandle you may not need a humidifier because the ambient humidity is high and the temperatures rarely get cold. Check that your machine is not located where an air conditioning vent blows on or near it. I imagine your A/C runs a lot and it can be drying.

You mention funky turbinates and deviated septum, so maybe you have already had an endoscopy of the nasal airway including a laryngoscopy. If not, you need to get one done by an ENT/allergist. See http://www.tampaent.com/treatments-nasa ... el-fl.html

A good ENT will do some things for you. Allergy tests is one. Second would be prescribing a nasal corticosteroid for long term use. See http://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplem ... g-20070513 . At least one of them is now OTC and reasonably priced if you shop and look for coupons and special offers.

use a lot of Olbas Inhalers, which sometimes helps a little.

My opinion of these for chronic congestion is very low.

No use suffering with congestion. You will likely find that CPAP works better if your nasal passages are open.

Thanks you CG. I should have mentioned that I have been taking a nasal steroid for years-Nasacort AQ I believe it is. The problem persists, but I imagine it would be much worse without it.