And it begins...Airsense 10 and Amara View

Newbie here.

Background: Have had severe apnea all my life, I suspect, but was diagnosed officially about 10 years ago. Tried CPAP then and didn't even complete the titration study because I didn't sleep a wink that night. I always described it as a combo hair dryer/fart machine on my face. Then got a dental appliance (TAP) and it seemed to be helping my sleepiness even though a follow up sleep study said it wasn't really improving my AHI all that much. But since I thought I couldn't tolerate a CPAP, it was my solution. Changed to a Somnodent oral appliance a few years later when my TAP broke. It's really a great appliance. Brought down my AHI from 73 to 25. Still bad, but I didn't want to even look at a CPAP. Had another sleep study a few weeks ago and my AHI was back up to 50. Seriously thought about MMA surgery, but the ordeal seemed over the top, so I thought I'd finally take a stab at CPAP again.

So, today, went into SleepQuest again and it was like night and day from my first CPAP experience. Had a GREAT tech who ran through different masks, seal, fits, etc, etc over the course of over an hour! I think the original tech 10 years ago (also SleepQuest!) barely spent 5 minutes with me and just threw me a titration machine and a mask. Tried the Amara View (which I had researched to be one I really hoped they had), an F10, and the predescessor to the F10 (I forget the name but it leaked like crazy at the top of the triangle on my nose). Settled on the Amara View to go with the Airsense 10 my doctor prescribed.

I'm still pretty scared about sleeping tonight...we'll see how it goes...

SimbaLion wrote:Newbie here.

Background: Have had severe apnea all my life, I suspect, but was diagnosed officially about 10 years ago. Tried CPAP then and didn't even complete the titration study because I didn't sleep a wink that night. I always described it as a combo hair dryer/fart machine on my face. Then got a dental appliance (TAP) and it seemed to be helping my sleepiness even though a follow up sleep study said it wasn't really improving my AHI all that much. But since I thought I couldn't tolerate a CPAP, it was my solution. Changed to a Somnodent oral appliance a few years later when my TAP broke. It's really a great appliance. Brought down my AHI from 73 to 25. Still bad, but I didn't want to even look at a CPAP. Had another sleep study a few weeks ago and my AHI was back up to 50. Seriously thought about MMA surgery, but the ordeal seemed over the top, so I thought I'd finally take a stab at CPAP again.

So, today, went into SleepQuest again and it was like night and day from my first CPAP experience. Had a GREAT tech who ran through different masks, seal, fits, etc, etc over the course of over an hour! I think the original tech 10 years ago (also SleepQuest!) barely spent 5 minutes with me and just threw me a titration machine and a mask. Tried the Amara View (which I had researched to be one I really hoped they had), an F10, and the predescessor to the F10 (I forget the name but it leaked like crazy at the top of the triangle on my nose). Settled on the Amara View to go with the Airsense 10 my doctor prescribed.

I'm still pretty scared about sleeping tonight...we'll see how it goes...

Welcome to the forum. You got a great machine -- let us know how the night goes.

You'll get hooked on cpap. It's like fishing. You get into a mess of fish and you're hooked. You wake up that one morning feeling rested, refresh and better feeling better than you have in maybe decades... and you are hooked!

Sheriff

First night report, and some questions.

Overall, probably rougher than I had hoped for.

1) Couldn't really fall asleep. I think I probably slept maybe 2-3 hours out of 7.5 hours, but that's just my perception. Was a combo of being "aware" of my breathing, not knowing "how" to breathe, mask leaks, and just general weirdness of this thing blowing at me. I hope this is just something I need to get used to...

2) Mask leaks. Still trying to figure this out...mask worked out well in the Sleepquest office. Obviously a bit different while sleeping/moving. Tried tightening but I felt the headgear pulling at the back of my head/neck and that didn't feel great.

3) Dry mouth. Don't really understand this one -- heated Climateline, humidifier on. Woke up the first time with my tongue and mouth super dry. But my lips seem fine. I panicked and thought the humidifier had run out of water but it was still fairly full...do I just need to up the humidifier?

4) Numbers on the machine report: 7 hours 19 min usage, 30 events an hour, AHI 15, Mask leaks 19L -- how is the events an hour/AHI calculated if I feel like I was awake for 3-5 hours of the 7?

Trying my best to make this work!!

The first few nights, I pictured myself on a long space voyage,
hooked up to astronaut gear, anticipating awesome sci fi adventures in outer space.
-----"Frogs in Space", coming soon!

SimbaLion wrote: 1) Couldn't really fall asleep. I think I probably slept maybe 2-3 hours out of 7.5 hours, but that's just my perception. Was a combo of being "aware" of my breathing, not knowing "how" to breathe, mask leaks, and just general weirdness of this thing blowing at me. I hope this is just something I need to get used to...

That's it -- the adjustment process. Absolutely classic experience you're reporting. It does get easier.

2) Mask leaks. Still trying to figure this out...mask worked out well in the Sleepquest office. Obviously a bit different while sleeping/moving. Tried tightening but I felt the headgear pulling at the back of my head/neck and that didn't feel great.

Mask fit is also different at different pressures, and when lying down vs. sitting, and in different sleeping positions. A common mistake is overtightening the mask in the hopes of stopping leaks, so try out some different tensions while lying down with machine on. And, not every mask is a winner -- some masks and faces just don't play nice together. Most of us have had to do some trial and error before finding "the one."

3) Dry mouth. Don't really understand this one -- heated Climateline, humidifier on. Woke up the first time with my tongue and mouth super dry. But my lips seem fine. I panicked and thought the humidifier had run out of water but it was still fairly full...do I just need to up the humidifier?

Not necessarily -- having your mouth open, even for fairly short periods of time, is often the culprit when you wake up with very dry mouth. And that holds true even for full face masks -- the humidifier even at the highest setting can't necessarily compensate for an open mouth especially if it's open a lot.

4) Numbers on the machine report: 7 hours 19 min usage, 30 events an hour, AHI 15, Mask leaks 19L -- how is the events an hour/AHI calculated if I feel like I was awake for 3-5 hours of the 7?

These machines don't know if we're awake or asleep, they just record our breathing when they're on and we're attached to them. If your AHI was 15, what do you mean by 30 events/hour? Those two numbers should be the same.

What was the event type breakdown of the AHI (obstructive, hypopnea, central or "clear airway")?

Trying my best to make this work!!

It sounds like a typical first night for many, so don't worry. It really is an adjustment process. When you're ready you can post some SleepyHead screenshots to get more detailed feedback as you continue to get adjusted to this whole nutty therapy.

Thanks! Yea, I was confused about the 30 events and AHI 15 thing too...I assumed they'd be the same. But on the Airsense, the "big number" at the top was 30 events (maybe I am misremembering "an hour") and down below was AHI 15. I haven't installed sleepyhead yet, but will do so tonight or tomorrow.

The dry mouth thing is a bummer...I have to remove the mask for a bit before I can get my mouth back to where it wants to be. And I'm not sure if I'm waking up because of it...

In order for the two numbers in your sleep report to agree you have to set the "Time period" for the second one to one day, that second number is an average over a given time period such as one day, one week, one month, etc.

The default on the airsense is a time period of one month or 30 days. Set it to one day and they will be the same, also be aware that if the machine loses power either by unplugging it from wall socket, or a power failure, when it comes back on it resets to 30 day period.....just an idiosyncrasy of the Airsense machine as far as the time period for the sleep report.