11 days in -- need help figuring out settings, please.

rainbows · Post by **rainbows** » Mon Jun 11, 2018 7:26 am

Hello there,
I was diagnosed with mild Apnea on May 31 and have slept with a loaner Resmed AirSense 10 AutoSet every night sense. I have a "for her" version shipping out this week.

I have gotten comfortable sleeping with the nasal mask and am feeling *much* better but would like some pointers on how to stretch my sleep cycles. I can fall asleep just fine but jerk awake 40-60 minutes later. Thus far my longest sleep stretch has really only been 2-3 hours, and I'd really like to sleep longer than that, if possible.

I have learned a great deal from reading through the posts and spent the first few days with my new diagnosis reading through all 43 pages of "success stories." Thank you for all of the advice and pointers given so freely -- it really is so refreshing to read such support on the Internet!

I will attach the last 5 days worth of reports. I think I need to raise my initial pressure, but am not sure if that is why I'm jerking awake at that 1 hour mark. I prefer to sleep on my back because of hip/shoulder pain but sometimes get longer stretches of sleep on my side.
I am using a N20 Nasal Mask for her right now after goofing around with some DreamWear pillows and really like the mask I'm using.

thank you so much, steph

rainbows · Post by **rainbows** » Mon Jun 11, 2018 7:30 am

here are the last 2 screen shots. I did raise my pressure last night but still woke up a lot. thank you for your insight, I really appreciate it.

Pugsy · Post by **Pugsy** » Mon Jun 11, 2018 7:42 am

Welcome to the forum.

You know if it wasn't for the fragmented sleep your reports look pretty darn good. Initially I thought maybe the wake ups might be related to when the machine went higher with the pressures but it looks like you have just as many at the lower pressures.

Do you take any medications of any kind? If so, what. Sometimes medication side affects impact our ability to stay asleep so we always like to rule them out and sometimes it's a little known side effect that isn't common. I take a pain pill that comes with a big "may cause drowsiness" sticker on it but it works the opposite on me....and a teeny tiny percent of the people who take it have that side effect.

While technically you probably don't critically need more pressure in terms of holding the airway open....increasing that minimum is probably what I would try if it were me just to see if it helps or not.
It's also possible that your brain is just waking you up to alert you to the alien on your face and with time the brain comes to know the mask as its new best friend the brain may quite alerting you to that alien so much.

It took my brain about 3 months to slowly come to grips with the new norm and not just wake me up to say "hey dude, did you know that there is a weird alien blowing air up your nose?"

There is some truth to the "give it time" thing with this cpap stuff. The body just has to learn a new normal and it can take a while.
I see no harm in trying a little more minimum though. It might help and won't hurt. Some people do report that they just sleep better at pressures higher than they might need on paper in terms of the AHI and stuff.

Maybe try something between 6.5 to 7.0 and see what happens. Just don't make a jump so big that you find it difficult to breathe comfortably....if you need to take smaller steps you can.

rainbows · Post by **rainbows** » Mon Jun 11, 2018 7:55 am

Thank you Pugsy, I appreciate your response.

I've been taking Magnesium, Aleve, and Valerian Root about an hour before bed.
I am a pretty light sleeper -- and actually feel so much better with the machine that today I got up at 5 and feel better than I did 2 weeks ago getting up much later.

The Aleve was originally to help with hip pain, but now my shoulder is really bugging me from sleeping on my side. I'd rather take no NSAIDs and hopefully with some good sleep under my belt I will be able to do so!

my new machine is on the way and I wonder if being able to use a humidifier will help with my comfort level to stay in a deeper sleep.

okay! this is good that you don't see anything glaringly wrong.

Pugsy · Post by **Pugsy** » Mon Jun 11, 2018 8:06 am

I didn't realize you weren't using the humidifier yet.
Yes, it might well make a huge difference in comfort and let you sleep longer.
How long before you get your forever machine? If it is very long you can get a water chamber and use it now.
You have a humidifier already built in but it's not working because no water chamber.
If it's very long before you get your new machine and you have Amazon Prime....get one and then you will have a spare water chamber (which is a good idea to have anyway).
Amazon is the fastest and cheapest source that I know of for the water chamber especially if you are a Prime member.
I had a chance to use it myself a while back when I dropped my water chamber and broke it....which is why you need a spare.

That's why kaisagram was asking about what machines Kasier was now using for the loaner thing for titrations. She knows how much help the humidifier and the added moisture is for a lot of people.

All you need is the water chamber and they don't cost a lot...and you remove the end plate (I have done it and it's not all that difficult) and you insert the water chamber and you have a working humidifier.
With the AirSense 10 machines the humidifier is built in..it's there now for you but it just won't work without the water chamber.

rainbows · Post by **rainbows** » Mon Jun 11, 2018 8:37 am

well that is good news about the humidifier! thank you.
I ordered from CPAP.com yesterday so I expect it by Wed? Hopefully?

Pugsy · Post by **Pugsy** » Mon Jun 11, 2018 8:48 am

I am not sure how they ship machines but if not by Wed then I would think Thurs.
They will ship today....Sunday orders ship out on Mondays since they are closed on Sunday.
You should get an email about when shipped and a tracking number and all that.

palerider · Post by **palerider** » Mon Jun 11, 2018 12:04 pm

Please don't use *both* the pressure AND mask pressure traces... they're redundant... move the mask pressure trace off, and make the others larger.

flags
flow
pressure
leaks
snore
flow limitations.

rainbows · Post by **rainbows** » Fri Jun 15, 2018 7:56 am

good morning!

just a bit of an update since I wrote in on Monday -- I did get my Forever Machine -- an Resmed 10 AutoSet For Her and like it a lot.
I used it Tues and Wed night and woke up quite a bit choking on air and felt like I was drowning a few times.
My husband said I was making "weird noises" too, and actually shook me awake at one point, where I was mid-dream thinking I was stuck in a carnival dunk tank.
yuck.

I read up on EPR settings yesterday and found that my machine came with that turned off. I set it on last night, cranked it to 3 and slept better than I have in probably 20 years.
My first sleep stretch was 2 hours, then followed by a 3 hour then a 4 hour stretch. AHI was 1.1

I'll take it! thank you for all of the advice and help offered on this board.

prodigyplace · Post by **prodigyplace** » Fri Jun 15, 2018 7:59 am

rainbows wrote: ↑
Fri Jun 15, 2018 7:56 am
good morning!

just a bit of an update since I wrote in on Monday -- I did get my Forever Machine -- an Resmed 10 AutoSet For Her and like it a lot.
I used it Tues and Wed night and woke up quite a bit choking on air and felt like I was drowning a few times.
My husband said I was making "weird noises" too, and actually shook me awake at one point, where I was mid-dream thinking I was stuck in a carnival dunk tank.
yuck.

I read up on EPR settings yesterday and found that my machine came with that turned off. I set it on last night, cranked it to 3 and slept better than I have in probably 20 years.
My first sleep stretch was 2 hours, then followed by a 3 hour then a 4 hour stretch. AHI was 1.1

I'll take it! thank you for all of the advice and help offered on this board.

That is promising!

If the machine is set up like your first post, EPR of 3 is no better than 2 because the pressure will not get below 4 and the minimum there was 5.6.

EDIT: The above is incorrect. That statement is correct for Ramp, not EPR.

Pugsy · Post by **Pugsy** » Fri Jun 15, 2018 8:11 am

When in auto mode once the pressure goes to 7 cm you will get the full benefit of the 3 EPR setting.
And yeah, I think it is pretty nice myself. I think I also sleep better using it. Others prefer less or even none exhale relief.
It's just one of many things about cpap that come with a big YMMV sticker. Lots of individual preferences involved. Whatever makes YOU happy and lets YOU sleep better is right for YOU. Doesn't matter what is right for someone else.

OkyDoky · Post by **OkyDoky** » Fri Jun 15, 2018 8:12 am

prodigyplace wrote: ↑
Fri Jun 15, 2018 7:59 am
If the machine is set up like your first post, EPR of 3 is no better than 2 because the pressure will not get below 4 and the minimum there was 5.6.

But once the pressure gets to 7 or above you will get the full 3cm relief.

prodigyplace · Post by **prodigyplace** » Fri Jun 15, 2018 8:28 am

Oops. I confused Ramp & EPR.

An EPR of 3 will act different than one of 2.

Sorry for the confusion.

11 days in -- need help figuring out settings, please.

11 days in -- need help figuring out settings, please.

Re: 11 days in -- need help figuring out settings, please.

Re: 11 days in -- need help figuring out settings, please.

Re: 11 days in -- need help figuring out settings, please.

Re: 11 days in -- need help figuring out settings, please.

Re: 11 days in -- need help figuring out settings, please.

Re: 11 days in -- need help figuring out settings, please.

Re: 11 days in -- need help figuring out settings, please.

Re: 11 days in -- need help figuring out settings, please.

Re: 11 days in -- need help figuring out settings, please.

Re: 11 days in -- need help figuring out settings, please.

Re: 11 days in -- need help figuring out settings, please.

Re: 11 days in -- need help figuring out settings, please.