Feedback on Sleepyhead results

Hi all,

I have been using the CPAP since last Wednesday and after a rough start I feel like the last 3 days have been real positive, probably due to getting used to sleeping with the mask and also figuring out I needed to properly tighten the straps. I wouldn't say I feel "amazing" in the morning, but I do feel like I am starting to notice a difference. anyway, I would really appreciate some feedback on my stats. I am still trying to figure out how to effectively copy images from Sleepyhead so this will look a little bit rough.

Leaks are well within acceptable limits.
Can you post an image of the detailed reports from last night and the night before?

Sure! Where on sleepyhead are those reports found though?

On the calendar above the AHI bars on the left.
Just click on the date on the calendar to see the graphs on the right to change to that date.
It normally defaults to the most recent date after a download. Did you download/import again after this one report you show with Nov2 as the date?

I just realized that like the genius I am I forgot to upload the last few days to Sleepyhead!


Here are the results for Monday




Here are last night's results

Don't feel bad. I once spent an entire day trying to figure out why my software was saying no data for last night. It was back when we used a different medium than the SD card and I had put the smart card in the reader backwards. An entire day which included all sorts of driver software uninstalls and reinstalls and lots of cussing.

Your AHI is predominately still hyponea and though last night a wee bit better...still a few more than I would want to see.

Is your exhale relief setting comfortable to you? Are you happy with the breathing rhythm? Are you using CFlex or AFlex (I think both might be offered in auto mode with your machine but I can't swear to it. SleepyHead is showing CFlex at 3 on the statistics page but sometimes SH has it wrong there.

If you are totally happy with whatever Flex setting you are using...I think I would try 0.5cm increase in that minimum pressure and lets see if the hyponeas reduce in numbers. They aren't horrible now so if you wanted to wait to see if they reduce a little more on their own then that would be acceptable.
There doesn't seem to be much of a pattern with the hyponeas so maybe related a little to sleep position...like maybe supine????

How are the wake ups coming along? Still having a few of those? I see one therapy break on last night and night before report...so at least one wake up enough to turn the machine off?
Any particular reason for the wake up? Get up to urinate by chance?

Thanks for attempting to make me feel not quite as foolish as I do!

But funny you should mention the exhale relief because I have noticed it feels a little bit "forced." Kind of like, well, like I am exhaling into a tube! haha. I didn't realize that was a setting I could change as well. Any thoughts on what I should change it to? Is it like increasing the pressure setting?

I am still waking up a few times a night though last night I went to sleep at 9 and woke up at 3:30 and yes, had to urinate. I went to the bathroom and when I came back I checked my AHI score just out of curiousity and it was 3.1. I then slept until around 6 and in those 3 hours it went from 3.1 to 4.5.

I was feeling blah these last couple of days and I think last night the sickness was leaving my system because I was absolutely exhasuted. that is why i went to sleep so early last night. Not sure if that would have an effect on the results, but figured I would mention that anyway.

My doctor didn't have a problem at all with me increasing the minimum pressure to 7 so I doubt 7.5 would raise his eyebrow. think I should make that change? My appointment got moved to December 14 so I have plenty of time

Seattleboy49 wrote:But funny you should mention the exhale relief because I have noticed it feels a little bit "forced." Kind of like, well, like I am exhaling into a tube! haha. I didn't realize that was a setting I could change as well. Any thoughts on what I should change it to? Is it like increasing the pressure setting?

If you are indeed using CFlex now...change it to AFlex. Play with the settings to figure out which one feels the best or suits your breathing rhythm the best. The amount of reduction or drop in pressure per setting is dependent more on the force of your own breathing than it is the actual setting...so play with all of them and see what feels best and don't worry about the setting.
Personally I liked AFlex at 2 better than 3. At 3 it sort of made me feel like I was breathing too fast...setting of 1 was a bit slow.
I think AFlex is more in tune with the natural breathing rhythm than CFlex was...at least for me. This is something you just have to play with to figure out which one feels best for you.

There should be a demo available under the right upper box where Flex show up on the LCD screen? If you don't see it then it just means that patient control of the FLex settings is turned off...turn it on in the clinical setup menu. It saves time having to go into the setup menu each time to change the setting.

Since the 2 breaks in therapy may have been related to the need to pee...and since the hyponeas are a little more numerous than we would like to see...yes...I would change the minimum to 7.5. Thinking maybe if we reduce the hyponeas a little more then maybe the need to pee will also reduce. There may just be enough of the hyponeas to make the heart produce that little stress hormone that tells the kidneys to get to work and when kidneys work urine is produce.

Your pressure line itself doesn't appear to move very much...and that's good. Less chance of the pressure itself causing sleep disturbances. We may want to look at that pressure graph with it a little large to see movement in better detail later..but no rush right now. There's no need to do anything with the maximum..you pressure isn't running wild and fluctuating all over the place so the maximum becomes a moot point. It's the minimum that we look at to try to better prevent the collapse of the airway tissues.
So that's why just a tiny bit more minimum to see if that will do a better job holding the airway open.

Ok, thanks! needless to say, I still have a lot to learn. For starters, though I know in the upper right hand corner my LCD screen says "CFLEX" I have no idea what that is referring to nor did I know there is an Aflex option. I just read a few threads regarding the Aflex v Cflex comparison and I noticed that more then a few people seem to prefer AFLEX and state that it feels more like normal breathing. Normal breating sounds good to me so I will try it at level 2 tonight! I will also increase the pressure from 7 to 7.5. I will wait a few days and then post my results. or maybe just send to you privately so I don't drive everyone crazy with this. I do appreciate all the great info this forum provides though. it has proven to be very enlightening for the absolute newbie I am.

Seattleboy49 wrote:though I know in the upper right hand corner my LCD screen says "CFLEX" I have no idea what that is referring to nor did I know there is an Aflex option.

You may need to go into the clinical setup menu and change the Flex from CFlex to AFlex to play with the demo for AFlex.
I think the Flex choice in the setup menu is right under the maximum pressure setting..either that or under the mode selection.
Right up near the top of the menu choices though.

Ok, I will figure it out! Well, "most likely."