In Search for Optimal Sleep

I am 62 and have been on CPAP for about 15 years. I do try to exercise daily, and am in general ok health. The difference is astounding from when I was not on CPAP to now. Where I used to fall asleep at stop lights or during meetings I now can function normally. However I need some input on what seems to be a troubling issue. Most nights when I use the CPAP machine i have data which shows events on average less than one, and many nights with zero apneas. I am 100% compliant on using the CPAP machine. I have an Autoset S9 with settings of 9 to 13. The difference as noted above is a long way from my first sleep study where I had 123 events per hour. Now to my question. While the data shows I have no events, my sleep seems fragmented. Many nights I wake up for an hour or two before I can go back to sleep. On some nights I simply come down and lay on the couch, look at the news on the Ipad then fall asleep without my cpap machine. During all the nights I am on the cpap machine it seems like I never dream and believe I do not get into REM sleep. On the nights I sleep on the couch for an hour or so after waking up I seem to dream very vivid dreams, and feel better that day. So my question is, could being of the CPAP inhibit REM sleep or its architecture but yet providing me sleep without arousals? How does one get better quality of sleep? I have tried CPAP pillows, Lunesta (not good) exercise etc. I ask all of you since you are a wealth of information, and I am sure you each have ideas. What happened to those days as a teenager you could fall asleep for 12 hours and wake up rested? I do have data from sleepyhead if that would help but I don't think that would provide any insight onto my question. Again the reason I ask is on normal days when I do use the CPAP and no dreams my energy level seems very low. THanks

Stutz427 wrote:I am 62 and have been on CPAP for about 15 years. I do try to exercise daily, and am in general ok health. The difference is astounding from when I was not on CPAP to now. Where I used to fall asleep at stop lights or during meetings I now can function normally. However I need some input on what seems to be a troubling issue. Most nights when I use the CPAP machine i have data which shows events on average less than one, and many nights with zero apneas. I am 100% compliant on using the CPAP machine. I have an Autoset S9 with settings of 9 to 13. The difference as noted above is a long way from my first sleep study where I had 123 events per hour. Now to my question. While the data shows I have no events, my sleep seems fragmented. Many nights I wake up for an hour or two before I can go back to sleep. On some nights I simply come down and lay on the couch, look at the news on the Ipad then fall asleep without my cpap machine. During all the nights I am on the cpap machine it seems like I never dream and believe I do not get into REM sleep. On the nights I sleep on the couch for an hour or so after waking up I seem to dream very vivid dreams, and feel better that day. So my question is, could being of the CPAP inhibit REM sleep or its architecture but yet providing me sleep without arousals? How does one get better quality of sleep? I have tried CPAP pillows, Lunesta (not good) exercise etc. I ask all of you since you are a wealth of information, and I am sure you each have ideas. What happened to those days as a teenager you could fall asleep for 12 hours and wake up rested? I do have data from sleepyhead if that would help but I don't think that would provide any insight onto my question. Again the reason I ask is on normal days when I do use the CPAP and no dreams my energy level seems very low. THanks

Simple answer: Try straight-pressure (CPAP mode).
I've seen many, many stories such as yours.......low AHI but never feeling rested.
The POSSIBILITY is that as you're entering different sleep stages, your breathing changes and that may trigger the machine to increase pressures if there are Flow Limitations or Snores. The pressure increases MAY bump you out of your needed sleep stages (deep or REM) and keep you in a lighter stage.
Everybody is different. Some can sleep with the pressure changes and some are disturbed by them. You've got nothing to lose but potentially "good sleep" to gain by trying straight pressure.

I speak from experience with this.

But.......NEVER, EVER.......sleep without your therapy equipment.


Den

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