Teeth Clenching & CPAP Newbie

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
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clenchingtobreathe
Posts: 149
Joined: Fri Jul 20, 2018 10:02 am

Re: Teeth Clenching & CPAP Newbie

Post by clenchingtobreathe » Mon Aug 13, 2018 1:30 pm

ChicagoGranny wrote:
Mon Aug 13, 2018 12:34 pm
clenchingtobreathe wrote:
Mon Aug 13, 2018 8:55 am
I'm still not completely sure what my SH charts are telling me
- Your AHI is very low.
- Your therapeutic pressure is low.
- Your flow limitations are minimal assuming the data is reliable.
- Your leak rate is low.
- Snoring is under good control.
- You used the machine over 8 hours.
clenchingtobreathe wrote:
Mon Aug 13, 2018 8:55 am
Rising pressure
EPR gives you two pressure changes with each and every breath. If pressure increases during sleep bother you, what about reducing the EPR one notch per night until it is off?
clenchingtobreathe wrote:
Mon Aug 13, 2018 8:55 am
mask adjusting & discomfort
Have you watched a few videos on youtube about fitting and adjusting your mask?
clenchingtobreathe wrote:
Mon Aug 13, 2018 8:55 am
What bothers me most is high pressure...trying to keep air out of my mouth
Are you practicing holding the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth? When you wake up during the night, do you put the tip of your tongue back onto the roof of your mouth?
clenchingtobreathe wrote:
Mon Aug 13, 2018 8:55 am
Also, could stuffy nose be affecting flow limitation?
It could, but the statistic for August 12 doesn't look bad. Are you doing anything to deal with stuffy nose? Neti pot rinses? Cortisone nasal spray? Consultation with an ENT?
Thank you, CG, for getting back with me! Let me try to answer your questions:
I'm not familiar with "EPR." Do you think I should change that instead of the pressure max? It seems that when the pressure reaches the high 9's or 10's, I can't stop the air from sneaking into my mouth even though I'm trying to keep my tongue pushed up on the roof. The air "blurping" into my mouth wakes me up over and over while I'm trying desperately to sleep.

I have watched the videos on the adjusting the mask and headgear I'm using and I think I have that just about right. Since I am a side sleeper, I often manage to push the cushion a bit to the side with my face which seems to block air flow and I have to pull it back into alignment. Also the silicone burns my skin if it touches it for long and I have to pull it away from my skin and reposition it a bit. I have already covered the headgear "straps" and I have just found a liner for the Nano and have ordered it!

I have been using the NeilMed Saline Nasal gel before I go to bed, but it never lasts all night and CPAP seems to make me stuffier than I usually am even with humidifier running on 6!

My sleep was already pretty fragmented when I started CPAP. Seems like I just traded apnea arousals for CPAP arousals.....either way, I'm pretty exhausted....and waking every day with my face aching from teeth clenching. :cry:

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ChicagoGranny
Posts: 15271
Joined: Sun Jan 29, 2012 1:43 pm
Location: USA

Re: Teeth Clenching & CPAP Newbie

Post by ChicagoGranny » Mon Aug 13, 2018 1:43 pm

clenchingtobreathe wrote:
Mon Aug 13, 2018 1:30 pm
I'm not familiar with "EPR." Do you think I should change that instead of the pressure max?
You'll never know until you try it. Personally, I don't like the machine pressure cycling up and down on every breath. Others like it.
Expiratory pressure relief (EPR™)
EPR lowers pressure on exhalation so that breathing feels more natural.
EPR may be set to a level of 1, 2 or 3, depending on how much pressure
relief you prefer.

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clenchingtobreathe wrote:
Mon Aug 13, 2018 1:30 pm
I can't stop the air from sneaking into my mouth even though I'm trying to keep my tongue pushed up on the roof. The air "blurping" into my mouth wakes me up over and over while I'm trying desperately to sleep.
If you don't solve this soon, you need to switch to a full face mask (FFM). I like my FFM very much.