Sleepyhead results and settings advice

Hi all!

This is my first post to the cpaptalk forum! I was on another forum before but the answers given were not helpful, were arrogant and kind of rude so I left for what seems to be friendlier and more helpful place!

I am a doctor and I was getting more and more tired in the afternoon thinking about when my next nap would be. I would wake up early in the morning and unable to fall back asleep. I had a sleep study and was prescribed APAP.

I have used it for about ten days and I think that I am feeling better but I did not have that life-changing experience of the fountain of youth that others describe.;

My friend had an extra respironics that he is letting me try out and my doctor is fine with it because he knows that I have done a lot of research.

I am including my Sleepyhead data from last night. My questions are:

1. What is the best way to get rid of the hypopnea events and would lessening those make me feel more rested and better (I am up at night messing with the mask at times so I know that there is a learning curve). I understand that some say to raise the baseline pressure. Just asking if that is good advice and how much to raise it. 0.5 increments nightly?

2. I am using Phillips Nuance Pro nasal pillows so I know that there is going to be leakage but is mine acceptable?

Actually ANY advice would be great! I would love to read more about this to learn how changing the settings effect different parameters but not sure where to find this. I read a long Sleepyhead tutorial so I don't feel like a total newbie with the software.

If this is the wrong place to post this, please advise and if you need more data please let me know!

Thanks in advice!

hi, mike and welcome to the forum.

are you sure you've got the right place? we're pretty rude here, you know!

please make sure you read this-

viewtopic/t172378/Sticky--Newbies-PLEAS ... STING.html

and please go to the equipment profile to fill out yours, so that it will appear at the bottom of each post, as mine does below.

sorry that i don't have any advice for you but someone will be along shortly to help you.

good luck!

mikeinstlouis wrote: ↑

Wed Aug 08, 2018 6:03 pm

Hi all!

This is my first post to the cpaptalk forum! I was on another forum before but the answers given were not helpful, were arrogant and kind of rude so I left for what seems to be friendlier and more helpful place!

WE are friendlier that somewhere else??? :sputters: say it isn't so!?!?!?

mikeinstlouis wrote: ↑

Wed Aug 08, 2018 6:03 pm

I am including my Sleepyhead data from last night. My questions are:

1. What is the best way to get rid of the hypopnea events and would lessening those make me feel more rested and better (I am up at night messing with the mask at times so I know that there is a learning curve). I understand that some say to raise the baseline pressure. Just asking if that is good advice and how much to raise it. 0.5 increments nightly?

2. I am using Phillips Nuance Pro nasal pillows so I know that there is going to be leakage but is mine acceptable?

Actually ANY advice would be great! I would love to read more about this to learn how changing the settings effect different parameters but not sure where to find this. I read a long Sleepyhead tutorial so I don't feel like a total newbie with the software.

If this is the wrong place to post this, please advise and if you need more data please let me know!

Thanks in advice!

Next time you post, please review the instructions for newbies that's stickied at the top of the forum, your chart is missing the flow rate chart, which is often quite helpful.

1) The near universal answer to getting rid of hypopneas is "more pressure". hypopneas disturb your sleep, so yes, getting rid of them *should* help you sleep better... I know that if my AHi is much over 1.5... I don't feel as good the next day. As to how much? that's a guessing game... "enough" is the only definitive answer I can give you at this point. Your min pressure is *very* low at this point. I'd raise min to 7, maybe 8 just for starters. Then let it go three or four days, sleep varies from hour to hour, and day to day, so you don't want to make fine adjustments based on one days results.

2) If a respironics machine isn't flagging a 'large leak', then the leaks are acceptable to the machine. the 24lpm 'redline' that Sleepyhead complains about is only applicable to resmed machines. You can turn that off in the preferences.

It's the right place to post this.

Some videos if you haven't seen them:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gie2dhqP2c
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GW97Xk06N8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzCCgNLya_g

zonker wrote: ↑

Wed Aug 08, 2018 6:41 pm

hi, mike and welcome to the forum.

are you sure you've got the right place? we're pretty rude here, you know!

I know, right?

mikeinstlouis wrote: ↑

Wed Aug 08, 2018 6:03 pm

1. What is the best way to get rid of the hypopnea events and would lessening those make me feel more rested and better (I am up at night messing with the mask at times so I know that there is a learning curve). I understand that some say to raise the baseline pressure. Just asking if that is good advice and how much to raise it. 0.5 increments nightly?

That's generally what we advise when using cpap/apap.
How much depends on what we are looking at in terms of how many hyponeas and the other flags that point to the obstructive sleep apnea. I tend to be more on the conservative side with recommendations to change pressures unless there is an urgent reason to go higher faster. These machines work best when holding the airway open in the first place instead of trying to fix a problem after it has occurred. More pressure accomplishes that goal.

mikeinstlouis wrote: ↑

Wed Aug 08, 2018 6:03 pm

2. I am using Phillips Nuance Pro nasal pillows so I know that there is going to be leakage but is mine acceptable?

Well within acceptable limits. The top leak line on a Respironics leak graph is what we call total leak and total leak is the mask's intentional vent/leak rate. All masks have a vent rate. Vent rates increase as the pressure increases so expect to see the leak line move around as the pressure moves.

You had one very minor and short lived large leak flag...probably refitting the mask from the looks of it. Not a big deal at all.

Did you read my tutorial here or the one from RobySue over at the apneaboard?...or somewhere else?

The flow rate graph is more important than the snore graph. Snores are easily seen on the Events graph and you didn't have many anyway. No need to redo this image though. I just mention it for future images you might post.

I don't know what's going on with the top leak line...it's all broken up and shouldn't be.

palerider wrote: ↑

Wed Aug 08, 2018 6:51 pm

zonker wrote: ↑

Wed Aug 08, 2018 6:41 pm

hi, mike and welcome to the forum.

are you sure you've got the right place? we're pretty rude here, you know!

I know, right?

yes, BUT when i said "we", i was just trying to cover for YOU.

zonker wrote: ↑

Wed Aug 08, 2018 7:23 pm

palerider wrote: ↑

Wed Aug 08, 2018 6:51 pm

zonker wrote: ↑

Wed Aug 08, 2018 6:41 pm

hi, mike and welcome to the forum.

are you sure you've got the right place? we're pretty rude here, you know!

I know, right?

yes, BUT when i said "we", i was just trying to cover for YOU.

I'm not rude, I'm just drawn that way.

First off...Zonker stated that I need to put my machine and equipment in my profile. I have a Phillips Respironics and nasal pillows neither of them are in the options and I could not find any place to put it. I figured that my sleepyhead would have all the information, so sorry Zonkers, I tried. What should I have done?

Thank you for the advice! I don't know what happened to my flow data except that it is written over after one week. I had to uninstall Sleepyhead for some glitch and reinstall my data and the flow data was gone. Maybe I can send some data from tonight.

I will increase my baseline to 8 tonight. The higher pressure blows out of my lips when my mouth relaxes. I hope this will get better!

Thanks for the advice. I will let you guys know what it happening!

Mike

For the record, Mike, there are rude and arrogant folks here as well, but they've usually been in the trenches for a while so we cut 'em some slack.

Good luck!

MC

Just add your machine in the comments section...the link used to be there but it does appear to be gone now...doesn't matter the link was broken anyway when the newer DreamStation machines were released.
PR S1 60 series Auto CPAP model 560 & heated humidifier

The nasal pillows are in the mask menu...
Nuance & Nuance Pro Nasal CPAP mask with gel pillows

mikeinstlouis wrote: ↑

Wed Aug 08, 2018 9:14 pm

I don't know what happened to my flow data except that it is written over after one week.

No...it's not written over after a week...but the card does have to be in the cpap machine during the night for the flow rate graph to show up. If you forget and leave it in the computer you lose flow rate.

What are your plans in terms of machines...keep this one or get a newer model?
If you are going to get a different machine...look at the ResMed AirSense 10 AutoSet.

palerider wrote: ↑

Wed Aug 08, 2018 8:57 pm

zonker wrote: ↑

Wed Aug 08, 2018 7:23 pm

palerider wrote: ↑

Wed Aug 08, 2018 6:51 pm

zonker wrote: ↑

Wed Aug 08, 2018 6:41 pm

hi, mike and welcome to the forum.

are you sure you've got the right place? we're pretty rude here, you know!

I know, right?

yes, BUT when i said "we", i was just trying to cover for YOU.

I'm not rude, I'm just drawn that way.

what you did there? i saw it.

mikeinstlouis wrote: ↑

Wed Aug 08, 2018 9:14 pm

First off...Zonker stated that I need to put my machine and equipment in my profile. I have a Phillips Respironics and nasal pillows neither of them are in the options and I could not find any place to put it. I figured that my sleepyhead would have all the information, so sorry Zonkers, I tried. What should I have done?

Thank you for the advice! I don't know what happened to my flow data except that it is written over after one week. I had to uninstall Sleepyhead for some glitch and reinstall my data and the flow data was gone. Maybe I can send some data from tonight.

I will increase my baseline to 8 tonight. The higher pressure blows out of my lips when my mouth relaxes. I hope this will get better!

Thanks for the advice. I will let you guys know what it happening!

Mike

mike, i'm so sorry! here i tried to act like a big shot and i told you wrong.

fortunately, pugsy has given you an alternative.

good luck!