Looking for some help

First off, thank you all for all of the information on this site, I don't know where I would be in my sleep apnea treatment without it.

I began CPAP treatment in Feb after being diagnosed with an AHI of 27. I adjusted fairly quickly to sleeping with the mask, but my results have been underwhelming so far. My avg AHI for the last 30 days is 1.09 according to SleepyHead, and I've had pretty much every night between 0-2.5 AHI since starting treatment. That sounds great, yet I'm still waking up many mornings feeling awful, low energy, and struggling to get through the day. Basically exactly how I felt before CPAP.

In particular, the last 3 days I've woken up with a dull headache that has lasted all day, and I've had almost zero energy. I'm quite frustrated at this point and hoping to find some suggestions on how I can improve my treatment. I've attached SleepyHead screenshots of my last 3 nights. Note that in the Tuesday screenshot, my min was set to 9, not 8.4. I'm not sure why it was reported incorrectly.

Also, I'm 33/M and not on any medications. Please let me know if there's any other info I can provide.

Thanks for reading and your help!

Hey there!

I also get days where my sleep looks good on Sleepyhead/OSCAR, but I feel like I was hit by a train, so I totally get where you are coming from.

The first thing I see in your charts is that your leaks are pretty high - and I note you have a nasal mask. Do you do anything about leaking through your mouth? You might need to try taping your mouth.

Once you have your leaks under control, you could look at your pressure again.

cspags wrote: ↑

Thu Apr 25, 2019 11:59 am

First off, thank you all for all of the information on this site, I don't know where I would be in my sleep apnea treatment without it.

welcome! i'm going to agree with kate because she's so sweet! also because she's right. get the leaks under control, first. if i may suggest, look on you tube tube for mask fitting videos for your specific mask.

also, it may take some time before you feel the full benefit from cpap. get the leaks under control, get your settings optimized and see how it goes.

good luck!

zonker wrote: ↑

Thu Apr 25, 2019 5:27 pm

cspags wrote: ↑

Thu Apr 25, 2019 11:59 am

First off, thank you all for all of the information on this site, I don't know where I would be in my sleep apnea treatment without it.

welcome! i'm going to agree with kate because she's so sweet! also because she's right. get the leaks under control, first. if i may suggest, look on you tube tube for mask fitting videos for your specific mask.

also, it may take some time before you feel the full benefit from cpap. get the leaks under control, get your settings optimized and see how it goes.

good luck!

Zonker-you are so kind!

cspags - hang in there! Work on the leaks, and drop by again to ask for further support.

katestyles wrote: ↑

Thu Apr 25, 2019 9:16 pm

Zonker-you are so kind!

cspags - hang in there! Work on the leaks, and drop by again to ask for further support.

Thank you both for the replies! I will pay more attention to the leak numbers now. I have tried mouth taping a bit, but struggle to get through the entire night because I end up waking up thirsty and taking off the tape I'll continue to try to get better at that.

I've also been debating trying out a chinstrap or full face mask (maybe the F20). The N30i is the only mask I've tried so maybe I need to experiment more. (Blaming the equipment, not myself, just like golf )

cspags wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 26, 2019 2:47 pm

Thank you both for the replies! I will pay more attention to the leak numbers now. I have tried mouth taping a bit, but struggle to get through the entire night because I end up waking up thirsty and taking off the tape I'll continue to try to get better at that.

I've also been debating trying out a chinstrap or full face mask (maybe the F20). The N30i is the only mask I've tried so maybe I need to experiment more. (Blaming the equipment, not myself, just like golf )

here are two things you might consider-

viewtopic/p1089718/viewtopic.php?f=1&t= ... s#p1086296

this lowered my ahi cinsiderably.

next, look for xylimelts which you can find in the oral care section of grocery store or drugstore. locally, i get them at cvs. these are lozenges that you place between cheek and teeth. the sticky side helps them stay in your mouth overnight. as they slowly melt, they help stimulate saliva.

oh and yeah, finding that "just right" mask FOR YOU can take some time. believe me, what works for me may not work for you.

please come back and let us know how things are going.

Zonker is an expert on mouth taping, and I bow to his expertise.

As he says - keep coming back - you can just let this thread be your personal PAP therapy story as you move along your journey. Keeping it all together helps the experts go back and read up on your story.