Getting AHI lower

We have a lot of full face mask users complaining of dry mouth and using some sort of oral hydrating product.
Sometimes the machine just can't crank out enough moisture to get the mouth not to be so dry. It simply can't.

You could give it a try though. Some people find that a full face mask and a high humidity setting helps out...there's no guarantee though.
Won't help much if the main culprit is meds or just overall tendency to have dry mouth though.

You could maybe try taping your mouth one night and see if totally eliminating any chance of mouth breathing makes any difference in the dry mouth...and then decide what to do about it once you know exactly the cause.

You might try Xylimelts. They are little discs that stick to your gums or teeth and help to relieve dry mouth by stimulating the production of saliva. They are designed to keep working for hours. I've never tried them, but other people have posted that they can be useful.

mgundy wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 31, 2020 5:13 am

I've upped my min pressure to 12 for the last few nights. Still no luck... I'm getting a little worried that this is the best I can expect

You've got a long way to go before you get to that point, pressure wise. Don't start worrying yet.

Miss Emerita wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 31, 2020 9:58 am

You might try Xylimelts. They are little discs that stick to your gums or teeth and help to relieve dry mouth by stimulating the production of saliva. They are designed to keep working for hours. I've never tried them, but other people have posted that they can be useful.

to the OP: yup. was just about to suggest these. wee discs with a bit of "stickum" on one side to help it adhere to the outside of your teeth. it slowly melts overnight promoting your saliva.

find them in the oral healthcare section at your drugstore. i've seen them at cvs and rite aid. also available at amazon.

Caught myself breathing out of my mouth. That's what's causing my dry mouth and tongue irritation. That started happening at the higher pressure setting (12+).

I'll try a full face mask. I took a look at some popular ones from ResMed. I'm assuming they can be used with the Dreamstation. In looking at the mask manual I couldn't find a mask setting, x1, x2, etc. Would anyone have insight on that?

Yes, you can use any brand mask with the DreamStation.
The only brands that use the mask resistance number are the Respironics brands. We are told by Respironics when using a non Respironics mask to just set it to 0 which effectively turns the Resistance setting off.

I raised the min pressure to 15 and I'm still plateaued at an AHI of around 8. It's weird... every time I raise the min pressure the max pressure during the night increases. This time is was over 18. I guess I should increase it more? What happens if I'm still like this and there is no more increase available?

mgundy wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 03, 2020 3:30 am

What happens if I'm still like this and there is no more increase available?

different model machine that can go higher than 29 cm.

Any thoughts on the next min pressure setting? 16? 16.5? 17?

mgundy wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 03, 2020 9:46 am

Any thoughts on the next min pressure setting? 16? 16.5? 17?

17

0.5 cm isn't going to do much to change results but it might be needed in terms of comfort adjustments.
I would keep using at least 1 cm increments and not bother with 0.5 unless I had significant problems going to sleep at the higher minimum.

If you can do 17....I would try 17.

I think we are approaching the point where you might want to consider switching to a BiLevel machine, such as the AirCurve 10 VAuto.

• You are approaching your machine's maximum of 20 cm, the VAuto has a maximum of 25cm
• The responsiveness of ResMed's algorithm might do a better job of treating your events.
• Even if your events get controlled in the 17-20 cm we have left to adjust your minimum to, the better pressure support might increase your comfort level.

Anyone want to buy a barely used dreamstation? *smh*

I called where I ordered from any there’s no trial periods/returns on home machines. Maybe I’ll keep it as a backup if it comes to that.

mgundy wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 03, 2020 10:57 am

Anyone want to buy a barely used dreamstation? *smh*

I called where I ordered from any there’s no trial periods/returns on home machines. Maybe I’ll keep it as a backup if it comes to that.

It's just a thought and might be a bit premature, just yet. There's still some room for adjustment.

Is EPAP related to Flex? I searched around and I couldn't find anything definitive.

I zoomed in on a problem area from last night a few times. I saw that when I did have a bunch of events, what finally brought my breathing back to normal was a pressure of 17 (sometimes a bit higher) and when the EPAP catches up to being between 15.5. and 16.