CPAP Therapy after 4 months of use. Need help!

pdrmartins · Post by **pdrmartins** » Sat Aug 21, 2021 6:11 am

Hi to all!

Recently i've found that i've gain some weight.

My current lower pressure is 4.0 and the maximum is 9.

My IAH is 1.0, and the leaking is ok.

I use a nasal mask.

Don't now if is i'm breathing with my mouth or if i need to use a chin mask.

Is this a common problem? Or someone feel related with this.

Is there any way to know if i'm breathing with my mouth using the OSCAR software?

thanks a lot!

ChicagoGranny · Post by **ChicagoGranny** » Sat Aug 21, 2021 6:45 am

pdrmartins wrote: ↑
Sat Aug 21, 2021 6:11 am
I use a nasal mask.

Don't now if is i'm breathing with my mouth or if i need to use a chin mask.

Is this a common problem?

Yes, mouthbreathing is common. Do you ever get dry mouth?

pdrmartins wrote: ↑
Sat Aug 21, 2021 6:11 am
Recently i've found that i've gain some weight.

Do you have any other problems? Subjectively, how do you judge your sleep? Are you energetic during the day? Any excess sleepiness?

pdrmartins · Post by **pdrmartins** » Sat Aug 21, 2021 7:44 am

ChicagoGranny wrote: ↑
Sat Aug 21, 2021 6:45 am

pdrmartins wrote: ↑
Sat Aug 21, 2021 6:11 am
I use a nasal mask.

Don't now if is i'm breathing with my mouth or if i need to use a chin mask.

Is this a common problem?
Yes, mouthbreathing is common. Do you ever get dry mouth? No, no dry mouth.

pdrmartins wrote: ↑
Sat Aug 21, 2021 6:11 am
Recently i've found that i've gain some weight.
Do you have any other problems? Subjectively, how do you judge your sleep? Are you energetic during the day? Any excess sleepiness? Most of the time i feel very well.

pdrmartins · Post by **pdrmartins** » Sat Aug 21, 2021 7:45 am

: Oscar; screenshot-20210821-131056.png (474.14 KiB) Viewed 1121 times

Julie · Post by **Julie** » Sat Aug 21, 2021 8:37 am

( suggest you raise your minimum pressure to 6 or 7, but why is your max setting not higher (e.g. 15 or 20)?

ChicagoGranny · Post by **ChicagoGranny** » Sat Aug 21, 2021 8:49 am

pdrmartins wrote: ↑
Sat Aug 21, 2021 7:45 am
screenshot-20210821-131056.png

Your unintentional leak level is not bad but also not perfect. I would work on preventing leaks.

About the minimum pressure of 4.0, this is as low as the machine goes. Many of us don't feel well unless the minimum pressure is 6.0 or higher. You might consider increasing your minimum. If it doesn't work well, you can change it back the next night.

About the maximum pressure of 9.0, many of us set it all the way up to 20.0. The machine won't go any higher than needed. Your pressure is not going to 9.0, but there may be nights when you need higher pressure. Humans sleep and breathe differently every night.

pdrmartins wrote: ↑
Sat Aug 21, 2021 7:44 am
Most of the time i feel very well.

Good! Your statistics are good and you feel very well. Sounds like CPAP success!

About the weight gain - eat healthy foods in quantities that are not too large and practice moderate exercise four or more days per week.

pdrmartins · Post by **pdrmartins** » Sat Aug 21, 2021 10:43 am

Julie wrote: ↑
Sat Aug 21, 2021 8:37 am
( suggest you raise your minimum pressure to 6 or 7, but why is your max setting not higher (e.g. 15 or 20)?

Because on the beginning I had problems with aerophagia with the pressure of 12.

My sleep Doctor regulated for 9 because it was the average pressure that I used it during the first months.

I had no problem with the inicial pressure of 4.

Thank you!

pdrmartins · Post by **pdrmartins** » Sat Aug 21, 2021 10:45 am

ChicagoGranny wrote: ↑
Sat Aug 21, 2021 8:49 am

pdrmartins wrote: ↑
Sat Aug 21, 2021 7:45 am
screenshot-20210821-131056.png
Your unintentional leak level is not bad but also not perfect. I would work on preventing leaks.

About the minimum pressure of 4.0, this is as low as the machine goes. Many of us don't feel well unless the minimum pressure is 6.0 or higher. You might consider increasing your minimum. If it doesn't work well, you can change it back the next night. I felt fine since day one with that pressure.

About the maximum pressure of 9.0, many of us set it all the way up to 20.0. The machine won't go any higher than needed. Your pressure is not going to 9.0, but there may be nights when you need higher pressure. Humans sleep and breathe differently every night. I had aerophagia on the first month and my sleep doctor analised my data and saw that i never reached the pressure 9. So it reduced from 12 to 9.

pdrmartins wrote: ↑
Sat Aug 21, 2021 7:44 am
Most of the time i feel very well.
Good! Your statistics are good and you feel very well. Sounds like CPAP success!

About the weight gain - eat healthy foods in quantities that are not too large and practice moderate exercise four or more days per week.

Julie · Post by **Julie** » Sat Aug 21, 2021 11:22 am

You (or your MD) may be confused - the min. pressure is the one that 'does the job' on events, which is why 4 is ineffective, but may cause aerophagia if it's too high (e.g. 10), but the max setting can be left much higher and not keep the min. from rising when it needs to.

Pugsy · Post by **Pugsy** » Sat Aug 21, 2021 11:54 am

What were you needing help with? I am finding it difficult to find a question in your post as to exactly what you needed or wanted help with.

Are those leaks waking you up? If not I wouldn't worry about them. It's not a very pretty leak line but the time in large leak territory is minimal and not enough to impact therapy much at all.

I see no need to increase the max at this time especially with the history of aerophagia. While you kiss the 9 cm max a little bit...you don't spend a prolonged period of time up there.

Now your minimum pressure...if you are worried about the few OAs and hyponeas...a little more minimum should reduce those events but there is no urgent need to do that since you are comfortable with the starting minimum of 4 cm.

Main questions...how are you sleeping and feeling?
What kind of problem are you having?
Waking often during the night?

pdrmartins · Post by **pdrmartins** » Sun Aug 22, 2021 2:11 pm

Julie wrote: ↑
Sat Aug 21, 2021 11:22 am
You (or your MD) may be confused - the min. pressure is the one that 'does the job' on events, which is why 4 is ineffective, but may cause aerophagia if it's too high (e.g. 10), but the max setting can be left much higher and not keep the min. from rising when it needs to.

Really ? didn't know that...what makes you say that since I'm been followed by a Neurologist?

So I can make it like 6 minimum? or less?

Thank you

pdrmartins · Post by **pdrmartins** » Sun Aug 22, 2021 2:25 pm

Pugsy wrote: ↑
Sat Aug 21, 2021 11:54 am
What were you needing help with? I am finding it difficult to find a question in your post as to exactly what you needed or wanted help with.

Are those leaks waking you up? If not I wouldn't worry about them. It's not a very pretty leak line but the time in large leak territory is minimal and not enough to impact therapy much at all.

I see no need to increase the max at this time especially with the history of aerophagia. While you kiss the 9 cm max a little bit...you don't spend a prolonged period of time up there.

Now your minimum pressure...if you are worried about the few OAs and hyponeas...a little more minimum should reduce those events but there is no urgent need to do that since you are comfortable with the starting minimum of 4 cm.

Main questions...how are you sleeping and feeling?
What kind of problem are you having?
Waking often during the night?

Well I tought that I was gaining weight was also due to with the CPAP.

But now i'm mostly certain that is lack of regular exercise, and since i've been out due to a broken shoulder for 3 months that maybe be it.

I wake up sometimes with the leaks but nothing major.

Well i'm an anxious person so, before the inicial therapy my deep sleep was non existent (IAH=45!) and i'm 43 years old and 185 cm.

Now my deep sleep (N3) is about 1:30h to 2h per night!

I feel most energetic now but obvious feel in some days even with the treatment with some tiredness.

I wake up one time to go to the bathroom...

Than you for your help!

Pugsy · Post by **Pugsy** » Sun Aug 22, 2021 2:40 pm

You know that if you increased the minimum pressure to 6 then the pressure line will likely stabilize a bit and that might help with the leak issues.
You need that much anyway...if you look at the pressure line it pretty much goes up there fairly quickly and stays there...so you need that much baseline.

Might help with what few apnea events you are having as well. While not a horrible number...they might also be impacting sleep quality a bit and that with the leaks sometimes waking you up then your sleep quality could stand improving.
Fragmented sleep from any reason will mess with how we feel during the day.

I don't know what to say about the middle of the night pee break....you aren't of an age that the prostate is commonly a cause and you probably aren't having enough events to cause it...but do you know if the wake up is from a full bladder or more you wake up and think "I am awake so I might as well go pee"...

The weight gain we can't blame on cpap.... as much as we might like to we just can't.
It's calories in vs calories out and if you have an injury and pain you most likely aren't burning many calories but I bet you are taking more in or at least an equal amount.

pdrmartins · Post by **pdrmartins** » Sun Aug 22, 2021 2:47 pm

Pugsy wrote: ↑
Sun Aug 22, 2021 2:40 pm
You know that if you increased the minimum pressure to 6 then the pressure line will likely stabilize a bit and that might help with the leak issues.
You need that much anyway...if you look at the pressure line it pretty much goes up there fairly quickly and stays there...so you need that much baseline.

Might help with what few apnea events you are having as well. While not a horrible number...they might also be impacting sleep quality a bit and that with the leaks sometimes waking you up then your sleep quality could stand improving.
Fragmented sleep from any reason will mess with how we feel during the day.

I don't know what to say about the middle of the night pee break....you aren't of an age that the prostate is commonly a cause and you probably aren't having enough events to cause it...but do you know if the wake up is from a full bladder or more you wake up and think "I am awake so I might as well go pee"...

The weight gain we can't blame on cpap.... as much as we might like to we just can't.
It's calories in vs calories out and if you have an injury and pain you most likely aren't burning many calories but I bet you are taking more in or at least an equal amount.

Agree!

will take the necessary steps to correct it.

thanks for all the input!

CPAP Therapy after 4 months of use. Need help!

CPAP Therapy after 4 months of use. Need help!

Re: CPAP Therapy after 4 months of use. Need help!

Re: CPAP Therapy after 4 months of use. Need help!

Re: CPAP Therapy after 4 months of use. Need help!

Re: CPAP Therapy after 4 months of use. Need help!

Re: CPAP Therapy after 4 months of use. Need help!

Re: CPAP Therapy after 4 months of use. Need help!

Re: CPAP Therapy after 4 months of use. Need help!

Re: CPAP Therapy after 4 months of use. Need help!

Re: CPAP Therapy after 4 months of use. Need help!

Re: CPAP Therapy after 4 months of use. Need help!

Re: CPAP Therapy after 4 months of use. Need help!

Re: CPAP Therapy after 4 months of use. Need help!

Re: CPAP Therapy after 4 months of use. Need help!

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