WheezyRider's CPAP therapy

It's been taking me awhile to actually fall asleep. Last night my AHI peaked at 31 before I was even sleeping, according to Oscar. Then fell off to around 7 for the rest of the night, presumably after I fell asleep. I've noticed this on other nights where I wake up and then have trouble falling back to sleep and the AHI is high while I'm awake. Is this normal?

edit:
learning how to post pictures:
edit2: single page, thumbs UP?

wheezyrider wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 24, 2021 7:39 am

It's been taking me awhile to actually fall asleep. Last night my AHI peaked at 31 before I was even sleeping, according to Oscar. Then fell off to around 7 for the rest of the night, presumably after I fell asleep. I've noticed this on other nights where I wake up and then have trouble falling back to sleep and the AHI is high while I'm awake. Is this normal?

If you're not breathing regularly while awake, then it's "normal". (and awake breathing is often quite irregular.)

i don't know, but I do know that my oxygen saturation falls when I prepare for sleep, while I am yet still awake. I don't so far have enough data from my CPAP machine to know if other things happen as well (I've only had it a week).

In any case, I know that it's possible for my breathing pattern to change whilst I'm awake but sleepy -- enough to cause a desaturation, but not enough that I become aware of it.

I also would be quite interested to know why this kind of thing happens.

Best wishes
Lars.

Concentrate on asleep breathing - the machine won't do valid awake therapy or results.

wheezyrider wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 24, 2021 7:39 am

It's been taking me awhile to actually fall asleep. Last night my AHI peaked at 31 before I was even sleeping, according to Oscar. Then fell off to around 7 for the rest of the night, presumably after I fell asleep. I've noticed this on other nights where I wake up and then have trouble falling back to sleep and the AHI is high while I'm awake. Is this normal?

unlike santa claus, the machine doesn't know when you are sleeping or when you are awake!

as palerider says, awake breathing isn't smooth breathing.

What kinds of events were you having while you were awake? Centrals? Obstructive apneas? Hypopneas?

I'm also curious about the rest of your night. If your AHI while you were asleep was around 7, it'd sure be nice to get it down lower. Could you post an Oscar chart so people here can take a look?

Miss Emerita wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 24, 2021 12:34 pm

What kinds of events were you having while you were awake? Centrals? Obstructive apneas? Hypopneas?

I'm also curious about the rest of your night. If your AHI while you were asleep was around 7, it'd sure be nice to get it down lower. Could you post an Oscar chart so people here can take a look?

what parts should I post? Not sure I can post pics yet though.

Miss Emerita wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 24, 2021 12:34 pm

What kinds of events were you having while you were awake? Centrals? Obstructive apneas? Hypopneas?

I'm also curious about the rest of your night. If your AHI while you were asleep was around 7, it'd sure be nice to get it down lower. Could you post an Oscar chart so people here can take a look?

Here is my chart. Are centrals the same as Clear Airways? I definitely want to get lower, but lately AHI's have been really high. This was a good night. I have restless leg and it has flair up, so many of my recent readings are not good from that, I think because I'm awake alot of the night. I took a muscle relaxant, very small dose, and my PCP knows I have SA and using CPAP, but I think it helped.

thanks!

EDIT: charts removed to save space, see 1st comment for report.

Many thanks for posting the chart. A key question for you is whether you were awake for around two and a half hours -- when the bulk of those centrals (aka clear airway, aka CA) occurred. If you were that'll be one story, but if you weren't, it's another. The right advice for you will depend on what you can tell us about the length of your awake period.

No need at all to repost this chart, but next time you post one, please show only these graphs:

Events
Flow rate
Pressure
Leaks
Snores
Flow limitations.

You can squeeze them into a single screenshot by grabbing the horizontal gray bars that separate the graphs and pushing them up a little. You will also need to reorder your graphs. Left-click and hold while you push graphs up or down.

About the muscle relaxant: please let your PCP know that you are experiencing central apneas, just to make sure the drug is right for you. The PCP may assume that the only potential concern would be obstructive events.

Miss Emerita wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 24, 2021 5:08 pm

whether you were awake for around two and a half hours

About the muscle relaxant

Looks like 1-1/2 hours and I am carful about the meds and only 2mg's. It was for my back before bed when needed as prescribed. The legs have a jittery sensation. It was in enough discomfort that the sensation in my legs needed to chill so I can get some needed sleep. Insomnia is my nemesis. and I wasn't too afraid that 2mg Tizanidine would put me in a coma. My doctor should be aware that my apneas are central because he sent me to a ENT before the sleep study. I'll try to fall asleep au naturel, but if I'm still staring at the clock at midnite, I'm poppin' one.

Thanks for your analysis. That really helps.


I'll update the top pictures,

Muscle relaxant meds are more likely to worse the obstructive side of sleep apnea than cause centrals.
Muscle relaxants tend to make the floppy airway tissues more floppy. At least that is what my sleep doc told me and cautioned me to not take muscles relaxants to help me sleep.

Consciously breathing regularly is very relaxing.
It works when you don't want to waste that last alprazolam.

Pugsy wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 24, 2021 6:48 pm

Muscle relaxant meds are more likely to worse the obstructive side of sleep apnea than cause centrals.
Muscle relaxants tend to make the floppy airway tissues more floppy. At least that is what my sleep doc told me and cautioned me to not take muscles relaxants to help me sleep.

That makes sense to my little brain. I'm also concerned with falling asleep faster. My mind takes awhile to wind down some times. It's like I'm hooked up to an alien probe to upload the important news from planet earth. there's a lot of crap to brief them on.

Does the rest of the night look OK? I'm really just trying to learn to read the report. On many nights the ahi is going up when I am waking up. Though the night posted looks like it glides into morning. Like my sleep pressure is wearing off. Is that good? Mental image of me surfing down a killer wave and just ride it all the way to the beach for a soft landing..........

Sleep Well!

chunkyfrog wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 24, 2021 7:20 pm

Consciously breathing regularly is very relaxing.
It works when you don't want to waste that last alprazolam.

had to look it up.


"Is alprazolam safe to use?

[Alprazolam is a safe and effective medication when used as directed. Benzodiazepines may produce emotional and/or physical dependence (addiction) even when used as recommended."

I'll stick with indica.

I wish it was legal here.
We found an acapulco giant strain in the yard of a house we just moved into.
Removed the plants before the evictees could sneak back in for it.