Help reading OSCAR Report & symptoms

Hello,

If someone could assist in reviewing the reports from OSCAR and give any insight you may have it would be greatly appreciated..

Ive included one oscar result below, and additional days within the imgur url for reference. Please let me know if any additional screenshots or information would be helpful.

imgur url https://imgur.com/a/Xw8KNx5



I am a 26y/o male, 5'10, 140lbs and have been on CPAP since December of last year. Initial sleep study revealed mild OSA with an AHI of 7.7 (AASM).

I have been battling constant fatigue everyday, nearly all day. Before CPAP therapy and currently, I wake up with sleep inertia, exhausted feeling like i got no rest, and i just want to continue sleeping. I have not noticed any changes regardless of the number of hours I sleep. During the day this had lead to excessive fatigue, trouble concentrating, etc. I've tried a number of medications(can provide specifics if helpful), and while some have been somewhat beneficial, I still feel tired.

I have previously have been diagnosed with a deviated septum and underwent surgery including septoplasty, turbinate reduction, and nasal implants over a year ago now, and still experience issues with breathing through one of my nostrils.

I tend to find myself waking up with a dry mouth due to mouth breathing I believe because of my nasal issues. I have tried adjusting my cpap settings, and some nights are better than others for this but does not improve sleep.

I am unsure if something like mouth taping and forcing myself to adjust to breathing thru my nose would provide any help in the long run, i have tried this for a few nights in a row with no improvement, but did not try long term.

Any suggestions or advice based on the data is appreciated.

Thank you, let me know if you have any questions.

no advice, just bumping so other folk will see and possibly comment.

oh and welcome to the zoo!

fawe wrote: ↑

Wed May 03, 2023 10:55 pm

I tend to find myself waking up with a dry mouth due to mouth breathing I believe because of my nasal issues.

I can't tell from the charts how bad your nasal issues are.
On the April 20th chart and the May 2, I can tell that you're leaking quite a bit, and as a first step, I suggest you find ResMed's video about fitting your mask - they're very specific about how to fix which type of leak.
You mouth is dry because of the maks leaks.

I have tried adjusting my cpap settings, and some nights are better than others for this but does not improve sleep.

According to this image https://i.imgur.com/8K8sIrr.png You haven't changed any setting since December. So you really have tell us far more specifically what it is you think you changed, and how long you stayed on that "changed setting" that didn't help.

I am unsure if something like mouth taping and forcing myself to adjust to breathing thru my nose would provide any help in the long run, i have tried this for a few nights in a row with no improvement, but did not try long term.

I see no reason for you to use tape when sleeping with a Full Face Mask. When I can't breathe through my nose I use the same FFM you do. When I need an FFM I do not, ever, tape. I need tape - and use it - only to keep myself from mouth leaking when I use a mask that does not cover my mouth. Mouth breathing and mouth leaking are not the same thing. Mouth leaking happens when pressure escapes through your mouth and has to be stopped. It does not happen when an FFM is properly sealed. Under some condition, mouth breathing can't be avoided. Mouth breathing in a properly sealed FFM is not "mouth leaking" and does not cause your mouth to dry out badly. When awake, do you, can you, breathe through your mouth?

Any suggestions or advice based on the data is appreciated.

Based only on what I see in your charts:

• Get those leaks fixed (see above) they may be disrupting your sleep
• Your minimal pressure is too low, and keeps you from breathing stably: the machine keep going down, then "things happen" and it goes up again
• I doubt you need a ramp of 4
• I those were my results, I'd set aim to set my minimum pressure at 7 - you're spending more than half the night there as is.
• I would also check the effect of changing EPR to less than 3. The setting of EPR=3 at the present pressures means that once you exhale, your airway is getting very little stenting, and that, by and of itself maybe the cause of the flow limitations appearing - arousing you from restful sleep, and driving your pressure back up.

To summarize:
You haven't made any visible setting changes since December - please clarify what you mean.
Get a better handle on your mask leaks
Forgo the ramp
Drop you EPR to 2.
Raise you minimum to 7 - you may have to do that gradually if the change feels too dramatic.

See how you feel with those changes in pressure. Stick with them for a few days if they're tolerable.
Keep a log of your settings and how they affect your sleep and the way you feel during the day.

Thank you for taking the time to review my post and providing through feedback! I really appreciate it!

On the April 20th chart and the May 2, I can tell that you're leaking quite a bit, and as a first step, I suggest you find ResMed's video about fitting your mask - they're very specific about how to fix which type of leak.
You mouth is dry because of the maks leaks.

I see no reason for you to use tape when sleeping with a Full Face Mask. When I can't breathe through my nose I use the same FFM you do. When I need an FFM I do not, ever, tape. I need tape - and use it - only to keep myself from mouth leaking when I use a mask that does not cover my mouth. Mouth breathing and mouth leaking are not the same thing. Mouth leaking happens when pressure escapes through your mouth and has to be stopped. It does not happen when an FFM is properly sealed. Under some condition, mouth breathing can't be avoided. Mouth breathing in a properly sealed FFM is not "mouth leaking" and does not cause your mouth to dry out badly. When awake, do you, can you, breathe through your mouth?

I see that you use the P10, so do you mouth tape every night when you use it? And if so, is that just preference, or have you noticed improvements for yourself using the pillows over the FFM?
Thank you for clarifying the mouth breathing and mouth leaking, my belief was that the air circulation/pressure within the FFM would cause my mouth to dry out if i were to be mouth breathing. I typically breath through my nose, or rather primarily the one nostril that works during the day, but yes can breath through my mouth.
I will certainly revisit the videos, I didn't realize it was leaking that much. I also have an AirFit N30i, and AirFit F20 but have primarily used the F30i, so if Im unable to get a good seal with it i may consider trying one of the others again.

According to this image https://i.imgur.com/8K8sIrr.png You haven't changed any setting since December. So you really have tell us far more specifically what it is you think you changed, and how long you stayed on that "changed setting" that didn't help.

My apologies, still trying to get used to figure out all of the correct nomenclature of things.. I didn't mean change settings in the sense that you have recommended below with the clinical settings, but in the "My options" section such as adjusting tube temp, humidity etc.

Based only on what I see in your charts:
Get those leaks fixed (see above) they may be disrupting your sleep
Your minimal pressure is too low, and keeps you from breathing stably: the machine keep going down, then "things happen" and it goes up again
I doubt you need a ramp of 4
I those were my results, I'd set aim to set my minimum pressure at 7 - you're spending more than half the night there as is.
I would also check the effect of changing EPR to less than 3. The setting of EPR=3 at the present pressures means that once you exhale, your airway is getting very little stenting, and that, by and of itself maybe the cause of the flow limitations appearing - arousing you from restful sleep, and driving your pressure back up.

Thanks again for reviewing and making recommendations. I will certainly get started on trying to make the necessary adjustments you pointed out and logging the results for reference.

fawe wrote: ↑

Thu May 04, 2023 10:30 pm

I see that you use the P10, so do you mouth tape every night when you use it?

Abolutely. I'm a terrible mouth leaker, and have found no way of controlling it.

And if so, is that just preference, or have you noticed improvements for yourself using the pillows over the FFM?

I usually sleep better with the P10 - it's lighter, and easier to keep from leaking . My objective results are also better.

According to this image https://i.imgur.com/8K8sIrr.png You haven't changed any setting since December. So you really have tell us far more specifically what it is you think you changed, and how long you stayed on that "changed setting" that didn't help.

My apologies, still trying to get used to figure out all of the correct nomenclature of things.. I didn't mean change settings in the sense that you have recommended below with the clinical settings, but in the "My options" section such as adjusting tube temp, humidity etc.

I thought those must have been the changes you referred to - and they too can be helpful -- once the pressure and mask fit are right.

Thanks again for reviewing and making recommendations. I will certainly get started on trying to make the necessary adjustments you pointed out and logging the results for reference.

You're very welcome, and please keep us updated!