Need help interpreting results

Hey all. I recently started using CPAP again after a few years hiatus. I've been using the CPAP for about a week now. I'm using a Resmed Airsense 10 with the P10 nasal pillows. My pressure is set to 8-14, EPR 3, Hydration level 6, no ramp. My sleep study was done a few years ago so I don't know how relevant the data is for this time being, but I was diagnosed with an AHI of 8, primarily central apneas. I'm a back sleeper, I tape my mouth at night, and although I feel a slight improvement in my sleep, I experience a lot of fatigue. I also wear a custom MAD, and despite the (justified) negative attention they receive, I work with a great dentist and the device is actually quite comfortable and helps my sleep, although I think it's worked better in conjunction with the CPAP.

In general, I don't feel rested enough from my sleep. It takes me a long time to wake up, and even though I've certainly experienced much worse sleep when I wasn't being treated at all, I know I could be feeling better. I don't usually get headaches, but I do end up making a lot of silly mistakes throughout the day and, if I've had a particularly bad night, need stimulants to stay awake.

For anyone curious, I'm on the following medications:

Lexapro (Escitalopram): 20mg, daily
Dutasteride: 0.5mg, daily
Minoxidil: 2.5mg, daily
Modafinil: 100mg, as needed (at max, I take it once or twice a week)
Xyzal: daily

Attached are my OSCAR charts. If anyone's able to help out, I would greatly appreciate it. I know the therapy can take time, I just want to know if there are things that I can be doing on my side regarding the CPAP to maximize the likelihood that this will work.

https://imgur.com/a/UyfBuBw

Welcome!

I see on line that Lexapro can cause tiredness, drowsiness, and difficulty sleeping. I'd recommend reviewing this medication and the dosage with your prescribing doctor. A different dose or a different medication might be helpful.

You had mostly CAs in your sleep test, with an AHI of 8. It does sometimes happen that a person with central or mixed apnea will get good results from an ordinary PAP machine, but I also wonder how typical your sleep was the night of your sleep test. Did you sleep worse than usual? And was the test a home test or an in-lab test? If you have a copy of the report, you might want to blank out your personal information, take a screen shot, and post a link to it.

Your chart looks quite good by the numbers, but I'd guess it took you about 45 minutes to fall asleep. Is that right? I also see that your total machine usage time was about 7.5 hours. Some people really need at least 8 hours of sleep -- not just 8 hours in bed -- in order to feel rested. Can you try to adjust your schedule to see whether 8 hours of sleep would be helpful to you?

Your leaks are fine as far as PAP therapy goes. But do they wake you up?

I also wonder whether you may have some other medical condition contributing to your problems of fatigue and cognitive fog. Have you been tested for the following: iron, thyroid, testosterone, vitamin B12, vitamin B6, Lyme disease, and autoimmune disease, especially in the connective-tissue-disease family?

wavery67 wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 08, 2023 5:33 pm

...I was diagnosed with an AHI of 8, primarily central apneas.

I'll bet they were all post-arousal, too. If so, CPAP is not indicated.

Miss Emerita wrote: ↑

Sat Dec 09, 2023 12:15 pm

And was the test a home test or an in-lab test? If you have a copy of the report, you might want to blank out your personal information, take a screen shot, and post a link to it.

Yup, step 1.