New to using Cpap (a bit lost...)

[Pugsy]

I am hoping for just a little bit of a win

Well....despite not seeing a "win" in what you wanted there is a bit of a win with

I have had a zero trips to the bathroom at night since I started CPAP. I used to have bad dreams every night which would disturb my mind throughout the night when I would wake up, and make it harder to resume sleeping. That has also stopped.

Small improvements are improvements nonetheless.

The only thing that I see on your report that might....stress might part....would be the flow limitation graph.
They could possibly be a factor in overall sleep quality. The usual attempts to reduce flow limitations are either increase pressure support or increase the minimum pressure.
Since it looks like you are already using maximum pressure with EPR at 3 then the only remaining option is more minimum pressure. If you hit the max of 15 very often then an increase in the max might also be considered.

You have already learned that cpap isn't a miracle pill to fix all that ails us...and even if it did it doesn't always happen quickly. Some people get lucky and see marked positive results pretty much overnight but the majority of the people find it takes a lot longer. I know that I saw a couple of things pretty much go away overnight and that was the killer morning headaches and getting up to pee every hour on the hour.
The overall energy level thing took probably 6 months or so before I noticed much improvement in that area and it was a very slow gradual improvement at that.

And to complicate things you already know that there is a chance that your other health issues could also be playing a factor. CPAP can only fix issues related to the airway...it doesn't do a darn thing for other issues that can mess with our sleep quality.

So maybe you just need more time or maybe a slight pressure adjustment or maybe figure out those other health issues as well.

[LeonieX]

Well....despite not seeing a "win" in what you wanted there is a bit of a win
Small improvements are improvements nonetheless.

Fair enough ✌even if it wasn't what I was wishing for, those are gains.

So maybe you just need more time or maybe a slight pressure adjustment or maybe figure out those other health issues as well.

Thanks for the advice, I will experiment with those settings a little bit and see how it goes.

I appreciate the words of encouragement!

adjustments + time - other health barriers
= ✴✴

Did you notice any issues with leaks? I am a frequent mouth breather even during the course of the day. I was sent a nose mask and not sure if I'm having mouth leaks. I don't notice any of the usual symptoms that are indicators, and the machines daily sleep report looks okay to me. I was wondering if the data shows otherwise. I am in the process of ordering a full face mask to try it out just in case.

[Pugsy]

As for leaks.
The very short spikes that are big....pretty sure you were re-seating the mask. Ignore unless you are having to do that often because to do that it means you were awake and the wake up is the unwanted part of that equation.

We can't always tell just by looking at the leak graph if we are seeing mouth opening leaks or mask movement leaks unless someone wants to rule out mouth opening by taping the mouth shut.
Either way the leaks weren't bad enough to make a negative impact on the therapy itself and if the few leaks we see didn't wake you up....I would shrug my shoulders and move on.
Your machine can actually do a very decent job of compensating for leaks up to around 30 L/min so unless you start seeing prolonged amount of time over 30 L/min....I wouldn't worry about it as long as they don't disturb your sleep.

Any leak that disturbs our sleep is unwanted because sleep itself is our number one priority.
I routinely see worse than that. Here lately I have been experimenting with the ResMed N30 nasal mask....it moves around a lot. So your leak graphs are actually a bit better than mine and I shrug my shoulders and move on.

If you are doing any mouth breathing....it sure isn't much and I wouldn't worry about it.

As long as you aren't seeing much time over 24 L/min and it's not waking you up....ignore.

[LeonieX]

Thank you Pugsy! I feel like I just got told I received a passing grade on a test I thought I would flunk

[ChicagoGranny]

adjustments + time - other health barriers
= ✴✴

How are your sleep hygiene, nutrition, and moderate exercise programs? Have you tried getting ten minutes of sunlight as soon as you awaken?

[Jlfinkels]

[snip]
I would appreciate any and all help you can provide!
Leonie

A bit late to the thread, but will offer some advice. What I will add is from my own experience, so YMMV. The CPAP experience is new to everyone and it takes time to adjust. Think about it, you are first told you have a sleep problem even though you have been sleeping your entire life, then you are put through an overnight test and maybe a titration to figure out what is up and how to treat it, you then get a machine with little explanation of how it works, given a mask that attaches to your face like an alien with little to no explanation, and let loose into the wild. No wonder we all get frustrated with it.

Listen to the smart kids like Dog Slobber, Pugsy, PaleRider, Miss Emerita, etc. They can help you find what works, but they need data to do so in relatively quick order. Without it they can only make educated guesses, but will get you there the same it will just take a lot longer. Download OSCAR, put an SD card are into your machine (assuming it is compatible with OSCAR), and post screenshots following the recommendations.

https://www.cpaptalk.com/viewtopic/t889 ... Hints.html

Also avoid those who micro-analyze things. We are not science experiments and you can easily be led down a path of twisty little passages, all alike. Yet none will help with improving your sleep.

[LeonieX]

How are your sleep hygiene, nutrition, and moderate exercise programs? Have you tried getting ten minutes of sunlight as soon as you awaken?

I have taken sleep hygiene courses back when I thought insomnia was my only problem. I do all of the things that are recommended. It did help me improve my insomnia symptoms ( difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep) but continue to struggle with waking up and low energy. The only thing I'm not incorporating is physical activity other than some limited PT for now.

[LeonieX]

Thanks Jlfinkels for your words of encouragement! I I'm committed to using CPAP regardless of how I feel because, although I hoped to feel better, I do recognize the health benefits of the treatment.

[ChicagoGranny]

sleep hygiene

Are you doing light therapy first thing in the morning? If so, what are you doing?

That's a hard one for most people because, like, you gotta get ready for work and all that stuff.

[LeonieX]

sleep hygiene

Are you doing light therapy first thing in the morning? If so, what are you doing?

Moving is the real issue! The adaptation if you can't physically go outside is to either have a bright indoor light or to sit at a sunlit window. I choose the window, unless it's overcast or earlier than sunrise then the bright light will do!

[ChicagoGranny]

The adaptation if you can't physically go outside is to either have a bright indoor light or to sit at a sunlit window.

Near-infrared light (NIR) is needed. Unless you have old windows without E-glass, sitting at a window doesn't work. E-glass blocks NIR. Likewise, LED lights don't emit NIR and even tungsten lights don't emit enough. A special sunlamp is needed.

If you go outside for therapy, sunglasses will block NIR. Eyeglasses and contacts do not block NIR.

[oklajohn]

[snip]
I would appreciate any and all help you can provide!
Leonie

A bit late to the thread, but will offer some advice. What I will add is from my own experience, so YMMV. The CPAP experience is new to everyone and it takes time to adjust. Think about it, you are first told you have a sleep problem even though you have been sleeping your entire life, then you are put through an overnight test and maybe a titration to figure out what is up and how to treat it, you then get a machine with little explanation of how it works, given a mask that attaches to your face like an alien with little to no explanation, and let loose into the wild. No wonder we all get frustrated with it.

This is a really good description of my situation. Very frustrating! Thanks for posting to let us "newbies" know we are not alone.

[Julie]

I have a light stand (3' tall, 4' long on a low table) for plants that is a couple of feet from a living rm chair, so in the a.m. when I turn it on for the plants (window's too far and bad angle for just 'sun') and sit there for a while, I really notice a diff. in how I feel - if I am down for any reason. It does work, but the bulbs have to be strong enough especially if you don't stare directly at them (which would probably not be good for your eyes). The bulbs I have in there now are T5's, but others may be better for you (and I'm certainly not suggesting you use 4' long fluorescents).

[LeonieX]

I am supposedly getting my very own Resmed 11 (autoset) next week. I'm not holding my breath (pun intended) as my DME is staffed by severely incompetent people. (Thank all of you who warned me in advance about this!)

I'm expecting they will set it up per the Rx and I just need to make the changes I have done on the loaner Resmed 10, right? Should I expect same results from same settings?

I am not sure which masks they will offer me. I currently use a Wisp which works well as long as I am able to breathe through my nose. I'd like to get a full face mask from them so I have both options. Are there any top contenders I should consider?

[KobeT]

[/quote]
Bigger SD cards can be used if you cannot get the smaller cards.

One just have to go through the effort of creating a 32GB or smaller partition on the bigger cards.

It helps if you have a relative who's a computer geek on call. Or just spend some effort reading the many simple online tutorials.
[/quote]

I used a 128GB sd card and inserted into my AirSense11 Autoset and I didn't have to do any formating myself. It could have formatted without telling me.