Help with Oscar

Thank you, Pugsy for controlling my charts and your extensive answer.

First of all I'm very confused by what you say about "arousal/awake breathing PRIOR to the reduction and the flagging." I haven't changed my medication and I haven't got new prescriptions in years. Certainly not since I started the therapy.

I sleep like a block, or so I think, during those 5-6 hours of sleep. I always fall asleep on my right side and on that same side I wake up. Sometimes with pain in my back or hips.
When I wake up it's instantly and 100% alert. Never have I woken up because I need to go to the toilet. That's something that the doctor who diagnosed the apnea and prescribed the therapy was very surprised about.

I sometimes can recall in the morning some sweat issues or that I've adjusted the back strip of my mask but that's not happening every night. I rarely have dreams or if they occur they happen just before waking up. Usually I can't remember them.

I don't have any explanation for those arousals you mention. Are they dangerous to my health? What can I do about them?

Ana2024 wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 07, 2024 11:42 am

I don't have any explanation for those arousals you mention. Are they dangerous to my health? What can I do about them?

Well, if you feel like you sleep soundly and you feel quite decent during the day then I wouldn't worry about them.
I mentioned them mainly because you seem concerned about the AHI and the variability of that AHI.

Your OSA itself appears to be well treated and I wouldn't go changing anything if it were me.

About arousal breathing prior to a flag. This one below isn't yours but it's a good example. I circled the arousal/awake breathing.



This is what asleep breathing looks like. See how nice and rhythmic and boring the breaths look? Not mine and I forget whose it is but I show it as an example of nice boring asleep breathing



Here...this time I circled the asleep breathing.


and same time frame but zoomed out a bit so you get a bigger picture. The flagged events...I wasn't asleep...so all that mess after the red circled segment is arousal/awake related.

This isn't yours but it's a good example of some asleep breathing and then a bunch of arousal/awake breathing following.
When you see big gulps prior to more irregular breathing and/or flags....we weren't asleep.



What can we do about it??? Not much if we don't know what is causing it and even when we do know the cause it isn't always so easy to fix.

Thanks so much, Pugsy, for your answer.

I'll try to remember the awake times you mention. And make an appointment with the provider to check those.

Hi Ana (and thanks Pugsy!)
Ana, on Tuesday, 2 April you wrote:

Ana2024 wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 02, 2024 1:10 am

Thank you very much for your prompt answer.

Following your advice I'll set de machine to pressure 10-11. And the ramp to 7 as I have no trouble falling asleep and see if it works better for me.

But actually, you did neither of them.
The three nights posted have the same settings as the previous nights: A minimum pressure of 7, a ramp of 4.

They also have the same pattern as the previous ones: the pressure goes too low for your needs, you have flow limitations and snores - in my opinion, it is those that are the reason for most of the arousals.

It's the minimum pressure you have to raise in order to prevent the disturbances - I think your minimum pressure has to be at least 10.

Ozij,
I apologize because I didn't read your answer until now. I've been feeling so much better since I changed the settings to 9-11 and Pugsy has been very helpful and patient with me.
Tonight I'll try 10-11 and ramp 7.
Thank you!