Need help with settings (as a solution to snoring)

[scorpius777]

Hi everyone,

I've finally pulled the trigger and ordered myself an Airsense 10 machine. Long story short, I've been trying to solve my problem with snoring. It definitely bothers my wife and in turn makes me not sleep well knowing I might keep her up all night with my snoring. I did a sleep study about 4 years ago and it didn't point to any sleep apnea. I also went to specialist to check my nose and he said it's straight and could not identify any physical reasons for snoring. I did inquire about Cpap at the time but the doctors scared me away saying it's a huge commitment, a serious treatment, and unless it's absolutely needed for treatment of OSA, they will not prescribe it nor recommend it and basically suggested my wife and I just get used to the snoring and live with it.

So I've finally decided to truly test if Cpap can solve my problem and see first hand how challenging it could be to sleep with the mask and the ongoing pressure. I'm hoping the machine itself with the supposed noise level of 25 DBa is not too loud.

Since I don't have any prescription, I really need the help of you forum experts to help me find the right setting for me. What setting would I even start from and how should I test myself against the goal of not snoring? Does the device report any stats related to that or should I be recording my snoring noise using mobile apps?

Thank you,

[Pugsy]

Welcome to the forum.

Which AirSense 10 model did you get? There are 4.

What it can record will depend on the model.

[Julie]

If you don't have apnea, an ENT MD could probably help as far as snoring goes. .. have you not seen one? I don't think it's smart to use a machine when you don't know what the problem is and whether or not it could be fixed in another way even with a one time e.g. turbinate (or some other) surgery apart from a UPPP.

[ChicagoGranny]

If you don't have apnea, an ENT MD could probably help as far as snoring goes. .. have you not seen one? I don't think it's smart

^Your reply is not smart.

I also went to specialist to check my nose

[ChicagoGranny]

If you don't have apnea, an ENT MD could probably help as far as snoring goes. .. have you not seen one? I don't think it's smart

^Your reply is not smart.

I also went to specialist to check my nose

[Julie]

You're absolutely right!

[scorpius777]

Welcome to the forum.

Which AirSense 10 model did you get? There are 4.

What it can record will depend on the model.

Thank you Pugsy. I'm waiting for it to arrive, it's a Airsense 10 Autoset, here's the bundle:
AirSense™ 10 AutoSet™ CPAP and HumidAir™ Heated Humidifier & ClimateLineAir™ Heated Tubing and Wisp Nasal w/ Fabric Frame

I purchase the P10 Mask in addition to the above Wisp mask that came free because it seems to be very light weight and supposedly comfortable. I'm hoping to get away without a full face mask since my needs are likely basic and some leaking of air can probably be tolerated in my case.

I was contemplating getting the Air Mini but read that it's not yet possible to extract the detailed data from it as a consumer which will not work for me since I need to be able to post the data here and get help adjusting the machine myself.

ChicagoGranny and Julie,

Yes thank you for reading the background. Honestly, I think I've tried different solutions (only the ones that made logical sense) short of surgery but it seems like surgery is not going to help me anyway. Granted not everything you read online is the truth, I followed a few posters that were even recommended by specialist to do the surgery and still reported the snoring coming back after a few months. My snoring is from the throat and I don't think there is any magical solution to stop the throat muscles collapsing other than keeping the air pressure on.

Reading other people's experience on using Cpap I'm mentally ready to take on the challenge if it means a good night's sleep for my wife and myself. I think as a side effect it should allow better breathing for me regardless of having apnea or not. I have wondered about possible negative side-effects of using Cpap; other than the inconveniences it could cause (which I'm definitely not underestimating) , I have not yet found any negative medical side-effects. The only thing I'm not sure about is would I be able to go to deep sleep with the Cpap on or not. Does the machine somehow show signals related to rem sleep cycles so I can see whether I'm getting effective sleep with it on?

[kteague]

Hello and wlecome. Snoring, even in the absence of sleep apnea, is not without potential health consequences. And kudos to you for being a considerate spouse! I have a feeling both you and they are going to experience better sleep. Good luck with things. At least you can go through the adjustment phase without the pressure of quick success being a dire immediate need. As time passes tissue laxity can cause snoring to progress to OSA. Maybe you're being preventative. One advantage is you'll be breathing filtered air. Let us know how your efforts turn out.

[palerider]

I don't think it's smart to use a machine when you don't know what the problem is and whether or not it could be fixed in another way even with a one time e.g. turbinate (or some other) surgery apart from a UPPP.

You'd be wrong about that.

[palerider]

Welcome to the forum.

Which AirSense 10 model did you get? There are 4.

What it can record will depend on the model.

Thank you Pugsy. I'm waiting for it to arrive, it's a Airsense 10 Autoset, here's the bundle:
AirSense™ 10 AutoSet™ CPAP and HumidAir™ Heated Humidifier & ClimateLineAir™ Heated Tubing and Wisp Nasal w/ Fabric Frame

I purchase the P10 Mask in addition to the above Wisp mask that came free because it seems to be very light weight and supposedly comfortable. I'm hoping to get away without a full face mask since my needs are likely basic and some leaking of air can probably be tolerated in my case.

Please update your equipment listing in your profile appropriately, you can find the right thing to put for the machine in this table; wiki/index.php/CPAP_models

Reading other people's experience on using Cpap I'm mentally ready to take on the challenge if it means a good night's sleep for my wife and myself. I think as a side effect it should allow better breathing for me regardless of having apnea or not. I have wondered about possible negative side-effects of using Cpap; other than the inconveniences it could cause (which I'm definitely not underestimating) , I have not yet found any negative medical side-effects.

I used to have a a roommate that snored so badly, that it was disturbing in another room, so I said "here, try my spare machine." Turns out he ended up sleeping better with it, felt better, more energy... but didn't have apnea... but all that snoring was nothing more than a fight for air, all night long... so when he didn't have to fight for air, he slept better, got more rest, felt better.

The only thing I'm not sure about is would I be able to go to deep sleep with the Cpap on or not. Does the machine somehow show signals related to rem sleep cycles so I can see whether I'm getting effective sleep with it on?

You'll probably be more likely to get into deep sleep, since you're not fighting for air. No, there's no signals or anything related to sleep stages... Also, REM and deep sleep are two *very* different sleep stages. To really know what stage you're in, you'd need something like a Zeo... though many of these fitness trackers claim to make good guesses...

[jnk...]

In support of kteague's and palerider's points, it is noteworthy that it is still considered a scientific unknown whether snoring alone should universally be considered a health issue worthy of immediate treatment for cardiovascular reasons. Some researchers consider that present circumstance to be proof enough that snoring without OSA should be aggressively treated until more information is known on the matter to prove otherwise. Future research would have to prove that to insurance/payers before anyone would cover it as a standard treatment, of course, but there is considerable evidence mounting, in my opinion.

"According to some studies, snoring itself can lead to cardiovascular diseases through decreased baroreceptor sensitivity/reactivity and mechanical injury to the carotid artery endothelium. These findings suggest that snoring has its own vascular risk. Recently, heavy snoring is shown to be associated with carotid atherosclerosis independent of apnea severity and other risk factors. However, several conflicting studies reported no association between snoring history and degree of carotid stenosis. Thus, whether or not snoring can lead to cardiovascular consequence remains to be clarified."-- Furukawa T, Nakano H, Yoshihara K, Sudo N. The relationship between snoring sound intensity and morning blood pressure in workers. J Clin Sleep Med 2016;12(12):1601–1606. -- http://jcsm.aasm.org/ViewAbstract.aspx? ... 1545766762

[ChicagoGranny]

I did a sleep study about 4 years ago and it didn't point to any sleep apnea.

Sleep-disordered breathing is a progressive (worsens with age) condition. A repeat sleep study might show sleep apnea.

[palerider]

I did a sleep study about 4 years ago and it didn't point to any sleep apnea.

Sleep-disordered breathing is a progressive (worsens with age) condition. A repeat sleep study might show sleep apnea.

Personally I think that there should be less focus on OSA, and more on SDB in and of itself. Snoring is bad, flow limitations are bad, they disrupt sleep too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gie2dhqP2c

[chunkyfrog]

I did a sleep study about 4 years ago and it didn't point to any sleep apnea.

Sleep-disordered breathing is a progressive (worsens with age) condition. A repeat sleep study might show sleep apnea.

Personally I think that there should be less focus on OSA, and more on SDB in and of itself. Snoring is bad, flow limitations are bad, they disrupt sleep too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gie2dhqP2c

Since the medical definitions are often arbitrary, it makes good sense to go with what works,
and let the medical profession catch up later.

[Chilibit]

One way to possibly put a toe in the water would be to set the machine to some
nominal values and then put it beside your reading chair and use it while
you are awake. You will gain some insights. There are physical and
psychological aspects to the regimen. You might even fall asleep.