Not waking feeling refreshed good AHI

[jwhjwh54]

Hello!
Wanted to run some charts by ya'll to see if there was anything standing out.
Equipment- Dreamstation GO auto Cpap ( going to get a regular dream station next time I'm at the DR)
Mask- Amara view

I'm waking up not feeling like I've slept well and coffee is a must to get going. Once I get a 2-3 cups of coffee I feel a bit better and go on with my day. On the dream station app it's showing 3-5 centrals every night, 4-6 OSA's, and 4-6 hypopnea's on average. I have had sinus surgery to open up my sinus's because apparently everything was really narrow, which makes me think is the reason why I've had higher pressures, things are still bit narrow. Aflex makes the centrals bad and I have those days that make you feel like you have a bus on top of you all day and can't think. If nothing looks out of sorts could it be I just need to go to bed earlier and limit caffeine? I do feel like I need more coffee than normal to get the sluggishness off when I wake up. Try lower pressures?
min pressure at 9

Min pressure at 10

Min pressure at 11

[Miss Emerita]

Hello, jwh. PR machines are fine machines, but they are very conservative about reacting to obstruction and restriction in the airway (OAs, Hs, FLs). That means you need to raise the minimum pressure to a level that will head events off at the pass.

So I would recommend that you raise your minimum further, aiming to get to 12.5 or so. You can take it gradually, .5 at a time, waiting at least a few days after each change to see how things are going. (One night does not a trend make.) Going up to 11 seems to have made a good dent in your FLs, and going up some more may help with OAs and Hs.

This leads to another thought. Instead of getting a new PR Dream Station, I'd recommend that you get a ResMed Airsense 10 Autoset. (The "For Her" version gives you an additional set of options, so that might be best of all.) The algorithm is different, and I think most people here would recommend it over the Dream Station.

And I notice that on these charts, you don't have a regular bedtime or length of time in bed. You might want to work on following these guidelines for better sleep; they seemed kind of mickey mouse to me at first, but when I got desperate enough to take them seriously, I found they did actually help.

• Keep a consistent sleep schedule. Get up at the same time every day, even on weekends or during vacations.
• Set a bedtime that is early enough for you to get at least 7 hours of sleep.
• Don’t go to bed unless you are sleepy.
• If you don’t fall asleep after 20 minutes, get out of bed.
• Establish a relaxing bedtime routine.
• Use your bed only for sleep and sex.
• Make your bedroom quiet and relaxing. Keep the room at a comfortable, cool temperature.
• Limit exposure to bright light in the evenings.
• Turn off electronic devices at least 30 minutes before bedtime.
• Don’t eat a large meal before bedtime. If you are hungry at night, eat a light, healthy snack.
• Exercise regularly and maintain a healthy diet.
• Avoid consuming caffeine in the late afternoon or evening.
• Avoid consuming alcohol before bedtime.
• Reduce your fluid intake before bedtime.

[Shredhead1104]

How long have you been in treatment? I’m at 6 months and I’m finally starting to see some big Improvements. I agree with sleep hygiene, if I drink caffeine or alcohol too late/ stay up working too late/ go to bed stressed over something I simply just can’t wind down enough to get into those deeper realms of sleep. Try to have at least a couple of hours of down time before you go to bed, that has helped me immensely. Also if you’re still new to treatment keep plugging away at it, I really does take a long time for your body to heal from the years of sleep deprivation.

[jwhjwh54]

Hello, jwh. PR machines are fine machines, but they are very conservative about reacting to obstruction and restriction in the airway (OAs, Hs, FLs). That means you need to raise the minimum pressure to a level that will head events off at the pass.

So I would recommend that you raise your minimum further, aiming to get to 12.5 or so. You can take it gradually, .5 at a time, waiting at least a few days after each change to see how things are going. (One night does not a trend make.) Going up to 11 seems to have made a good dent in your FLs, and going up some more may help with OAs and Hs.
time.

I'll try bumping it up some and try it a few days! also the notes about getting good sleeping habits is something I definitely need to work on. I seem to wake up around the same time regardless of when I go to sleep but I definitely need to take care of myself pre sleep. I've been on Cpap for about 2 years and don't think I've had that AH HAH moment of that was an amazing night of sleep.

Thanks!

Josh

[Miss Emerita]

Keep us posted, Josh!

[Goofproof]

On the subject of waking up refreshed, maybe other factors come into play. I wake up every day having to face my problems head on, and deal with them, maybe that keeps me from being refreshed. I also age every day, have more problems. Read in the news or fake news, all the problems around me, and waiting for me. Maybe that all interferes with my Awakening refreshed.

Treating Sleep Apnea helps you wake up alive, not die in your sleep, even 1,000 paper cuts can kill.

Ignorance is Bliss! I think they can Rule the World, That's the problem, they are..... Jim

[Ejones0310]

When I first went on CPAP 25 years ago, I felt invigorated when I woke up. I could not believe the difference the machine made. Fast forward 25 years and I wake tired, sleepy and dreading the day. I just completed a sleep study and replaced my machine in December, so it’s not because the machine isn’t doing it’s job. Instead I believe it’s a triple bypass, arthritis, sciatica, 120 pounds too heavy and simply being 25 years older. I recently spent a night without the machine and proved it is working. I figure I got 2 hours of sleep over a 10 hour period without the machine. On the machine my average AHI runs from .5 to 2. Without the machine I tested at 60 per hour.

So, other health conditions, age, stress of the, modern day world all contribute to feeling poor when you wake. Perhaps your sleep doctor can help? Maybe something to turn the brain off?

[Pugsy]

So, other health conditions, age, stress of the, modern day world all contribute to feeling poor when you wake.

Yep. I hear you. Welcome to the joys of getting older....but as the young whipper snapper baby faced doctor who I saw a couple of weeks ago for the bad arthritis in my thumb joint said....better than not getting any older. He had a point there.

Most of us have some sort of other health condition that either contributes to poor sleep or leads to medication side effects that aren't so nice either. I take a BP medication...one of the known side effects listed...fatigue. Go figure. I would change meds but I can't find one that doesn't list fatigue that is suitable for me.

I look at it this way...at least I don't wake up in the mornings with a killer headache from oxygen levels being in the toilet and I don't wake up to pee every hour on the hour...so that's a plus. I am 68 years old and while I don't wake up rearing to go run a marathon at least I don't wake up feeling like I just ran that marathon and got run over by a bus at the end of it.

We have to remember we would have these other same health issues even if we didn't have OSA in the mix. CPAP doesn't do a darn thing for my arthritis...didn't fix my BP issues either (it does for some lucky people)...and I can't expect it to fix a health problem it was never designed to fix that is totally unrelated to sleep apnea. No matter how much I might want to blame all my aches and pains on sleep apnea...it just doesn't fly. I have had some insomnia issues for a while now. Totally unrelated to apnea and big surprise...cpap didn't fix it either.

I find a lot of people who say "cpap didn't help" were having unrealistic expectations as to what cpap can do. They were wanting cpap to fix a problem that wasn't related to sleep apnea in the first place but sure wanting it to fix it.....and it was cpap that was to blame when it didn't. So what do they do...quit cpap and have one more health problem go untreated to mess with how they feel. Real smart...

[Goofproof]

When I first went on CPAP 25 years ago, I felt invigorated when I woke up. I could not believe the difference the machine made. Fast forward 25 years and I wake tired, sleepy and dreading the day. I just completed a sleep study and replaced my machine in December, so it’s not because the machine isn’t doing it’s job. Instead I believe it’s a triple bypass, arthritis, sciatica, 120 pounds too heavy and simply being 25 years older. I recently spent a night without the machine and proved it is working. I figure I got 2 hours of sleep over a 10 hour period without the machine. On the machine my average AHI runs from .5 to 2. Without the machine I tested at 60 per hour.

So, other health conditions, age, stress of the, modern day world all contribute to feeling poor when you wake. Perhaps your sleep doctor can help? Maybe something to turn the brain off?

Ditto, I spend 2 to 3 hours at night, not being able to shut my thinking off. I even think of working my old job from 20 years ago (Heavy equipment mechanic). Jim

[Ejones0310]

Ugh! Thinking of old jobs and the things you did wrong. That’s number 2 behind thinking of the current job and what I’ve messed up or forgotten to do. Last night it was 2 hours of that before I finally got to sleep.

[chunkyfrog]

Ah, those of us lucky enough to survive to old age will be given one thorn after another,
just to remind us not to be too prideful--and grateful for each small relief.

[jwhjwh54]

I'm on day 3 of 12.5 pressure and will post some charts but I still have a low AHI still but I think I'm feeling a bit better when I wake up. I think the machine isn't as far behind the power curve at 12.5. Still need to work on consistent sleep times and chilling out some before bed but I've got a big test Wednesday that is the next step in my career so the anxiety and nervousness is higher than normal, but I think I'm on the right path!