Hi all
I would be grateful for some advice on my current situation
30 year old male, BMI 28
Years of unrefreshing sleep, daytime sleepiness
Initially told "too young", "wrong body type" for sleep apnoea
Recently diagnosed with mild-moderate obstructive sleep apnoea average AHI 12/hr but 20/hr during REM sleep
Currently using ResMed Air Sense 10 with P30i nasal pillows mask
Have increased baseline pressures as well as starting mouth taping
Still feeling unrefreshed in morning and tired during the day
In terms of my OSCAR data my AHI has been consistently good
The only thing I can see is flow spikes and associated leak spikes
Am wondering whether this could be UARS?
I have increased from my prescribed baseline of 4-20 to 7-12 and using EPR 3
Am a little lost now as my AHI score is good, my flow limit seems ok
Is it worth me increasing my baseline pressures again?
Is there anything else worth doing at this point?
Would very much appreciate some input
Thanks
Ongoing tiredness despite good AHI. Flow and Leak spikes despite mouth taping
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- Posts: 2
- Joined: Tue Jun 18, 2024 11:23 am
Ongoing tiredness despite good AHI. Flow and Leak spikes despite mouth taping
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- Miss Emerita
- Posts: 3597
- Joined: Sun Nov 04, 2018 8:07 pm
Re: Ongoing tiredness despite good AHI. Flow and Leak spikes despite mouth taping
Welcome! Both zoomed-in snippets show you holding your breathe briefly during an arousal. (The flow rate above the zero line is inhalation; below is exhalation; and at zero is a pause.) It's perfectly normal to have some brief arousals every hour during sleep. You may have been holding your breath while turning over in bed.
Your chart is a thing of beauty. Don't change your settings.
UARS is usually signaled by heavy flow limitations. Yours are very light.
It can take time to start sleeping well using a PAP machine. How long have you been at it?
I see that you were using the machine on the 17th for little more than 7 hours. Most people need at least 7 hours of SLEEP to feel rested during the day, and many need 8. You're getting less than 7, which is not enough. Try hard to arrange things so you leave 8 hours between going to bed and getting up, and try hard to go to bed and get up at the same time.
Your chart is a thing of beauty. Don't change your settings.
UARS is usually signaled by heavy flow limitations. Yours are very light.
It can take time to start sleeping well using a PAP machine. How long have you been at it?
I see that you were using the machine on the 17th for little more than 7 hours. Most people need at least 7 hours of SLEEP to feel rested during the day, and many need 8. You're getting less than 7, which is not enough. Try hard to arrange things so you leave 8 hours between going to bed and getting up, and try hard to go to bed and get up at the same time.
_________________
Machine: AirCurve™ 10 VAuto BiLevel Machine with HumidAir™ Heated Humidifier |
Mask: Bleep DreamPort CPAP Mask Solution |
Oscar software is available at https://www.sleepfiles.com/OSCAR/
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- Posts: 2
- Joined: Tue Jun 18, 2024 11:23 am
Re: Ongoing tiredness despite good AHI. Flow and Leak spikes despite mouth taping
Thanks very much for your insight
It has been about 2 months of CPAP for me now and honestly am feeling a little disappointed in the lack of improvement
In fact I went without CPAP completely a few days last week as I had a nasty cough/cold and honestly did not feel any worse off
Yes you are right my sleep hygiene this week has been a little worse - in the process of getting some blackout blinds as it's really the fault of the summer sun early in the morning!
Any other thoughts or tips as to why I may not be feeling any benefit? Consciously I feel relatively comfortable falling asleep with the mask on, and if my chart is looking good also then I am a little lost
Many thanks
It has been about 2 months of CPAP for me now and honestly am feeling a little disappointed in the lack of improvement
In fact I went without CPAP completely a few days last week as I had a nasty cough/cold and honestly did not feel any worse off
Yes you are right my sleep hygiene this week has been a little worse - in the process of getting some blackout blinds as it's really the fault of the summer sun early in the morning!
Any other thoughts or tips as to why I may not be feeling any benefit? Consciously I feel relatively comfortable falling asleep with the mask on, and if my chart is looking good also then I am a little lost
Many thanks
- Miss Emerita
- Posts: 3597
- Joined: Sun Nov 04, 2018 8:07 pm
Re: Ongoing tiredness despite good AHI. Flow and Leak spikes despite mouth taping
It can just take a while. You may still be reacting to the new experience with being conscious of the reaction. There's such a thing as sleep debt, which perhaps you are still paying off.
Do you have a copy of your sleep report? If so, perhaps you could post it (with your personal information blacked out).
You're on the right track with those blackout blinds -- the best thing you can do for yourself right now is to follow the guidelines for better sleep. They look kind of vanilla, I know, and you may also feel that you don't really need to follow all of them. But I would strongly recommend that you give them a try for a solid month.
• 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.
Also, be aware that what didn't bother you when you were 20 might bother you now. Our bodies change over time.
Do you have a copy of your sleep report? If so, perhaps you could post it (with your personal information blacked out).
You're on the right track with those blackout blinds -- the best thing you can do for yourself right now is to follow the guidelines for better sleep. They look kind of vanilla, I know, and you may also feel that you don't really need to follow all of them. But I would strongly recommend that you give them a try for a solid month.
• 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.
Also, be aware that what didn't bother you when you were 20 might bother you now. Our bodies change over time.
_________________
Machine: AirCurve™ 10 VAuto BiLevel Machine with HumidAir™ Heated Humidifier |
Mask: Bleep DreamPort CPAP Mask Solution |
Oscar software is available at https://www.sleepfiles.com/OSCAR/