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New to the CPAP experience - questions

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DynamicMaroonPenguin1961 +1 point · over 7 years ago Original Poster

So I guess I'm now a new 'hosehead' is what I've heard it called? :)

I've been using CPAP for a grand total of 6 days now, with the last 4 being the only ones I had meaningful use (over 4 hours). I struggled immensely with the pressure at first. I'm still uncomfortable with it, and still have to use 5mg of ambien (not something I use very often, and I'm aware it can impact my apnea), and I plan on not using the ambien after a couple more nights (I really don't like it).

Anyway, I'm using the Phillips Respironics dreamstation CPAP with humidity control, flex, and ramp. (I was successfully able to not use the ramp feature last night, and it is my intention to not use it for long if at all). My pressure is 14, and after looking at my data in sleepyhead (and on the machine itself), it is still showing a high AHI, though it has been dropping some every night. It started just over 10, went down a bit over a couple nights, and is now at 6.5. However, of particular concern to me is the number of centrals I am starting to see. I'm wondering if my pressure is too high, and I've been trying to learn the details of the stats I'm seeing, but the complexity to fully understand it? I'm not there yet.

Hoping for some insight. Thank you!

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DynamicMaroonPenguin1961 +0 points · over 7 years ago Original Poster
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DynamicMaroonPenguin1961 +0 points · over 7 years ago Original Poster

Is there a way to upload the whole file if needed? Not sure which screenshots matter. (Sorry for being such a noob.)

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DynamicMaroonPenguin1961 +0 points · over 7 years ago Original Poster
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DynamicMaroonPenguin1961 +0 points · over 7 years ago Original Poster
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DanM +0 points · over 7 years ago Sleep Enthusiast Support Team

Hello DynamicMaroonPenguin1961. Overall and based strictly on the information you have provided, your CPAP data looks pretty good. It is not terribly uncommon for patients to have some central apnea events when starting CPAP, and those often resolve as your body and breathing adjust to the treatment. These types of events can also occur after brief arousals from sleep with sleep onset. Hopefully, your sleep time and ability to remain asleep will continue to improve with treatment as well. Your AHI appears to average 6.51, and the goal is usually to get that below 5. I encourage you to continue to monitor your data for a couple of more weeks to see if things improve. If not, show the information to your physician and discuss whether there need to be adjustments to your treatment. Keep up the good work, and best wishes!

Please be advised that these posts may contain sensitive material or unsolicited medical advice. MyApnea does not endorse the content of these posts. The information provided on this site is not intended nor recommended as a substitute for advice from a health care professional who has evaluated you.