CharmingSalmonSeaLion

APAPs will raised pressure in response to, inter alia, significant leaks. Were you experiencing a mouth or mask leak of any kind?

It’s harder to get a good fit with the full face mask, because there are more points of contact than with a nasal mask. Because a nasal mask doesn’t cover your mouth, however, if you tend to open your mouth during sleep, which many people do, you will get mouth leaks, unless you use a chin strap. And that will drive up the pressure on an APAP.

When first starting therapy, twenty years ago, I was assured by my local hospital sleep lab support group, that I would eventually be able to keep my mouth shut without the chin strap. They were right, although it took a while.

Years later I tried nasal pillows and couldn’t stand them and the claustrophobic sensation they produced. They seem to work for some, but aren’t for everyone. The newer, extremely small volume, nasal masks produced a similar reaction. Recent studies have confirmed my reaction to those. They don’t work nearly as well as the traditional, fuller volume nasal masks in preventing events. (Why that research wasn’t done BEFORE putting them on the market is my question.)

Anyway, I have been told by very experienced sleep lab managers that the best choice for newbie patients just starting therapy is generally the traditional nasal mask.

The nasal pillows don’t work for everyone. Usually they start people on a nasal mask, with (to avoid mouth leaks) or without a chin strap. Don’t give up without trying a nasal mask first…..much more user friendly, in my experience.

I was initially given a CPAP, but opted for a dental device ($2K out of pocket) because I was doing a lot of International travel for work and it was difficult to use the machine on a plane.

After spending a week in Europe in 2005 using the device, I was a total Zombie. Turned out I was a bad candidate, because I desaturated too badly. Net/ net I got bad TMJ before I got relief from the OSA. Reverted to CPAP only with much better results.

If that persists, perhaps it worth a trip to your sleep doc to have it evaluated, and, if necessary, checked out via an overnight PSG in the sleep lab. You might be incurring some medical symptoms that need to be addressed. With the multiple channels of information available during an in lab study, there might be enough clues for them to get a handle on what is going on.

Actually, you should check out the blog elsewhere on this site on the subject of the FDA warnings on Ozone and UV sanitizers for CPAP. There have been reports of health problems. I experienced an episode of scary sleep paralysis the first time I used my machine after “sanitizing” it using SoClean and I returned the SoClean machine.

I have signed on, as well. This is a project that should help sleep apnea patients for years to come. I would encourage everyone to participate.

Disinfection and cleaning are actually different functions. The 03 used in the SoClean (despite the name) is designed to kill germs, but doesn't clean in the sense of removing skin oils, etc. You still have to clean the equipment, either manually or with a different type of cleaning system.

As a point of disambiguation, the 3.2 number you were seeing on your machine’s sleep report was likely your residual AHI, I.e., the apneas and hypopneas that remained despite or AFTER treatment. And that number isn’t too bad. The AHI of 21 was probably the average through the whole night without treatment. Those numbers are in no way contradictory or inconsistent. So, if that’s the reason you are questioning the test results, I think you can relax. But if it is for some other reason, let the folks here know.

It’s also important to note the difference between your AHIs during REM and nonREM Sleep, which can be very different, plus your O2 desat levels. For example, I had an average AHI of 19, but obstructed 83 times an hour during REM Sleep (when I could even get into REM sleep, which wasn’t often. There was an overlooked clue:from puberty on, I never remembered dreaming, but the reality is, I WASN’T dreaming, because I coildn’t remain in REM sleep.

I would also regularly desaturate below 60, which is life threatening and very hard on your cardiovascular system. It also kills beta cells and leads to DM2. And I awoke every night after 3.5 hours of sleep, unable to stay asleep or get back to sleep, because in REM, my body had to choose between sleeping and breathing. Fortunately for me, it chose breathing. Some people aren’t so lucky.

Some people desaturate very badly and suffer life threatening consequences from the hypoxia. Other people suffer more from the sleep fragmentation and respiratory arousals. There are many different subtypes of Sleep Apnea and many co-morbidities.

Congratulations on getting diagnosed. Most people suffering from sleep apnea remain undiagnosed, and will have a miserable quality of life. and many will die prematurely, never knowing what was wrong, or having had a chance to treat it. You have the chance to beat that rap.

Treatment IS worthwhile. Hang in there and fight for your health and well being!

My "insomnia" of thirty years standing was "cured" by successful sleep apnea treatment. I used to fall asleep BEFORE my head hit the pillow, but wake up exactly 3.5 hours later every night, unable to get back to sleep for several hours. but after about three hours, I felt like someone had hit a reset button and I was again able to sleep (for another 3.5 hours.)

It turned out that during REM sleep (when I could sustain it) I was obstructing 83 times an hour, and 3.5 hours into the night is the time when you cycle into the first major period of REM sleep. Net/net. I didn't have "insomnia", at all.
Nor was I "depressed" (another misdiagnosis.)

I had OSA, but because I didn't fit the stereotype of a middle-aged obese male, (being young, thin and female at the time), I didn't get diagnosed until I self-diagnosed at 56. in the meantime, of course, I incurred the usual OSA co-morbidities, notably weight gain, profound exhaustion and, last, but not least, DM2. (Beta cells are very susceptible to hypoxia.)

what I thought of as the "reset button", was the fact that after a while, my body was able to get back into Stage 1 sleep, rather than trying to return directly to REM. When your body has to choose between sleeping and breathing, it will pick breathing every time.