ScantyZ

Further to my previous post, I found that you cannot see the pressure (IPAP) line because it is under the EPAP line with exactly the same path.

I will check with the OSCAR people for that missing pressure on the graph.

My EPR is set to OFF.

Does someone has ever seen something like my last night sleep?

That is for the same night. No change in anything. I got up and went back to bed into the same sleeping position. For both sessions I woke up in the same position.

Why is my second session different? Could there be clues in some other OSCAR graphics?

To set the mode you have to go into the Clinical Menu by pressing and holding the round set button and the rectangular Home button at the same time for 5 seconds.

On my A11, you just need to touch 2 fingers anywhere on the screen for 3 - 5 sec. and the Clinical Menu appears.

Also when in the Clinical Menu scroll down to Options, Essentials, and set it to Plus mode

No such Plus mode on my A11. But there are more settings available within the Clinical Menu.

There is no real benefit to eliminating the ramp when it is in auto.

I did not notice until now that I have the ramp off. I will keep it like that for the tests I am doing so I have comparable data.

Did you export the data to produce that graph?

I export the data to CSV files and then use them with Excel to get different graphs.

The other possibility is a switch to the For Her mode. I believe the A11 machine includes that as an option.

I don't see that option on my A11.

BiPAP I believe they can go up to about 10 cm

The AirCurve Vauto specifications say 25 [cm H2O (hPa)]

I think the first thing I would try on your machine is tightening up the pressure range by increasing the minimum pressure. I would suggest 14 cm as a minimum

My test last night was with pressure settings at 15 cm and 20 cm for the first 45 minutes and then I reset the pressure to 12-20 cm because there were leaks at the mask when I exhaled. I will give it a shot at 14 cm.

a trial at a fixed pressure (CPAP) may be worth a try

I will have to check on my A11 to see how to set such fixed pressure. As for the ramp, I don't really need it. I fall to sleep very rapidly, within a few minutes. I was thinking to check if I could just eliminate the ramp and see what it would do.

Since there are many things to set to finally have a clear picture if that is possible, I am going step by step with those tests. A few more nights to try and finalise the pressure settings.

I started my tests with pressure. After one night with 4 sessions, the results are not conclusive. I will continue those tests for a few more nights.

I read somewhere that the 95% Flow Limitation should ideally be below 0.1. My average for the last 3 months is more 0.3. Is it something I should try to bring down and if so, how can I do that? Is this a case that would benefit from a BiPAP?

Thank you Sierra, your comments are greatly appreciated :-)

On your sleep test are those numbers events per hour?

Yes, they are.

the pressure you are using is as high as it is (95% at about 18 cm)

At the beginning the pressure settings were Min. 6.0 Max 16.0 (cmH2O). The results were not very satisfactory so I tested different settings. I got the best results at the settings Min. 10.0 Max. 20.0 (cmH2O). One thing I just realized is that all the tests I made was before I started using the MAD. I will retest with different pressures and see if there are positive effects.

You are using EPR at 3 cm and full time.

I do not have a clear understanding of what the EPR is or do. Based on your results, I will try different settings and check for improvements. I think I should do those tests after the ones with the pressure.

I read somewhere that the caffeine effects could last for 1 to 2 weeks. Since I have no problem cutting it, I am waiting for a couple of weeks before concluding on its effect on me. I used to drink coffee throughout the day and even at night when I woke up.

What is hard for me is getting the patience required. I am not naturally very patient.

P.S. Is there a place instructing how to post. I got this one by chance I think.

Hello everyone.

I am new to this forum so I will introduce myself. :-)

WHO I AM

My real name is Daniel and I tell everyone to call me Dan. I am a 71 year old retired engineer bilingual French-English. I live in Canada, province of Quebec, city Shawinigan. Unfortunately, I am a smoker.

MY SLEEP STUDY

I was diagnosed with apnea and part of the results of my sleep study were:

Central apneas : 1.3

Obstructive apneas : 23.3

Mixed apneas : 1.7

Hypopnea : 7.7

Apneas + Hypopnea : 33

RERAs : 2.3

That study was done in February 2021.

MY CPAP

I got Philips machine first but problems with the sleep clinic (not the Philips recall) forced me to change the machine. I then got à Resmed Airsense 11 and started using it December 22, 2021.

MY THERAPY

Untill June 2022:

I struggle to get my numbers down. I got different advice for the pressure settings and played with those with no real improvement. The final pressure settings are now 10/20 which is the maximum for the high pressure. It was also suggested I wear a cervical collar because of probable "positional apnea". I tried two collars with the second one showing some improvement. I call it a semi-rigid collar. My results were still up and down and not really good.

After June 6, 2022:

As I was searching internet for information about apnea and treatments, I stumble on an article about a MAD (mandibular advancement device) that would be a help for some people. So I got one device from Amazon to try. It is not something I should keep wearing for long because it can have a bad impact on the mouth and teeth (so says my dentist). From the first night I tried the MAD, I saw my numbers drastically improve as shown in the table below.

If those results stay as good as they are now, I will get a MAD made by a professional.

MY QUESTIONS

My big question is when you look at my numbers (images below), is it possible to improve on that or should I be happy with what they are?

I started yesterday to stop drinking coffee with the hope I will cut down the fragmented sleep which is my usual night. For now I do not seem to experience caffeine withdrawal problems.

Finally, can you think of anything else I could do for improvements?

I have more information available should you want it. Thank you for any comment you would submit.