singingkeys

"I have not done a CPAP titration to determine the pressure setting of my CPAP but instead determined the setting by a series of trial and error and my subjective experience."

An Auto CPAP helps you to find your pressure and titration really isn't needed with an auto unit. If they tell you otherwise, they're just trying to make money. For instance, when I first got my ResMed Air Sense 10 Autoset, I think I set the initial pressure to like 5.3 starting pressure, 6 minimum and 12 maximum. Over a period of 1-2 weeks, I noticed that my max pressure never went above 8.9 and varied usually between 7 and 9. So that told me that my maximum pressure setting should be 9. I have also awaken for a bathroom trip sometime and saw that my pressure was exactly 8.9 on a consistent basis.

Over the past couple of months, I have since progressed with the settings. That told me that my maximum pressure setting should be 9 at the most. I examined my Sleepyhead events and confirmed it over the days and weeks. So 9 was my maximum pressure. Then I had to figure out what my starting pressure and minimum pressure (the pressure that it kicks up to once you actually drift off to sleep) should be. 5.3 at first seemed okay as a starting pressure, but after a day or two, it felt suffocating. I kept upping the pressure. Now I have it at 6 starting pressure and 6.4 minimum pressure with the option to go up to the max of 9 for the worst events. EPR setting is at 3. My starting pressure begins after 5 minutes.

The result? I typically have 5.3AHI and 18.1RDI without the machine. With the machine and the above settings, I'm up to 6 hours 10 minutes per night on average with 0.96AHI. When I first started out, I was yanking the mask off every 1-2 hours. The other readings are typically in the 0.X range and not even at a 1. I have massive sleep debt and I do feel better some days (more energy)...but I'm 37 and have had trouble sleeping since I was probably 12 or 13. So I have a lot to catch up to.

I either have REM-related sleep apnea or UARS based on my 18 RDI.

I have also found various research online that suggests that when you start getting used to the machine and catch up a little bit on getting used to the mask and air pressure itself, sometimes your actual apneas/hypopneas will decrease because you're more rested. When you're exhausted back to back, the apneas are known to get worse.

ResMed Air Sense 10 Autoset with ClimateLine hose and Dreamwear nasal pillow mask.

How in-depth do you go to clean yours? Do you just rinse them or deep clean them?

I see that some people rinse them with vinegar and water. The smell would be awful from that, so what are some other ways?

Do you soak the hose in a pan of water before rinsing? I have read that the hose has to be completely dry before reconnecting. Would it hurt it after rinsing it and letting it drip down (I have this little u-shaped hose hanger thing like a coat hanger designed for hanging the hose to dry) to reconnect it and run the mask fit feature for a few minutes to blow the remaining water onto a towel? Or would that harm the electrical wire inside of the ClimateLine hose?

The mask can be wiped down, of course...but the air flows through the actual headgear part itself on the Dreamwear headgear. Soak it in water mixed with something else?

Should the water reservoir be scrubbed or simply rinsed?

Anything else on the machine itself that needs to be cleaned? I have recently gotten a sinus infection that is a bit odd - I have the burning eyes like an allergy or cold and I have swelling and pain on one side (left side) of my upper nose closer to my eye. It spread down to the lower part of my nose and I got antibiotics from the doctor today to treat it. They simply said it is an infection. Not sure that it came from anything CPAP-related, but just wondering if I'm cleaning properly. Could simply be that I touched my cell phone before bed (most people's have a ridiculous amount of germs on them even when cleaned regularly) while in bed right before I put my mask on.

I still have my P10 mask rigged with Swift FX headgear, but even after that I still kept pulling it off after a couple of hours.

A while back I bought the Dreamwear fit pack, so I have both nasal pillows or full face mask option. Each has its own headgear. The nasal pillows work pretty good, but I decided to take a nap this afternoon and try the full face mask that I have been wanting to try. I slept for about 3 hours. I woke up feeling surprisingly refreshed, but I noticed a couple of issues as soon as pressure went onto the mask while I was still awake. My max pressure is only between 8 and 9 (APAP - Air Sense 10 Autoset) and I keep starting pressure at 6 and minimum at 6.4. My resulting numbers were 3 hours at 0.3 AHI, 14L/min leak and 0.1 central. Not bad at all. The top part of the mask just under the nose presses on the area above the top lip (upper gum area) and also directly onto the nasal septum bone itself. Having had deviated septum surgery a couple of years ago, that concerns me because pressure on the septum can actually cause it to deviate if you did that for a long period of days/weeks/months. So of course I don't want to do that unless I can come up with some kind of fix to alleviate that pressure.

Has anyone who uses the Dreamwear FFM found anything to stop that pain? Probably a common problem and just curious. I'm continuing on with Dreamwear nasal pillows that I was using before.

I love the Dreamwear hose on top of the head because my machine is on a table at the head of my bed, so I can sleep on my sides, back or even stomach if I turn my head to the side. My P10 won't let me do that, but I love how quiet the P10 is. I wish there was a mask as quiet as the P10 and with the P10 vent, but yet with the Dreamwear headgear and comfort of the nasal pillows. The Dreamwear has more sturdy pillows compared to the P10, or maybe my nose is just weird.

Does a hybrid combining those features exist yet?

Alright, so I had the P10 mask for a while and kept pulling it off after 1-3 hours. I was getting tangled in the hose, as well. I switched to the Dreamwear mask and love it. It stays on a lot better and I wear it for 6-8 hours. Air Sense 10 Autoset. I see decent numbers on a regular basis:

Starting pressure is 6.0. Minimum pressure is 6.4. Max pressure is set to 9 and always tops out just below at 8.9 virtually every night.

0.5 to 1 AHI on a consistent basis. 0.4AI and 0.3 central AI. On good nights, the central is flat 0. I for sure don't seem to have any central. Occasionally if I have a bad night, I'll open my mouth and cause an AHI up to 2 and sometimes increased centrals. Leak rate averages 14L/min. I'm told by some that this is somewhat high and that my goal should be as close to 0 as possible. I was under the impression for some reason that there would be "some" leak rate as part of the air venting from the mask constantly.

Dreamwear mask works great. Love the hose on top of my head so that I can sleep on my side sometimes with no issue. However, I wake up every morning feeling like utter squat, as if I slept poorly, have no energy, etc.

What do people do when this happens? I have had the in-lab study and home sleep study. In lab was 4.7AHI, 50 unclassified RERAs in 2.75 hours. Home sleep study showed 5.3AHI.

So I started monitoring myself. I have the home security camera system box in my room. I had a spare camera with night vision and trained it on my bed. I'm wearing my mask, I jolt awake and look around like something just scared me. It doesn't look like I do it a lot, though. It may just be when the machine ramps or something. It is usually on a night when I'm getting 6-8 hours with numbers that look good the next morning and I should have somewhat better energy.

So I guess the question is...why don't I feel better? Is it my leak rate?

I just got the mask shipped to me today. I tried the full face mask. The silicone hole for the nose and mouth are surprisingly comfortable and it held up to the pressure of the "mask test" function on the Air Sense 10 Auto and showed that the seal was good. No leaks even with a little stubble on my face.

However, I also got some additional medium nasal pillows because I intended to use the nasal pillow part only. I figured out how to put those on and they're fine. What do I do with these magnetic clips from the full face mask part, however? They're still attached to the mask straps and the full face part has been removed. I see that the magnetic attachments could obviously be taken off and I guess maybe the remaining velcro loop pieces stuck together can be strapped around the lower back of my head? Is that the way it is supposed to go when using the nasal pillows only?

Is there are more study nasal mask with better straps? I like the P10, but the original straps were garbage. I replaced them with the one for the Swift FX. It holds it on for obviously longer, but just wondeirng about other better options. It is very odd that some have better straps than others.

I kept it on last night for 5.25 hours. Still similar numbers.

Tried the large pillows. They don't even seal. The mediums are sitting on the outside edge of my nose and go in just slightly into the edge. They do seal well. It just makes my nose sore when I have to keep my straps tighter to keep it from coming off in the middle of the night.

I find the nasal pillows comfortable, but they regularly irritate the inside of my nose, so a pillowless full face mask would in theory avoid having to use them and yet also avoid the pressure issue between the nose and mouth so that I'm not blowing air out of my mouth to wake me up from the noise. Don't really want to have to tape every night.

I read where one person was using nasal pillows and couldn't keep it on for over an hour or two, so they switched to the AirFit F30 and said they kept it on for 8 hours straight from day one. Of course, results may vary and my reason and their reason for switching may be different.

I guess I like that the pressure in the mouth would be equalised with the nose, so air won't be blowing out of the lips from the unequal pressure. Also, for the times when I briefly wake up and open my mouth for a second or two, the pressure won't be blowing out choking me.

The biggest issue is that tomorrow might be 1 or two hours before it comes off or I pull it off. Looking for more uniformity and straps/fit so that won't happen. Trying to decide if I want nasal pillows plus the mouth covered or both covered with no nasal pillows. The latter seems better, but not sure of the quirks with either. I want to get back to driving again and I need to be able to focus and not worry about "if the mask comes off" each day. The one I have is just too unreliable to stay on.

I hit a milestone last night of 4.4 hours with my P10 mask. I've had my APAP for about a month and a half and that's the longest I've ever kept it on. My P10 mask is rigged with the Swift FX headgear because the original headgear was too flimsy.

I use medium nasal pillows. It works, but after 3-4 hours I start waking myself up to the sound of air blowing out of my mouth from the pressure. Pretty loud sound. I don't want to tape my lips. They already get bright red when I don't sleep well (blood pressure isn't high, but could be in just the face/head when that happens) and toothpaste already makes them chapped to the point of needing chapstick every night before bed. I'm blowing air out of the corner of the lips with my jaws closed, so a mouth strap is just about guaranteed to fail.

My starting pressure and minimum pressure are 5.6. Max pressure is 9 and is always 8.9 when I see it on the machine. I can breathe comfortably with that 5.6 and sometimes my apneas/hypopneas don't even start until an hour or two after I go to sleep.

17L/min leak, 0.4AHI, 0.2AI, 0.0 centrals. The numbers are beautiful. I feel better, but need more sleep.

I've been looking at Philips DreamWear and AirFit F30. One seems to have nasal pillows and the other is open for mouth and nose.

Given the situation, any other suggestions for masks? My unit is like 1.5 feet from my head on a table at the head of my bed, so the hose on top is not an issue at all.