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LaLaPorte
+0 points
·
over 3 years
ago
Original Poster
Due to the Philips Respironics Dream Station recall, I have stopped using my CPAP machine until my Air Sense 10 replacement arrives.
When I was diagnosed with sleep apnea (AHI = 16.7) last year I was a perpetual mouth breather due to environmental allergies and nasal congestion.
Over the past year I have retrained myself and revolutionized my life in the following ways:
I trained my mouth to mew 24/7 unconsciously (tongue resting on the roof of my mouth, even when I wake up in the morning).
I trained myself to nasal breathe 24/7.
I perform nasal sinus rinses daily.
I cover my mouth/lips with micropore tape while sleeping.
Now that I no longer use my CPAP machine that got recalled, I have noticed that I am sleeping well and feeling refreshed without it.
Is it possible that I have cured my sleep apnea by retraining my breathing habits?
Is having an additional sleep study performed the only way to confirm this, or could I set my CPAP machine to a really low pressure and see if apnea events remain unremarkable?
Setting your CPAP to the minimum 4 cm pressure will give you some indication of where you stand. But, the real test is a sleep study. The home sleep study should be sufficient.
Yes, the industry accepted apnea threshold is an AHI of 5. But, most achieve a level well below that. With my most recent settings my average is 0.8, and my wife's is about 0.6.
There have been a LOT of debates spanning many years about that “AHI of 5” standard for treatment.
It’s a complicated and important issue and I will shortly start a new thread elsewhere on this on that subject. To some extent, it is a matter of what the insurers are willing to reimburse. But there are those who will tell you that a single apnea, if it lasts long enough, can do a lot of damage, especially if you are someone who desaturates badly.
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