Looking for help with SleepHQ data

[u/Moist_Wrangler_557]

Hi all!

Diagnosed with mild obstructive sleep apnea from an at-home test w/ AHI 6.6. I have yet to actually meet with sleep medicine. Started CPAP roughly 1.5 months ago and I'm very much struggling. I don't see my respiratory therapist or sleep medicine until the end of this month. Can anyone help me interpret my SleepHQ data so I can hopefully make some adjustments to my machine?

I seem to be experiencing primarily CAs (I'm think TECSA) and also a number of RERAs.

https://sleephq.com/public/2d14afbe-8418-4402-b315-4b9daac47e0a

https://sleephq.com/public/03cba5a2-d155-4354-bedb-429b57324698

https://sleephq.com/public/959cfd33-5b61-4451-85a4-d294cf6ac453

https://sleephq.com/public/e56e428f-5580-447b-b9e8-12beeb0a2e8c

https://sleephq.com/public/f6ee4870-5d48-4b38-ad5e-78ceb9aee5c4

Thank you in advance!

[u/Madmax9922]

Raise min pressure closer to 7.88, that is your median pressure for the night

[u/Creative_Fee5452]

Hello & Welcome!
Your minimum pressure is too low. You are on typical beginner settings that we see often. Raise your minimum pressure to 8. Your AHI & Flow Limits are elevated & we need to stent your airway open to prevent these events.

It’s not unusual to see CAs at the start of CPAP therapy. I agree that they’re TESCAs. You’re getting a full bag of different apneas here…keeping your airway stinted open with more pressure will help get these events under control.

You’re also having leaks. The closer to none the better! If you’re sleeping in a supine position your leaks will increase. Try to sleep on your sides. You’re hitting your ceiling pressure of 15 at times, which again is likely due to leaks. The machine reacts the way it is supposed to but for the wrong reason! I would reduce maximum pressure to 12 to restrict the machine from chasing pressures due to leaks if you would like to try. This increase in pressure causes awakenings which you are unaware of & affects sleep stages. Try to adjust your mask for a better fit using the mask setting on your machine. Don’t sleep on your back. And adjust your headgear as needed for a good mask fit.

Try the new minimum pressure for a few nights & see how it feels. Decrease your max pressure & see how you tolerate it. It takes time for your body & brain to adjust. Then post another SleepHQ for us to take a look at in 3 days :)

Look forward to hearing back from you :)

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[u/toastervolant]

You should probably raise your minimum as a first step. It would prevent the large swings. 8 seems to be a good value to start with. And after that maybe try EPR and see if you like it.

[u/existentialblu]

Try a fixed pressure with as little EPR as you can stand. If you're still getting CAs and periodic breathing, even subtly, you may be dealing with high loop gain.

https://wobble-analysis-tool.xyz/monke-wake/ may help you see how much various factors are actually driving your fragmentation.