Do you have the latest CPAP machine? The latest generation is a dramatic improvement over the older generations, especially with the exhale relief, this yields less discomfort and more compliance. I can't recommend it enough.
I swear by my Resmed AutoSet S10. They have too many S10 models, so be sure to get the AutoSet (or higher), as it dials the pressure up and down. I'm kicking myself for sticking with an older S8 model for far too long, all the misery I endured was entirely unnecessary!
Proper pressure is the key to compliance. This machine has auto-set, so the minimal required pressure is used; it has better algorithms for it (compared to S8); and it has exhale relief (it drops the pressure when you start exhaling). It's easier to exhale, thus reducing the overall pressure.
An additional way to reduce the pressure is a neck pillow. I use one with a silly name of Dr Dakota. Aside from keeping your chin from falling down, it keeps your neck straight, and so it opens up the airways. It's a big deal if you have bad posture, like I do. This was a dramatic improvement for me.
Further, reducing the pressure will reduce leaks, and thus reduce pressure further, as the machine won't need to compensate as much. A virtuous cycle, if there ever was one.
And lastly, reducing the pressure allowed me to use a nasal pillow mask, which is very comfy, easy to maintain, and has the lowest leaks of all designs I have tried. I can't use it at high pressure due to mouth leaks, but I can handle it at the low pressure, and due to mostly zero leaks now ... the pressure goes down even more.
Combining all of these, I brought my leaks to zero (like, 90%th percentile), and AHI to less than one, like 0.6 is in there most of the time. That's only one event per the 90-minute sleep cycle.
Thanks for the extensive answer! I did an at-home CPAP trial after a sleep and they gave me some POS machine and I hated it. Unfortunately getting anything more fancy is going to require jumping through insurance hoops. rolleyes Pretty new to this whole thing.
My posture definitely makes a big difference, I'm at 9 AHI sleeping on my side but 50+ on my back untreated. I'm gonna duct tape pillows to myself or something. Glad you found something that works for you!
> and they gave me some POS machine and I hated it
I really hate that they do this. I had a friend who also got stuck with the same situation and did not have a good experience as a result. They should send you home to try the top-of-the-line model and then let you duke it out with your insurance company! ;)
Of corse. But a better question to ask is if your AHI takes a plunge. If it goes down from 20 to 10 for example you are halfway there to control your apnea.
A good CPAP machine will tell you what your AHI is. Even the S8 does, though you have to get to the system menu (hold down and right arrows for five seconds).
Mine's about 4 years old or so (?), perhaps I need to upgrade.
yeah, the newer ResMeds do look quite a bit more high-tech lol. I have a ResMed S8 Elite (https://www.google.com/search?q=resmed+S8&tbm=isch) with humidifier (the latter DOES make a noticeable difference).
