Sleep Study Tonight

That's good to hear that 4-5 hours is normal at the start. I think they want to check the sandisk in my machine at my check-up. That's why I was concerned.

I did manage to keep it on over 5 hours last night. But I don't remember taking it off before 1am. I woke up at 1:20am with it off. I put it back on and slept until 5am.

Also, I've started talking in my sleep again but the CPAP makes it incomprehensible. However, I'm still not aggressive like before.

Hey, so what's your guys's routine for keeping your mask clean?

I just washed my nose up in dish soap and I'll wash the humidifier reservoir the next time it runs low. What should I do with the hose?

I have this mask. I have had it for about a year. Luckily I have not had any colds in that time, so it doesn't seem to get very grungy. I take it apart and rinse it out once in a while. I have also found that I am more comfortable without any water in the humidifier-I guess it is humid enough here so that the air doesn't dry me out. I have found that I don't have to clean the hose very often. When I do, I just run hot water through it in the morning and hang it to dry so that it is ready by night time

I had been reluctant to try it without the humidifier because we are so dry. I mean 7% humidity is not uncommon in the summer, especially this summer.

On my vacation last week, I didn't want to drag a gallon of distilled water with me, so I tried it without the humidifier.

I like that so much better. I've tried it on settings 0 through 4 (it goes up to 5). Setting 4 was like wearing a rainforest on my nose. Settings 2 and 3 always made my sinuses feel dry and cold and would use 1/2 the reservoir in one night. Setting 1 was ok, but I like having it off the best.

Thanks.

This will probably be my last update unless someone has questions:

Had a checkup today. I'm averaging more than 4.5 hours with the mask on a night. I guess that's the amount they look for when determining if a patient is being "compliant" wearing it. My apnea incidents are down to 4 - 5 while wearing it. That's down from 50/hr when on my back and 10/hr when on my side.

I think I'm back to putting the humidifier on 1. I'm getting my fall allergies and my sinuses got so dry two nights ago that they felt like they were burning. Turning it back on helped last night. I'm also considering getting a heated tube because I might be perceiving coldness in my sinuses as dryness.

The doc is concerned that I may be mouth breathing around 3am. So my wife has her assignment to check.

The sleep aggression appears to be completely gone when I wear the mask. It is reduced when I'm not wearing it.

The biggie is my blood pressure is down to 131/85. That's still "high normal", but it's down from 146/95 on my visit June 11.

good news, very glad it's helping

I hope I never have to have one of those sleep tests, I know me and I'd have a "tent pitched" the whole time. That would have to be embarassing. I pretty much have one every night and wake up with one so the chances of it happening there are pretty good.

So you guys who do these sleep tests, do you see a lot of that stuff? Guys making love to their pillows and all?

Imagine being strung up like a marionette doll with 40 sensors that are glued to your body with crusty jello, 20 of which are glued to your head.

Then you are tied to a bed, by your head, in a way that allows you to move about a foot in each direction and barely roll onto your side.

Then just after you manage to fall asleep, a sensor rips off and they wake you up to paste it back on.

All night long.

And if your unlucky, they wake you up around 2am and tie a mask to your face that forces air up your nose.

If that makes you want to pitch a tent or make love to your pillow, then you need to embrace that inner freak and find a BDSM group.

jgln said:

I hope I never have to have one of those sleep tests, I know me and I'd have a "tent pitched" the whole time. That would have to be embarassing. I pretty much have one every night and wake up with one so the chances of it happening there are pretty good.

So you guys who do these sleep tests, do you see a lot of that stuff? Guys making love to their pillows and all?

Click to expand...

I have never observed but I have been in 2 of those sleep tests and use my C-Pap everynight.
I kind of worried about a pitched tent and all that but I'm 54 and figured they have seen all kinds of stuff and why should worry my graying head about it. You never know, it could be a cute technician monitoring and decides they might want to talk you up on date or something.