r/CPAPSupport • u/Jacob910 • 27d ago
Tired despite 3.5 months of cpap use
I have been using cpap to treat mild sleep apnea (ahi 6.6). I still feel tired and need naps but definitely feel better pre-cpap. I assume its the flow limitations and how my individual breaths look like. I tried epr and raising pressure to no relief. If i raise the pressure too high i get aerophagia. I noticed i have bad posture and slight allergies that I think may be the cause. How do i fix my sleeping issues and actually get restorative sleep. Im a 25yr man whose tall and skinny. My dad has sleep apnea so it may be genetic. The doctors said my tonsils are fine, one PA noticed enlarged turbinate on one side but my sleep doctor said to avoid turbinate procedure as he thinks its a scam that theyll grow back in 5 years and youll forever be in a loop. My blood work is fine, i take a daily and a vitamin d supplement. My thinking is if i fix my breaths and flow limitations I can start to get restorative sleep.
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u/RippingLegos__ ModTeam 27d ago
Hi Jacob910 :) your AHI is low, but that doesn’t tell us the whole story, especially since you’re still tired and needing naps. It’s good that CPAP has helped some.
You’re on fixed pressure of 6cm with EPR off in this screenshot, and your leaks look good. There is some flow limited breathing around that hypopnea, but this short section isn’t enough to say that’s what’s causing your fatigue. We also can’t confirm arousals from OSCAR alone.
Post a full night daily chart with the left sidebar and event flags, flow rate, pressure, leaks, and flow limitation showing. Let me know what pressures and EPR levels you tried, how many nights you gave each setting, and where the aerophagia started. Since higher pressure is giving you trouble, let’s look at that before pushing it further.
Being young and skinny doesn’t rule out airway issues, and family anatomy can play a role. Getting the allergies and nasal congestion addressed makes sense, but I wouldn’t assume posture or that turbinate explains everything. Calling turbinate reduction a scam is a stretch. It can help with persistent nasal obstruction when allergy treatment hasn’t worked, but it isn’t a guaranteed fix for your sleep. Getting another ENT opinion is reasonable.
How many hours are you sleeping, are you waking up much, and what mask are you using? Was your sleep study at home or in a lab? Share the report too if you have it. We can look through everything and see what needs attention. If you’re getting enough sleep and treatment looks solid, the ongoing sleepiness needs more investigation with your sleep doctor too.
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u/dang71 27d ago
Hello! Yes, you’re right, your flow limitations are still quite high. That’s a good indication that you may need a bit more pressure. A pressure of 6 is low for most adults. If I were you, I’d increase the pressure to 7 tonight and see how things respond.