How to reduce my events while using my Cpap

I've been using my CPAP at night for a long time. I had to add oxygen to it a few months ago. It helped.
My question is how many of you use your machine when you take a nap? I know you're supposed to but I find I sometimes fall asleep before putting it on. Or I don't expect to sleep long so I skip it. Am I the only one who does this?

@pearlbaby7 I don't use my CPAP for naps at all, but I often nap in a recliner chair with my torso "propped up", so I am not completely flat. I think that might be okay, but I am not sure. Also, my naps usually don't last longer than 1 hour, and often more like 30 minutes.

@muffy I too thought sitting up sleeping would be OK. The sleep doctor told me I could still have events sitting up. My naps are mostly short like yours. Occasionally though they can be 2 hours or more. Thanks for the feedback!

@pearlbaby7 - Oh, thanks for letting me know. I still think I won't be using the CPAP for my shorter naps. But maybe I should use it for the longer ones.

The upper part of your mouth is what collapses so sitting up to sleep helps gravity to pull down your upper mouth and close off your throat. Even a short nap can cause your heart to stop and thus cause blood clots that can cause heart attacks and strokes. So you should use your CPAP for even short naps. That said I must confess I do not always do so.

Oh, thanks for letting me know.

I have had my cpap for 2 months and I have great usage hours each night and I no longer feel sleepy during the day BUT I am frustrated by the erratic results wrt events. The number of events do not correlate with the mask seal. I've had leakage of 40 litres per minute coincident with 4.0 events. I've had 10 events per hour with a good mask seal. What else affects event numbers besides mask seal, sleeping on back and being overly tired? Do alergies come into play?
Am I correct in wanting each night or at least most nights to have fewer than 6 events per hour?
Any help you may provide will be most appreciated. I really want this treatment to result in more REM sleep and I don't understand how that will happen as long as the events are above 5 per hour.

Hello @rfries, Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I have been using a CPAP since July 31st, 2018 when I was diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea. My sleep medicine doctor said the goal for me was to have fewer than 4 events per hour which is I think what you are saying....below 5 events per hour. I took a look at my first 60 days and it's probably similar to what you are going through now and I can relate to the frustration of trying to reach the goal of 4 events or fewer and maintain that level. I attached my first 60 days so you can see my struggle was similar (I think).

One thing that I have discovered that helps me is when I sleep on my side. My numbers go up dramatically when I'm sleeping on my back. I tend to do this a lot when my hip starts hurting and I turn to the other side and back and forth. Sometimes I end up sleeping on my back for awhile due to the pain in my hips. Another thing that I found that affects my numbers are the mask. If it's not comfortable, it adds one more thing in the mix. Here's some information I found that may give you some things to try.

How to Improve Your AHI Score Overnight: https://www.cpap.com/blog/good-ahi-score/

@alanbruce @thankful and other members may have some suggestions for you also.

Is your CPAP mask comfortable?

@rfries Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. You'll notice that I moved your message to this existing discussion about CPAP and events. It sounds like you are understandably frustrated by your erratic results. I'd like to bring a few members into this discussion who have experience with CPAPs like @thankful @johnbishop & @alanbruce

I'm wondering if your provider or the CPAP supplier would be able to help you answers those questions?

That's a terrific reply and I thank you. I did go to that site and it's good also. The part that I want to follow-up on is the sleep position. From what you've said it makes sense that I stay off my back - period. Any tips on how? When I wake I am on my side and I don't know when I am on my back. My sciatica rolls me around a lot. I am a 79 year old male. Use pillows as wedges to prevent rolling over? Sleep propped up at 30 degrees? I think my hybrid mask is probably comfy enough. Is it worthwhile to invest in a pillow having one corner cut off so that the mask rests on nothing?