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AHI and time
#1
AHI and time
For the past year I had been pretty proud of myself because my nightly AHI was seldom higher than .6 - .8. But a month or so ago I started getting occasional readings in the 1 - 2 range. That's obviously not that bad but it still bothered me. The other interesting aspect was the higher AHI readings didn't seem to make me more tired. If anything I felt a little better. But I believe I have come up with the reason for the change.

When I was getting the AHI reading of less than 1, I seldom slept more than seven hours a night. It dawned on me that the higher readings began about the time I started logging 8 to 9 hours a night on my pillow mask. I suspect that more time on the mask equates to more time leaks and other things that could affect AHI. Looking at my Sleepyhead data most of my high readings seem to be occurring in the last couple of hours each night. I tend to toss and turn anyway and moreso in the early morning hours -- even though I feel very comfortable in bed (almost impossible for me to sleep without CPAP now). I guess I'll just quit worrying unless the numbers start edging up around 5.
"Sometimes the magic works . . . and sometimes it doesn't" -- Chief Dan George in the movie Little Big Man
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#2
RE: AHI and time
Is there a consistent component of AHI that stands out? Your approach would be different if you're seeing clusters of CA, OA, RERA or Hypopneas. Anything under AHI of 3.0 is acceptable in my mind. I enjoy the days under 1.0 but have plenty higher, and I've been at this since 2008.
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#3
RE: AHI and time
Zorki1c,

You may want to download your data and take a look at the AHIs (as well as apnea types) and compare them between the shorter and longer sessions. I have noticed that at times when my AHIs are through the roof it correlates to the time that I am actually lying in bed awake with the mask on. Most machines cannot tell if you are awake or asleep. I keep a pad next to the machine where I note the time I am awake (at least the start) and don't turn off the machine. I can then go back and look at the numbers and see what the data is really saying.

Just some suggestions.

Homer
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#4
RE: AHI and time
I notice my AHI rises when I sleep more soundly, altho with cpap it is always pleasingly low. There has been one morning it was 0, but i slept like crap, and on the days when I *know* I had lots of dreams the AHI tends to be in the .7 to 1.1 range, and median pressures are higher as well. My Sleep Dr suggested to me that the leaks I get probably follow the peaks rather than causing them, and indeed that appears to be the case.
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#5
RE: AHI and time
I never get below 6 ahi. Is something wrong?
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#6
RE: AHI and time
(12-29-2014, 06:03 PM)Thewookie Wrote: I never get below 6 ahi. Is something wrong?

Lots of variables to account for! You are on a bipap - but your profile doesnt tell much else about your treatment. Are you on a set pressure or an auto range? the events that you have; what else is happening then? central or osa? is 6 significantly better than what you had before pap?
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#7
RE: AHI and time
I notice that days where it takes me a long time to fall asleep and where I wake up more during the night (especially since I've only had CPAP 2 weeks), I tend to have a lower AHI then nights where I feel I slept the whole night and had lots of dreams.


I figure it's because obviously I'm not have episodes when I'm awake. So if I have the mask on for 8 hours, and say have 16 episodes the whole night, I will get an AHI of 2. But if I was only truely asleep for say, 4 of those 8 hours, then my AHI is actually 4. The downside to the CPAP is that while they give you an AHI, it's not the same as the AHI you would get at a sleep clinic since it cannot tell how long it took you to fall asleep or how many times you woke up.

I may be wrong, but my understanding is that we tend to have more episodes in a deeper sleep, so more AHI's could make you more restful if it's corresponding to a deep sleep.

Light sleep with low AHI is not as good as a deep sleep with more AHI's (obviously withing reason here)
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#8
RE: AHI and time
(12-29-2014, 01:33 PM)Homerec130 Wrote: Zorki1c,

You may want to download your data and take a look at the AHIs (as well as apnea types) and compare them between the shorter and longer sessions. I have noticed that at times when my AHIs are through the roof it correlates to the time that I am actually lying in bed awake with the mask on. Most machines cannot tell if you are awake or asleep. I keep a pad next to the machine where I note the time I am awake (at least the start) and don't turn off the machine. I can then go back and look at the numbers and see what the data is really saying.

Just some suggestions.

Homer

That exactly when my AHI goes up -- when I'm lying awake. I also have been taking longer to go to sleep than previously -- but I still am getting more sleep. And I always have to get up at least once during the night but the nuber of times I get up doesn't seem to be much of an AHI factor.
"Sometimes the magic works . . . and sometimes it doesn't" -- Chief Dan George in the movie Little Big Man
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#9
RE: AHI and time
(12-29-2014, 08:45 PM)Zorki1c Wrote:
(12-29-2014, 01:33 PM)Homerec130 Wrote: Zorki1c,

You may want to download your data and take a look at the AHIs (as well as apnea types) and compare them between the shorter and longer sessions. I have noticed that at times when my AHIs are through the roof it correlates to the time that I am actually lying in bed awake with the mask on. Most machines cannot tell if you are awake or asleep. I keep a pad next to the machine where I note the time I am awake (at least the start) and don't turn off the machine. I can then go back and look at the numbers and see what the data is really saying.

Just some suggestions.

Homer


That exactly when my AHI goes up -- when I'm lying awake. I also have been taking longer to go to sleep than previously -- but I still am getting more sleep. And I always have to get up at least once during the night but the nuber of times I get up doesn't seem to be much of an AHI factor.

If you AHI goes up while your awake, perhaps it's because your not breathing fast enough for the machine's liking Tongue

Do you toss around a lot? When you're moving around people have a tendency to hold their breath while moving. Also, I notice sometimes when I'm awake, I exhale and stay at a full exhale a bit to long for my machine's liking because I can feel a little pulsing of air. I haven't looking into whether or not it's recording under my AHI's or not.

Just a thought. Not sure what else would cause it Sad
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