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Can you get to zero AHI?
#1
Can you get to zero AHI?
Just wondering if anyone with moderate to severe sleep apnea is able to get to zero events in a night.

I've been tweaking my therapy and getting closer. When I started I was having 5-6 centrals per night with OSA's giving me about 3-4 AHI. I've made small adjustments reducing my centrals and OSA's night after night to finally I had a central free night with about 6 OSA's... giving me a AHI of .9.

Gonna run with what I have now for a week or so to see if it is stable.




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#2
RE: Can you get to zero AHI?
Yes, it is possible. But it isn't necessary unless you just want to get there for gits and shiggles.

"Normal" people have an AHI of less than 5 so if we get below 5, too, we're sleeping the same as them.

PaulaO

Take a deep breath and count to zen.




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#3
RE: Can you get to zero AHI?
(03-05-2013, 12:47 PM)PaulaO2 Wrote: "Normal" people have an AHI of less than 5 so if we get below 5, too, we're sleeping the same as them.

That is not my understanding. "Normal" people always have an AHI of zero. If your AHI is under 5.0 it is not bad enough to be worth treating, but it is still not completely normal; you still have sleep apnea.

I think a lot of people misunderstand what an AHI of 5.0 means.
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#4
RE: Can you get to zero AHI?
Yeah, I've read posts when someone reached zero ahi for a night here and there. I wouldn't be chasing that goal though. Normal people have less than 5 ahi/hour and most probably have some every night. But you knew that. Congratulations on your tweaking- you're getting good results.
Mary
PS: You will make people jealous and start a tweaking frenzy, cincysinner.
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#5
RE: Can you get to zero AHI?
An AHI of 5 or more is needed for the diagnosis. That means that an AHI of less than 5 means you do not have sleep apnea. It is that way for any other test, such as blood work. There's a normal range and then there's the above or below that range that is the diagnosis for whatever. Thyroid function needs to be between .82 and 1.77. Above or below this indicates a thyroid condition. Treatment for that condition should put the thyoxine level back to within that range.

AHI is no different.
PaulaO

Take a deep breath and count to zen.




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#6
RE: Can you get to zero AHI?
I made 0.16 AHI last night but I think it was just a case of the Force being with me at the time.
(That is close enough to zero for me)

Smile
"With ordinary talent and extraordinary perseverance, all things are attainable." - Thomas Foxwell Buxton

Cool
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#7
RE: Can you get to zero AHI?
My thinking on this is... I am more concerned about having longer spans of time without and event.... e.g. if I have 8 events in 1 hour then none in the next 8 hours of sleep, that is better than 1 event per hour over 8 hours. Not sure if I have any science behind me but I would think the quality of sleep would be much better in the latter scenario.
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#8
RE: Can you get to zero AHI?
(03-05-2013, 10:51 AM)cincysinner Wrote: Just wondering if anyone with moderate to severe sleep apnea is able to get to zero events in a night.

I originally began CPAP with a full-face mask. I have used serveral brands.

In Decemeber 2012, I switched to the Aloha Nasal Pillows. I DID change the settings on the S9 to indicate that.

Since then, my AHI has been 0.0 every night. All other numbers being reported seem reasonable and I guess this seemed reasonable. My AHI before with full-face mask was usually just less than 1 each night.

Gene

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#9
RE: Can you get to zero AHI?
After months of studying the data and making incremental changes I've gotten my average AHI down to .3. I rarely ever have a CA anymore, like one 10 or 12 second one every 2 weeks or so; I think that the CAs going away just has a lot to do with getting used to the pressure.

One night a couple of weeks ago I slept about 7.5 hours and had a 0 AHI. That's the only time it's happened so far.

I'm pretty sure that I know the reason I had an AHI of 0 that night. The aliens that abduct me at night have to cover their tracks by importing quality of sleep data into the PAP. That way I won't look at the data and wonder why 3 or 4 hours are missing. Well, that night they must have been training a new guy and he didn't know that an AHI of 0 would look suspicious. I guess they've straightened him out on this because now he always throws a hypopnea or OA in there to make things seem right. They can't fool me though. A couple of nights ago they must have lost my tin foil hat. They tried making a replacement to put on me; but those idiots made it with the shiny side of the tin foil facing in - when everyone knows that the shiny side has to face out in order to keep radio waves from getting into your brain.
Oh-jeez
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#10
RE: Can you get to zero AHI?
Best advertisement for Aloha Nasal Pillows I have ever read. Just amazing. Congratulations!

(03-05-2013, 03:07 PM)eplantz Wrote: I originally began CPAP with a full-face mask. I have used serveral brands.

In Decemeber 2012, I switched to the Aloha Nasal Pillows. I DID change the settings on the S9 to indicate that.

Since then, my AHI has been 0.0 every night. All other numbers being reported seem reasonable and I guess this seemed reasonable. My AHI before with full-face mask was usually just less than 1 each night.

Gene

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