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I'm completely new here so I hope I'm posting at the right place. Recently, I have had trouble with sleeping (waking up unrefreshed no matter the duration of sleep from 6-12 hours, tired and unfocused throughout the day) so I had a home sleep study done. The technician sent me my report but did not explain anything to me. So, I'm hoping you guys could help me have a look at it.
I started grinding my teeth during sleep pretty severely which I think may be related.
I've been underweight nearly all my life which is why I've not tested for sleep apnea until now. However, lately I've been trying to gain weight which also may be related. I used to be high 40s (kg) for most of my teenage life, and now I'm at low 50s (kg).
Also, I have restless leg syndrome. My friend who I have slept with noted that I thrash around when I sleep which leads me to believe that I may have periodic limb movement disorder but I have not observed it personally.
Please do advise me, I'm at a total lost now. I don't remember what's it like to have a good night's sleep.
01-04-2020, 02:56 AM (This post was last modified: 01-04-2020, 02:57 AM by mesenteria.)
RE: Help me read my data
Your total of 6 events/hr suggests 'mild' sleep apnea. That's not so bad.
It's not the whole story, not by a long shot.
If you look in the second attachment, right hand side of the large chart, you'll see the record of events during which you slept on your sides and on your back. The first column with data is 'supine', or on your back. Like the rest of us humans, you do considerably worse on your back. You should avoid it.
Why on our backs? Our tissues sag and lose tone, the throat collapses some, the tongue sags back toward the epiglottal tissue...you get the picture. But, and this too is common to most of us, when we sleep on our backs we tend to let our heads tilt toward the upper chest. We slowly pinch closed our trachea. When this happens, you'll find in the more comprehensive minute-by-minute printout (see OSCAR above in the black marquee) that your events are grouped. They're grouped because they recur every few minutes or seconds as long as your chin is tucked toward your chest. Which, if you're on your back, it probably will be.
Sometimes we don't get outright 'obstructive' events, or apneas. We just get restless legs causing arousals, or we get RERAs(Respiration Effort Related Arousals), which OSCAR will reveal when you download your (eventual) machine's daily data record of your night's events. We get 'hypopneas', which are mild desaturations, also evident in your report. It is not really normal to get desats below about 93-ish. If you get several below that number, it means you're not properly oxygenated.
I mentioned arousals. Whether coughing, restless legs, desats long enough that cause us to partially awaken, apneas....if they intrude sufficiently, we drag ourselves out of at least one stage of sleep to become more attentive to the problem. This is a dangerous disruption of normal sleep. We have to dream several times each night to stay healthy. Arousals prevent, or delay, dreaming.
(01-04-2020, 02:56 AM)mesenteria Wrote: Your total of 6 events/hr suggests 'mild' sleep apnea. That's not so bad.
It's not the whole story, not by a long shot.
If you look in the second attachment, right hand side of the large chart, you'll see the record of events during which you slept on your sides and on your back. The first column with data is 'supine', or on your back. Like the rest of us humans, you do considerably worse on your back. You should avoid it.
Why on our backs? Our tissues sag and lose tone, the throat collapses some, the tongue sags back toward the epiglottal tissue...you get the picture. But, and this too is common to most of us, when we sleep on our backs we tend to let our heads tilt toward the upper chest. We slowly pinch closed our trachea. When this happens, you'll find in the more comprehensive minute-by-minute printout (see OSCAR above in the black marquee) that your events are grouped. They're grouped because they recur every few minutes or seconds as long as your chin is tucked toward your chest. Which, if you're on your back, it probably will be.
Sometimes we don't get outright 'obstructive' events, or apneas. We just get restless legs causing arousals, or we get RERAs(Respiration Effort Related Arousals), which OSCAR will reveal when you download your (eventual) machine's daily data record of your night's events. We get 'hypopneas', which are mild desaturations, also evident in your report. It is not really normal to get desats below about 93-ish. If you get several below that number, it means you're not properly oxygenated.
I mentioned arousals. Whether coughing, restless legs, desats long enough that cause us to partially awaken, apneas....if they intrude sufficiently, we drag ourselves out of at least one stage of sleep to become more attentive to the problem. This is a dangerous disruption of normal sleep. We have to dream several times each night to stay healthy. Arousals prevent, or delay, dreaming.
I have given you a lot to chew on....
Thanks for the reply!
After getting the report, I tried the tennis ball technique for the past 2 nights to stop sleeping on my back. There's been a minuscule amount of improvement, but I shall continue trying it to see if it gets better.
I do still dream on most nights, despite having bad sleep.
The sleep testing company told me that from the report I do not have apnea and do not need a CPAP machine. Do you think I should bother with a CPAP trial?
I've exhausted all sorts of testing from blood counts, thyroid levels, to testosterone levels.
I realize you don't need to lose weight but do you exercise ?
Several studies say an aerobic exercise program where people
lost almost no weigh often helped OSA, Most studies reported
an average about a 25% reduction in AHI, Another side effect
of exercise is it often just plane helps people sleep better.
(01-04-2020, 08:47 AM)E.W. Wrote: I realize you don't need to lose weight but do you exercise ?
Several studies say an aerobic exercise program where people
lost almost no weigh often helped OSA, Most studies reported
an average about a 25% reduction in AHI, Another side effect
of exercise is it often just plane helps people sleep better.
Yes, I play badminton and do stair-climbing as cardio. I also use exercise machines (bench press).
I do alright for cardio but tire very easily using machines.
Actually you do have apnea, albeit mild, and you also some other indicators of disturbed sleep. Given that you generally feel unrefreshed during the day, I would most definitely try CPAP in your place.
It is important for you to get a machine that is data-capable and supported by the Oscar software. That will provide the maximum information for better understanding and addressing what is going on.
I think many would recommend that you get a ResMed AirSense 10 Autoset (every word counts), preferable For Her (which has an extra type of setting). Will that be possible, do you think?
(01-04-2020, 12:23 PM)Dormeo Wrote: Actually you do have apnea, albeit mild, and you also some other indicators of disturbed sleep. Given that you generally feel unrefreshed during the day, I would most definitely try CPAP in your place.
It is important for you to get a machine that is data-capable and supported by the Oscar software. That will provide the maximum information for better understanding and addressing what is going on.
I think many would recommend that you get a ResMed AirSense 10 Autoset (every word counts), preferable For Her (which has an extra type of setting). Will that be possible, do you think?
My provider provides a free CPAP trial with the Philips Dreamstation machine. However, I must purchase a mask from them to qualify. I looked at a local classifieds website and found the ResMed unit you mentioned used for about USD 560.
I suppose I shall go ahead and bite the bullet with the CPAP and see how I respond to treatment.
I own a previously used machine myself, so I know that can work well. I would recommend that before you pay for the unit, you look at it to make sure it is exactly as advertised and also check the number of hours of use it has already had.
To do that, enter the clinical menu by holding down the round dial and the home button simultaneously for a few seconds. Then scroll all the way down the clinical menu to About. You will see the run hours there.
(01-04-2020, 01:34 PM)Dormeo Wrote: I own a previously used machine myself, so I know that can work well. I would recommend that before you pay for the unit, you look at it to make sure it is exactly as advertised and also check the number of hours of use it has already had.
To do that, enter the clinical menu by holding down the round dial and the home button simultaneously for a few seconds. Then scroll all the way down the clinical menu to About. You will see the run hours there.
That's great advice, thank you. What number of run hours are reasonable?
Ball park figures, 8 hours/night of use X the number of days of use. If that is not a practical calculation due to a paucity of information, the typical machine is replaced at the five (5) year mark having approximately 15K hours, +/-600 hrs (the variance is due to days when traveling and not used, or to fewer or more hours than the 8 hour figure, and other reasons).
These machines can be had new for between USD$800 - $1000, again with variance outside of that. You would not want to spend more than $400 on a used machine with more than about 5K hrs on its clock, but personal tolerances for risk and pre-ownership might extend it some.
