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My AHI is consistently less than 1.0, it has been around 0.7 for a few nights but last night it was 0.0. However, I noticed that the leak rate was higher than normal, even though I didn't notice any through the night and slept well. Could the zero AHI be a result of the leaks? Mask is the F&P Brevida.
Also, after my third week of trials, I am getting good AHI and seem to feel a little more energetic but certainly have had no 'wow' mornings... is it normal to take a few weeks before great results are obtained (energy wise)?
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03-30-2018, 06:29 PM (This post was last modified: 03-30-2018, 06:32 PM by bernie01.)
RE: AHI 0.0 with higher leak rate?
(03-30-2018, 06:12 PM)Walla Walla Wrote: Your leaks were below the large leak line 24ml/min. So it looks like you got yourself a solid 0 AHI. Congrats!
Thanks Walla Walla, but how do you determine the 'large leak line'? I see that the median leak rate was 2.40 L/min, is that what you are referring to?
Thanks, Bernie.
<Edit> OK don't worry I see where it is set in preferences; I was looking for a red line on the graphs but I guess I don't get close to it. Thanks.
(03-30-2018, 06:04 PM)bernie01 Wrote: My AHI is consistently less than 1.0, it has been around 0.7 for a few nights but last night it was 0.0. However, I noticed that the leak rate was higher than normal, even though I didn't notice any through the night and slept well. Could the zero AHI be a result of the leaks? Mask is the F&P Brevida.
Also, after my third week of trials, I am getting good AHI and seem to feel a little more energetic but certainly have had no 'wow' mornings... is it normal to take a few weeks before great results are obtained (energy wise)?
My thoughts are that you are simply getting excellent results that many would envy. I don't believe in my limited experience of reading SleepyHead charts that the leak rate had any effect on your event count and AHI. You have to be careful in comparing SleepyHead charts as the software seems to auto scale the results. If you get a short larger leak for example, it will expand the vertical scale and make the rest of the night leak rate look very small in comparison. So if you compare results from day to day, don't forget to look at what the maximum is on the scale and adjust accordingly. I also noted that the time over the leak redline was zero.
I've been on the trial machine for just over a week, and I have now Wow I feel Great mornings. But, then again, I never had trouble sleeping without a CPAP. In short I think each person is different. The standard guide sheet that my provider gave me said that some people feel much better right away, and others it can take several weeks.
I also should have mentioned that I think your CPAP is very well set up. Did your provider do it, or have you set it up yourself? It is obviously working very well for you. If I was to suggest any changes it would be to increase your minimum pressure to 9 cm and use a 10 minute ramp with a start pressure of 6 cm. It is obviously not going to give you better numbers as it is hard to go below zero, but controlling your pressure to a bit tighter range MIGHT provide a little more comfort.
Hi Ron, as I am still just trialling this unit I have let the vendor set it up; initially it was 4 - 20. I saw the doctor a few days ago (Tuesday) and he suggested he change it to 4-15 which he did. When I actually purchase my own machine I will take your advice (or at least try it) as I was thinking the same way. I have read a good set up is (Median minus 2) to (95% level plus 2) which is essentially what you're saying.
(03-30-2018, 10:37 PM)bernie01 Wrote: Hi Ron, as I am still just trialling this unit I have let the vendor set it up; initially it was 4 - 20. I saw the doctor a few days ago (Tuesday) and he suggested he change it to 4-15 which he did. When I actually purchase my own machine I will take your advice (or at least try it) as I was thinking the same way. I have read a good set up is (Median minus 2) to (95% level plus 2) which is essentially what you're saying.
The rules of thumb you mention are a great place to start. In the end I like to look at the SleepyHead charts and look at when the events (mainly the OA's) occur. I suspect you will not get all results at zero, and it is probably not a reasonable objective either. On the other hand you do not have the limits set too close. Based on the one chart 15 seems perfect for the max. One could try 14.5 to see if that generates any additional events. But you are very close to an ideal max. The minimum could come up in my view a bit as I suggested. You could keep bumping it up in steps of 1 cm, or go for broke and try 9. Your machine is not really going to operate below 8.5 or so, and what you are really doing is limiting it a bit so it does not have to ramp up as fast if it detects an issue. Your chart also suggests you are not going to get away with pressures (red trace) in the 4-8 range, so there is little point in setting the minimum that low. For comfort some find it helpful to start with a ramp about 6 and let it ramp up over 10-15 minutes to the 9 minimum if that is where you end up. In my opinion the ResMed AirSense 10 AutoSet you are trialing is about the best there is for an Auto CPAP. I am in the trial stage too, but got stuck with a F&P SleepStyle. It is no where near as flexible in how you can set it up. Push for the ResMed if you have a choice.
