Hello Guest, Welcome to Apnea Board !
As a guest, you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use.
To post a message, you must create a free account using a valid email address.

or Create an Account


New Posts   Today's Posts

How long is too long?
#1
How long is too long?
I have breathing that stops for 40-50 seconds once per night- it seems unusually long even though I have a resmed airsense 10 autoset. Last night I had 28 obstructive apneas, most of them are less than 30 seconds but there are a few bigger ones. I was wondering does anyone else get this and is it serious? I've been using cpap for about 3 years and I wake up every 90 minutes. Let me know what you're longest obstructive apnea is on a typical night.
Thanks
Post Reply Post Reply
#2
RE: How long is too long?
Welcome to the forum.

It depends on why the storage.
The fact it happens one per night tends to say it is less significant.

To provide you with proper advice we would need to see your data, possibly including detailed views of your event.

Here we tend to rely on data to formulate advice, that data typically comes from OSCAR which allows you to see what is happening on a breathe by breathe level when needed.
Post Reply Post Reply
#3
RE: How long is too long?
thebestdog:  If you have not been tested it is time you were.
Not breathing for 30 seconds during the night is starving your brain of oxygen, your brain and body need.
28 times during the night is not to bad, but at 30 seconds a time is to much.
Get yourself checked out.
It is not wise to ignore this, it can have a lot of long term consequences that can be avoided by acting now.
I am NOT a doctor.  I try to help, but do not take what I say as medical advice.


Every journey, however large or small starts with the first step.

Sleep-well
Post Reply Post Reply
#4
RE: How long is too long?
Hi thebestdog,
Welcome to Apnea Board!

Something is not quite right if you are waking every 90 min after 3 years of Cpap use.  If your profile is accurate, and your pressure settings are at of 4-20, this is not optimal for most.  A low minimum setting of 4cm could and probably is the cause of most of your obstructions.  

You list sleepyhead in your profile, and if you are able, download the OSCAR software and start using that.
If you follow the directions, you will be able to transfer all your SleepyHead data to OSCAR.

Once you do that, use the links in my signature line below to show you how to organize your chart and post here.  As bonjour states, we rely on seeing data to make the best recommendations.
OpalRose
Apnea Board Administrator
www.apneaboard.com

_______________________
OSCAR Chart Organization
How to Attach Images and Files.
OSCAR - The Guide
Soft Cervical Collar
Optimizing therapy
OSCAR supported machines
Mask Primer



INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE.  ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA.  INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
Post Reply Post Reply
#5
RE: How long is too long?
        Thanks for all the responses. I have captured some data but still need to tweak on what the best way to do it and figure out what exactly is the best info to give you but as a start I have taken four screenshots- it will give you a detailed view of my longest event. I have set epap to 2cm because I wake with pains in my stomach when the pressure goes up above 12cm. I think part of the problem is that i am not able to take the higher pressures. I have seen pressures on my machine of 18cm. I have tried different settings over the years including various starting pressures and even fixed pressures. I'm lost because it dosn't seem to be getting much better. I had overnight pulse oximeter test three years ago and they said my ahi was above 10 in the moderate category. But since then I bought an overnight pulse oximeter and it reports my AHI around 10 most nights. So although the cpap says AHI is 3.0 there is a different reading from the POX.


Attached Files Thumbnail(s)
   
Post Reply Post Reply
#6
RE: How long is too long?
It would be best to show us the full chart that is set to standard OSCAR setup, a screenshot of the Daily data chart is via F12 in OSCAR. These snippets aren't as helpful being out of context without the full overnight chart. Also your left panel user info shows Sleepyhead. If that is accurate, OSCAR is by far the better program, and you should consider upgrading.
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEBSITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
Post Reply Post Reply
#7
RE: How long is too long?
       
I have attached screenshots for the whole night. I am very surprised and a bit worried to honest that the cpap does not ramp up the pressure when it detects no breathing for 50 seconds. Could this be a central sleep apnea as opposed to obstructive although its labelled in the chart as osas? It's bothering me that I might have something other than Obstructive sleep apnea. Does anyone else find that they have an apnea or two that would last 4-50 seconds. It looks as if the machine eventually did respond and the pressure went up by 2cm h20, but it took rather a long time.
Post Reply Post Reply
#8
RE: How long is too long?
Once you go into an apnea, the machine can't do anything to help.  The key is to preventing apneas from occurring in the first place.  How this is done is by stenting your airway open.  4 isn't enough to do this.

So you want to increase your minimum pressure to a point where a lot of apneas don'thave a chance to happen. 

Also, have you considered if those long apneas could be positional.   Like a tucked chin perhaps.
Sleep-well
Post Reply Post Reply
#9
RE: How long is too long?
Your default low pressure of 4 is too low twofold. Almost no adult can get therapy from a PAP machine on 4 cmH2O. Secondly, you are trying to get EPR while at 4. It cannot happen. EPR cannot reduce exhale below 4, as 4 is the lowest the PAP goes. You have EPR on 3 full time. OK then bump the pressure to 7 and EPR starts working as designed. It will add to both therapy and comfort.
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEBSITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
Post Reply Post Reply
#10
RE: How long is too long?
(08-08-2020, 07:03 AM)thebestdog Wrote: I have breathing that stops for 40-50 seconds once per night- it seems unusually long even though I have a resmed airsense 10 autoset. Last night I had 28 obstructive apneas, most of them are less than 30 seconds but there are a few bigger ones. I was wondering does anyone else get this and is it serious? I've been using cpap for about 3 years and I wake up every 90 minutes. Let me know what you're longest obstructive apnea is on a typical night.
Thanks

Anything over 15 seconds is getting longish, particularly if they happen several times in succession over, say, a three minute period.  By the end of the last minute, you could be in the hurt locker oxygen-wise.  So, yes, 40-50 seconds needs some thinking and some changes...probably.  If they are strung as many as four deep over four minutes................!!!!

This is just me speaking, and it's strictly my opinion, but 28 events over a short night of about 6 hours is going to be just under the AHI threshold of 5.  That's at the demarcation between treated and untreated.  So, I don't share the optimism or lack of concern for a total of 28 events, even if they are sporadic.  If they cluster, we need to do something about it; either change your therapy or change the way you sleep to prevent these clustered events.

To answer your questions, my longest obstructions or 'clear airway' (deemed by RESMED to be central apneas) on any one night is going to be in the 19 second range.  Are they serious?  Not in my case.  Most of us hold our breath when we turn over, and when we fall back asleep completely, we may not breathe again for a few seconds.  It adds up.  Also, mine don't cluster...ever (thank the Big Guy).

Waking up every 90 minutes isn't ideal, but it's not so bad.  I reason that many elderly people have to get up as many as three times per night to void.  They manage to get some decent rest in between...mostly.  The 90 minute interval is very close to what the science says it takes us to go through the various levels of sleep and then to rise to Level II, the REM stage.  We all tend to awaken after vivid dreams.  Maybe it happens to you.  But that 90 minute interval takes you out of the 'danger' category as far as I am concerned.

If you were to post a couple of nights' worth of data (see OSCAR in the black marquee atop this page), we could offer much more insight to you.
Post Reply Post Reply


Possibly Related Threads...
Thread Author Replies Views Last Post
  Long story short chronic 5 380 02-18-2024, 03:43 PM
Last Post: chronic
Sad [Treatment] Long term user, but still tired Bleached 2 558 02-14-2024, 03:11 AM
Last Post: Deborah K.
  [Treatment] Aerophagia + Long Sleep Times jambo99 1 215 02-07-2024, 09:56 AM
Last Post: BoxcarPete
  Long time CPAP user, first time here. Any insight is appreciated! TwoFistedWonderBrain 7 614 02-06-2024, 02:21 PM
Last Post: TwoFistedWonderBrain
  Long time CPAP user still fatigued enigmatic 101 6,805 12-02-2023, 01:46 AM
Last Post: enigmatic
  50 second long central apnea esaulcatnas 6 678 09-04-2023, 05:06 PM
Last Post: esaulcatnas
  After a long time I'm back. Had a night again with low 80% dip oxygen level MyronH 0 448 08-05-2023, 08:10 PM
Last Post: MyronH


New Posts   Today's Posts


About Apnea Board

Apnea Board is an educational web site designed to empower Sleep Apnea patients.