My turn: SpO2 peer review requested

[Paptillian]

My pulse oximeter arrived and I only have one night of data, but I'm looking for opinions. I'm a little concerned about a couple of points. My base SpO2% is only 94%, even while awake. As a test I made my wife wear the oximeter and hers read 98-99%. Makes me wonder if I'm not breathing right in general.

There seemed to be some "events," and my SpO2 dipped into the 80's a few times. The lowest was 85%.

AHI, according to the APAP data, was 0.33. That paints a pretty picture, and I hope the O2 data supports it.

Thanks in advance, folks. I'm just now learning how to read these reports.

[STL Mark]

I think it looks like a great report. I wish mine looked that good. Total time in minutes below 88% is 0.1 minutes.

[Paptillian]

I wish mine looked that good.

Ah! You made me blush... !

94%, even while awake, is nothing to be concerned about then? I just thought it was interesting that my wife's was a whole 5 percentage points higher. I'm 29 and she's just a few years younger.

One other thing I want to ask: those few times during the night when my heart rate goes up seem to correspond with periods when my CPAP pressure was higher. Does the higher pressure cause a higher heart rate, or is it more likely that I was in REM / dreaming during those times?

[DocWils]

I would say, looking at the chart, that you had a near perfect night. There is nothing there to be bothered with. Average O2sats of 94% is pretty common, and even a little mucous in the nose could lower it even further, so don't worry, it is a healthy reading. A lot of factors can effect the difference between 94 and 97%, including formation and size of the nasal cavities, the respiration rate, mucous flow, and nasal wall collapse (not that much of a factor in nasal pillows, since the pressure of the air flow through them keeps the walls from collapsing too much, and one reason I went that route rather than a mask).

You heart rate indicates your arousal state, and will vary over the night as you move between various levels of sleep and semi wakefulness. The pressure is more likely a response to your breathing pattern, but have a look and see if there are events clustered around the same periods as your increase of heart rate - the pressure rises in response to events or near events, and these events will change your sleep state, and thus your heart rate.

[Paptillian]

DocWils, thanks!