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Need advice/help Oxygen levels
#1
Need advice/help Oxygen levels
I use a Resmed auto10 and usually my APIS are below 5. If I sleep on my back they might be a little higher on a bad night. I also wear a WellVu oximeter.  It goes on my finger and vibrates if my Ox levels drop below 90%.  I know more devices can mean more anxiety. Last night the Wellvu device woke me up and said my Oxygen levels dipped to 85%, but the mean of the overall night was 97%. It was only at 85% for maybe a min. 

I often wonder what is wrong with me. Will I die in my sleep? Is this normal? WHat do others experience or am I over monitoring? My resmed said 2 APIs last night.

I guess I just want to know if I should trust the Resmed and take off the Oximeter cause it's increasing my anxiety and and othe rinfo regarding sleeping and O2 leverls in general.

Curious to know what other experiences are. Sleep apnea causes a lot of anxiety for me and knowing I can reach out to others helps a lot.

Thanks in advance , Andy
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#2
RE: Need advice/help Oxygen levels
Are these periods of 85% oxygen saturation accompanied by an apnea reported by the CPAP machine? If so, how long? If I see an SpO2 drop of only about a minute, and it isn't accompanied by a reduction in ventilation, I tend to assume that it's just a measurement error (pushing on the sensor or something like that).

Best wishes, DS
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#3
RE: Need advice/help Oxygen levels
i don't know if it was accompanied by an apnea event because I didnt have a memory card in it. Also, the mean was 97% for the night.

Res Med said 2 events per hour last night. Yea I have the threshold set to 90%. I guess I wonder what it would go down to if I took off the alerts?
It kinda freaks me out. I am also on supplemental oxygen because during my sleep test my OX levels did drop. Most ngihts it seems OK but passed two nights it buzzed. 

I appreciate you messaging me. This all can cause a lot of anxiety. How are you doing with it?
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#4
RE: Need advice/help Oxygen levels
If it is just one or two nights then it may just be anomaly. You may have knocked the oximeter around while you were sleeping.
If it is consistently dropping low night after night then it is worth discussing with your Dr. at some point.

It's not uncommon for many of us to have quick dips in our SpO2 levels throughout the night.

It would be much easier to tell what is going on if you could get yourself an SD card and import your xPAP data along with your SpO2 data. SD cards are relatively inexpensive. Any card 2GB to 32GB will work.
Jeff8356

MacBook Air (2017, Intel) | macOS Monterey (12.7) | OSCAR v1.5.1 | VM = Win10/Win11 |
How to Links:
Installing OSCAR on a Mac
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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.
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#5
RE: Need advice/help Oxygen levels
Thanks. I will look for my card. I used oscar in the past, I think I posted some on the forum but it's been a while. I will find it and post some data if it continues. Also thank you for replying. It feels better knowing people are here to help.

 Yeah usually I don't check it  but I check the oxxieter when I know it buzzes the morning I wake up. I have to remember all the times I didn't check it. 

I have an oxygen concentrator set to 3 ltrs, Resmed   15.7 pressure and this Oxyimter. All of it makes me feel bound to my house and give me anxiety,
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#6
RE: Need advice/help Oxygen levels
The purpose of your using an oximeter is, in part, to see if you need additional treatment for significant desats. This means duration below xx%. The lows you are reporting IMHO mean look deeper.

8-10 minutes below 90 or 88% mean you need to talk to your doctor. Different doctors use different criteria

I would say turn off the alarm/ vibrating and see what you get instead of adding additional arousals with the alert.
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#7
RE: Need advice/help Oxygen levels
Thanks for your input yeah, The mean average is 97% and the time it was below 90 was only for 1:20 min or so. 

Thank you for clarifying that. SO duration below 90%, is the most important  stat to keep an eye on?
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#8
RE: Need advice/help Oxygen levels
I am on 2 liters supplemental oxygen at night and the Wellue SleepU has been very helpful.  I do leave vibration alert on.  If it goes of with 2 liters of oxygen I likely have a problem with the machine or my hose.  It can indicate ineffective PAP therapy or a change in your health condition.  You need to let your sleep doc know if your numbers are low.  Time below 90% is one important number to track.  Also look for really low drops and report those as well. I have also used the SleepU during the day, particularly after meals and with daytime sleepiness.  If you nap and use your PAP, use your oximeter as well.  In your case, you may not need to use it every day like I do, but it is good to use it occasionally as a spot check.  Good luck.
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#9
RE: Need advice/help Oxygen levels
Yes only below 90% would be what to look at closer. Since you have both PAP and supplemental oxygen, you should have the tools to keep things good. But they do need to have settings edited at times.
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.
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#10
RE: Need advice/help Oxygen levels
I'm going to agree with the others and say turn off the alerts. A couple of brief dips isn't a huge deal it's only when you stay consistently under that you need to speak to your doctor. If you spend most of the time at the top end of normal, you're probably doing alright.
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