what should your ahi be?

[wrlc56]

im one my third bipap in 15 years but this is my first auto. im using an aircurve 10
v auto and i really like it but am puzzled by the ahi thing. being an auto newbie guess i wasnt aware you could still have an event while using the machine. after a little over a weeks usage my ahi has been 1.2 and .8 the 2 times i checked it the next morning. thanks for any insight/explanation into acceptable ahi ranges

[under pressure]

A normal individual not needing PAP therapy would have an AHI anywhere from 0 to 4 on a sleep study without the use of a CPAP machine. Anyone that scores 5 or higher would be considered in need of PAP therapy. So the general goal of someone diagnosed with Sleep Disorded Breathing with an AHI of 5 or higher should try to get their AHI number below 5 to be considered adequately treated with their PAP machine. However, most of us on a machine would like to get the AHI number even lower than 5, I would say most of us like to see below 2 or lower if possible, so your AHI numbers are excellent. Another important factor is how rested do you feel during the day despite your AHI number, do you feel overly tired?

Here are the standard AHI numbers that the medical field uses for diagnosis purposes:

Normal: 0-4
Mild sleep apnea: 5-14
Moderate sleep apnea: 15-29
Severe sleep apnea: 30 or more

One side note: scoring a zero is very rare for both normal people or people on CPAP therapy, so it's a major celebration if any of us are ever fortunate enough to get an AHI of zero ;+)

[trish6hundred]

Hi wrlc56,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
If your AHI is below 5, that's really good.
Hang in there for more responses to your post.
Much success to you as you continue your CPAP therapy.

[OpalRose]

im one my third bipap in 15 years but this is my first auto. im using an aircurve 10
v auto and i really like it but am puzzled by the ahi thing. being an auto newbie guess i wasnt aware you could still have an event while using the machine. after a little over a weeks usage my ahi has been 1.2 and .8 the 2 times i checked it the next morning. thanks for any insight/explanation into acceptable ahi ranges

Hi wrlc56,
Treated Apnea is a reading of <5.0; although most folk feel better when its lower. In my case, if I get a reading of over 2, I don't feel that great. Could be physological though. I'm used to seeing .3 to 1.0. So you have to find what's normal for you and that takes awhile.

Don't fret so much over the numbers, but how your feel is more important.

[PaytonA]

One side note: scoring a zero is very rare for both normal people or people on CPAP therapy, so it's a major celebration if any of us are ever fortunate enough to get an AHI of zero ;+)

There are several on the forum who routinely score AHI of 0 several times per week but they are the exception. The rest of us celebrate whenever we get a 0 AHI. I have been on VPAP for 4-5 years and in that time I have gotten 0 AHI three times. I have not yet figured out what set of variables is involved in a 0 AHI for me and probably never will. It is not something that is worth expending much effort on as long as my treatment is producing positive results.

The goal is satisfactory treatment of apnea not AHI=0. We would all be happy to celebrate with you if you get one of those goose eggs but we would be just as happy to celebrate successful treatment.

Best Regards,

PaytonA

[SaldusMiegas]

You didn't mention what your ahi was before the a10, perhaps you didn't have a way to see it before now.

If you do have a lower baseline before the a10 then that will be your new goal since you know it is attainable. If not then no problem, you're in a good range now and in a good place for help and advice to improve it if possible.

Now that you have a data capable machine, you can get as deep as you like into that data. Three good resources are:

1. Resmed.com/myair.. Register there and get a daily quick look at key metrics. Very friendly display and your data is up there whether or not you sign up so doing so does not expose any more data than your A10 uploads each day already.

2. Download and install Sleepyhead software. Excellent tool for analyzing your progress. Free software runs on many platforms.

3. ResScan software is also free, developed by resmed the a10 manufacturer. Similar capability to sleepyhead. Only runs on windows machines.

I use all three of these.

Saldus Miegas

P.s. Look at the top of this page for a link to instructions on getting the software.

[PaulaO2]

And remember, we are looking at trends, not individual nights. You want lots of nights with the AHI below 5 and you want lots of nights with good sleep and feeling great the next day. If that means it stays in the 3s and 4s, fine.

Some of us like to keep tweaking to get it lower and lower. Not that we need it lower in order to feel great, but that we just can't leave it the heck alone! But too much goes into a night's worth of sleep for it to be a viable goal for every night.

Your numbers are great. Do you wake feeling good? Do you have a good day? Then all is good.

[GeoffD]

My 90 day moving average AHI is 0.3. I have occasional nights of 0.0 and occasional nights greater than 1.0. My AHI in my sleep study was 43. I am achieving unusually good results.

[wrlc56]

ive yet to have any data sent after 10 days. ive contacted the seller a few times and they said they might have to send me a new one if its still not sending. i show having a good signal.
i dont know what all kinds of data the myair report will show. being new to an auto its interesting to see this ahi stuff but it wont be a deal breaker if i keep it this way. i mean im still breathing.
i feel more comfy after bumping up my epap from the default 4 to 8. very happy with the aircurve10. its a nice upgrade from my old s8.
thanks all for the help

[Hanrahan]

Out of curiosity last night I set my Resmed 10 Auto to a max of six, trying to find my baseline AHI. Because I am trialling masks and I'm back on a small pillow I felt I wasn't getting enough air so I increased that to 7.

After 4hrs sleep [pretty good for me] I registered 2.3 AHI/hr.

My dilemma then is why the auto machine takes me up to 10 cm, a pressure that I am quite uncomfortable with and which, perversely, disturbs my sleep? In my initial sleep test I registered 22 AHI but disturbingly, zero SWS and <7% REM sleep. In the equipment test the technician found 7 cm effective but that was inconclusive because I hardly slept, partly because the air-con was freezing.

Would a non-auto [manually set] machine be cheaper and just as effective? I think the Resmed Auto is about $2,300 dollars here and masks $200. One that I don't have to don my glasses to read the screen would be nice too.

Still looking for answers

Edit: Maybe this should have been in a new thread. It sounds too much like a "Me" post, but I did want to raise this topic. As a newbe, I am in no position to advise the OP. Sorry.