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Home Test Results - need assistance interpreting results - billonca - 10-15-2019
Hello,
I just joined this group today as a result of trying to find out what a normal sleep result would look like vs one with Apnea that needs professional attention. My wife has said for years that I snore and at times make weird noises that freak her out. My weight does fluctuate and when I was 35 lbs lighter the snoring went away for the most part. I don't feel particularly sleepy during the day.
I purchased the ToronTek B400 Oximeter to see what my SpO2 percentages were during the night along with my heart rate info. My daytime SpO2 seems to fluctuate from 93% - 98% of which I can not really tell what causes the change but what I have read seems to indicate I am ok during the day.
Last night was my 2nd night using it and was worse than the first night so I thought I would share this. I drop down to as low as 68% at one point. The night before it was 72% of which I only stay there for approximately 30 seconds and return above 89%. I have 134 events where it drops by 4% or more over almost 9 hours which if I am understanding the AHI that would be 14 being slight Apnea. I am really concerned about the low 68% reading and not sure if that is ok considering how short it lasts. My heart rate which is ranges from 40-60 when I sleep, spiked to 83 during the event. I believe I woke up at that time and went to the washroom so now I am thinking this event woke me up. Going forward I will make note of the exact time I wake up in the night so I can relate it better to the strip chart and these events.
Would you have a look and give me your thoughts on this result? See attached.
[attachment=16228]
Thanks
Bill
RE: Home Test Results - need assistance interpreting results - sheepless - 10-15-2019
ahi above 4.99 is considered not treated. 14 is at the high end of the mild category. between your wife and the oximeter you have sufficient reasons to have a sleep test and/or try an apap. note that without the sleep test, you won't know the details of your condition so you may or may not initially buy the most appropriate machine for your condition without that info (however, that can easily happen even after a sleep study because docs seem to almost always initially diagnose obstructive apnea and start folks on cpap or apap). sleep studies can be done at home or in a lab. home tests can be purchased online or from your doctor or dentist. insurance largely dictate the rules of the game in the US if you plan to go that most common route.
RE: Home Test Results - need assistance interpreting results - billonca - 10-15-2019
Thanks Sheepless, I appreciate your advice!
RE: Home Test Results - need assistance interpreting results - slowriter - 10-15-2019
I started on this path after using a Garmin band to check my nighttime oxygen, which was much better than your's, but still bad enough to suggest I needed a proper sleep study.
I think your interpretation is correct, and you're right to be concerned.
RE: Home Test Results - need assistance interpreting results - billonca - 10-15-2019
Thanks Slowriter I appreciate your info!
RE: Home Test Results - need assistance interpreting results - mesenteria - 10-15-2019
All I hear are quacks, and when I take a look, I see waddling. Must be a duck.
Frequent reductions in saturation are associated with restless sleep, less time in REM stage, more arousals, more stress on the heart....I could go on, but you get my drift. If your oximeter also showed pulse rate, it would be instructive to see what your heart is doing to cope when you're at the nadir of the curves showing the most salient desaturations.
Get onto an auto-titrating PAP device now, or get a formal polysomnography ASAP. If you elect to start your own PAP titration, please consider the RESMED Airsense 10 "Autoset" or "Autoset for Her". They are the two devices we heartily suggest people get if they want to do their own titration and can't really wait for, or afford, a polysomnography.
RE: Home Test Results - need assistance interpreting results - billonca - 10-15-2019
Thanks mesenteria!
The strip charts in my post show both SpO2 and PR which shows my heart goes from the 67 bpm to 78 during the worst event when the Sp02 goes down to 68% for approx 50 seconds but for most of the time is not much of a swing in heart rate throughout the night in my opinion. I guess the lowest rate of SpO2 vs the amount of Events which do not look at SpO2 but rather measures drops 4% or more for over 10 seconds. It seems this is just as important to look at as the lowest SpO2 - is that correct??
Also did you or anyone here have a low SpO2 during the day? I had my monitor on in the last couple of hours and although my rate is ranging from 93-96% on average when fairly sedentary and does go up to 99% when I am walking around outside doing things, I was focused on fixing something for a minute and it dropped to 87% which was a real shock to see in the daytime. It came back to mid 90's in approximately 1 minute. It's almost like I forgot to breath while I was working on fixing a tap.
Signed the Duck!
RE: Home Test Results - need assistance interpreting results - sheepless - 10-15-2019
"It's almost like I forgot to breath while I was working on fixing a tap."
I'll wager that's exactly what happened. holding our breath in exertion or even thought happens more than we're aware.
RE: Home Test Results - need assistance interpreting results - mesenteria - 10-16-2019
(10-15-2019, 05:15 PM)billonca Wrote: Thanks mesenteria!
The strip charts in my post show both SpO2 and PR which shows my heart goes from the 67 bpm to 78 during the worst event when the Sp02 goes down to 68% for approx 50 seconds but for most of the time is not much of a swing in heart rate throughout the night in my opinion. I guess the lowest rate of SpO2 vs the amount of Events which do not look at SpO2 but rather measures drops 4% or more for over 10 seconds. It seems this is just as important to look at as the lowest SpO2 - is that correct??
Also did you or anyone here have a low SpO2 during the day? I had my monitor on in the last couple of hours and although my rate is ranging from 93-96% on average when fairly sedentary and does go up to 99% when I am walking around outside doing things, I was focused on fixing something for a minute and it dropped to 87% which was a real shock to see in the daytime. It came back to mid 90's in approximately 1 minute. It's almost like I forgot to breath while I was working on fixing a tap.
Signed the Duck!
I see at least two spikes in the 85 count range for PR, and they are commensurate with the two worst desats. Although, that third high spike is a puzzler because I don't see a huge desat there. Go figger. Otherwise, a nice correlation. While your overall apnea index and rating might be mild, it doesn't mean it's not going to get worse, or that it doesn't need especial attention...soon. You're here because you're rightly concerned and inquiring.
What we look for are duration, frequency, and groupings or clusters. When we see events taking place in numbers over a short interval, we generally assume that the person is sleeping on their back, possibly with their chin tucked, although chin-tucking can happen on our sides as well. The clusters tell us it is 'positional'. We advise the use of a soft foam cervical collar. I can't tell if that's the case here with you because there isn't enough discrete data...not enough definition. But you asked if it's correct to look at the lowest O2 levels, and that is correct. When we spend much time below 90% it means there's a problem, and that it's persistent.
And, yes, most of us hold our breaths doing something that requires intense effort, whether mental or physical. We even do that when we turn over in our sleep, and often this shows up as a central apnea, but always of very short duration; the machine will report it as about 10 seconds long. In the RESMED machines, it's called 'open airway'.
RE: Home Test Results - need assistance interpreting results - billonca - 10-16-2019
Thanks mesenteria, really helpful info!