"please keep me updated about oximeters "
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Newbie Help Request re: Repetitive Nighttime Wake-Ups, AHI, and Oximeter questions
I'm still new to this and very grateful for this forum, to which I bring two more questions.
Background: Not knowing anything about SA when I was diagnosed in June, 2011, I accepted what I was ordered by my doctor: A Phillips Respironics REMstar machine, which is not data capable but does record (and report) my usage.
At first I seemed to sleep reasonably well. I even recall a night of eleven hours of sleep with only one trip to the bathroom about two months after my first use of my CPAP. BUT now, night after night, I wake every few hours. Usually I need to go to the bathroom, sometimes I don't.
While not feeling as exhausted as I did for years, I don't "think" I feel deeply rested. I qualify the statement because after about two decades of undiagnosed SA, I don't know what it feels like to enjoy refreshing sleep.
Here are my two questions:
First: I'm not sure what AHIs are all about. I assumed that once I got my CPAP, I would be breathing throughout the night. Now it turns out there are...AHIs. Even with a CPAP there are breathing pauses? Breathing stops? And if so, would AHIs explain why I seem to be waking? And can I simply try increasing my pressure to 10 (from 9) to keep my throat open throughout the night?
In other words, will awareness of AHIs (and how many, etc., etc.) help me figure out what I'm doing right and what I'm doing wrong (e.g., eating too late at night; having an alcoholic drink; both!)? Is it worth investing in a data-capable machine so that I can monitor AHIs? If so, what machine(s) do you veterans like and recommend?
Next up: desaturation. I know many pay attention to this. Is it worth my while to buy a quality oximeter to monitor my sleep, including wake-ups? And, again, if the answer is Yes, can you veterans suggest an affordable choice?
Any advice on AHI and/or desaturation would be appreciated by this newbie.
Thanks!
Views: 545
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Terry Vella on
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ZolliStar, I started around the same time as you and was wondering the same thing about the AHI's, I actually thought with CPAP they should be 0 each night, but it doesn't work that way. The way it has been described to me is that as long as your AHI's are on average around 5 or below and you feel good everything is OK and AHI's on a CPAP are not as accurate as a sleep study because so many factors can cause AHI's to increase i.e. mask leaks, tossing and turning etc. After worrying about it for a while I now look at the data on my screen each day (I have a Resmed S9 Autoset) and then let go. For example, last night my AHI's were 2.7 over 8 hours but the night before they were 10 but I didn't think I did anything really different. I don't think you should change your settings yourself maybe get your Dr's opinion. I had a sleep dr appointment last month and told him I'm not 100% but I am a 100% better than I was and he said that's good. I think if we try to strive for perfection we may never get there. Now I am trying to live life as I couldn't before and hope it lasts for a long time. I can't really answer your question on desaturation. Hopefully others maybe able to answer it a bit better for you.
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Permalink Reply by ZolliStar on
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Thanks Terry and Mike.
I have to say: I do wish I had a data-capable machine so that I could monitor the AHIs. Has that made a difference to some of you veterans?
I was at a lecture tonight; it was very hard for me to stay awake. So unless I start to feel a lot better (cutting out the caffeine, alcohol, late night computer use, and late night eating) I may look for additional solutions.
And thanks, Mike: I am going to order a recordding puls oximeter -- on eBay, of course.
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ZolliStar, I think it helped me, obvious it's good if we can see our own data because I'm sure most of us don't want to leave it just in the hands of the professional. I don't have the Resmed software on my PC at the moment because it gets blocked so I take my sim card to my DME once a month or so and she prints it for me and I just check the daily usage. The reason I say I think it helps me is because when my AHI's are low I feel good in my head but when they are high I don't feel as good, maybe I'm better off not knowing?
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Another way of looking at this is that maybe you know what your AHIs are by the way you feel!
Anyway, I know now that I'd like to know what mine are. Higher AHIs may correlate with my wake-ups throughout the night. If so, I have yet another clue....
Terry Vella said:ZolliStar, I think it helped me, obvious it's good if we can see our own data because I'm sure most of us don't want to leave it just in the hands of the professional. I don't have the Resmed software on my PC at the moment because it gets blocked so I take my sim card to my DME once a month or so and she prints it for me and I just check the daily usage. The reason I say I think it helps me is because when my AHI's are low I feel good in my head but when they are high I don't feel as good, maybe I'm better off not knowing?
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Permalink Reply by Mary Z on
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ZolliStar, if you can afford it I would invest in a data capable CPAP machine. There are used machines from places like secondwindcpap.com and quite reasonable machines from on line retailers. I personally like cpap.com, but there are many on line retailers. The PR System One REMstar Pro CPAP Machine with C-Flex Plus is one such machine (about $700). You may need to buy the Encore software. Can someone comment on what info is available from the LCD screen, please?
I believe any Respironics machine with "Pro" in the name is data capable.
I personally don't use an oximeter as I have never desaturated during any of my sleep studies or during two home pulse ox studies. The oximeter does give valuable information. If your O2 sats drop below 90 % (and ideally they would be higher- in the 95% range) something is definitely wrong and a visit to the doc is in order.
Yes, we do still have apneas and hypopneas while on treatment. Anything less than 5/hour is considered normal, but some people when treated have much less. Of course right now you cannot check that. I personally would be ok with changing the pressure to 10, but I am not your doc and don't know your general level of health. I would be happier if you had a efficacy data capable machine so you would know if apneas are the problem with your awakenings. I know you have been working on your sleep hygiene. I don't think there is a substitute for personal experience for what works and doesn't work for good sleep. A quick review of sleep hygiene may help. Unless you drink to excess an alcoholic drink at night may or may not be a problem- again your personal experience is the key. Maybe keep a sleep diary of how you sleep after eating late, or having a drink would help.
Our purpose on the forum is to empower you to make your own decisions about your treatment. Without a data capable machine you are operating in the dark changing pressures. There are many things that could be causing your awakenings.
So the short of it is I would get a data capable machine. I would change the pressure to 10. If this did not result in improvement (the pressure increase) I would see the doc. A sleeping pill for sleep maintenance insomnia may be indicated.
Good luck, keep us posted, ZolliStar.
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