Can sleep apnea come and go?

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Can a sleep disorder come and go? The two graphs are the overview from January 2015 to April 2017. Doesn't make sense to me.


LINK : http://imgur.com/a/y7GQU



Thanks so very much!

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There are two images at Imur because I couldn't fit it into one graph.

(Please let me know if they don't show up)

Yes, Sleep Apnea can come and go, If you decide to not treat it, you can die from it, then it's gone. So are you! Jim

Goofproof wrote:Yes, Sleep Apnea can come and go, If you decide to not treat it, you can die from it, then it's gone. So are you! Jim

(Ahem). Thank you, Jim. I'm well aware untreated sleep apnea can contribute to illnesses leading to death. That's why I've slept with this confounded machine for years struggling with thes "treatment from hell". That's why I need more info about the overview graph --- I want to be sure I'm using the machine effectively.

I managed to put the chart onto one page so it's easier to read: http://imgur.com/gallery/2IcXG

They didn't show up. You can hit the preview button next to the summit buttion and see if your post shows up correctly. Jim

So many variables, can you identify any conditions that have changed? Even during a single night and from night to night there can be swings depending on things like if one is in REM or supine. More sustained trends may be affected by change in machine settings, meds, mattress or sleep pillow, illness, weight loss or gain, fluid retention - and the list goes on. Had a friend who had surgery on her enlarged thyroid and her sleep apnea improved. Unfortunately when considering machine data a very low AHI does not mean the sleep apnea has gone away, but rather that it is effectively treated. It would take further exploration to try and determine if it is gone. Some have tried lowering their settings to see if they saw increased AHI or not, or with an auto if the pressure would increase or not. But even the lowest settings have some treatment value so it's not an exact science. Maybe someone more in tune with data will have more meaningful input based on your images rather than generalities.

For many of us who need PAP, it benefits us to a greater extent on some nights than on other nights and at some moments more than at other moments. We wear it all night every night and any time we sleep, though, because we never know at what instant we may need the benefits of PAP the most.

kteague wrote:So many variables, can you identify any conditions that have changed? Even during a single night and from night to night there can be swings depending on things like if one is in REM or supine. More sustained trends may be affected by change in machine settings, meds, mattress or sleep pillow, illness, weight loss or gain, fluid retention - and the list goes on. Had a friend who had surgery on her enlarged thyroid and her sleep apnea improved. Unfortunately when considering machine data a very low AHI does not mean the sleep apnea has gone away, but rather that it is effectively treated. It would take further exploration to try and determine if it is gone. Some have tried lowering their settings to see if they saw increased AHI or not, or with an auto if the pressure would increase or not. But even the lowest settings have some treatment value so it's not an exact science. Maybe someone more in tune with data will have more meaningful input based on your images rather than generalities.

Thanks, Kteague. You wrote a lot of valuable information. I thought a glance at the charts I posted would show something, too. Hopefully, someone who knows charts will explain. (This is mine: http://imgur.com/gallery/2IcXG ).

jnk... wrote:For many of us who need PAP, it benefits us to a greater extent on some nights than on other nights and at some moments more than at other moments. We wear it all night every night and any time we sleep, though, because we never know at what instant we may need the benefits of PAP the most.

Thanks, Jnk. I thought something would show up in my chart that would tell what's happening because it's a weird chart from what I can see. I hope it shows up: http://imgur.com/gallery/2IcXG

kteague wrote: Unfortunately when considering machine data a very low AHI does not mean the sleep apnea has gone away, but rather that it is effectively treated. It would take further exploration to try and determine if it is gone Maybe someone more in tune with data will have more meaningful input based on your images rather than generalities.

Thanks. This makes a lot of sense.

Here's the Imur chart again just in case: http://imgur.com/gallery/2IcXG

Day to day, anything can vary, sometimes drastically--and for no observable reason.
That is why we are reminded to observe and act on TRENDS.

chunkyfrog wrote:Day to day, anything can vary, sometimes drastically--and for no observable reason.
That is why we are reminded to observe and act on TRENDS.

Exactly. That's why I posted the "overview" chart on Imur. It has data from 2014 to 2017 (this week).
I don't understand how to read the chart and thought someone on this forum might know.

Here's the graph: http://imgur.com/gallery/2IcXG

Thanks!

Have you had any changes in your health like a big weight loss?

Things vary from night to night. I am probably over cautious, and try to get at least two months of data, and normally at least one month of data before I make any changes to my treatment. When I started treatment, my pressure was 20 - 25 cm H2O with 5 cm pressure relief. I have tried everything from 15 - 15 to see what I could use as a low starting point. I tried small ranges, (15 - 17, 17 - 18, 18 - 20), single pressure (15, 17, 18, 19 & 20). I have found my treatment optimises at 20 cm pressure with 4 cm pressure relief. This is where I get the best balance of hypopneas and central apnea events with an occasional obstructive. This journey has taken me almost two years to get to where I am now. While I normally stay under 1, I occasionally have nights where it it gets up to around 5. I can't explain these swings, but I feel the same if my AHI is under 1 or around 5, so I don't worry about it. I have come to the conclusion that I can control some things, and other things I can't control and I just accept them as they come.

That is interesting how you went a year with a very low AHI and then you have clusters of nights where the AHI is higher. I would be trying to think of what was different during those time periods. kteague had some good suggestions on variables that could be making a difference.

You have a lot of mask leaking during the times when the AHI is higher.

I don't know why there is no minute vent, tidal volume, or respiratory data for much of the time.

Maybe put up a couple graphs from the time between where it says Oct 28 and this week. That will catch a little of the time with the good AHI scores and the times it got worse.

I don't think the question you are asking is "Does apnea come and go?" so much as it is "Why are their such marked decreases in the effectiveness of my treatment during some periods?"

DeeCPAP wrote:That's why I've slept with this confounded machine for years struggling with thes "treatment from hell". That's why I need more info about the overview graph --- I want to be sure I'm using the machine effectively.

That's too bad your treatment hasn't been more comfortable for you. As for understanding the graphs, there is a lot of information on this forum that can help you understand what the graphs are showing. My friend Google is also pretty helpful with finding definitions and explanation of the terms.