Clear Airway Index - Newby

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
nlt6mor
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Clear Airway Index - Newby

Post by nlt6mor » Thu Oct 01, 2015 7:33 pm

Hi to all, thanks to all contributors to the discussion. This is my first post after having my machine for two weeks. All is really going fairly well for me so far. From 57 apneas to now less than 4. My wife, first night, wanted a divorce looking at me, but I think now she is so grateful my snoring has been reduced nill. She is sleeping better with me being treated.

I have started using Sleepy Head software to see what is happening at night. I have always been a good sleeper, but now realize I have had the apnea problem fairly severe for maybe 10 years. What I don't understand at the moment is why my sleep study showed no Central Apneas, but the Sleepy head software flags so many Clear Airway Index events. Those are normally the greatest number.
I know they are not the exactly the same thing, but many comments have related them. Any guess for me to ponder? Thanks

nlt6mor
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Re: Clear Airway Index - Newby

Post by nlt6mor » Thu Oct 01, 2015 7:43 pm

Ok second post, how to delete a duplicate post? Not sure how I did that.

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Wulfman...
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Re: Clear Airway Index - Newby

Post by Wulfman... » Thu Oct 01, 2015 7:46 pm

nlt6mor wrote:Ok second post, how to delete a duplicate post? Not sure how I did that.
If you go to the post that has no replies, I think there should be an option to delete it. It can only be done by the original poster.


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nlt6mor
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Re: Clear Airway Index - Newby

Post by nlt6mor » Sun Oct 04, 2015 11:43 am

Thanks Den, I got rid of the duplicate post. Do you have a simple explanation of the relationship of Central Apneas and a Clear Airway Index as expressed by the Sleepy head software?

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FUQE3
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Re: Clear Airway Index - Newby

Post by FUQE3 » Sun Oct 04, 2015 1:10 pm

I have recently returned to using CPAP after a 3-year break and am seeing the same thing in my SleepyHead reports. While my AHI for obstructive and hypopneas are totally under control, I see clusters of centrals, particularly towards the end of my night or around arousals. Out of concern, I emailed my doctor and copied him on the graphs and he said this:
Sleep Doctor wrote:the central apneas at the end of the night are likely transitional in nature and benign - they signify that your sleep is disrupted and the sleep stage transitions lead to these central type of apneas known transitional
If you are troubled, I would certainly let your doctor know, but if your AHI remains < 5.0, I'd probably not be concerned.

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Pugsy
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Re: Clear Airway Index - Newby

Post by Pugsy » Sun Oct 04, 2015 1:13 pm

SleepyHead was originally written for a Respironics machine and Respironics elected to call their open airway cessation of breathing as "Clear Airway events".
ResMed has elected to call their open airway cessation of breathing as "central apnea events"

Essentially a central apnea event is an open airway cessation of breathing or clear airway cessation of breathing.

Since Respironics was the orginal purpose of SleepyHead and ResMed was added later....those open airway cessation of breathing events are still called "Clear Airway".

You are using a ResMed machine...so what ResScan would call as "centrals" SleepyHead calls as "Clear Airway". If your were to use ResMed's software ResScan you would see the Central numbers or indexes will be the same as what SleepyHead calls Clear Airway numbers or indexes.

The short version to all the above..think of Clear Airway as Central because they are different names for the same thing.

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Re: Clear Airway Index - Newby

Post by Pugsy » Sun Oct 04, 2015 1:17 pm

FUQE3 wrote: Out of concern, I emailed my doctor and copied him on the graphs and he said this:

Sleep Doctor wrote:
the central apneas at the end of the night are likely transitional in nature and benign - they signify that your sleep is disrupted and the sleep stage transitions lead to these central type of apneas known transitional
This is true and it can be expanded to include not just the end of the night but the beginning of the night and/or any time in between when a person wakes up and then goes back to sleep.
Sleep onset transition centrals or sleep stage transition centrals are not something to be alarmed about unless we are seeing truckloads of them and/or significant desats with them or if the number of them happening at sleep onset keeps disturbing a person's sleep....meaning they keep bouncing a person out of sleep so that the normal progression of the sleep stages isn't happening.

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Re: Clear Airway Index - Newby

Post by nlt6mor » Mon Oct 05, 2015 2:22 pm

Thanks Pugsy for your reply and simple explanation. I an not worried about them CIs, but just curious. I would like to learn how to properly post reports from Sleepyhead on my Mac. I will give it the ole college try but I don't find an attachment button like most other software? Copy and past work?

nope
Last edited by nlt6mor on Mon Oct 05, 2015 3:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Pugsy
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Re: Clear Airway Index - Newby

Post by Pugsy » Mon Oct 05, 2015 2:29 pm

https://sleep.tnet.com/reference/tips/imgur
how to post images using imgur to host the images

Don't need all the graphs though...this thread has examples or what we normally look at first
viewtopic/t103468/Need-help-with-screen-shots.html

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nlt6mor
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Re: Clear Airway Index - Newby

Post by nlt6mor » Mon Oct 05, 2015 2:47 pm

This better?
Last edited by nlt6mor on Mon Oct 05, 2015 3:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.

nlt6mor
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Re: Clear Airway Index - Newby

Post by nlt6mor » Mon Oct 05, 2015 3:35 pm

Now I think I have it. Sorry for the testing. You like?Image

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Re: Clear Airway Index - Newby

Post by nlt6mor » Sat Oct 10, 2015 11:03 am

Thanks I won't worry about the CA, but down the road I would like to know how to reduce them if significant. CA still the largest.
Image[/URL]

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Pugsy
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Re: Clear Airway Index - Newby

Post by Pugsy » Sat Oct 10, 2015 11:26 am

There's really nothing that you can do to reduce the centrals because they are pretty much something that is going to happen that you have no control over.
Unless your centrals were caused by the pressure itself and then reducing the pressure reduced the centrals...there's nothing you can do.

There's nothing on your reports to suggest that pressure is the cause of the centrals. Your pressure is constant and one would think if pressure was the culprit then you wouldn't have long periods of time when there are no centrals.

Now if the centrals flagged are maybe related to arousals and the arousals were decreased then maybe the centrals would also be reduced. This is a big maybe because we can't tell for sure if your centrals are related to arousals. Perhaps with time as your body gets more adjusted to therapy and you maybe sleep a little more soundly...less chance of arousals which would then lessen the chance of centrals IF (big IF) those are arousal centrals or sleep stage transition centrals.

Talk to your doctor about your centrals if you continue to be concerned about them but I feel that you are worrying about something that simply isn't present in large enough numbers (if they are real and not awake breathing irregularities or turn over in bed hold your breath centrals) to warrant worry.

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nlt6mor
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Re: Clear Airway Index - Newby

Post by nlt6mor » Sat Oct 10, 2015 11:34 am

Thanks Pugsy, really appreciate your time to explain things.

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Re: Clear Airway Index - Newby

Post by nlt6mor » Sat Nov 21, 2015 10:40 am

Been almost three months and doing fairly well. From study 57 AHI to average 2 - 4. I am about to start tinkering with settings. Today I awoke to sleepyhead telling me I had a horrible night. I went to bed later and tried sleeping through normal wake time and it didn't work for the measurements. First time for this much arousal activity. Any concerns? Thanks Image