New here. Used CPAP for first time last night.

Hello. I am 41 years old and was recently diagnosed with sleep apnea. I think I've probably had it 3 years or so. Am a little concerned about AHI. It was 8.8. However, my AHI during my sleep study was 52. It was a split study. After CPAP titration during the study they said my AHI was 1.7. I realize the 8.8 is much better than 52. Hoping it will improve as I continue to use the CPAP. I have a Philips Respironics DreamStation. Any thoughts?

your AHI is supposed to 5 or less. Download the SleepyHead software and see what is going on. Most likely you had mask leaks and that is the cause of the high AHI,
but without the software to read the data it is any ones guess.

I wish you well..

Guest wrote:Any thoughts?

Bill44133 wrote:but without the software to read the data it is any ones guess.

And be sure to include the settings you are using.

All things take time. Your therapy may need some tweaking. Read, Read, & Read some more. Start at the top of the forum then learn to use the advanced search feature.

Get the software
https://sleep.tnet.com/equipment

Read up on understanding what you see on the software reports. Tutorial on SleepyHead in the top of the announcements page.

I wouldn't worry about anything at the moment after one night. There's a good chance you probably didn't sleep so great and you could possibly have some events flagged that aren't real.

The AHI is made up of 3 categories and you can't see each category on the LCD screen. You must use the software.
How to proceed if the AHI stays higher than we want depends on the breakdown into each event category.

Thank you for the replies. I appreciate them very much!!

It looks like my cpap machine isn't compatible with the SleepyHead software.

My setting is 11.

My AHI on the 2nd night of sleep was 9.4

Total clear airway apneas were 19
Total obstructive apnea were 47
Total hypopneas were 28

Should I just monitor for a week or 2 and then contact my doctor? Not sure how soon I should try to adjust the settings. Also, I talk (or more like whisper) in my sleep when I dream. Am guessing that can affect my AHI. Do you think I should have a full face mask?

The DreamStation is compatible with SleepyHead's latest 1.0.0 Beta version.

What model do you have? Why do you think not compatible?

Guest wrote:Should I just monitor for a week or 2 and then contact my doctor? Not sure how soon I should try to adjust the settings.

Guest wrote: Total clear airway apneas were 19
Total obstructive apnea were 47
Total hypopneas were 28

The bulk of your AHI is obstructive in nature (Obstructive apneas and hyponeas). You will need more pressure.

The Clear Airway Apneas are central apneas...the airway is open but no air is moving. More pressure won't fix that and some of those flags might be awake/semi awake breathing getting flagged by mistake anyway. All we do about those for now is just watch them. It's normal to have a few anyway.

I have no idea if you need a full face mask or not. Why do you ask? What leak data are you seeing on the machine?
If you are thinking that changing to full face mask might give better therapy and reduce the AHI all by itself...probably not unless you are having massive leaks with the nasal mask because of major mouth breathing issues.

Thank you Bill 44133 (my cat looks almost identical to your picture) and Pugsy.

Pugsy, I did check and my acer netbook doesn't support sleepyhead software. I'm gonna look at purchasing a new laptop today. You are awesome. Appreciate your advice. To increase pressure would you suggest one level at a time? Change from 11 to 12 tonight? Wish they had apps for smartphones.

Which model of DreamStation do you have (CPAP, CPAP pro, Auto CPAP, or Bi-Pap)? You probably don't have the first one.

Also, please register with the forum and add your equipment to the profile.

Ahh..it's the computer that isn't compatible.

Yes...when changing the pressure I suggest going up in small increments for 2 reasons...it's an easier adjustment on the body and sometimes we don't end up needing as much as we first thought and there's no sense in using more pressure than we have to (doesn't usually hurt anything unless the higher pressures trigger a problem like aerophagia or centrals but we will cross that bridge if/when we come to it).

If you starting pressure was really low like 4 or 5 I would suggest going up a little faster than 1.0 increments but since you are using 11 starting minimum as it is...making a 2 or 3 cm jump from 11 is likely going to be a bit uncomfortable. It will be easier if you ease your way up and besides without seeing the detailed data I can't get a good feel for what you need anyway. I don't know that you will need 2 or 3 cm more but it wouldn't surprise me if you did.

When you have time you might go ahead a register here at the forum. You will need to be registered and logged in if you want to share your software reports so that we can see what you are seeing. Registering takes a few days since it requires admin approval.
Once you are officially registered and logged in you can then use the equipment profile available so that we can see at a glance what you are using in terms of equipment...mask and machine.

Guest wrote:It looks like my cpap machine isn't compatible with the SleepyHead software

why would someone *very* knowledgeable tell you to get some software that wasn't compatible with your machine? ergo, you're mistaken.

Guest wrote:Pugsy, I did check and my acer netbook doesn't support sleepyhead software.

why not? does your netbook not run windows, or linux, or macos?

Thank you all who responded.

I did try to register and create a username on Friday and got the initial email but administrator hasn't set it up yet.

I have the Philips Respironics DreamStation Auto CPAP. My insurance is renting it for 1 month to see how I like it before purchasing.

I will try increasing the pressure a bit tonight.

I have the same machine you have and have been on it for almost one month. I have no problem with the machine and don't mind using it. Feeling better all the time. Unfortunately, I received little or no training on how to get information for myself from this machine. Which setting do you go to to find out if you are having apnea incidents during the night? I have doctor appointment set for early July with sleep clinic and plan to take the machine and try to learn more about it - but in the meantime, is there a way I can see what is happening during the night?

suzpigott wrote:I have the same machine you have and have been on it for almost one month. I have no problem with the machine and don't mind using it. Feeling better all the time. Unfortunately, I received little or no training on how to get information for myself from this machine. Which setting do you go to to find out if you are having apnea incidents during the night? I have doctor appointment set for early July with sleep clinic and plan to take the machine and try to learn more about it - but in the meantime, is there a way I can see what is happening during the night?

Suz, as Pugsy told the OP, just download sleepyhead and you can see all of the info there. Otherwize if you just want to do it via the machine itself, just go to apneaboard.com and download the clinicians portion for your machine, it will tell you how to see and change anything on your machine.
Good luck
Nan

suzpigott,

I use the DreamMapper app on my smartphone for more information about ny AHI.