Oxygen Levels

[KristieCA]

I had a sleep study last week. My doctor just called, and said I had severe sleep apnea. Before hooking me up to the cpap, my oxygen level falls to 80 percent. Could you explain this to me in layman terms? Thanks-Kristie

[fuzzy96]

hi kristie and welcome to the forum.
please fill out your equipment in the user control panel using text please. this helps us help you.
please also note that almost all of us are xpapers and almost none of us are actual doctors.(but i did stay at a holiday inn express)
so our advice is just that user advice.

if you look under the yellow bulb up top^^^^ you will find a wealth of good information

as for your question-- our blood gets oxygen from the air we breathe via our lungs. the amount our blood is saturated with oxygen is your spo2 level.with osa we stop breathing momentarily thus our lungs don't get the air it needs to get the oxygen to the blood. normal oxygen saturation is usually 92 to 100 %. my doc told me hospitalized patients automatically get supplemental oxyget when thier levels drop to 85%. your xpap will keep the airway open allowwing your lungs to get the air it needs, thus reducing or eliminating the need for oxygen supplement.

low oxygen (or oxygen deprivation) can lead to all sorts of maladies including but not limited to heart attack , heart disease, high blood pressure , stroke ,and many more.

[Wulfman]

I had a sleep study last week. My doctor just called, and said I had severe sleep apnea. Before hooking me up to the cpap, my oxygen level falls to 80 percent. Could you explain this to me in layman terms? Thanks-Kristie

It's your blood oxygen level.
Under "normal" circumstances, your system should maintain a blood-oxygen level of 89 or higher.


Den

[KristieCA]

Thanks so much for the quick answers. I really appreciate it. I am fairly new to messageboards, and don't post much. I'll try to figure out how to add my equipment to my posts. Again, Thanks

[Wulfman]

Don't feel bad. It took me awhile to figure them out, too. This was the very first one I had ever used. The format changed a year or so ago, but it's better now.


Den

[dsm]

KristieCA

When we suffer from typical OSA our throat closes off the air supply to varying degrees. The effect of this is that we get a lot less air into our lungs and the lungs then start to transfer less oxygen into our blood.

Normally the blood oxygen saturation (given as a %) should be around 92%-98%, even while asleep. When we have apneas, that can cause the % to drop below normal. If yours was going down to below 80% that is a big worry. Prolonged (over the years) dropping that low will (as a certainty) damage your brain due to repeated oxygen starvation. Doctors tend to get alarmed when patients show that level of drop. That alarm becomes deep concern if someone regularly drops below 88% spo2 saturation.

Reason I am emphasizing this bad news is that you need to do all you can to prevent it happening & getting onto cpap therapy is your best & quickest way to get it under control. Then you can explore possibilities for reducing the risk.

Good luck with this & it is great that you came here.

DSM

[KristieCA]

You guys are great. From now on, I will be more compliant with my cpap use. I did a home study 9 years ago, and my new doctor ordered one in a sleep lab. I really thought my apnea was mild, so this has really thrown me. Make that, frighten me!! Kristie

[Wulfman]

You guys are great. From now on, I will be more compliant with my cpap use. I did a home study 9 years ago, and my new doctor ordered one in a sleep lab. I really thought my apnea was mild, so this has really thrown me. Make that, frighten me!! Kristie

"Fear" can be a great motivator.


Den