AHI of 1????

jdschooler · Post by **jdschooler** » Sun Oct 02, 2005 9:11 pm

I am a Paramedic and was recently up for 42 hours straight at work due to high call volumes....anyway I finally got to bed at 1 AM the other morning and slapped on the APAP set at 8 to 20 with heated humidification. Anyway I woke up for shift change at 6 AM an looked at my stats to find out I only had an AHI of 1. This really surprised me because I was DOG #SS TIRED and severely sleep deprived for 42 hours. I guess I was under the impression that the more tired I am the more Apnea I would have.....Is this not true???? or did my APAP just do an awsome job???? Wish I could get those readings every night....I usually run 5 to 9 for an AHI.

john5757 · Post by **john5757** » Sun Oct 02, 2005 11:48 pm

I had the same thing happened to me when I was very tired and my Spirit recorded the lowest AHI ever in a year 0 not .1 even. I was using the new Dreamfit mask I brought which also was a factor in those low numbers. Looks like the Spirit algorithm suits ours needs very well when we are very tired. Nothing wrong with that but it still takes another night of sleep to completely recharge. While I do not have the complete answer why this happens but my guess is that the brain knows that the body is very tired and will prevent any centrals like events from happening.

Barb (Seattle) · Post by **Barb (Seattle)** » Mon Oct 03, 2005 8:37 am

Can I ask both of you (who are on the Autoset spirit) what your original numbers were? Were you in the severe range for apnea when you were first diagnosed?

john5757 · Post by **john5757** » Mon Oct 03, 2005 10:18 am

mine is 43 per hour before CPAP but that number does not tell the whole picture. I had high Pulmonary Hypertension and moderate valve regurgitation on the right side of the heart the left side is fine. The day that I got the zero AHI I check my blood pressure and it was reading 90 over 65 but then again that did not tell the whole picture. I working on to get more steady results. I am trying to improve the chin strap and will try the Dr. Sue mouth price later this month.

jdschooler · Post by **jdschooler** » Mon Oct 03, 2005 10:36 am

I think mine were in the 50's and was classified high in the moderate class.

Barb (Seattle) · Post by **Barb (Seattle)** » Mon Oct 03, 2005 2:20 pm

thank you..just wondering if the autoset is more for mild to moderate apnea...mine was 70/hour pre-CPAP...and, I'm not getting very good numbers still..
Gotta call the doctor, but I don't want to drive all that way to get the machine checked

wading thru the muck! · Post by **wading thru the muck!** » Mon Oct 03, 2005 8:30 pm

I find my AHI is the lowest when I am dead tired.

WAFlowers · Post by **WAFlowers** » Tue Oct 04, 2005 9:08 am

Not sure about AHI, but when I'm dead tired I'm more likely to have serious mouth leaks. Pre-CPAP I'd be snoring when seriously exhausted, but I think that is pretty much a thing of the past.

My greatest problem now is that when I'm really, really tired I tend to lay in one position all night and wake up with my lower back in spasms.

I guess I really should see about getting a quality mattress.

It is interesting to note (and possibly just a coincidence) that my OSA really kicked into high gear when I moved to Florida. When we moved we gave up our queen-sized bed with the foam core mattress that I slept so wonderfully on and purchased a king-sized extra-firm spring-core mattress with a pillow top. Although this name-brand mattress felt great in the store, I don't know that I ever slept as well on it as on our old foam-core.

Maybe it is time to find the $$$ and follow up on my Cheaper-Pedic idea.

dirk · Post by **dirk** » Sat Oct 08, 2005 10:27 pm

Were you sleeping in a chair? I know I did when I was a medic and slept at work.

The best AHI I have ever had was sleeping in a recliner at home. Think about airway positioning? I would assume sitting up would be a lot better than laying on your back.

I also notice a lower AHI when I am on my side.

By the way, what is a "high call volume" in Devils Lake, ND? a 48 would be ugly without sleep! Heck, 16's in the metro Minneapolis suck bad enough doing 16+ calls!

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