Lower AHI when at hotel

[davecpap]

My AHI is usually 5-7 each night on my S8 Autoset II. However, last week I spent a couple nights at a hotel and my AHI was in the 2's! Any ideas why this might be? The only factors I can think of is that the hotel mattress was firmer than the one I sleep on at home, and maybe the humidity levels? Weather.gov reports that the relative humidity levels at home have been below 10%, and where I was staying they were over 70% those days. Both environments were air conditioned though, so I don't know how humid it was in the room - only how humid it was outside.

[Emilia]

All those factors and perhaps the bed pillows, too. If your neck was positioned differently from the pillow, it may have opened your throat a bit more.

[Julie]

What is the possibility that your electrical set-up at home is subpar? Are you in an older home? Do you have 200 amps to work with? I recently moved from an old place with 100 amps to a newer one with 200, and found that some things worked more efficiently.

[jamieay]

Dave -

Are you married / have a "bed-mate"? If so, and they weren't with you at the hotel, maybe they toss and turn and contribute to your arousals. I'm beginning to think that my wife is having that effect on me.

Jamie

[davecpap]

Dave -

Are you married / have a "bed-mate"? If so, and they weren't with you at the hotel, maybe they toss and turn and contribute to your arousals. I'm beginning to think that my wife is having that effect on me.

Jamie

My wife was with me at the hotel So no dice.

[davecpap]

All those factors and perhaps the bed pillows, too. If your neck was positioned differently from the pillow, it may have opened your throat a bit more.

I'm intrigued by this. My pillow at home isn't thick enough for my side sleeping, so I often do weird contortions where I tuck some of the comforter or my arms under the pillow to sleep.

[Janknitz]

Sheesh, new pillows aren't THAT expensive Get one you can use on your side--you deserve it.

Maybe you didn't sleep as well at the hotel and did not have as much REM sleep? Apnea will be at it's worst in REM. That happens to me the first night or two away from home, but I usually make my peace with the strange bed by the third night.

[woodg]

Your post caught my attention as well.

I travel extensively for my work. Starting next week, I'll be on the road 6 days a week until sometime in January. The rest of the year is kind of hit or miss ( such is the life of a freelancer), but in May and June I was out of town for about half of that time at 3 different hotels, and the last week, my AHI was consistently in the 2s to 3s. When I got home it was back around the 5 range. If you're really interested, I can look at my rescan and tell you for sure.

I also don't know what to attribute it to, but since that time I have on occasion, gotten into the 3 range a few times.

[kempo]

Sounds like you might need a new mattress and pillows. When I spend the night in hotels I crank down the air condition so it runs constantly all night for (white noise).

[davecpap]

Sounds like you might need a new mattress and pillows.

I just dropped $1800 on a new mattress/box spring in November, and its simply 'OK'. Its kind of a medium firmness, and I tend to like extra firm. My wife had terrible back pains on our old 'orthopedic extra firm' mattress. The hotel mattress was very firm, and she was in misery where as I was pretty comfy

I guess I don't understand how much of an impact mattresses/pillows have on how you feel the next day? I've always been the type to think if I can fall asleep quickly and don't feel sore the next day, those are good indicators everything is OK w/mattress & pillow. I don't feel sore, I don't have problems falling asleep with my current setup, but I don't do cartwheels upon waking either.

I'm still struggling with how I should feel when I wake up - I've had sleep apnea my entire adult life, so I can't really recall what waking was like as a teenager for comparison.

[Janknitz]

It's a poop since you just spent all that money, but I have three words for you:

SLEEP NUMBER BED!

Really. I like firm, my husband likes very soft. We are both happy. When my back is bothering me, I can change the bed's firmness in a matter of seconds.

[davecpap]

I think I found the solution:

viewtopic/t57101/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=55391