UPDATE on Overnight pulse ox...(UPDATED)

[MissAmethyst2U]

Ok, well I called my sleep doc's office today to see if I could get a copy of the pulse ox study that the HHC said to call them and get a copy through them. I figured while I was at it I asked for a copy of my sleep studies just to be nosey lol. I still have yet to hear from the doc but figured I could figure out if it was ok or not...My O2 levels seemed ok as they ranged from 98%-94% all night long...my heart rate was a diff story, it fluctuated wildly for about the first hr then leveled out as I got into a good sleep but I noticed throught the night every hr or so sometimes more often my heart rate would shoot up to like 110-120. Is this normal? Does like when you go into REM sleep and dream would that make your heart rate go up? My overall pulse range was 60-120 all night...I am guessing that all that looks fine and doc will be pleased?

I have some other questions too regarding my sleep studies that maybe ya'll can answer but I feel too bad right now to type it all. (I am just getting over a cold but have a horrible headache today and tummy is not feeling well I will get to that later...Off to go lay down for a bit...

[dsg]

my heart rate was a diff story, it fluctuated wildly for about the first hr then leveled out as I got into a good sleep but I noticed throught the night every hr or so sometimes more often my heart rate would shoot up to like 110-120. Is this normal? Does like when you go into REM sleep and dream would that make your heart rate go up? My overall pulse range was 60-120 all night...I am guessing that all that looks fine and doc will be pleased?...

Without knowing your personal history, or what your blood pressure was during this whole time (and what's normal for you), the short answer to "is this normal" is YES. I had the great honor a number of years back of taking an extraordinary class in college that was taught by a guy named J. Allen Hobson, who's one of the nation's foremost experts on wake and sleep states and all the biochemistry jazz that goes into them. His summary of REM sleep was "it's basically exactly like being awake, except you're paralyzed". Your heart rate, BP, respiration and galvanic skin responses are virtually identical to being IN the situation you're dreaming about. So if you're running in your dream, your heart rate goes up accordingly, surprisingly close to the degree it would if you were awake, up and running for real. You're not just watching your own private movie, you're in it, and responding

So in short, don't worry about the elevated heart rate during REM. 110-120 isn't really all that high, you know! Sounds like you're doing just fine.

[StillAnotherGuest]

So in short, don't worry about the elevated heart rate during REM. 110-120 isn't really all that high, you know! Sounds like you're doing just fine.

Heart rates to 110-120 are not normal during sleep under any circumstances.

The reason they are that high during running is because of metabolic demands. And you'd have to be running dang hard to get up to 120.

That arguement also assumes you are in REM, an assumption you can't make.

They may be artifact.

They could also be PAT or PSVT.

If they're not artifact, you need a Holter Monitor.

[dsg]

The reason they are that high during running is because of metabolic demands. And you'd have to be running dang hard to get up to 120.

That arguement also assumes you are in REM, an assumption you can't make.

Dear StillAnotherGuest-
There's no other way to say this but, well, no, you're incorrect.
-MissAmethyst2U was specifically referring to heart rate during REM.
-120 BPM isn't "dang hard" to get to for normal humans (especially young ones) during exercise. I don't know how old MissAmethyst2U is, but I think she's probably on the younger side.
This page on heart rates during exercise is from the American Heart Association:

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter. ... ifier=4736

[Sleepless on LI]

Heather,

I was happy to read your oxygen desats are normal. And I have a strong hunch that if there is anything questionable with your heart rates during slseep, the doctor will make you aware of it; that is, if he is a good doctor. I don't know much about it, but I will see what I can find out. Probably by the time I do, someone else (like Ozij) will have posted a link to another post that explains it all.

But the main purpose was to see if your oxygen levels were normal during sleep with the cpap on and they were, so congrats on that. That is great news.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is what I found:

Stage 5, REM
REM sleep is distinguishable from NREM sleep by changes in physiological states, including its characteristic rapid eye movements. However, polysomnograms show wave patterns in REM to be similar to Stage 1 sleep. In normal sleep (in people without disorders of sleep-wake patterns or REM behavior disorder), heart rate and respiration speed up and become erratic, while the face, fingers, and legs may twitch. Intense dreaming occurs during REM sleep as a result of heightened cerebral activity, but paralysis occurs simultaneously in the major voluntary muscle groups, including the submental muscles (muscles of the chin and neck). Because REM is a mixture of encephalic (brain) states of excitement and muscular immobility, it is sometimes called paradoxical sleep. It is generally thought that REM-associated muscle paralysis is meant to keep the body from acting out the dreams that occur during this intensely cerebral stage. The first period of REM typically lasts 10 minutes, with each recurring REM stage lengthening, and the final one lasting an hour.

Although this doesn't give specific numbers, it does speak of the increase in heart and respiration rates. How high? Have to keep looking...

[MissAmethyst2U]

Ok, let me try and clear a bit of this up...First off I am not sure it was during REM sleep I am guessing that as I do know I dreamed during the night that night, and because of the spacing apart between episodes of the heart rate going high my parents seemed to think it was just because of going through the stages of sleep and that I was probably having anxiety or something during my sleep/dreams ( I always have really vivid dreams in which sometimes they wake me up an dmy heart will be pounding)

Another thing, I dont think its hard at all for the normal heart rate to get to 110-120 my body stays stressed (haha and if anyone can give me pointers besides Ativan to relax me I am all ears) my normal heart rate can range from 70-110ish> I tend to have a high pulse rate prob due to yrs and yrs of anxiety. Lets put it this way, when I am actually very relaxed which is rare, I start having anxiety again cause I feel strange cause for me its not normal. All this is sooo frustrating...You ppl only are seeing a half of what I have been through in my very short life...

AS far as a Holter monitor I have had one already along with EKG's and a 3-D echo of my heart. Nothing was found but sinus tach and well that was chalked up to anxiety. I have chest pains all the time on and off and have heart palps too whcih also has all been chalked up to anxiety. I am terrified of having a heart attack and have a HUGE fear of dying, All this combined with Asthma and GERD and the Sleep Apnea life is NOT fun...The sad part, I am only 22...

Ok now for a question I have and I dont know how I will ask this and get into my sleep study reports and all since kinda hard when you cant see the reports but I believe I have been mistold a lot of info from my sleep study...I was told that I had no REM sleep the first sleep study yet it is showing I in fact did and that I did NOT go into REM sleep the second sleep study with the CPAP, I didn't even get to stage 4 sleep! Whats what that?!

I am reading that I didnt have ANY apneas during the first sleep study yet she told me when she called that i had 26 events per hour. It shows NONE but that I did have 120 Hypopneas during the night and my O2 levels dropped to 83.7% and that that was during the REM sleep when my O2 dropped. (yet supposedly I never went into rem that go round *rollseyes*)

Now the second study, shows NO rem sleep not even stage 4 but is showing that I had 21 CENTRAL apneas none obstructive?!?! Ummm am I the only one then confused by their diagnosis? ohh an di was on CPAP this night and well my O2 levels dropped to 80.4 with cpap at a pressure of 9! That is the pressure my cpap is set to now, I am starting to question that overnight pulse ox thing....I do see where it looks that my o2 dropping was when I was having a few of the apneas which are again listed as Central...

I am sooooooo overly confused by all this, none of my sleep studies were very good as I didnt sleep too great a time either time I think I slept a total of 377.5 mins the first study and only 106 mins the second study...I wish the doc would hurry up and call..its been a week and I have yet to hear from him or anyone... when I picked up my papers wed she said she sent him a note to contact me well its friday they are now closed and i heard nothing...I am a little upset...I ust want answers as nothing I was originally told by the lady doc I was seeing is matching up in these reports...

Ok, I am sorry if I confused anyone with all this...

Lori, if you read this I got your email earlier, I had to run out and do a few errands as I was sick yesterday and didnt get stuff done, I will write to you later tonight...

[StillAnotherGuest]

The reason they are that high during running is because of metabolic demands. And you'd have to be running dang hard to get up to 120.

That arguement also assumes you are in REM, an assumption you can't make.

Dear StillAnotherGuest-
There's no other way to say this but, well, no, you're incorrect.
-MissAmethyst2U was specifically referring to heart rate during REM.
-120 BPM isn't "dang hard" to get to for normal humans (especially young ones) during exercise. I don't know how old MissAmethyst2U is, but I think she's probably on the younger side.
This page on heart rates during exercise is from the American Heart Association:

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter. ... ifier=4736

Interesting link, but none of those people in the table are asleep, much less in REM. That response is due to metabolic demands, which again, is my point.

But I can do exercise challenge testing. There are three key points in a cardiopulmonary exercise test:

Anaerobic Threshold, or "dang hard"
Respiratory Compensation, or "very dang hard"
Peak VO2, or "too dang hard"

Heart rate increases linearly (normally) during exercise challenge, from a resting heart rate, in this case, of 70 to a maximum of 195.

Anaerobic threshold occurs at 40-60% of predicted Peak VO2, or between 120-145.

I'll stick with "dang hard".
SAG