CA, Sleepyhead and ResScan

[wagepc]

I've been using a CPAP for about three months now, and I feel MUCH better; however, I have a little concern about the software. I'm currently using both Sleepyhead and ResScan. Although I have far fewer events than before, there consistently have been about twice as many CA events as OA events. Is this pretty common?

I asked my Dr. about it, and she said the CA is the same as when babies stop breathing and start up again. She didn't seem concerned. I'm not certain she really looked at the data.

Also, it doesn't seem to matter what pressure I have, the apnea events are random. Some days I'll have two, and some days I'll have 14.

Has anyone else had a similar experience?

Thanks!

[avi123]

To exclude Central Sleep Apnea Syndrome, what is important is CA events per hour of sleep. Also, you can have only OSA but at higher pressures there are emergent CAs.

[Pugsy]

Also, it doesn't seem to matter what pressure I have, the apnea events are random. Some days I'll have two, and some days I'll have 14.

Has anyone else had a similar experience?

Yes, some nights I might have zero CAs and some nights I have seen up to 25 of them.
Some may be the real deal but I suspect most are false positives. The machine only has air flow to base its findings on but real centrals require a bit more data that the machines don't have. It can and will label awake breathing as "central" sometimes.
It is also normal to have a few centrals anyway. Even people without sleep apnea can have them from time to time. So sometimes the machine will flag a "central" that would not be scored during a sleep study where the tech has access to the other criteria needed to evaluate centrals..like brain wave EEG to prove actually asleep and thoracic effort.

2 to 14 spread out over the night is nothing to be concerned about. We worry when we start seeing them in greater numbers every hour of every night all week long. So over 7 or so hours of sleep..not a big deal. Now if you are only sleeping 2 hours then we worry.

[archangle]

Please fill in your equipment on your profile. Look at the link in my signature line.

Look at how long the CA's are. Short ones are a lot less dangerous than long ones. Also look at the graphs and see how completely you stop breathing.

You should also realize that central apneas aren't necessarily more harmful than obstructive apneas. They may just be harder to eliminate.

You should also realize that not everything the machine calls an apnea is a real apnea. If you're awake, it's not an apnea and isn't harmful. If your blood O2 doesn't drop and you don't get an "EEG arousal" that disturbs your sleep, it's not an apnea and isn't harmful.

[BasementDwellingGeek]

Many of us tend to hold our breath while rolling over or otherwise repositioning. If you had a restless night with lots of tossing and turning you will see more CAs. Also if you tend to vacillate between sleep and awake you may see more CAs.