Night Three: Clear Airway Apneas! (Central?)

[Red Sunset]

Hi All.
Night three last night, and woke up, checked my data, and once again my AHI is 5.3.
BUT I noticed something different this time.
My OBSTRUCTIVE apnea was 1 event for the entire night! This is great, but my Clear Airway apnea was responsible for all the rest! Does this mean I have central apnea too? Is an AHI of 5 due mainly to Clear Airway apnea a concern?
Also, my mask still seems to be leaking a bit too. And the bridge of my nose has developed a seriously nasty sore. Almost an open wound.
I've posted as much data as a can below and am hoping somebody can help me with this. Freaking out about about about the central apneas. I realise it's only night three and I'm probably doing pretty well just to be able to sleep with the mask (ResMed Quatro), but I really want that AHI below 5!
Thanks all. Data below.

AHIApnea / Hypopnea Index 5.30
HypopneaHypopnea 0.70
ObstructiveObstructive Apnea 0.10
Clear AirwayClear Airway Apnea 4.50
RERAResp. Effort Related Arousal 2.60
Flow LimitFlow Limitation 0.80
VSnoreVibratory Snore 0.20
PB/CSRPeriodic Breathing 0.00%

Event Breakdown


Statistics
Channel Min Med 95% Max
PressurePressure (cmH20)
Avg: 7.88 7.00 9.44 12.00 12.10
Minute Vent.Minute Ventilation (L/min)
Avg: 6.12 0.00 5.88 8.75 41.50
Resp. RateRespiratory Rate (breaths/min)
Avg: 12.23 7.88 12.40 14.80 17.58
LeaksLeak Rate (L/min)
Avg: 2.43 0.00 2.00 9.00 13.00
Total LeaksTotal Leak Rate (L/min)
Avg: 22.94 18.00 22.00 30.00 33.00
SnoreSnore (unknown)
Avg: 0.04 0.00 0.00 0.00 3.00
Insp TimeInspiratory Time (seconds)
Avg: 3.12 0.72 3.06 4.26 8.06
Exp TimeExpiratory Time (seconds)
Avg: 1.82 0.46 1.66 2.92 5.66
Tidal VolumeTidal Volume (ml)
Avg: 504.79 13.33 480.00 760.00 3876.67

[Julie]

Hi - I'd be curious to know in what position you sleep and were you told to sleep on your back for the study... there are people out there who while (like so many of us and others who really don't have apnea to speak of) they might have some events lying on their back, once they turn on their side or even stomachs, don't register many events at all and even get by (once vetted by a new study) just by not being on their backs, by using e.g. those long foam wedge thingies behind them to stay that way, using an oximeter once in a while to make sure they're not desaturating (02 isn't dropping throughout the night) and some even use a soft cervical collar (small one) to keep their heads from falling into their chests (and causing trouble. Your central count is still pretty low... but you need to check it all out.

[Denial Dave]

You should look at the charts for when they occurred. You may simply have stopped breathing while changing positions, rolling over, adjusting your mask, etc...

Dave

[Red Sunset]

Hi Julie and Dave. Thankyou for the quick responses. My mind is a little more at ease now. I double checked by sleep study results, are there was no mention of central apnea being a problem.
According to the sleep study, I spend about 34% of the time on my back and the rest sleeping on my side. I think you might be right. It's probably just me moving around. I have to confess, I think I sometimes fiddle with the mask and deliberately make it leak just to see if it's even working (while I'm half asleep). I went back and looked at the results for my first two nights, and same thing- AHI mainly consists of "clear airway" events. So I think my AHI has probably actually been around 1 or 2 each night since starting cpap, which I am thrilled about! Definitely feeling more awake during the day. Thanks for your help guys!

[idamtnboy]

Hi All.
Night three last night, and woke up, checked my data, and once again my AHI is 5.3.
BUT I noticed something different this time.
My OBSTRUCTIVE apnea was 1 event for the entire night! This is great, but my Clear Airway apnea was responsible for all the rest! Does this mean I have central apnea too? Is an AHI of 5 due mainly to Clear Airway apnea a concern?

Three nights is WAY too short a time span to draw any kind of valid conclusion from. Wait until you've got 30 days of data to look at. Then you will start to see reliable indications. One of the first things to be aware of is that your AHI number may very well go up and down like a kid on a trampoline. It's normal. That's just the way it is. Why? We don't know, and we've been at this for months to years!!