Robbing Peter to Pay Paul

[Lukie]

So when I start to have a hyponea or so my machine senses this and increases the pressure from 6 to 10 but as soon as the pressure goes up to 10 I get a bunch of centrals from over-breathing. So aren't we just trading one for the other. Perhaps not, as during my sleep study I had 40 hyponeas a night now I only have one or two hyponeas but 10 centrals. So my overall AHI is down from 7.6 to 1 or 2.

[markdh]

I'm just guessing here, but I think the only thing that really matters is what your O2 level is through the night. I pretty much ignore centrals because they're always of short duration, and there's nothing I can do about them anyway. Hyponeas are something I don't even understand, but again there's not much that I'm aware of that I can do about them.

So all I really look at are obstructive apneas. I'd like to know what my O2 levels are through the night, because that's the reason I was put on PAP to begin with, but I've had no success with consumer level recording oximiters. I just can't get good readings throughout the night with them.

So, assuming your AHI is <5, your leaks are controlled, and you're actually getting some sleep, just be happy. Considering how crude this treatment protocol is, I'm amazed it works as well as it does.

[LSAT]

So when I start to have a hyponea or so my machine senses this and increases the pressure from 6 to 10 but as soon as the pressure goes up to 10 I get a bunch of centrals from over-breathing. So aren't we just trading one for the other. Perhaps not, as during my sleep study I had 40 hyponeas a night now I only have one or two hyponeas but 10 centrals. So my overall AHI is down from 7.6 to 1 or 2.

10 centrals a night is nothing. Most people get their centrals upon waking up or when then are falling asleep . Setj is right...you can get centrals by holding your breath when you turn over. If your AHI was 10 with lots of centrals in bunches, I would be concerned.

[JDS74]

Ignoring isolated centrals that are relatively short makes sense.
In my case, my centrals were relatively isolated but they certainly not short, running from 30 to 80 seconds each.
My longest was 1 minute 45 seconds.
Now, with my new machine handling them, none last untreated for more than 10 seconds.

[Wulfman...]

So when I start to have a hyponea or so my machine senses this and increases the pressure from 6 to 10 but as soon as the pressure goes up to 10 I get a bunch of centrals from over-breathing. So aren't we just trading one for the other. Perhaps not, as during my sleep study I had 40 hyponeas a night now I only have one or two hyponeas but 10 centrals. So my overall AHI is down from 7.6 to 1 or 2.

I see your problem as using a range of pressures. Try switching to straight CPAP and single pressure and see what happens. Your machine-interpreted "Centrals" could actually be from your reflex reaction to pressure changes.
You should be able to see from your reports at what pressure your "Centrals" are showing up. Set your fixed pressure at slightly below that (if it's a consistent pressure). On the other hand, if "Centrals" weren't identified on your sleep study, these may not actually be true Centrals. These machines interpret "air flow" and actual Central Apneas can only be (genuinely) identified in a full-blown sleep study with all the wires and sensors hooked up.


Den

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[ChicagoGranny]

I'd like to know what my O2 levels are through the night, because that's the reason I was put on PAP to begin with, but I've had no success with consumer level recording oximiters. I just can't get good readings throughout the night with them.

My doctor will order an overnight oximetry study anytime I want it and it costs nothing. The DME brings a professional oximeter to my house, picks it up when I am finished and sends a report to the doctor. The doctor interprets the report and either calls me or emails me.

DMEs do these studies at no charge because they want to get the profitable and steady supplemental oxygen business.

I'm just guessing here, but I think the only thing that really matters is what your O2 level is through the night.

No, sleeping well is the most important issue. You could have a perfect O2 level all night and still have hundreds of respiratory related arousals. Those hypopneas you mention may not be causing oxygen desats but they could be causing arousals. If you have many arousals at night, you will not be healthy.

ChicagoGramps

[Sir NoddinOff]

No, sleeping well is the most important issue. You could have a perfect O2 level all night and still have hundreds of respiratory related arousals. Those hypopneas you mention may not be causing oxygen desats but they could be causing arousals. If you have many arousals at night, you will not be healthy.

I'd have to agree. Sound sleep provides many other facets of well-being to a person's life. It is universally recognized that effective REM sleep helps keep ones mind and cognitive processes in good order, especially as we age. It is now becoming recognized that SWS (slow wave sleep) helps certain glands release complex chemical substances into the bloodstream that help repair ones physical body, at the molecular level and the cellular level. Sleep science is just beginning to scratch the surface of what sleeping is all about... the next few decades may well be quite miraculous.

[purple]

Well, first of all, can you tell us how U feel? Do you feel rested when you wake up in the morning?

If you have significant leaks, then the machine the data gives is not accurate. Leaks can cause the problem of the auto on your machine chasing leaks, and continually raising pressures.

Do you see a pattern? Like you wake up at the same amount of time after going to sleep? Or when the pressure gets to a certain point.

Centrals is a term that can refer to a person stopping breathing, perhaps because of a neurological issue, OR, the pressure of the machine has gotten so high that the person can not exhale against it, at least not without waking up a bit. Then again, some very sophisticated machines treat the first kind of central by doing a huge pressure jump to force the person to inhale.

I feel you should go into your profile and enter the type of machine you have , and the settings.

I would feel any long centrals are not good. When are you scheduled to go back to see your sleep doc?

Mostly I will leave the advice to you from those here who have more experience. Some of those will ask you to post the report from your machine.

[Christine L]

So when I start to have a hyponea or so my machine senses this and increases the pressure from 6 to 10 but as soon as the pressure goes up to 10 I get a bunch of centrals from over-breathing. So aren't we just trading one for the other. Perhaps not, as during my sleep study I had 40 hyponeas a night now I only have one or two hyponeas but 10 centrals. So my overall AHI is down from 7.6 to 1 or 2.

Centrals are in the AHI count. If you have an AHI of "1 or 2", you can't be having a "bunch of centrals" can you Lukie?

[archangle]

I believe that for those who develop pressure induced central apnea, it's often a balancing act between increasing the pressure to prevent OSA, and not going too high and causing CA. It takes careful tradeoffs by a good doctor or technician.

Sometimes you can't find a happy medium and you have to go to something like an ASV machine.