First night with oximeter results

[JReinhal]

I am attempting to self treat. My CPAP should be arriving today. Yesterday I received my CMS-50D+ oximeter. Attached are the results, again without a CPAP.
Thoughts?
Thank you

[Todzo]

I am attempting to self treat. My CPAP should be arriving today. Yesterday I received my CMS-50D+ oximeter. Attached are the results, again without a CPAP.
Thoughts?
Thank you

How would you describe your physical conditioning? How would you fare if administered an aerobic conditioning test?

[JReinhal]

I am attempting to self treat. My CPAP should be arriving today. Yesterday I received my CMS-50D+ oximeter. Attached are the results, again without a CPAP.
Thoughts?
Thank you

How would you describe your physical conditioning? How would you fare if administered an aerobic conditioning test?

I am fairly active when it comes to exercising. I lift about 3 times a week and cardio 4 times. I should note though that my cardio is anything extreme, very slow and steady paced.

[Pugsy]

Good news is that your oxygen levels don't drop a lot.....actually minimal drop...never below 91%.
Your base O2 is 95 %..do you live at a higher altitude?
Check it while awake for about 15 minutes...see what it is while totally awake...normally basals are a bit higher in most people without issues unless they live at higher altitudes.
Like mine is 98%...61 year old female living in SW Mo at around 2500 feet I think it is around here..not at sea level but for sure not in the mountains despite the "mountain" part of the name in Ozark mountains.
I have no lung issues and even smoked cigarettes for a period of time in my younger years.

[HoseCrusher]

Data looks good to me... A few artifacts early on but not too bad.

[Todzo]

I am attempting to self treat. My CPAP should be arriving today. Yesterday I received my CMS-50D+ oximeter. Attached are the results, again without a CPAP.
Thoughts?
Thank you

How would you describe your physical conditioning? How would you fare if administered an aerobic conditioning test?

I am fairly active when it comes to exercising. I lift about 3 times a week and cardio 4 times. I should note though that my cardio is anything extreme, very slow and steady paced.

I kind of thought that is what you were going to say. I might have mentioned bradycardia if you were not in condition.

Why do you believe you are having events?

[JReinhal]

Good news is that your oxygen levels don't drop a lot.....actually minimal drop...never below 91%.
Your base O2 is 95 %..do you live at a higher altitude?
Check it while awake for about 15 minutes...see what it is while totally awake...normally basals are a bit higher in most people without issues unless they live at higher altitudes.
Like mine is 98%...61 year old female living in SW Mo at around 2500 feet I think it is around here..not at sea level but for sure not in the mountains despite the "mountain" part of the name in Ozark mountains.
I have no lung issues and even smoked cigarettes for a period of time in my younger years.

Ok, did as you suggested. My heart rate was mid to high 60s. My O2 fluctuated between 98% - 99%.

I am a 36 year old male, exercise often, have asthma but is well controlled with a steroid inhaler, and live in Las Vegas which is about 2,000 feet.

[Pugsy]

Okay, nice normal awake breathing. It's normal to have a bit lower, normal for asleep breathing, so that's not a concern now.

Not all OSA events cause a significant drop in Oxygen levels. I have a friend whose AHI was in the 60s and her O2 never dropped below 94%. This is why using a pulse oximeter alone as a diagnostic tool doesn't always give us a clear picture.

You will know more once you get your new machine...and since we are using it initially for a diagnostic tool I wouldn't worry so much about finding optimal pressure first...instead I would just want to try to verify that the apnea events actually happen in the first place.
The minimum pressure you can use is 4 cm..and that may be too low for comfort. I did a similar screening on my sister and she couldn't stand 4 or 5 cm pressure and had to use 6 cm as starting point.

If it were me and I just wanted to see if I had events in the first place...I would set the machine to APAP mode (assuming that is what you got) with minimum as low as comfortable and maximum of 10 cm...then see if the machine does anything in terms of movement upwards with pressures....if it moves then it is fighting something...so while your AHI might not be all that high if lower pressures are sufficient for treatment...the movement would tell us something.

Remember a pressure of 4 cm can be sufficient for adequate therapy for some people...meaning it can prevent apnea events. Now most people need more than that to deal with their OSA...but there is always the chance that lower pressures work to prevent the airway collapse.

[JReinhal]

Okay, nice normal awake breathing. It's normal to have a bit lower, normal for asleep breathing, so that's not a concern now.

Not all OSA events cause a significant drop in Oxygen levels. I have a friend whose AHI was in the 60s and her O2 never dropped below 94%. This is why using a pulse oximeter alone as a diagnostic tool doesn't always give us a clear picture.

You will know more once you get your new machine...and since we are using it initially for a diagnostic tool I wouldn't worry so much about finding optimal pressure first...instead I would just want to try to verify that the apnea events actually happen in the first place.
The minimum pressure you can use is 4 cm..and that may be too low for comfort. I did a similar screening on my sister and she couldn't stand 4 or 5 cm pressure and had to use 6 cm as starting point.

If it were me and I just wanted to see if I had events in the first place...I would set the machine to APAP mode (assuming that is what you got) with minimum as low as comfortable and maximum of 10 cm...then see if the machine does anything in terms of movement upwards with pressures....if it moves then it is fighting something...so while your AHI might not be all that high if lower pressures are sufficient for treatment...the movement would tell us something.

Remember a pressure of 4 cm can be sufficient for adequate therapy for some people...meaning it can prevent apnea events. Now most people need more than that to deal with their OSA...but there is always the chance that lower pressures work to prevent the airway collapse.

Thank you Pugsy!
I should be getting my CPAP machine today. I have no idea what to do with it so Ill be researching as much as I can and positing questions when needed.
Does the heart rate seem ok or too low?

[Pugsy]

Heart rate seems fine for a young male who is active and works out and likely in good general physical shape.
It's fairly normal for athletes to have a lower rate and even more so in sleep.
Almost every one young and old will see a bit of a heart rate dip in sleep...some people more than others.
This is something you should discuss with your doctor though just to cover the bases. He's in a position to know your whole history and that's important. On the surface though...we see it often with men in good shape...some even dipping to high 30s.

[pbriggs]

If my graph ever looked that good I would be very happy, even with BiPAP treatment. In my sleep study my SpO2 was in the 70's and with treatment I am in the low 90's just about all the time. My doctor says there is noting to worry about. The funny part to me is I put the meter on my father-in-law who is in his late 70's or early 80's and in very poor health - his SpO2 was 98-99% - so I feel that each person has there own saturation level of "normal"