AHI change

[Maryd]

Since I have been on Cpap, about 6 weeks, my AHI is usually under 0.50, at least most of the time. I know 5.0 is considered normal. My question is that last night it was at 0.97. Why? I had minimal leak rate, my 95% pressure was at 9.
I have an auto set resumed machine which is set to go from 5 - 12.
Im confused because my AHI has been better with more leaks. Is this normal? Should I be concerned?

[Julie]

Absolutely not... such a small change in one night means nothing... anything could have made that diff, a noise out the window, your turning over in bed, a hiccup in your sleep ! Until there are bigger changes on a much more consistent basis, you're doing great!

[Pugsy]

That tiny of a change could simply be an awake breathing event getting a flag by mistake.
Like Julie says...nothing at all to worry about.
We don't sleep the same each night anyway. Might be a little bit longer REM stage where our OSA could maybe be a little worse..or maybe being on our back a little more than other nights and when we are on our backs our OSA could be worse.
Maybe a few awake/semi awake breathing events getting a flag that don't really count. If you look at the graphs...see any events close to time where you might have been awake?

A 0.5 change over 8 hours is nothing..and well within acceptable numbers especially when the AHI is so low to start with.

[raftergirl]

Most of the time my AHI hovers around 1, give or take. I have noticed that I get a fair number of events flagged right after I go to bed & right as I'm waking up. Many of them are recorded as CA events. Since I had no CA events on my sleep study, and I'm pretty sure I'm still awake or just waking up when these are flagged, I think they are "false positives" as Pugsy pointed out. Last weekend my AHI jumped up to 5, but I knew that it would....tossed & turned all night due to family stress issues. Last night I stayed up late to watch a college football game (Go Utah Utes ), and went to bed two hours later than usual. I slept soundly, and feel good this morning. My AHI was 2.5. Why? I have no idea, other than those pesky CA events at the beginning & end of my sleep session. Perhaps staying up late was a factor. Since I'm new to cpap (2 months in) I like to check my data on SH every morning, but I'm trying hard not to get hung up on the numbers too much and over analyze. It's hard not to do that though.

[chunkyfrog]

Consider the fact that probably everyone has some apneas--
even those who do "not" have OSA. Below 5 events an hour is generally considered "normal",
and insurance will rarely authorize treatment for numbers that low.
I find that as long as my AHI is under 2, I feel what I consider "pretty good". (YMMV)
Above that, I can tell the difference enough to have a preference for the lower numbers.
When you monitor your numbers, also monitor your body--how you feel, rested, icky, whatever.
It all matters.

[LSAT]

I can usually tell whether my AHI will be my average (1.0-2.5) or higher based upon how I slept. I am often restless which will bring my AHI up to 3-4. I don't consider that an AHI change.....

[TyroneShoes]

Just to give you an idea how little that change represents, there are a lot of us newbies that are still struggling to get AHI under 12.

[Wulfman...]

Since I have been on Cpap, about 6 weeks, my AHI is usually under 0.50, at least most of the time. I know 5.0 is considered normal. My question is that last night it was at 0.97. Why? I had minimal leak rate, my 95% pressure was at 9.
I have an auto set resumed machine which is set to go from 5 - 12.
Im confused because my AHI has been better with more leaks. Is this normal? Should I be concerned?

Yes it's normal and you shouldn't be concerned. Depending on the amount of time you slept and the number of events, it could amount to a "statistical Zero" amount of change. For example, if you had the same number of events, but had a shorter amount of sleep time, it could raise the AHI a little.

But, you're doing well with those numbers.
If you're seeing your average or 95% pressure at a higher number, you might consider setting your minimum pressure a little higher to prevent events.


Den

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