Night 6. Trying to understand AHI numbers

[caedenspa]

Last night was my best night so far. Untreated AHI was 48.8, most nights last week were in the 10 range, last night was 1.54. Over the week my OA numbers have fallen pretty steadily, and last night it was ZERO!!! Most of my events are hypopneas.

So, what does this mean? Will my numbers continue to come down?

By the way, my sig line says I'm on a Mirage Quattro, but the last 3 nights I've been on a Liberty. FAR more comfortable.

[Pugsy]

Will my numbers continue to come down?

Can't get any lower than 0.0

Over the week my OA numbers have fallen pretty steadily, and last night it was ZERO!!! Most of my events are hypopneas.

I think a lot of people's initial AHI when first starting cpap therapy is probably a good bit of awake/semi awake breathing stuff getting flagged by the machine because it simply measures air flow and doesn't have a clue as to whether we are asleep or not. Once we start sleeping better with less "awake" time causing the machine to flag awake SWJ (Sleep/Wake/Junk) then the AHI comes down simply because less junk is getting flagged.

Also when we spend a lot of time fiddling with the mask in the middle of the night...that's known awake time and as we get masks dialed in so that the fiddling with the mask is eliminated there goes more of those SWJ flagged events.

So a combination of several things result in lower AHI but the higher AHI was higher because of SWJ. Once we sleep better in general the SWJ factor is pretty much a non issue.

You probably will have more 0.0 nights but don't be alarmed if you have AHI 1 to 3 maybe a little higher on occasion. Even people without the OSA diagnosis will have an apnea event of some kind during the night. It's normal.

[cathyf]

Even people without the OSA diagnosis will have an apnea event of some kind during the night. It's normal.

I wonder if some of the random events have to do with holding your breath in ways that are completely appropriate to whatever the plot of your dream is? You know, like you are cracking a safe in your dream and you hold your breath to hear the tumblers. Or you are swimming and you hold your breath while you are dreaming that you are under water. Some people go sleep-walking (and sometimes sleep-cooking and sleep-driving! ) and maybe a little sleep-breath-holding is just as normal...