New and confused

[Kerriboberri]

Hello!
I had my first sleep study three weeks ago, haven't met with my Dr., so I asked for my results to be mailed. Got them today. I do go for a titration study Monday night.

My results say apnea/hypopnea within normal limits. RDI was 30 per hour. Will a Cpap help for that? I have research to do because I have no idea what RDI means but I'm guessing it has something to do with why I'm always so tired. Oh, and the fact that I never get to N3 or REM--zero of each for the night.

My RERAs is at 28.9 per hour. My oxygen baseline was 94%, dropping to 91%. My snoring is moderate to loud.

I really don't know what I'm asking here...but I'm confused. If I have RERA not apnea will a Cpap do me any good? I'm tired of being tired. And tired of not being able to sleep with my husband because he can't handle my snoring.

Thanks!

[kaiasgram]

RDI = Respiratory Disturbance Index. How many times per hour you had a respiratory event. Almost all of your respiratory events were those RERAs -- respiratory effort related arousals. Those arousals are a likely explanation for your tiredness and the reason you couldn't reach or stay in deeper stages of sleep. You aren't having a significant amount of apneas and hypopneas (full and partial airway obstructions), but your airway is compromised enough during sleep to be causing snoring and those RERAs. Does your sleep study report mention flow limitation or Upper Airway Resistance?

PAP therapy could help. It is the first line of treatment in most cases.

You are welcome to post a copy of your sleep study report (name whited out) if you have more questions or want more detailed feedback about your report.

Welcome to the forum.

[Julie]

You don't have apnea. You need to look into other things causing your problems, like possible low thyroid or other problems. Have you had labwork done recently? And if you sleep on your back, 10-1 you'll snore a lot less if you make every effort to not do that (and it'll also help with even the occasional apnea that we all get).

[kaiasgram]

Julie, the OP is scheduled for PAP titration on Monday night. RDI is 30 which is the upper end of the "moderate" category. Over 30 would be "severe."

[Julie]

Why do her results say apnea within normal levels?

[kaiasgram]

Why do her results say apnea within normal levels?

Because she did not have enough apnea/hypopnea events to earn an OSA diagnosis. But she does have clinically significant sleep-disordered breathing. The RDI includes flow limitations that end in arousals (RERAs). And her RDI is bumping up against the Severe range.

[Kerriboberri]

Sorry, having scanning issues so had to take pictures with phone... I hope this isn't too bad. And, sorry, the only place I had to post them was facebook. I'm not great at all this stuff but I find a work around...although not always the best.

[Kerriboberri]

Dang, it didn't work.

[Julie]

Go to Imgur.com - post there and then leave a link to them in this thread.

[Kerriboberri]

http://I.imgur.com/YajnXZY.jpg

Testin

[Kerriboberri]

http://imgur.com/Gs4RbR0

Another page...

[Kerriboberri]

http://imgur.com/SrAMDyK

Yet another..

[Kerriboberri]

Sorry, they came out the wrong direction...I do have page with the (I don't know what they're called, all the lines) but they are so small I didn't think it would be worth taking pictures.

[kaiasgram]

I downloaded your image and rotated it so I could get a better look.

I'm wondering about the PLMS (leg movements) index of 12.2 noted in your sleep study report. I don't know if that's clinically significant, but I understand it is sometimes seen in sleep studies with people who have sleep apnea and other sleep disorders. You might want to PM forum member kteague who has dealt with this and knows a lot about it.

You sure didn't get much sleep, and what little sleep you did have never got you into REM or N3 (deep) sleep. If this night was even close to a typical night for you then your symptoms sure do make sense!

The good news -- PAP therapy could make a world of difference for you. Adjusting to the therapy can take some patience and commitment, but we're here to help with that. And at the very least, you could look forward to sleeping next to your husband again.

[Kerriboberri]

The only difference is that at home I can get to sleep quicker, I just can't stay asleep. But, I don't think I realize how often I'm really waking up.