Help me understand sleep study results

[jasminechichi]

I had my first sleep study a couple of months ago and a follow up study a month ago. I have been on cpap pressure of 12. Today I followed up with my Pulmonary Nurse Prac and I got the printout of my sleep study notes. I do not have the "technical" results of my sleep study just a physician synopsis. I plan to get the actual results soon.

Looking at the physician notes on my first sleep study, I see that she reports that I "was found to have obstructive sleep apea noted with an AHI of 34.5 with a REM index of 68.4 and nadir 66%".

Would you tell me how bad/good my initial AHI was? What does the REM index and nadir mean and how should I interpret the results? Just as an added note, my sleep study was on 7 hours of slle and I slept on my back (which is how I normally sleep).

Thanks for your help.

[twokatmew]

That 66% sounds like it was the lowest your oxygen level went during the night. That's very, very low. The other numbers are enough to classify you as having severe obstructive sleep apnea. The REM number is your AHI during REM sleep, I believe, and it's not unusual to have more events during REM. Keep using that CPAP!

I hope you do manage to get your full sleep studies. I have had no problem getting the physician summaries, but it has proven impossible for me to get the full study data. The lab claims there's no way to give it to me without my running their "special" software, whatever it is. When I asked if they could print it for me, they claimed to have no printers....

[Muse-Inc]

Don't get freaked when you see your brain wave tracings!

[SleepyT]

chichi,
you might consider switching to side sleeping. lots of people have positional apnea issues...and back sleeping can make things worse. just a thought...

t.