BaseLine

[Bryonrw]

Does anyone have a base line or "normal range" for the diffent indexes in MyEncore and Encore?

Thanks!

[Guest]

anyone?

[Goofproof]

I don't think a baseline applies, there are goals we strive for, AHI under 5, the lower the better. By carefully adjusting pressure and other things, I have cut mine down to AHI 0.8 this month, almost 1/2 lower than last month. You just have to fine tune what makes your numbers better and as important is how it makes you feel. being rested in the day and ready for sleep at beditme is the goal. Better overhaul health is a side benefit.

I have found that a high leak rate and snoring go hand in hand. When my snore levels goes up so do my AHI's. Increasing pressure lowers the snore rate but going to high can induce centrals. So you need to monitor with software to make logical adjustments.

[snoozie_suzy]

Goofproof,

I am just getting used to looking at all this data, only had the card reader for two weeks now. Percentages for variable breathing, should the percent be higher or lower? Is deep peaceful sleep indicative of lower "steady" variable breathing percent, than say, higher percent "apnea/hypopnea" variable breathing? I can't seem to correlate when the variable breathing percents go up, as to why?

Also it seems when my AHI's are reading low on MY Encore, the variable breathing percentages are higher. isn't this a oxymoron?

Suzy

[LandKurt]

Byronrw, In many ways a baseline for these figures is irrelevant. It doesn't matter what the average shoe size is when you're trying to find a shoe that fits you, only your shoe size matters. Neither does it matter what pressure is "normal", it only matters what pressure is necessary for you.

That said, it's reasonably to ask what to look for in the figures to determine if your therapy is working properly. With an auto CPAP you should be able to trust the machine to find the right pressure for you if it has been given a valid range of pressures to work with. But it would be helpful to know what signs to look for in the data to determine if the pressure range is too high, too low, to narrow, or too wide.

I do wonder what the charts would look like for someone who doesn't suffer from OSA. I bet it wouldn't be completely blank and always at the minimum pressure. I'm tempted to reduce my minimum below 6 cm (where it spends a lot of time) just to see whether it would be too low, But I doubt I'd feel I was able to get enough air, the mask gets kind of suffocating at 4cm.

I'm doubtful of the usefulness of the AHI/pressure chart in MyEncore. It often seems to show higher AHI at high pressures and people take this as a sign that you're past the best pressure. But it strikes me that the pressure the machine uses isn't randomly assigned. Once you get into really deep sleep and have the most apnea episodes, an auto CPAP naturally increases the pressure. So it could be argued that apnea causes the higher pressure rather than the pressure causing the apnea. Seems to me that it's difficult to separate cause and effect there.

I think it would be interesting (though not actually helpful) to see a chart of AHI or average pressure used by time of night. With just the few nights I've been able to look at so far, it's obvious that I have more hypopneas and need a higher pressure in the second half of the night.

[Goofproof]

I haven't got variable breathing defined in my head. Mine seems high at 33, but I feel rested and have little trouble staying awake when I should. My AHI nimbers are great AHI of 0.8 for Feb, you might say I have it dialed in. How you feel is more important than numbers, I have managed to get from 45 to 33 for variable breathing, just don't ask me how, maybe it comes with time.

However for the month of March or less depending, I am going to 16 cm for a week just to see if the centrals jump up.

In the last two weeks my personal stresses have doubled, but I am still able to cope, and they are not affecting my AHI. Under this change my dreams are not as pleasant, more on the frustating side. I find my mind raceing when I first go to bed trying to deal with what took place and plan for the next day. However we all have to make due with what we are dealt. No matter what we plan, change inters into it, we must remain flexable. A twig that bends is less likely to snap. Jim

[Wulfman]

I think the "Variable Breathing" thing in MyEncore is just one of those "unknown" statistics that applies to only YOU. The "Your Mileage May Vary" statistic.

Mine has had variations from the high teens to about 40......but typically averages around 25.....and I STILL don't know if that's good or bad (or even average).

Den

[octaldave]

Since this is my first post on this forum, I need to first thank you all for your participation here and all the things you've shared that, in my opinion, have been absolutely vital to me in my ability to treat my OSA.

I've only been on APAP for a couple of weeks now, and it's been an exciting process to look at the data through MyEncore and attempt to correlate all that with how I feel when waking.

The interesting thing that I've found is that there seems to be very little correlation between AHI and how good I feel in the morning, and strangely enough perhaps even an inverse correlation!

The key indicators in my case have been FLI and SI. As long as these are kept to a minimum, I feel especially clear-headed when waking up, and my mental focus, strength and energy levels are better throughout the day.

In all, it's hard to describe my excitement in being able to wake up ready for the day! And to be hungry for breakfast in the morning! That's something else that I haven't seen mentioned here: The elimination of mild morning nausea that was no doubt caused by an oxygen-deprived body. During anaerobic excercise, blood flow to the digestive tract is greatly reduced. Anyone remember how your stomach felt after running laps in High School?

These are some exciting and profound life changes for me, and I'm glad to be here!

Dave

[NightHawkeye]

I do wonder what the charts would look like for someone who doesn't suffer from OSA. I bet it wouldn't be completely blank and always at the minimum pressure. I'm tempted to reduce my minimum below 6 cm (where it spends a lot of time) just to see whether it would be too low, But I doubt I'd feel I was able to get enough air, the mask gets kind of suffocating at 4cm.

Here, I'll save you the trouble, LandKurt. I spent a lot of time at 4 cm pressure. Here's a typical night.


My pattern seems to be that I have apneas during REM sleep, but not at other times.

I think it would be interesting (though not actually helpful) to see a chart of AHI or average pressure used by time of night. With just the few nights I've been able to look at so far, it's obvious that I have more hypopneas and need a higher pressure in the second half of the night.

In my case the pressure goes up and down throughout the night as needed. On average I need higher pressures later in the night, but the biggest pressure increase is needed when I roll over onto my back. I record that condition only for minutes at a time since apnea overtakes me quickly while I'm on my back, and so I can sleep only briefly that way.

Hoep this helps.

Regards,
Bill

[hecate]

Bill,

Where did youu get those pretty graphs from?

Thanks
Liz

[NightHawkeye]

Where did youu get those pretty graphs from?

Encore Pro, of course.

Liz, I'm guessing that you haven't found the detailed reports yet, have you?

From the patient homepage, doubleclick on one of the dates in the interaction list, then when the next window pops up, select full details and wait a couple of minutes for the detailed report to generate. Charts like the above will be in the report.

Regards,
Bill

[hecate]

Where did youu get those pretty graphs from?

Encore Pro, of course.

Liz, I'm guessing that you haven't found the detailed reports yet, have you?

Regards,
Bill

That would be correct.

Liz

[NightHawkeye]

Liz, I added the following my previous post which I edited while you replied to it!

From the patient homepage, doubleclick on one of the dates in the interaction list, then when the next window pops up, select full details and wait a couple of minutes for the detailed report to generate. Charts like the above will be in the report.

Regards,
Bill

[hecate]

Thanks

Liz