Help, reading numbers

NyNurse33 · Post by **NyNurse33** » Sat Sep 30, 2006 9:22 am

Ok, I finally got my initial sleep study report back and even though I'm a nurse, I don't know what any of this means.

Sleep latency was a little above normal @ 20 minutes---what does this mean and is it significant? I had a total of 15 awakenings. I had frequent alpha intrusions.

I had 33 respiratory events. 1 central and 32 partial obstructive apneas. The apnea/hypopnea index was 4.8. The supine REM apnea/hypopnea Index was 15.3. The apneic event was 11.9 seconds. The longest partial obstructive apnea was 45.9 seconds. I was aroused ( no I wasn't..lol) 39 times due to respiratory events for an Respiratory arousal index of 5.7. I highlighted what the report highlighted.

Impression was mild OSA, worse in supine REM sleep. Even though it is mild, can I still stay on this forum? LOL. Actually my MD told me that they weighed in my symptoms and complaints, not just my "numbers"

My O2 sats were fine. So does this tell anyone anything that they can tell me? Any other numbers I should be looking for?

Now @ my titration study, I think I did a little better:

I had 28 awakenings. Which is more than the first night.
I had a total of 5 respiratory events. 4 obstructives and 1 partial My AHI was 2.3. Longest apneic event was 18.1 seconds. I was aroused 20 times due to respiratory events for an RAI of 3.6.

Sorry to bore anyone.

snoozie_suzy · Post by **snoozie_suzy** » Sat Sep 30, 2006 10:51 am

Melissa,

I'm no expert on the report data, but I have had 4 sleep studies, so let me answer what I can...

The sleep latency is how long it takes you to fall asleep. I think 20 mins sounds good. Mine was 14 mins, which is also good. For people that are being questioned/tested for narcolepsy I would imagine those people would immediately fall into sleep like 1 minute or something. Some people it takes 2 hours to fall asleep. So twenty mins sounds good. Then there is usually an area they specify as "sleep efficacy" mine was 74% which I don't think is very good. Its the 'quality" or percentages of your sleep stages.

The sleep study I had one month ago after being on cpap for nine months was bad results. My pressure needs have increased although I lost 7 pounds over the past 4months. I am now up to 12cm from 9cm, then when they tried to go over 12 I got centrals. This was even on my side. My sleep stages were sucky even being on the Cpap ALL night.

There should be a section of your report for sleep stages. Someone here should be able to forward you a link to the "normal" sleep stages but basically I got 79% stage 2 which normal is around 40. And stages 3/4 I got 6 % and normal is at least 20, and REM you also aim for 20 and I got 4%. This is following what I thought was the best sleep study I ever had, thought I slept all night like a rock. No wonder I still feel so cruddy after 9months. I have to meet with the sleep people in 3weeks to figure out what needs to be done next. Ironically my sleep apnea needs are being met but I'm still not sleeping deeply.

Post more if you can find your sleep stages too. Perhaps someone can correct me about the "normal" sleep percentages. I think what I gave was a close ballpark.

Hope more people can post with more info.

Suzy

snoozie_suzy · Post by **snoozie_suzy** » Sat Sep 30, 2006 10:55 am

Melissa,

this is a link that I saved on my harddrive that Rested Gal had responded to regarding sleep stages if you are interested.

viewtopic.php?p=76768#76768

Suzy

snoregirl · Post by **snoregirl** » Sat Sep 30, 2006 6:13 pm

I too have mild sleep apnea but my "mild" comes with a pressure of 13.

My other symptoms were also weighed in as were yours. Instead of
stage 3 and 4 being each 20% (as in the link above) mine were about 8 and 5%. My sleep efficiency was low even though my oxygen was slightly above 90%.

But when you put in all the other stuff like morning headaches, waking myself up snoring constantly (my husband can attest to that as it woke him up too), and the stopping breathing (he witnessed that too) and general tiredness (I was sleeping a large portion of the day in addition to the night and not feeling rested, the numbers weren't that important. The machine has made me a new person.

What I am saying is numbers are nice, but there are other things to consider which it seems they did with you too.

And yes you can stay LOL if I can.

NyNurse33 · Post by **NyNurse33** » Sat Sep 30, 2006 6:33 pm

You must be my long lost twin, snoregirl. I had/have all of the other qualifying symptoms you had.

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Sat Sep 30, 2006 7:54 pm

Thanks for posting that link, Suzy! I had lost it in an old computer. Got it copied now, thanks to you. You saved me some "search" digging in the message boards.

I, too, had a "mild" AHI outcome when I finally had a chance for a full night diagnostic PSG.

7.8 was my overall AHI. An AHI above 5 is usually considered "enough" OSA that using CPAP could be beneficial.

Interestingly, the PSG turned up an AHI (26.7) when just the REM periods were considered. OSA was messing up REM for me.

I had already put myself on cpap two years before I ever got a sleep study. Already had had two years of 100% compliant autopap use. I could tell a big difference in how I felt after the very first night I ever used a cpap machine on my own...and ever since.

snoregirl · Post by **snoregirl** » Sat Sep 30, 2006 7:59 pm

How about that!! A twin.

You wouldn't have wanted to be around me on weekend afternoons pre-CPAP. I would go up to to the bedroom to nap (which sometimes was successful and sometimes not) but more to get away from people so I didn't lay into someone verbally in the family. I was so miserable. The tiredness was showing up more as impatience and general crankiness than tiredness.

Weekdays I could get back to sleep but managed to sleep the whole "school day". Usually woke up with a headache. The weekends were the real killers. I think I went "back to sleep" better during the day on weekdays because I knew someone didn't need me for anything since they were at work or school. I must have felt guilty on weekends about trying to sleep and wasn't as successful getting there. So it just made me cranky.

I can't remember the last time I napped since starting CPAP. So mild apnea numbers or not, this is working well for me.

Now if I could stop worrying about that post I saw that said the swift will stretch my nares out!!! Just kidding. I really don't care.

Went to the ENT last week about hearing (stuffiness...). I had major ear problems as a child with big hearing loss. I figured the combination of that (whatever hearing I didn't get back over the years) and the CPAP was making it to the point that the loss might be significant. Well, the ENT told me my hearing was normal. Go figure. I still am having trouble with hearing some stuff even with "normal" hearing, so I think there is something they can't test for or are missing by using headphones vs normal hearing situations. But I guess if I had to choose between hearing better and sleeping I would hands down choose sleeping. Guess I will have to get better at reading lips and force myself to stop talking too loudly (my kids and my friends all say that I talk louder since CPAP).

But with the stuffy ear issue, I am very glad I fought for the APAP. Just that much less air being jambed up my eustatian tubes nightly.

SelfSeeker · Post by **SelfSeeker** » Sun Oct 01, 2006 8:55 am

Snoregirl, your presure and mild sleep apnea is an indication that severiety of OSA is not dependent of the pressure.

As a general guide line severity is measure of how many events in a night.

The pressure is how much force is needed to open push the obstruction open so air can get in.

snoregirl wrote:I too have mild sleep apnea but my "mild" comes with a pressure of 13.

gardenrodent · Post by **gardenrodent** » Sun Oct 01, 2006 9:24 am

I was told for CPAP they calculate the pressure based on the circuference of your neck and the number of events during the night. Apparently here in the UK it is based on a study using autotitrating machines in the Oxford Sleep Clinic.

Bob

Snoredog · Post by **Snoredog** » Sun Oct 01, 2006 10:09 am

compare your numbers to below, it will give you an idea where you land:

DEFINITIONS:
APNEA = cessation of airflow for 10 seconds or greater.
HYPOPNEA =>50% decrease in airflow for 10 seconds or greater with a decrease in oxygen saturation of >3%.
APNEA/HYPOPNEA INDEX (AHI) = apnea plus (+) HYPOPNEA/hour of sleep.
RESPIRATORY AROUSAL INDEX (RAI) = AHI +snoring related EEG arousals/hour of sleep.
AHI/RAI** Scale =<5 events /hour = (none); 5-15 events/hour = (mild); 15-30 events/hour = (moderate); >30 events/hour = (severe).
Respiratory related sleep fragmentation: Sleep arousals due to respiratory events or snoring.
Desaturation = Drop in O2 oximetry distribution saturation by 3% below average saturation.
SaO2 scale: >89%=(none); 85-89%=(mild);80-84%=(moderate); <80% (severe).
EPWORTH SLEEPINESS SCALE =<10=(does not indicate EDS (Excessive Daytime Somnolence));10-15=(indicates daytime somnolence-not excessive);>16 (indicates EDS).
RESPIRATORY EFFORT RELATED AROUSALS (RERAs)=Sleep Arousals due to respiratory events characterized by pressure flow limitations in the airflow indicator channel without significant O2 desaturations.
StageIII and StageIV are combined and referred to as Deep Sleep.
Sleep Efficiency = Normal is >80%

Patrick A · Post by **Patrick A** » Sun Oct 01, 2006 10:50 am

Hi all
Check the link viewtopic.php?p=76768#76768
that was posted by snoozie_suzy
I went there and posted a reply I need more coffee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Machine

Help, reading numbers

Help, reading numbers

link to sleep stage numbers