Lowering AHI numbers with beetroot capsules

[Thumper1947]

For the record, I'm not a beet root salesman, cheerleader, or anything of the sort. I started taking beet root about six months ago, first as a liquid{only about twice cause it tastes like crap), then pills at first once a day, then twice a day. I did this because I read a lot about it's beneficial impact on blood pressure. It had nothing to do with CPAP! About the same time I started using a Resmed Air Sense 10. The red arrow shows changes to my AHI on Jul 8 when I began this effort. I've been on CPAP for 6 years and you can see the best that I had reached after 5.5 years to the left of the arrow.The chart is pretty dramatic, but in truth, the quality of my sleep and the numbers has been a more gradual process that just keeps slowly improving. This wasn't a sudden, take a beet root pill and all of a sudden everything was perfect. Yesterday was a very difficult day that began with me getting up at midnight to get my dog to a hospital 320 miles away for surgery, 8 hours of waiting till she was able to leave, and another 320 mile trek back home. I could have expected anything to happen on CPAP, and I shouldn't have been surprised because this seems to be the new normal, but the screenshot shows 0 AHI with one RERA. Lately most nights I usually don't even have a RERA. I would rate the sleep quality as excellent for me.I have no idea if the change is from beet root, but I feel like I'm hitting grand slams every night, and I'm not going to change my swing now. As to the discussion of nitrates in bacon and other processed food, particularly meats, those are sodium nitrates, a processed form of the natural nitrates that is associated with all sorts of health risks. If the OP had not started this thread, I would have known nothing about any of this. I hope this study provides som insight into what he and I are seeing.
Thumper

[Dog Slobber]

If the OP had not started this thread, I would have known nothing about any of this. I hope this study provides som insight into what he and I are seeing.

So you switch from the Respironics to the ResMed:

• Two very different machines, with very different algorithms
• You experienced a lowering of AHI at about exactly the time you switched machines
• Because of the Philips recall the forums are full of people who switched from Respironics to ResMed, there are a lot of posts from many who have experienced the exact same lowering of AHI
• A change of machine *is* a reasonable (actually expected) explanation

Then along comes somebody who makes a claim that beetroot lowered his AHI, and you jump on board with a "Hey, me too". Instead of considering the more likely cause.

The only insight that has been provided is how susceptible we are to suggestion and the importance of double-blind studies.

There are a lot of dead virgins, sacrificed to the gods because of flawed pattern recognition.

[Thumper1947]

Dog,
I'll try this one last time and maybe you can get it through thick skull. I am emphatically not claiming beet root is the reason I have great improvement in my CPAP success. I saw immediate improvement when I started using Resmed. I have posted here before that on the third day I used the Resmed machine I had a 0.0 night which I had never had in 5.5 years of CPAP use. I believe the Resmed machine is the primary driver to my lower AHI's and better sleep. I have not"jumped on any claim" about beet root. That said, I am now experiencing something that for me, not you, seems to be going to another level. I did not intend to post any of this until I saw someone who was experiencing the same things I am. Did you bother to ask what equipment he was using? I have an open mind on this and it had nothing to do with CPAP. TRY OPENING UP YOUR FREAKIN MIND, QUIT BEATING YOUR DOG OR WHATEVER THE HELL ELSE YOU DO FOR ENJOYMENT, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, TAKE A CHILL PILL, A DEEP BREATH, AND BE THANKFUL WE HAVE A PLACE TO DISCUSS THESE ISSUES. Please don't reply, I'm through dealing with you.
Thumper

[Dog Slobber]

Dog,
I'll try this one last time and maybe you can get it through thick skull. I am emphatically not claiming beet root is the reason I have great improvement in my CPAP success. I saw immediate improvement when I started using Resmed. I have posted here before that on the third day I used the Resmed machine I had a 0.0 night which I had never had in 5.5 years of CPAP use. I believe the Resmed machine is the primary driver to my lower AHI's and better sleep. I have not"jumped on any claim" about beet root. That said, I am now experiencing something that for me, not you, seems to be going to another level. I did not intend to post any of this until I saw someone who was experiencing the same things I am. Did you bother to ask what equipment he was using? I have an open mind on this and it had nothing to do with CPAP. TRY OPENING UP YOUR FREAKIN MIND, QUIT BEATING YOUR DOG OR WHATEVER THE HELL ELSE YOU DO FOR ENJOYMENT, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, TAKE A CHILL PILL, A DEEP BREATH, AND BE THANKFUL WE HAVE A PLACE TO DISCUSS THESE ISSUES. Please don't reply, I'm through dealing with you.
Thumper

You made an absolutely absurd statement:

I have absolutely no way of knowing which it it, but the fact of the matter is I have been using it for about the same time as the Resmed machine.

I challenged that statement, and pointed out that you *do* have a way of determining if beetroot has any role in lowering AHI.

But perhaps I should re-state it.
A person of moderate intelligence could easily determine if beetroot has any role in lowering one's AHI.

Now we can both agree, that while people of moderate intelligence can determine whether beetroot plays a role, *You* have no way of knowing.

[Thumper1947]

Dog,
Maybe my analogy wasn’t clear enough. I am getting used to waking up after a better nights sleep than I’ve had in years and seeing 0.0 AHI on the machine. I do feel like I’m hitting grand slams and I see no reason to change my swing. This experiment, if you will,had nothing to do with CPAP and appears to be helping moderate my blood pressure which is now in the normal range. I suppose I could stop taking beet root and see if my AHI starts rising, but this is not a skip one night and see what happens. I’ve finally found some peace and getting better sleep and have no desire to see if I can break something that is definitely not broken for me. Finally, I am not endorsing or suggesting anyone do what I am doing.I was only responding to someone who was experiencing the same thing I was.
Thumper

[Pugsy]

Are we done here boys???
I sure hope so.
Getting a bit old.
Thank you in advance.

[chunkyfrog]

Did somebody say, "bacon"?
(Hops to fridge, for a bite of the bullfrog's stash)
Don't tell!

[DMZABO]

Dog,
I'll try this one last time and maybe you can get it through thick skull. I am emphatically not claiming beet root is the reason I have great improvement in my CPAP success. I saw immediate improvement when I started using Resmed. I have posted here before that on the third day I used the Resmed machine I had a 0.0 night which I had never had in 5.5 years of CPAP use. I believe the Resmed machine is the primary driver to my lower AHI's and better sleep. I have not"jumped on any claim" about beet root. That said, I am now experiencing something that for me, not you, seems to be going to another level. I did not intend to post any of this until I saw someone who was experiencing the same things I am. Did you bother to ask what equipment he was using? I have an open mind on this and it had nothing to do with CPAP. TRY OPENING UP YOUR FREAKIN MIND, QUIT BEATING YOUR DOG OR WHATEVER THE HELL ELSE YOU DO FOR ENJOYMENT, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, TAKE A CHILL PILL, A DEEP BREATH, AND BE THANKFUL WE HAVE A PLACE TO DISCUSS THESE ISSUES. Please don't reply, I'm through dealing with you.
Thumper

Just for the record ...still using a dreamstation 1 the same machine/sleep equipment I’ve been using since I started on Bi-Pap treatment for 3 years.
Hope you continue to get those great results. Like you said ..I’m just glad we have a forum to talk about our sleep apnea and the difficulty of dealing with it nightly. Happy New Year.