AHI wild swings!

[fredboy]

I asked yesterday about changes day to day in AHI results on my new (as in new to) autopap, but what Ive seen is amazing? (maybe) on result tracking:

3 nights ago was AHI 7 and felt great the next day
2 nights ago was AHI 30 and felt kinda bad next day (yesterday)
last night was off the charts at 52 AHI but/and I feel GREAT today!

2 apneas the rest hyponeias last night. Apneas are rare for me hypopneias not so rare

Can this radical swing in AHIs mean anything significant?

My cpap pressure was 8 on old machine (had lots of symptoms)
My auto pap is set 8-20 (80 percent now in number of "feeling great" days
I NEVER in 2 weeks have gone over 10... mostly stayed at 8 some 9 rare 10 never 11+

Why the radical AHI swings while asleep and on autopap (should it not prevent that?)
Should I change the pressure range ie narrow it or raise min?
How high can AHI go?


I realise these are likely common questions here and I myself am a bit redundant but you know how
rookies can be! (rookie to autopap and seeing data, not a rookie to OSA)

thanks!!!

[macewa]

I can have pretty wild swings too and it keeps me totally confused. I did figure out though, that usually they are because of pain both from physical sources and from the mask. Plays heck with my sleeping. Pain, mask problems, some medications, can all cause swings. I was keeping track of what took place at night, now I'm having to keep track of what takes place during the day. LOL Seems my entire life revolves around this stuff. Anyhow, don't know what yaour situation is, but this can cause problems.

[teachcsg]

Sometimes with the pressure range being so "large" on an auto machine it may cause the AHI to be high as well since the machine has to go up or down a large pressure range. Talk to your doctor about decreasing the pressure range. You may find though that the doctor will want to see more data than just a few days worth.

[fredboy]

My understanding is it wont go to higher if its not needed.
So the question of questions is..
Should I reduce the range and if so to between what and what? 8-14 ?
Would that stop the swings in AHI?

[Papit]

My understanding is it wont go to higher if its not needed.
So the question of questions is..
Should I reduce the range and if so to between what and what? 8-14 ?
Would that stop the swings in AHI?

It has been noted time and again by some experienced folks here that the machine works much better in heading off apneas if the range is kept narrow]. In your shoes, if I saw that the machine doesn't go to higher pressures near the maximum setting, I would consider reducing that maximum and leaving the minimum setting where it is. I'd discuss this with my doc if I was seeing and paying him (which I am).

[Pugsy]

I would try to evaluate why the wild AHI nights in terms of what was unusual about those nights. That is not a typical response to go from one extreme to another.
First thing....what was the event category break down? Lots of clear airways by any chance? What was the leak line looking like?
Before you go changing pressures make sure why you are changing goes along with what you are trying to achieve.

Again..with APAPs...that maximum does absolutely nothing if it is never reached. If the machine could go to 100 and you never went to 11...it doesn't matter what the maximum is set at and the level of effectiveness is not dependent on limiting the maximum.. Now if pressure variations disturb your sleep..then by all means limit your pressure range or even use cpap. It is the minimum pressure that is critical when using apap mode. Limiting the maximum doesn't make things any better or worse if the maximum is never reached. There is no lag time or change in response time because it never was a factor in the first place. You can of course set your maximum at 12 if you wish...it changes nothing because it doesn't go there.

For really wild nights...something out of the ordinary is going on. Aliens or whatever but I am betting that this level of events..has something else behind it than simple pressure needs.
Frequent wakeups? Pain? Insomnia? and finally when AHI is higher than we want..we have to look at the event breakdown before doing anything else.