Do I "really" need a CPAP-Mild sleep apnea

[ChicagoGranny]

Hello;
I have recently been diagnosed with mild sleep apnea (AHI 8x/hour). The private (for profit) company that did my sleep study is still recommending I purchase a CPAP machine for a whopping $2500. My question is, will I still notice a difference in the morning and will a CPAP bring down my elevated BP even if my AHI is only 8 X an hour ?
Thank You

With an AHI of 8, you might get successful treatment merely by avoiding backsleeping.

There are several other steps you could take that might significantly improve your condition. Of course you give us very little information and only one tiny detail about the sleep study. Much more information is needed to hazard a guess!

ChicagoGramps

[123.Shawn T.W.]

I too was diagnosed as "mild" ... AHI of 9!

I have noticed since using Cpap, I no longer wake up out of breath, or my heart racing! I will keep using it.

[caryrae73]

I was told I had mild sleep apnea and was given a choice to use a Cpap or some kind of dental device. I choose the Cpap thinking it would be better, not sure what exactly the dental device does except holding the jaw in place.

[Jazzhiker]

Thank You all for taking the time to reply to my enquiry and for many of the suggestions and advise all of you gave me as well. Much appreciated !

Now for the answers to some of the questions that you asked;

The two A PAP machines that the Provincial Sleep Group (in Edmonton Alberta) want to sell me are the Resmed S9 or the Respironics (Phillips) System One. The total cost is approximately $2600.00 Cdn. Alternatively I can buy the C PAP version for approximately $1700.00 Cdn. My benefits will cover $1500, the rest is on my dime, which is fine. I do have a friend who will sell me her one year old Phillips for $200.00 because she couldn't tolerate it. Provincial Sleep Group is supportive of this believe it or not. Our provincial health care system does not cover C PAP or A PAP therapy.

The company (Provincial Sleep Group) that did the sleep study will also sell me the A PAP or C PAP machine. The respiratory therapist that I am consulting with through this company does not make a commission of any sort.

The screening I had was a level 3 home sleep study for 2 nights with a Resmed Apnea Link device. The data was assessed by a MD who speciializes in sleep disorders. The results of the screening was;

AHI of 8
47 Hypopneas
02 saturation levels were between 81% and 98%
Hypopnea index 7
lowest pulse 60. highest 110

There are more figures but I think I have bored you enough.

Thank You all again.

Chris

[Todzo]

Thank You all for taking the time to reply to my enquiry and for many of the suggestions and advise all of you gave me as well. Much appreciated !

Now for the answers to some of the questions that you asked;

The two A PAP machines that the Provincial Sleep Group (in Edmonton Alberta) want to sell me are the Resmed S9 or the Respironics (Phillips) System One. The total cost is approximately $2600.00 Cdn. Alternatively I can buy the C PAP version for approximately $1700.00 Cdn. My benefits will cover $1500, the rest is on my dime, which is fine. I do have a friend who will sell me her one year old Phillips for $200.00 because she couldn't tolerate it. Provincial Sleep Group is supportive of this believe it or not. Our provincial health care system does not cover C PAP or A PAP therapy.

The company (Provincial Sleep Group) that did the sleep study will also sell me the A PAP or C PAP machine. The respiratory therapist that I am consulting with through this company does not make a commission of any sort.

The screening I had was a level 3 home sleep study for 2 nights with a Resmed Apnea Link device. The data was assessed by a MD who speciializes in sleep disorders. The results of the screening was;

AHI of 8
47 Hypopneas
02 saturation levels were between 81% and 98%
Hypopnea index 7
lowest pulse 60. highest 110

There are more figures but I think I have bored you enough.

Thank You all again.

Chris

I am glad your test was in home and longer than one night. I believe it makes the data much more believable.

It would be nice if they took a full data strip of your ECG section and could analyze it for heart rate variability. In the future I do believe they will be able to get much more out of limited channel tests such as your level 3 sleep test (2 respiratory movement/airflow, 1 ECG/heart rate, 1 oxygen saturation).

Perhaps you should try your friends box? Then you would have a better idea if you are compatible with CPAP. Not everyone is.

My recommendation of a dietitian and personal trainer stands regardless of CPAP or not. However, if CPAP does work for you it will be easier to make the lifestyle changes involved.

[robysue]

The screening I had was a level 3 home sleep study for 2 nights with a Resmed Apnea Link device. The data was assessed by a MD who speciializes in sleep disorders. The results of the screening was;

AHI of 8
47 Hypopneas
02 saturation levels were between 81% and 98%
Hypopnea index 7
lowest pulse 60. highest 110

Yikes! Your O2 desats are pretty significant even though the number of Hypopneas and Apneas is not very high. That's something to take into account.

The two A PAP machines that the Provincial Sleep Group (in Edmonton Alberta) want to sell me are the Resmed S9 or the Respironics (Phillips) System One. The total cost is approximately $2600.00 Cdn. Alternatively I can buy the C PAP version for approximately $1700.00 Cdn. My benefits will cover $1500, the rest is on my dime, which is fine. I do have a friend who will sell me her one year old Phillips for $200.00 because she couldn't tolerate it. Provincial Sleep Group is supportive of this believe it or not. Our provincial health care system does not cover C PAP or A PAP therapy.

Three comments:

1) If the plain CPAPs are the Resmed S9 ELITE or the Philips Respironics System One PRO, then I'd consider getting one of them because they do record full efficacy data. Sure the APAPs are nice, but I'm not sure they're worth close to $1000 extra out of pocket.

2) If the plain CPAPs are the Resmed S9 ESCAPE or the Philips Respironics System One PLUS or Philips Respironics System One SE, I'm not sure what I'd do. Those machines don't record efficacy data, and that data is crucial in my opinion. I think I'd start by asking how much would it cost to upgrade to the Resmed S9 ELITE or the Philips Respironics System One PRO.

2) In regards to the one year old PR machine for $200: It really depends on what model it is. If its a System One APAP, then yes, this is likely the best way to go. If it's the same Philips that you can get brand new for $1700 Cdn with your benefits picking up $1500 of the cost, then I'd go with the new machine since the out of pocket cost is the same $200.

[123.Shawn T.W.]

Interestingly I got this email from ResMed today!

A sleep apnea diagnosis doesn't necessarily mean CPAP treatment. Learn about other solutions for dealing with mild sleep apnea.
View in browser | Subscribe

Hello,

It's true that CPAP therapy is the most common treatment for moderate and severe sleep apnea. However, if a doctor classifies your sleep apnea as mild, then the following health tips might do the trick in getting you back to normal sleep.


Tips for treating mild sleep apnea, from the Wake Up to Sleep blog:
Lose weight. Losing weight means you may reduce the amount of tissue that's blocking your airway, which causes sleep apnea in the first place. Talk to your doctor about lifestyle changes that can help you maintain a healthy weight.
Change your sleep position. Try sleeping on your side rather than on your back. Back sleeping can pull back your throat and neck tissues in a way that obstructs breathing.
Get more exercise. Do an aerobic exercise — walking, jogging, swimming or biking — for at least 30 minutes every day to improve your sleep quality.
Avoid tobacco and excessive alcohol. Cutting down on your alcohol can help improve your sleep. And if you smoke — it's time to stop!
Oral appliances. Light and non-invasive, oral appliances like ResMed's Narval™ CC are designed to treat mild sleep apnea in a comfortable and unobtrusive way.
These tips aren’t just helpful guidelines for treating mild sleep apnea — they’re also sound health choices in their own right. For more information on taking your life back from sleep apnea, visit the Wake Up to Sleep blog, updated every Tuesday and Thursday.

Sincerely,

Wake Up to Sleep Team
WakeUpToSleep.com
https://www.wakeuptosleep.com/home.html



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But ... 81% is serious bad news!

[jencat824]

Thank You all for taking the time to reply to my enquiry and for many of the suggestions and advise all of you gave me as well. Much appreciated !

Now for the answers to some of the questions that you asked;

The two A PAP machines that the Provincial Sleep Group (in Edmonton Alberta) want to sell me are the Resmed S9 or the Respironics (Phillips) System One. The total cost is approximately $2600.00 Cdn. Alternatively I can buy the C PAP version for approximately $1700.00 Cdn. My benefits will cover $1500, the rest is on my dime, which is fine. I do have a friend who will sell me her one year old Phillips for $200.00 because she couldn't tolerate it. Provincial Sleep Group is supportive of this believe it or not. Our provincial health care system does not cover C PAP or A PAP therapy.

The company (Provincial Sleep Group) that did the sleep study will also sell me the A PAP or C PAP machine. The respiratory therapist that I am consulting with through this company does not make a commission of any sort.

The screening I had was a level 3 home sleep study for 2 nights with a Resmed Apnea Link device. The data was assessed by a MD who speciializes in sleep disorders. The results of the screening was;

AHI of 8
47 Hypopneas
02 saturation levels were between 81% and 98%
Hypopnea index 7
lowest pulse 60. highest 110

There are more figures but I think I have bored you enough.

Thank You all again.

Chris

If your friend's machine is fully data capable, her machine will have a model # on the bottom, either 460 or 560 is what you want, then that's the best buy. Hopefully some Canadian forum folks will jump in here, you can't buy direct from US suppliers, so getting the best deal in Canada isn't something I know how to do. There are some Canadian DME's that forum members may be able to get a better deal?

If you don't hear from anyone from Canada, post again asking for some Canadian advice on PAP purchase.

[ChicagoGranny]

Try sleeping on your side rather than on your back.

You should start that tonight. Tummy sleeping is also good. Try both.

For tummy sleeping, see this position - http://www.uarsrelief.com/sleeppositions.html

To avoid backsleeping, some use pillows to prevent rolling on the back. A few even use small backpacks with an object in them that prevents rolling on the back.

Try it for a few days and see how you feel, what your energy level is.

BTW, you never mentioned why you had a study in the first place?

ChicagoGramps

[Lukie]

Your stats look exactly like mine. I have mild sleep apnea with forty hyponeas per night with desaturations to eighty four per cent. I felt like hell. I would wake up with my heart racing as if I had been dead. I had to get up and walk around to feel normal again. I got CPAP and now I feel really great. If you are dropping your oxygen like that every night you are at risk for a number of bad chronic diseases like heart failure, stroke and dementia. I would put that CPAP on and don't look back.

[Pesser]

The reason why the cost for an APAP is so high is because, like me, you live in Canada. Try this website: https://canadacpapsupply.com

I live in Atlantic Canada and my stuff came to my door within two weeks.

[Julie]

Coastalsleep.ca is close to U.S. prices... but I've bought most of my stuff online from the US (Cpap.com and others) for 1/3 of Can. prices and there's no duty as they're medical devices... but if you have to depend on insurance to buy them, ask if you can submit the invoices from e.g. Cpap.com (my insce. co. had no problem covering it) and be reimbursed.

[Pesser]

Hi Julie:

Do you need to call the coastal sleep folks to get a price? Their site doesn't have prices? Maybe that is temporary! Anyway nice to see you posting helpful stuff as always!

[BlackSpinner]

Hi Julie:

Do you need to call the coastal sleep folks to get a price? Their site doesn't have prices? Maybe that is temporary! Anyway nice to see you posting helpful stuff as always!

You have to login. Canadian sites are controlled by manufacturers

[Julie]

You can call them without logging in.