Centrals - Awake? False Positives?

Question for Pugsy -

I have been on CPAP just over 9 months, so presume any treatment-emergent centrals are gone.

The following screenshot shows an unusually high number of centrals. They occurred at the very beginning of the night. Do you think they are when I was awake?

I understand the machine doesn't know for sure whether the user is awake. I was hoping maybe the flow rate chart woud give a clue but don't know how to read it.

Thanks for your expertise.

clownbell wrote: ↑

Tue Nov 02, 2021 9:14 pm

Question for Pugsy -

I have been on CPAP just over 9 months, so presume any treatment-emergent centrals are gone.

The following screenshot shows an unusually high number of centrals. They occurred at the very beginning of the night. Do you think they are when I was awake?

I understand the machine doesn't know for sure whether the user is awake. I was hoping maybe the flow rate chart woud give a clue but don't know how to read it.

Thanks for your expertise.

screenshot-20211102-201047.png

You have to zoom in and look at what breaths looked like before the flagged central(s).

also, google "transition apnea".

Does this help? Zoomed in

Really need to see the zoomed in flow rate but I would bet my last dollar they are like what I had a short while ago which were a truckload of false positive awake breathing irregularities.

I know for a fact that I never, ever went to sleep until around 1:30. I had so much trouble going to sleep that I actually got up out of bed for a while.

You need to evaluate the flow rate prior to the flags to know for sure....but I am betting you weren't asleep.

Mine below...so obvious a blind man could see it.

clownbell wrote: ↑

Tue Nov 02, 2021 10:02 pm

Does this help? Zoomed in

Not really...need to see the breathing prior to the start of the centrals.

clownbell wrote: ↑

Tue Nov 02, 2021 9:14 pm

The following screenshot shows an unusually high number of centrals.

Since you say "unusually high number", would that be an indication that this is unusual for this to happen as you're going to sleep?

The fact that it only happens at the start of the night leads me to think they're just transition apneas and you were drifting in and out of sleep.

palerider wrote: ↑

Tue Nov 02, 2021 10:16 pm

clownbell wrote: ↑

Tue Nov 02, 2021 9:14 pm

The following screenshot shows an unusually high number of centrals.

Since you say "unusually high number", would that be an indication that this is unusual for this to happen as you're going to sleep?

The fact that it only happens at the start of the night leads me to think they're just transition apneas and you were drifting in and out of sleep.

It is not unusual for to have an occasional central, typically happening during the middle of the night, and I am not worried about them. And I occasionally have one central at the beginning of the night, no big deal. But these 19 were clustered in the beginning of the night. Since it typically tales me 30-40 minutes to fall asleep, I was thinking these were SWJ. Sounds like we're on the same page.

On the other hand, there are many nights when the central apnea index is under .5, and sometimes under .25. I think the phrase is "consistently inconsistent."

clownbell wrote: ↑

Tue Nov 02, 2021 10:22 pm

Since it typically tales me 30-40 minutes to fall asleep, I was thinking these were SWJ. Sounds like we're on the same page.

Yup, SWJ or 'transition apnea'.

clownbell wrote: ↑

Tue Nov 02, 2021 10:22 pm

On the other hand, there are many nights when the central apnea index is under .5, and sometimes under .25. I think the phrase is "consistently inconsistent."

centrals just 'happen' now and then, since they're not stressful, the only time you should worry about them is when there's a *LOT* of them, enough that your oxygen levels drop, that's the only time you should concern yourself with them.