My sleep test results

Hi Y'all


I had a sleep test last December to find my new pressure after having arrived to a normal BMI.

The technician set the machine at 4 cmH20 and I used my full face mask. He told he was going to increase the pressure if I needed. I had all the wires and straps attached as usual.

The morning when he woke me up I was terribly dizzy as I never have woken up before. I have woke up dizzy in the past if I didn't use the CPAP but never like that day. At home my CPAP is set at 7cmH2O constant pressure and the AHI is around
1.5 although I have had 2.2s lately. How is it possible at home I have a higher pressure for around the same AHI? How is it possible the test sais I don't need a machine and there is nothing else in the test and I woke up feeling terrible? I need to add that the dumb guy didn't use a humidifier with the machine, I felt a small discomfort at the beginning but I get used and I though it was my imagination so unbelievable was for me they don't use a humidifier whit the machine.

Please could you give your thoughts?

I need to continue using the machine, I will have sleep test at home in June until then I need to check if I snore, I need to test how I feel without the machine. The Dr told me if I didn't have the sleep apnea now it didn't mean it wont return, maybe he told that because I was diagnosed when I had an overweight and he thinks it will return if I gain back the weight. But still why I felt so bad?

Thanks for your comments


The test results are as follow:

Total sleep time: 7.4 hrs
Sleep efficiency: 88.8%
Sleep Onset Latency: 13.0 min (I don't know what this is)
Sleep Maintenance Efficiency: 91.4%
REM latency: 88 minutes

Arousals snore: 8 Index=1.1
Arrousals Spontaneus: 37 Index=5.0
Total : 45 Index=6.1

PLMS=0
LMs=0

SUMMARY
Apneas: 2 at REM
Hypopneas: 4 at REM
RERA: 0
% Time in Apneas: 0.1
% Time in Hypopneas: 0.5
Apnea Index: 1.8
Hyp Index:3.5
AHI (event/hr) > Apnea Hypopnea Index : 5.3 (what is this ?)
RDI (events/hr) > Resp Disturbance Index : 5.3 (what is this?)

DESATURATION INFORMATION
The longest event was a 40 sec obstructive hypopnea with a minimum SaO2 of 94%
The lowes SaO2 was 91% associated with a 25 sec obstructive Hypopnea.

Rosie

Sleep onset latency - this is the time from lights out until you went to sleep the first time.
RDI - respiratory disturbance index

Sounds like you started at 4 CmH2O and stayed there all night. Some folks just don't get enough air at that pressure although your desat's never got below 93% which isn't terribly low.

Your reported AHI of just over 5 barely qualifies as mild sleep apnea but it is there.

Hi there dear Rosie -- You said "the test says I don't need the machine" -- did the doctor tell you that? Did the doctor say you no longer have sleep apnea? I don't know how that conclusion could be reached since you were doing the test while using a machine. And even using the machine, you fell in the "mild sleep apnea" category. No wonder you woke up feeling like you did before you got on treatment.

Being on the machine at 4 cm pressure is not the same as using no machine. Even with only 4 cm pressure you are still receiving some PAP therapy. I don't know exactly why they didn't start titrating your pressure up that night, probably because of specific titration protocols and perhaps lack of significant O2 desaturations. But from what you are saying and looking at your results, I see no basis for concluding that you no longer need the machine. In fact I think the results point to the need for ongoing treatment.

Your AHI for this test was 5.3 with the machine set at 4 cm. You said that your AHI's at home at your pressure of 7 cm run between 1 and 2.2. That makes sense to me -- you need more pressure to keep your airway open and your apnea under better control. I think the fact that your AHI was higher with a pressure of 4 cm just indicates that 4 cm was too low -- inadequate to effectively control your apnea. If you have a sensitive system, that increase in how many events you had on test night (as reflected in your higher-than-usual AHI) could account for why you felt so lousy when you woke up. Even mild apnea can cause nasty symptoms for some.

I hope this makes sense -- Congratulations on your weight loss, I know you worked hard at it.

Thanks very much JDS74 for your comment, it makes sense to me I haven't seen things like that I have been too long time on the automatic pilot LOL but yeah you are right.

Hi Kaiasgram

The doctor didn't tell I don't need the machine, he told not to stop using it only to try once on a while not to sleep with it and check how do I feel. He was interested to know if I snore he want's me to check that. It was the technician who told something in that line but at the end it was the doctor who was going to decide.

Also the Dr ordered a sleep test at home, I will pick up a machine in the hospital and I will go sleep with that one night at home. I don't know what is the difference with that, maybe that check for snoring I should have asked. It is a small hospital so it will take until June to have that test done but in any case I'm not in a hurry I don't want to stop using my machine if my AHI is so high.

You are 100% right the 4cmH2O for sure made a difference, if I have had no pressure at all it could maybe have given a more higher AHI, my Dr asked me if I had sleep all the night using the mask . It could have been a really good thing to sleep without pressure at all, maybe that is what makes the home sleep test machine My Dr is one of the best sleep apnea doctors in town, on top of that he is lovely so kind man.

I see you have become a very knowledgeable lady that's great me it is the opposite I'm very rusted

Thanks very much for your analyse it is better when somebody else help us understand out trouble. I hope you found finally the good machine and settings for your problem, I remember the last time I came here you was going to get a different machine.

Be well hun