Is an AHI of 2 a more realistic target to actually get rest

Recently written:
[An} 5 {AHI} is simply not a good enough level to get adequate rest.

below 2 {AHI} is a more realistic target to actually get rest.

(Presumably referring to a AHI under treatment conditions)

Is this a consensus statement among the experts?

This suggests that a person under CPAP treatment that demonstrates a 4 AHI still has more treatment modifications to go to get adequate rest.

The devil is in the details.
What is any AHI stated composed of and when were the events flagged?
Any number all by itself doesn't mean much. IMHO

it's a very broad and sweeping generality. as pugsy mentions, the devil is in the details.

your sleep apnea journey is different from mine. mine is different from pugsy's. and so on and so forth. this is because of the events that make up that ahi. and thus, different approaches as to how the resulting ahi should be treated manifests.

for you to get the best results, you'd need to get the oscar software (presuming your machine supports it) and post some charts. you could do that right here, in this thread.

the experts would be able to see what those charts show and advise on changes you could make to lower your ahi.

good luck!

Tec5 wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 17, 2022 9:09 am

Recently written:
[An} 5 {AHI} is simply not a good enough level to get adequate rest.

below 2 {AHI} is a more realistic target to actually get rest.

(Presumably referring to a AHI under treatment conditions)

Is this a consensus statement among the experts?

This suggests that a person under CPAP treatment that demonstrates a 4 AHI still has more treatment modifications to go to get adequate rest.

Ok, an Obstructive AHI of 4 is still crap sleep.

Do the math, if you have an AHI of 4, that's an average of 4 events per hour, 60 minutes in an hour, divided by 4, gives you a average of 15 minutes between your sleep being disturbed.

Imagine someone sitting by your bed and poking you with a sharp stick every 15 minutes. How do you think you'd feel in the morning?

Yet every 12 minutes (AHI of 5) is "good enough" for the medical and insurance field.

Try spending the night getting 12 minute naps.

palerider wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 17, 2022 2:30 pm

Imagine someone sitting by your bed and poking you with a sharp stick every 15 minutes [AHI =4). How do you think you'd feel in the morning?

I would murder someone sitting by my bed poking me with a sharp stick every 60 minutes (AHI = 1)

So shouldn't the goal be a AHI of 0 ? No interruptions at all?

Is that (AHI= 0) attainable over the long run?

This question relates to advice given in this thread: https://www.cpaptalk.com/viewtopic/t184 ... -at-3.html
but is actually off topic for that thread.

Tec5 wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 17, 2022 5:51 pm

So shouldn't the goal be a AHI of 0 ? No interruptions at all?

Is that (AHI= 0) attainable over the long run?

Unrealistic expectation and I have seen people trying to attain that expectation totally trash their sleep and make their daytime feeling be totally in the toilet.
I know a woman who kept upping the pressure in an effort to get below 1.0 and all she did was make herself get a real bad case of aerophagia with extreme belly pain the next day that lasted 3 days. She was sleeping great and feeling great with AHI just barely above 1.0 but she really wanted below 1.0 and wanted to get that 0.0 and bragging rights.

AHI of 0.0 doesn't guarantee that a person slept well and had no awakenings and no sleep problems.
There's a lot more to treating OSA than just AHI numbers and there's a lot more to feel good than just getting nice low numbers.

The best I have ever felt was following a night with 10.4 AHI. Go figure that one. On paper I should have been a basket case the next day but I felt like superwoman. Let me tell you that if I could do that again and feel that way again I would gladly take 10.4 AHI every single night.

Are you wanting good math scores or are you wanting to sleep good and feel good?

Tec5 wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 17, 2022 5:51 pm

I would murder someone sitting by my bed poking me with a sharp stick every 60 minutes (AHI = 1)

I know a guy who knows a lawyer who would get an acquittal on a self-defense plea.

I am new to the Forum. I would like feedback on my Oscar analysis report. Out of the 14 graphs, what would be the most useful graphs to post here for requested guidance?

Pugsy wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 17, 2022 6:49 pm

Are you wanting good math scores or are you wanting to sleep good and feel good?

No, just reacting to the assertion that a 4 AHI is "crap sleep" - implying that something needs to be done (when no other details are known)

Totally off topic...Palerider I just noticed your location is "Dallas(ish)", I'm Dallas(ish) too. About 30ish miles east actually.

More on topic...it's not about numbers as much as it is about how you feel. I feel pretty good but I get obsessed with chasing numbers and turning dials and usually end up making it worse. Stop focusing on numbers and focus on how you feel.

Christopher13 wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 17, 2022 8:55 pm

I am new to the Forum. I would like feedback on my Oscar analysis report. Out of the 14 graphs, what would be the most useful graphs to post here for requested guidance?

See this for examples of what we like to see.
viewtopic/t158560/How-to-post-images-for-review.html

And start a new thread of your own. Don't dump it in someone else's thread please.

Tec5 wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 17, 2022 5:51 pm

palerider wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 17, 2022 2:30 pm

Imagine someone sitting by your bed and poking you with a sharp stick every 15 minutes [AHI =4). How do you think you'd feel in the morning?

I would murder someone sitting by my bed poking me with a sharp stick every 60 minutes (AHI = 1)

So shouldn't the goal be a AHI of 0 ? No interruptions at all?

Is that (AHI= 0) attainable over the long run?

At some point (under 2, 1.5ish) you're into a realm of diminishing returns, going from 5 to 2.5 is big, 2.5 to 1.25 is good, 1.25 to .6? probably not noticeable, etc.

If my AHI is over 1.5-2ish, I don't feel as good, and that's with looking at the numbers *after* the day, not before, so there's no confirmation bias.

Tec5 wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 17, 2022 5:51 pm

So shouldn't the goal be a AHI of 0 ? No interruptions at all?

you'd think so, wouldn't you? and i tried my damnedest to make it happen for six plus years. and now, i'm trying to back off of it. (this will come as a surprise to forum regulars, as they are well acquainted with my goal of zero!) why am i backing off? mainly, because i can't obtain it. not on a regular night after night basis. and that's because WE DON'T SLEEP THE SAME WAY EACH NIGHT!

sorry for yelling, but it's true.

Tec5 wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 17, 2022 5:51 pm

Is that (AHI= 0) attainable over the long run?

no for the reasons stated above. i regularly hit 0 and it's mostly a good thing. but it's also a weird thing. i once slept at our nieces' house. strange bed, too hot and like that. i don't remember getting ANY sleep that night. yet the next day, oscar showed an ahi of 0!

mainly, if i can stay below an ahi of 1 consistently, i FEEL better the next morning. or i should say that i feel better than i do if i get an ahi of 1 or above. and like palerider stated, i check how i feel before i look at ahi.

palerider wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 18, 2022 12:07 am

Tec5 wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 17, 2022 5:51 pm

palerider wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 17, 2022 2:30 pm

Imagine someone sitting by your bed and poking you with a sharp stick every 15 minutes [AHI =4). How do you think you'd feel in the morning?

I would murder someone sitting by my bed poking me with a sharp stick every 60 minutes (AHI = 1)

So shouldn't the goal be a AHI of 0 ? No interruptions at all?

Is that (AHI= 0) attainable over the long run?

At some point (under 2, 1.5ish) you're into a realm of diminishing returns, going from 5 to 2.5 is big, 2.5 to 1.25 is good, 1.25 to .6? probably not noticeable, etc.

If my AHI is over 1.5-2ish, I don't feel as good, and that's with looking at the numbers *after* the day, not before, so there's no confirmation bias.

Just wanted to confirm, what does it typically take setting wise to go from AHI 5ish down to 2.5 down to <2, are we talking setting higher pressure (fixed, or upper limit for variable range)?