ROBYSUE1 WROTE:
Most of the increase in your AHI was due to CAs, but the number of CAs is not something to worry about, particularly since you say that you were not asleep for much of the time you were using the machine. It's worth remembering that more pressure isn't going to eliminate CAs, and particularly CAs that are part of sleep-wake-junk (SWJ) breathing.
Yes, I know that raising the pressure will not address the CAs since there is already an open airway.
It actually was the night of the 16th that I was not asleep a lot of the time. Last night, the 16th, I believe that I did NOT lie awake for long. -- I also know not to worry about CAs that are part of SWJ (which I have a lot of SWJ since I'm up & down at least 4 times a night).
But the CAs I see as I look at them on the 16th are not near the SWJ times. So I am a bit concerned, except that I wonder WHY I'm not seeing a lot of CAs EVERY night if I, in fact, did have Complex Apnea or a CA problem.
The obstructive stuff, including the flow limitations, is about the same on the night when you have an AHI = 1.58 and the night when you have an AHI = 3.97. In my opinion, the question about what to do about the flow limitations is made much more difficult by the amount of SWJ due to you not being asleep for a long time. If many of those "flow limitations" are happening when you are awake, it's probably a wake breathing pattern. Hence Pugsy's question about nasal congestion.
Yes, I DID notice that the FLs looked about the same on the 15th and 16th. I'll start paying attention to WHEN the FLs are mostly occurring (ie, SW periods or not).
If you only got 4 or 5 hours of sleep while you were in bed for 8.5 hours, that's a sleep efficiency of no more than 58%. Likewise, if you only got 8 or 9 hours of sleep while you were in bed for 11.18 hours, that's a sleep efficiency of no more than 80%. Most people feel better when their sleep efficiency is consistently up around 90% or better because lying in bed not sleeping for long periods of time is, itself, stressful and can make you feel pretty crappy in the morning . . . Most people feel better when their sleep efficiency is consistently up around 90% or better because lying in bed not sleeping for long periods of time is, itself, stressful and can make you feel pretty crappy in the morning.
Since your FIRST post to me, robysue, I have relaxed about getting stressed out over all this, since it's like shooting myself in the foot. The past few nights, whether lying awake for long or not, thankfully I have NOT felt stressed. THIS morning I felt
so much better already after my 11+ hours of CPAP usage (perhaps 8+ hours of actual sleep, even if interrupted). And, so far, at almost noon I don't feel tired. So, I'll continue going to bed very early and staying there beyond 8 hours of "usage time" for a while . . . and see if that continues to help.
Good questions for you to be asking when you're scrolling through the flow rate data are:
Are a lot of events, including the OAs and Hs, being flagged during times you are pretty sure you were awake? Or dozing very lightly? If so, those events are not likely "real".
Is there a lot of activity in the flow limitation graph (and funky looking inspirations) during the times you think you were awake? If so, those flow limitations are not likely part of sleep disordered breathing.
Are you overestimating or underestimating how much sleep you got? In other words, look for long stretches of what you're pretty sure is sleep breathing and try to figure out if your sleep efficiency really is in the 50-60% range on a lot of nights.
Thank you for these excellent suggestions for observing my OSCAR results. Actually, I have made an attempt to figure these things out, but so far have not made any eye-opening discoveries. Will continue to try!
JoyD.
PS - Do you -- or anyone -- know of a good Tutorial or Video online for interpreting PSG graphs?? (I have read the Wiki articles from Apnea Board.)