Hypopnea question

Can someone explain it to me? I understand it's shallow breathing but is it a bad thing?

Here is the skinny. My numbers are pretty good generally. After two weeks I'm having minimal leaks (most nights 0%).
My AI numbers are low (below .5/hr on average, ) but my HI numbers seem to be going up nightly.

Last night was the worst so far at 6.6 HI.

Does anyone know what this means?

At the risk of sounding ridiculous...last night I was dreaming and my character in the dream had just jumped from Niagra Falls to escape the evil warlocks , my character was underwater struggling for breath...my husband woke me up actually saying the machine was really loud at that point, which I can only gather I started mouth breathing...I actually thought it was kind of funny but could this affect my HI numbers?

I don't mouth breath normally and only had one other instance of opening my mouth at night when I was a bit stuffy.

Hi Foro: I'm a shallow breather as well. I don't know that it's a "bad thing", and I'm sure wearing the cpap helps with that. I also have a struggle with the #'s thing my AHI is as high as 10. sometimes. I tried to get a little more Info. on here, but don't always understand the # thing. I guess if you get up feeling good--"go with it" Larry.....

Hi,

There are a number of topics on this forum about the fact that the Resmed's seem to record a higher number of hypopneas than other machines so the general advice has been to generally ignore the higher hypopnea numbers. The algorithms each machine uses to determine "what to count as a hypopnea" is different. See the links below for more info on how each machine determines if it has found a hypopnea to count. As I understand it, a hypopnea is a partial closure of the airway rather than a complete one as with obstructive apnea. There are variations in how much closure and how long.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=35960&p=354211&hili ... hm#p354211

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=40350&p=356255&hilit=velbor#p356255

Mindy

Froro wrote:.......
My AI numbers are low (below .5/hr on average, ) but my HI numbers seem to be going up nightly.

Last night was the worst so far at 6.6 HI.

.........

Nothing scientific, but I will tell you what I do. I bump the pressure 0.5 cm per night until I reach the point where most of the hypopneas are "blown away" (figuratively and literally ).

I like to see six or fewer apneas per night and no more than eight hypopneas per night. Subjectively, I seem to sleep and feel better at these levels.

So let me see if I'm confusing myself.

When I check my numbers in the morning... is the AI number, HI number that it's showing me on a per hour basis or is it for the duration of when you used the machine during the night?

My numbers are always too high. Last night my AHI was 18.8, but only 5.8 was AI (res-med auto, quattro FFM). I had 0 leaks.I hardly ever get an AI below 5. I've done everything, but considering what I was like before apap, I'm doing good.

Froro wrote:So let me see if I'm confusing myself.

When I check my numbers in the morning... is the AI number, HI number that it's showing me on a per hour basis or is it for the duration of when you used the machine during the night?

Whenever you add the "I" after apnea or hypopnea, that means "Index" - which means, in this case, number per hour. So AI = # apneas per hour, HI=# hypopneas per hour and AHI=number of apneas+hypopneas per hour.

Mindy

Thanks Mindy. I thought I was right.

I don't have software or anything like that so I just use my indeces in the morning to guage my overall treatment.

Froro wrote: I don't have software or anything like that so I just use my indeces in the morning to guage my overall treatment.

Although many of us do use software and it can be very helpful, doing what you are is definitely better than not paying attention to your treatment.

Mindy

mindy wrote:

Froro wrote:So let me see if I'm confusing myself.

When I check my numbers in the morning... is the AI number, HI number that it's showing me on a per hour basis or is it for the duration of when you used the machine during the night?

Whenever you add the "I" after apnea or hypopnea, that means "Index" - which means, in this case, number per hour. So AI = # apneas per hour, HI=# hypopneas per hour and AHI=number of apneas+hypopneas per hour.

Mindy

Mindy: Where were you last week? I about went nuts trying to find this out!!! And I probably drove everyone else that way asking stupid questions... I get AHI's of 10.0 and sometimes 7.0 Example this is only for 2 nights but my AHI is 15.9 that seems high to me, but its only for 2 nights. I think when I learned how to check the #'s my average was 6.9 that was for a couple weeks. Thanks for the info. Larry..

rooster wrote: I like to see six or fewer apneas per night and no more than eight hypopneas per night. Subjectively, I seem to sleep and feel better at these levels.

Interestingly, I've noticed the exact opposite. On nights when my HI is below 1, I tend to feel less rested than on nights when it is a bit higher (but still under 5). I'm guessing that's because my propensity to have hypopneas increases during the deepest stages of sleep, so nights when my HI are lowest are probably ones where I spent less time in the most restorative sleep stages.

Sleepy Boy wrote:Mindy: Where were you last week? I about went nuts trying to find this out!!! And I probably drove everyone else that way asking stupid questions... I get AHI's of 10.0 and sometimes 7.0 Example this is only for 2 nights but my AHI is 15.9 that seems high to me, but its only for 2 nights. I think when I learned how to check the #'s my average was 6.9 that was for a couple weeks. Thanks for the info. Larry..

<Chuckle> Once in awhile I don't have time to read and post for a few days or a week. That's not a stupid question. AHI should really be below 5 but it may take a bit of time and patience to get there.

Mindy

Froro wrote:Can someone explain it to me? I understand it's shallow breathing but is it a bad thing?

Others have explained to you what the hypopneas are. And that they may occur during deepest sleep.

The majority of my events appear to be hypopneas. I was diagnosed because of chronic pain. When I first started with my Bipap, and before I got my leaks & etc. under control, I could look at my data and see clusters of hypopneas right where i would typically wake up with pain and have to take an anti-inflammatory.

Now, I don't usually have those clusters. My HI is down significantly. My pain is virtually gone.

I've got a respiratory infection. (Seeing doctor this afternoon.) Last night, for the first night in five months, I was without my Bipap. I woke this morning in so much pain I could hardly see straight -- and my surgery incision, now almost a year old, felt like it did about six weeks after the procedure.

So... hypopneas aren't as bad as full apneas, but they can have an effect on you. You'll get there... took me awhile to get a handle on things... with the help of the good folks here.

El Pap wrote:

rooster wrote: I like to see six or fewer apneas per night and no more than eight hypopneas per night. Subjectively, I seem to sleep and feel better at these levels.

Interestingly, I've noticed the exact opposite. On nights when my HI is below 1, I tend to feel less rested than on nights when it is a bit higher (but still under 5). I'm guessing that's because my propensity to have hypopneas increases during the deepest stages of sleep, so nights when my HI are lowest are probably ones where I spent less time in the most restorative sleep stages.

El Pap,

I know what you mean. Some nights I have very few events because I did not go to sleep the whole dang night!

Yep, I would love to have my own electroencephalogram. Then I could see how my sleep efficiency and sleep architecture are.

Regards,