AHI 30 when awake and reading??

Hi,
I often put on my mask and read in bed or browse on my laptop for an hour, sometimes more, before turning off the lights and going to sleep. Usually I prop myself up with a couple of pillows and a wedge. My chin still tends to rest close to my chest, not the best position for my neck, I know.

Anyway, I've just changed my Liberty mask for a small and this has required a lot of fiddling with, to get the right fit. I often take it off, put it back on, check the mask fit on my screen etc.

So tonight after 1 hour with the mask on, totally awake, up a few times taking mask off, putting it back on, I checked my data on the screen of my machine. It read: Pressure: 8, leak: 0.02, AI:0 and AHI: 30

Is something wrong with my machine or do you think it is reading a massive amounts of HI's because of my posture in bed (chin to chest)?

I have a similar thing happen. I think it's because I breathe differently (and talk sometimes) when awake than I do asleep and the machine counts these as Hypopneas. Anymore I sit up and read and when ready to sleep, put my mask on and lay down so I get a more accurate report.

The data the machines provide is usless unless you are asleep, they are made to measure sleep breathing whicth is different. Jim

When awake I am and always have been a breath holder. Sometimes have to remind myself to breathe. Any time I am focused or exerting effort I hold my breath. If I am listening to something difficult to hear, I hold it. I don't even want to see how bad my data would look when awake! Since ramp time data isn't calculated in your AHI, maybe it would be a good idea for you to read under ramp and go to sleep just before the ramp time expires.

Thanks for the replies! So I won't worry about the readings when I am awake. I wonder if the readings I get when I am awake will affect the overall morning AHI score. It must to some extent. I have been trying to get my AHI to under 5. This am it was 8.2 but AI was 0.9. So considering what I have been reading about over reporting of HI's on Resmed machines and the high HI for the first hour that I was awake and reading in bed, I guess I am not doing too badly.

Have to order my card reader...

Kteague, Good idea about using the ramp when I am awake.

I have had a similar question and found that if I use the settling feature and set it for the length of time needed to fall asleep (35minutes) that I did not get bogus data. While you are awake you breathing pattern can be interpreted by the Autoset II and recorded as AI/HAI.

I suspect that false readings occur with uneven breathing. I've noticed, when using exhalation pressure relief, that if I happen to take a breath that's unusually slow and deep, I next find myself exhaling against the inhalation pressure and it takes at least another breath before the machine corrects its timing. I'd guess the machine can incorrectly register this as a hypopnea.