Low AHI readings

Hi all - so my insurance would not cover a sleep test at Mayo Clinic - but doc said I was suspicious for OSA. So they sent me home with the oxygen test for a few nights sleep. My oxygen was low - 79 (I never had a formal sleep study as my lovely insurance company would not cover it). Mayo Clinic suggested I get an autoPAP machine. I did. Now its average pressure is about 12.5 and the max set is 14. I check the night's sleep every morning, and I have never been above 0.5 AHI. Probally 33% of the time its 0.0.

So what does this mean - I am about 6 months into using the machine (New Resmedic with the heated tubing (I don't use the humidifier though).

Should I lower the pressure and see if the episodes increase?

What are the advantages of having a lower pressure set?

Maybe its not OSA I have? Without a sleep study there is doubt in my mind.

What would one do if they were in my position?

Thanks for responding. I appreciate any help/suggestions - Phil in Costa Rica.

aconcepts wrote:Hi all - so my insurance would not cover a sleep test at Mayo Clinic - but doc said I was suspicious for OSA. So they sent me home with the oxygen test for a few nights sleep. My oxygen was low - 79 (I never had a formal sleep study as my lovely insurance company would not cover it). Mayo Clinic suggested I get an autoPAP machine. I did. Now its average pressure is about 12.5 and the max set is 14. I check the night's sleep every morning, and I have never been above 0.5 AHI. Probally 33% of the time its 0.0.

So what does this mean - I am about 6 months into using the machine (New Resmedic with the heated tubing (I don't use the humidifier though).

Should I lower the pressure and see if the episodes increase?

What are the advantages of having a lower pressure set?

Maybe its not OSA I have? Without a sleep study there is doubt in my mind.

What would one do if they were in my position?

Thanks for responding. I appreciate any help/suggestions - Phil in Costa Rica.

download appropriate software and look at your detailed data, it'll tell you much more, check out pugsy's tutorial for sleepyhead which is stickied at the top of the forum list.

Hard to imagine how your oxygen could be so low without having more apneas. 79 is really bad and you probably felt terrible in the morning... how about now? Can you get the oximeter for more home testing while you're on the aPAP and see if it's better?

aconcepts wrote:Hi all - so my insurance would not cover a sleep test at Mayo Clinic - but doc said I was suspicious for OSA. So they sent me home with the oxygen test for a few nights sleep. My oxygen was low - 79 (I never had a formal sleep study as my lovely insurance company would not cover it). Mayo Clinic suggested I get an autoPAP machine. I did. Now its average pressure is about 12.5 and the max set is 14. I check the night's sleep every morning, and I have never been above 0.5 AHI. Probally 33% of the time its 0.0.

So what does this mean - I am about 6 months into using the machine (New Resmedic with the heated tubing (I don't use the humidifier though).

It could mean that the APAP does a good job and reduces your AHI, let's say from 20 (per hour) to close to zero.

Should I lower the pressure and see if the episodes increase?

A median therapeutic pressure of 12.5 cm is also my own. I also have been eager to experiment by reducing my pressure to around 7 cm, for one night, and check how hi the untreated AHIs would go.

What are the advantages of having a lower pressure set?

The advantages are: 1)not to give you central apnea events which could cause you to suffer from Complex Sleep Apnea Syndrome. 2) Not to raise the leaks around your mask, mouth, etc.

Maybe its not OSA I have? Without a sleep study there is doubt in my mind.

In many countries over the world APAP machines are used to diagnose Sleep Disorders instead of Sleep Labs doing it,
because Sleep Labs don't exist.

What would one do if they were in my position?

Just continue to do what you're doing, and do it longer for several month. Check your Oxygen Blood Saturation with a Pulse Oximeter on you finger, costing less a $100. It can record a full night sleep and the next day you can check it on the computer. It should always stay above 90%. Enter "Pulse Oximeter" in above Search Box.


Thanks for responding. I appreciate any help/suggestions - Phil in Costa Rica.

Hey, Costa Rica has been doing OK in the Mondeal. I was happy to see Ghana giving it to Germany. Germans know how to drink beer but Ghanaians know how to run and jump.

See my recent full year Stats:

{the values in the table were calculated by the machine as Medians}

aconcepts wrote:So what does this mean - I am about 6 months into using the machine (New Resmedic with the heated tubing (I don't use the humidifier though).

it means it's working.

aconcepts wrote:Should I lower the pressure and see if the episodes increase?

you want to see if you can make it stop working? it's an autoset machine, yes? let it do it's job.

aconcepts wrote:Maybe its not OSA I have? Without a sleep study there is doubt in my mind.

well, something is making the machine ramp up to 12cm... it doesn't do that for no reason.

aconcepts wrote:What would one do if they were in my position?

I'd get sleepyhead, read pugsy's thread on what it all means, and then I'd look at my detailed data.

Palerider - Your answers brought a smile to my face - I am a frank person so i appreciated them - especially the "It means its working"! What really gave me insight was when you wrote it would not go up to 12.5 if it wasn't. Thank you.

Yeah its a drag sleeping with a vacuum cleaner strapped on your face - so I guess I was either in denial or just projecting that somehow I was misdiagnosed and didn't need the Hoover anymore.. LOL!

Scott - Hey thanks for asking - it's really appreciated - I was one of those who took the "Hose for life" sentence hard/ end of sex life etc etc - but after only several days my energy was coming back and I was seeing a huge difference - I mean no crashing in the afternoon, after about 6 months out now my energy levels feel like close to 100%. Now my mantra is "stay away form the Light - go to the Hose." I mean in the 80's when Huey Lewis sang about "wanting a new drug" I had no idea it would be half Hookah and half vaporizer - Just add water and wake up on a natural high! For what it does for me the price is cheap actually...

Hey - lets not forget the improved attitude - funny what the presence of delta sleep will do for the way you are in the world ~~~~~ Actually the "Hose rules."

The only thing is I feel my heart racing a little in the morning after I wake up sometimes... and a little more often at night when I put the hose on. Do you think its psychological? I mean my heart tests are normal - just my breathing rhythm feels a little off.

Avi123 - thanks so much for your thoughtful responses - I don't quite speak all the sleep A terminology yet, but I understood your response perfectly/ Yeah I happen to be in San Diego for knee surgery when CR is kicking butt in Brazil - my friends are going crazy - the transit police are in full force and the whole country is on a drunk... LOL - that is what my friends say anyways - hey Ticos don't like to work that much so this is not merely an excuse to party... this is a REASON! Thanks for the Puls Oximeter suggestion (learning something new every day). My apena incidents were 27 an hour. I was really cranky - and the doc said I probally have had it for years.... whoa.. I guess I have a few less brain cells now... hey but I still have the looks of a debonair 50 year old to carry me through... arrrararrrr

Julie - I don't understand your question. "Where?"

Hey - How do we make the Hose cool - you know like being gay or of color - we gotta do that for us hose monsters some how... LOL!

aconcepts wrote:Palerider - Your answers brought a smile to my face... Thank you.

You're welcome

aconcepts wrote:Yeah its a drag sleeping with a vacuum cleaner strapped on your face - so I guess I was either in denial or just projecting that somehow I was misdiagnosed and didn't need the Hoover anymore.. LOL!

As I pointed out to someone elsewhere that said "this SUCKS!".... if it's sucking, then you've got the hose plugged into the wrong hole! cpap is supposed to BLOW!

avi123 wrote:aconcepts wrote:Hi all - so my insurance would not cover a sleep test at Mayo Clinic

aconcepts, the bill for my sleep test in Jan. '14 at Mayo Clinic in Rochester was $750... much less than what some other posters have quoted for theirs. If you think you can handle it, maybe it would be worth it to you to scrape up enough to cover it. I doubt if the Scottsdale or Jacksonville clinics would charge much differently, since they're in the Mayo system. This was not a home sleep test, nor a hospital test, but in one of the outpatient diagnostic buildings where they are set up for some of the overnight tests.

library lady wrote:

avi123 wrote:aconcepts wrote:Hi all - so my insurance would not cover a sleep test at Mayo Clinic

If you think you can handle it, maybe it would be worth it to you to scrape up enough to cover it.

or, if you're feeling good with the machine set up as it is, you could just tip that 750$ into the trash and get about the same benefit out of it.

So true, palerider; I just wanted to offer that not all sleep studies are horrendously expensive if he really wants one. Mayo Clinic was right in suggesting an apap...

BTW, please sign up for an ID and fill in the equipment on your profile. There's a link in my signature line on how to do this.

We need to know what machine you have. Does it say "AutoSet" or "Escape Auto" next to the power button?

A well done sleep test tells you a lot of things the CPAP won't.

You could try temporarily turning down the max pressure on the machine and see if you start getting apneas. It's not as good as a real sleep test, but it can tell you something.

You can read the data with the SleepyHead program. You can find the super secret CPAP setup manuals at apneaboard . com. Even without changing the pressure, you can see what pressure your Auto CPAP machine thinks you need. If it starts at 4 and goes up to 12, the machine thinks you have apnea.

Can you tell what pressure your machine is adjusting up to?

You have been assimilated; welcome to the collective.
Aside from sci-fi references, we are living in the best of times for this disorder.
As recently as 40 years ago, it was a slow, certain death.
We are alive and thriving because of our "Hoovers".
Not a bad trade-off at all.

Chunky - I totally agree - its the best of times when feeling the energetic dynamic Force all day - its the worst of time when slaying tangled-Hose dragons in the middle of the night. Blessings ~

Archy - I will check tonight - I believe its going up to 12.5 but wouldn't bet my life on it. Thanks for all the warm info - and suggestions - truly appreciated!

Pale rider - LOL - yeah it blows....

Julie - Low pressure is set at 4 - I just "got" your question after rereading - I'm a little slow - you know THC memory and all...

Avi - we (Costa Rica) tied today 0-0 against England - I heard it wasn't pretty,,,

Pura Vida all!

- AC

your equipment isn't showing up.... add it as a comment if there aren't working selections on the equipment page.

if you're not 100% sure what model it is, if it's a resmed or respironics, look for a "REF" number on the label and post that in your equipment comments.

I started using my CPAP again. It is a Fisher & Paykel Sleep Style 200. I cannot find my owners manual. I have the following results from last night: AHI 0, Upside down hour glass 50, HR/Moon symbol 0.1, Key symbol 0. In my diary I got up at 2am to urinate (50 years old) and woke up between 2 and 3 with my nostril mask on the top of my head. Had a little rain in the tube but felt great all day today! I went to bed at 9:30 and got up at 4:25 for work! Thank you so much for your answer!