Average Event Duration Question...Is This "Normal?"

Hello,

Is it normal to stop breathing for up to sixty seconds at a time in the night?

This is my first entry in this forum. I have not been diagnosed with CSA, but for the last ten years, I have suspected I suffer from it. I have recently purchased a wrist pulse oximeter, in an attempt to catch one of the nightly awakenings I have been experiencing without the drive to breathe.

I have been recording information for the last 50 nights and the summary reports indicate that every night I have under 20 sleep events, which sounds healthy, though the average duration of the events each night is up to a minute long.

The information I have been finding tell me that CSA is diagnosed by the 'number' of apnea events per hour, but what if you only have a few apneas and they last up to a minute in duration?

I have yet to 'catch' being woken up while using the device. I suspect when I experience these awakenings I am not breathing for a longer period of time because when they began ten years ago, I only realized I was not breathing when my heart would spaz out. I would wake up completely relaxed and then after a couple of minutes my heart would irratically beat out of my chest, and I would snap back to reality and force myself to breath. I have only experienced being woken up a handful of times in the last ten years, so I may be monitoring myself for a long time before I record these events.

Please, does anyone know, if not breathing for up to a minute on these 'normal nights' are actually 'normal'? Or do I have something to bring to my doctor?

Thank you so much, Elyse

Example of one night:

Total Event: 18 Time in event (min): 15.8 Average Event Duration.(sec.): 52.7 Index(1/hr): 2.1 Artifact(%): 0.1 Adjusted Index(1/hr): 2.1

SpO2 Data Basal SpO2(%): 96.8 Time(min) <88%: 0.0 Events<88%: 0 Min. SpO2(%): 88 Ave.Low SpO2<88%: ---

Ave. Pulse: 62.3 Low Pulse: 50

Hi Elyse

I doubt that it is normal if you mean for people without Apnea.

If it was of sufficient concern to buy the pulse oximeter it is of sufficient concern to discuss with your doctor.

Your doctor might advise you to do a sleep study.

In some countries it is possible to hire a home sleep study kit from your local pharmacy.

That might be a more affordable way to get some definitive answers.

I would suggest an apena of 60 seconds is quite significant. My apnea events are more like 10-15 seconds each. Also consider that AHI includes hypopnea events where breathing is suppressed to about 50% but not stopped. You may want to take some of the typical quiz questionnaires for sleep apnea.

Screening for Sleep Apnea Quiz

When it comes to Apnea from vague memory my first study showed more than 50 events per hour of 20 - 30 seconds and some of those were quite a bit longer than 30 seconds.

I was talking to someone in a local pharmacy yesterday who recently did a sleep study which showed 25 events per hour of 30 - 90 seconds.

Both instances amount to almost 50% of the time.

I wonder how long an apnea event can be and what they call it beyond that limit.

233.8 seconds event