Sleeping well but raley get AHI below 5

Hello, I was diagnosed with moderate apnea. (about 20 OSA events an hour) 1 month into treatment after waking up 3-6 times a night due to leaking, using Amara View mask with APAP, I was switched to nasal pillows. Now I am 3 months in with new mask and not only does it not leak at all but I am soundly sleeping the whole night through ( 7-8 hrs) EVERY NIGHT! Yeah! BUT... My AHI rarely gets below 5. Usually between 5 -8, Once in a while as low as 2.5 - 4. My pressure is pretty consistent around 10 - 11.5) This is a bit better overall then when I was using the Amara View mask, and I feel A LOT better in terms of comfort, quality and uninterrupted sleep. So why can't I seem to get to an AHI of 5 or below more often? Should I not put too much stock in the numbers? I sleep and feel much better so it would seem the AHI would reflect that. Thanks in advance.

I am no doctor [/disclaimer], but while AHI below 5 is considered "normal", if you are between 5-10 but feeling better and sleeping longer, I wouldn't sweat the numbers. You're having a better subjective experience than folks who may have lower numbers but more frustration.

I'm only at this for 2 months, but the first few weeks I was running 3-6 incidents per hour, on average, and over the last 2 weeks have been running 1-3 typically (unless I'm pretty lit before bedtime, but even then never more than 6). You are getting a good result, you're still new at this (as am I), and your number will most likely drop a little more as you get further along with it. But if the docs ignore anything under 8, and if you're feeling that much better and your sleep experience is that much improved, I sure wouldn't worry about your numbers.

I suggest that you not be too concerned about the numbers. Have you have an in-lab study, or were you just handed an automatic machine? If you have a proper titration in a sleep lab then you can be confident that your breathing has been demonstrated to be OK at a certain pressure. If you have not had a study, then you could try to get one to see exactly what is going on. Automatic machines are NOT infallible. Indeed, I frequently come across patients for whom an automatic machine is unsuitable. There are a number of things which confuse automatic machines causing them to react inappropriately (either delivering too much pressure or not enough).

My numbers are not as low as others report also. I saw someone say that the machine records any changes in breathing as an event. Many nights I have a cough. I wonder if it counts those coughs?

In short, yes it will. It can't tell if you are awake or asleep. Any change in breathing is counted. This is why it is rare to get an AHI of 0 even if you a re absolutely fine. Another thing that fools it big time is restless legs.