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I continue to have apneas while using the cpap. When I told my doctor this, she had me sleep with the finger oxygen tester. It showed my oxygen too low while I was sleeping. So now I have oxygen every night hooked up to my cpap. But I still have as many as 16 apneas and 32 hyponeas each night. Do I worry about this. Not sure what to do. Thank you for any advice you can give me
This happened to me when I first started on cpap. The first three months my numbers were still very high. Eventually they came down. Nonetheless, please do alert your sleep doctor about this and press her about this until you receive an answer or plan of action.
I have been using a CPAP now for 12 years. Recently, my apneas started to increase and when I asked about it at my supplier wondering if I needed a new mask or something, they checked on the computer where they could see at what pressure they were happening. My CPAP needed to be set for a higher pressure range than I had been using. When I asked the sleep clinic about this, they said the throat tissues get saggier with age. I asked if there was anything I could do about that, like singing or something to strengthen my throat lining and I was told no. They adjusted my pressure range and things have been great since then. It might be that your machine is not adjusted properly for your needs. I have logged all my sleep scores since I got my latest machine in Feb. of 2015, and my most frequent apnea score is .5 times an hour, followed by .2 times an hour. 13 nights I had 0. I use these numbers as guides that might point to a need to fix something with the machine or my mask.
A didgeridoo instructor had the theory that playing this wind instrument could strengthen the upper airway muscles. A small experiment was done and the group that played didgeridoo lowered their AHI by more than the comparison group AND reduced daytime sleepiness. If you like trying new solutions at home, you might be interested in participating in a 'N of 1 trial'. Check out the blog and comment if you want to learn more. I think this is a cool way to get creative patient ideas/ solutions into the research world :). Curious what you think...
It could be your jaw is falling back and closing off the airway. Combination therapy, with an oral appliance, could help. It should also allow you to lower your pressures substantially. The appliance simply needs to hold your bottom jaw in place so it doesn't fall back (if you elect to move it into the underbite position, you could notice even lower pressures).
Amy Urban DMD
My dad used to have an absurd amount of apneas per night before he started using Cpap 5 or 6 years ago. The number of apneas decreased significantly since them, but he still does have some each night. He sleeps way better now and the doctor said it's ok compared to what he used to have. I'm not a specialist, but I think that depending on how bad it was before, it's fine to continue to have some.
sleeptech
+0 points
·
almost 7 years
ago
Sleep
Enthusiast
16 apnoeas and 32 hypopnoeas/night only works out to an AHI of 6 (assuming 8 hours of sleep). This is not high, in fact it's very nearly normal. Bear in mind that CPAP machines are designed to overestimate AHI. It is not a cause for immediate concern.
wiredgeorge
+0 points
·
almost 7 years
ago
Sleep
Enthusiast
Your math assumes about a 7 hour sleep night I guess. I still would be uncomfortable with an AHI of 6. Clearly an AHI of 6 is far better number than say, moderate sleep apnea numbers but does positive air pressure therapy reduce duration of lack of breathing to the point where O2 levels tanking are not a concern? My SPO2 was in the low 70s for long periods during my sleep study. I bought a Pulse Oxymeter and have been checking for years and my O2 levels never get out of the nomral level even if I have a couple apnea indicents during the night (my normal is less than .5).
Should folks with an AHI be concerned about O2 levels?
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