Oxygen drops as soon as a drift?

Hi. I’m an a 22 year old female. I have had untreated obstructive sleep apnea for years. I was just recently officially diagnosed. I’m still trying to find treatment (I will be trying an oral appliance soon).

So the past few months my sleep apnea has gotten worse. When I close my eyes and start to feel myself relax, my oxygen will go from 98 to 88 or lower. I’m not even asleep yet or snoring. Is this normal? It’s super hard to sleep. I’m still breathing, so it doesn’t feel like I’m having an apnea.

I am HIGHLY deconditioned due to a seriously sickness I’ve had for months. Im still recovering. I don’t know if this would have anything To do with it.

I don't think you are likely having obstructive sleep apnea events while awake and this sounds like it should be a talk with your primary care physician. While the SPO2 levels you noted are not all that dangerous (high 80s), it likely is a medical concern.

What you describe sounds very much like you are having onset events and is quite common. It could indeed be caused by OSA. I see it in many of my patients. Although the level your oxygen is dropping to is not that low (88%), the degree of drop (10% decrease) is significant and strongly suggestive that it could be causing you damage.

What can happen with some people, though rare, it is not uncommon. The breathing gets shallower and shallower and the oxygen level drops. I do this, even f I am just sitting in a chair very relaxed I notice that my breathing has gone very shallow, even on occasions I hhave stopped breathing, just for a second or two. Then my brain kicks in and makes me breathe again. I do not stop breathing with the cpap on, but I do shallow breath, I have caught myself doing it when is semi conscious state. I would be concerned if your oxygen dropped to mid or low 80s and worried if it went into the 70s. Lower 80s might give you a fuzzy head in the morning to say the least.