AHI as related to stop breathing events

[Bruce1804]

I’m new to all this from Apnea, CPAP, Apnea Board, to SleepyHead software so I’m trying to learn. Right now the AHI on the SleepyHead download has me confused. When I took the sleep test I think I was told that stop breathing events of more than 30 was severe Apnea and mine was 45. On the software chart It shows my AHI is a high of 1.39 and an average (10 day) of .90. I just can’t figure out how to relate the two numbers. It can’t be 1.39 events because I understand that would mean I don’t have a problem and the chart only goes to 4. Yet reading the Beginner’s Guide it seems to be saying they are the same? Also the chart of “event flags is almost clean except for snoring and my first day is even better than my 10th day. 

Just to be clear I have a big problem trying to sleep more than 1 hour at a time because I keep getting up to go to the restroom whether I need to or not. The Urologist sent me for the Apnea sleep test and now I have this CPAP which seems to have made things even worse for my sleep. How do I relate the AHI to stop breathing events? Do you have any advice for me?

I tried to attach a picture of the charts from Sleepyhead but for some reason it looks like it won't attach but is only a few hundred KB in size and I can't figure out why it won't. If it did go over then it will show that I shut the CPAP of for awhile during the night and completely later because it is so bothersome to me.

[sheepless]

sounds like you are comparing pre-cpap numbers with cpap numbers. If I'm understanding you correctly 45 is not the number of events during your sleep test but rather is your sleep test ahi. ahi 30+ is considered severe apnea. it seems you're inappropriately comparing your sleep test ahi (without cpap) of 45 and your treated ahi (with cpap) of 1.29 as indicated on the chart you posted.

ahi is the apnea-hypopnea index which is the total of those apnea and hypopnea events divided by or averaged over the number of hours/minutes your machine was on, usually between noon and noon. so your ahi is your average number of events per hour.

you've gone from 45/hr to 1.29/hr. congratulations: your treatment is working!

btw, you can see the number of events and when they occurred by clicking on 'events' above the ahi number on the daily chart (above 1.29 on the chart you posted).

[Bruce1804]

Sleepless,

Thank you for the reply. I can't be sure about the 45 events. They never mentioned AHI just said my sleep was stopping 45 times per hour but If I'm understanding you correctly the test is what was happening and the CPAP is what is happening. So as long as I'm on the CPAP I basically am cured from Apnea. It then follows that my sleep problem, which has gotten worse since the CPAP, is not caused by Apnea. Also the definition of apnea and hypopnea sounds like hypo is slightly better than apnea.

If this is true I should go back to the Urologist and say, "Thanks for finding the apnea but now I need you to look into helping me try to find a way to correct the sleep problem?" Does it seem realistic to believe that I can go from 45 apnea events to an average of about 2 hypopnea events per night for the first 10 days total? The 6 events you see on the "event flags graph" on the chart I sent is from last night and is the worst for the entire 10 days and 2 nights were zero.

Thanks again for helping me understand!

[sheepless]

Bruce1804, if they said # of events per hour, I'm pretty certain they were talking about an average which would be same as ahi.

if your ahi is less than 5 the medical community says you are treated. a small semantic distinction: treated, not 'cured'. we are probably stuck being hoseheads for the rest of our lives or until They come up with new treatments. cures are hard to come by.

I don't know the clinical definitions of apnea and hypopnea off the top of my head (others here can tell you) but you are correct that hypopnea may be thought of as a precursor to apnea in that they are not as complete a cessation of breathing as apnea and they are shorter in duration as an apnea.

if you search the internet for apnea and nocturia (nighttime urination), you will find that some people that suffer from frequent awakenings to pee get some relief after using cpap for a while. apparently it's a common enough that docs (like yours) will suspect apnea. not sure why untreated apneacs with this problem find some relief with cpap other than guess if we sleep more deeply we are less inclined to wake up from the sensation of having to go. that said, I'm sure there may be lots of reasons for frequent trips to the bathroom at night. probably good to pursue it further; just be prepared for the possibility that the doc might want you to use the cpap for a while to see if it helps.

btw, I'm just another person like you with apnea with no special knowledge or training.

poke around the forum for a while. there's so much to learn and many knowledgeable, helpful and kind members. it sounds like your primary concern is the nocturia but if you had 45 events per hour pre-cpap, you'll want to become very familiar with all things cpap and apnea as well. folks here will help you post your data. then they'll help you fine tune your cpap experience for best results. occasionally even those with low ahi's may be left feeling no better with cpap. folks here can help determine if cpap related adjustments can help.

moderators may see fit to move this thread to the main forum. good luck and hope to see you around the apnea board!

[Bruce1804]

Sleepless,

I can't thank you enough! I really feel much better informed. I'm happy you mentioned moving this thread because I was concerned that this wasn't the correct location. Any future posting on this subject will go to the main thread. I now have a plan of action for the future thanks to you. Keep up the great work!

[OpalRose]

Bruce1804,
I am moving this thread to the main forum.