Are my sp02 results low? Newbie with Brain Fog Needing help
Hi all!
New Bipap user who's been struggling with brain fog and memory issues (hopefully due to my recent Apnea diagnosis)... just logged my first session last night and I'm already feeling better. I'm worried my brain fog is likely due to my low o2 levels, so I got an overnight oximeter to see.
Attached are 3 screen shots:
- 6/11/24 SP02 data without using my Bipap machine
- 6/12/24 OSCAR data using my Bipap machine
- 6/12/24 SP02 data using my Bipap machine
How can I improve my OSCAR and SP02 readings even more? I'm new to the world of sleep apnea and really want to get this brain fog and memory issue squared away and a lot of these terms are completely foreign to me.
Thanks so much for your help!
Pierre
06-13-2024, 09:05 AM
(This post was last modified: 06-13-2024, 09:09 AM by BoxcarPete.)
RE: Are my sp02 results low? Newbie with Brain Fog Needing help
First of all, this is a public internet forum so it's generally prudent to redact personal information from reports.
That being said, your O2 numbers without PAP are OK. Not optimal, but not particularly concerning either. The second report with the machine is looking excellent, so you're already seeing benefits on that front. Brain fog can be related to sleep fragmentation as well, and from your heart rate chart it looks like there are still some spikes representing micro-awakenings or arousals, but overall look a bit less severe when they do occur.
You have some CA clusters at the beginning and end of the night, which can sometimes happen when dozing. We call that "sleep-wake-junk" and it often gets better with time. It's not particularly concerning so even if it persists to some extent you should be fine. Other than that, just one event cluster in the middle of the night, so I would say you're on the right track. Some leaks later in the night, which may be related to position changes. I know when I used a full face mask that I never could keep it leak-free at the end of the night when once had shifted on my face many times.
As you get used to the machine your results should continue to improve, keep it up and keep us posted on the way you feel.
Look, I'm an engineer, not a doctor! Please don't take my opinion as a substitute for medical advice.
RE: Are my sp02 results low? Newbie with Brain Fog Needing help
Did your sleep study find any Periodic Limb Movement (PLM)? Your pulse graph indicates some periodic activity that may disturb your sleep.
As would be expected your CPAP does shore up your SpO2 throughout the night.
None of your SpO2 numbers are very extreme, but sensitivity to O2 depletion is s a very individual character. Some are much more sensitive than others.
RE: Are my sp02 results low? Newbie with Brain Fog Needing help
Agreed with above. Your first O2 chart was close to needing attention. It did go down to 87% but for about 11 seconds. Next segment 88-93% were over an hour, but correlating with the graph, it wasn't at the lower extreme for long it doesn't appear. Things improved on O2 chart 2, which sounds like was with CPAP.
I would consider recording the oximeter on occasion, and if your doctor isn't aware, discuss with them about your concern too.
Mask Primer
Positional Apnea
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RE: Are my sp02 results low? Newbie with Brain Fog Needing help
Thanks for your reply. My sleep study didn’t include any periodic limb movement but I definitely wake myself up with a jerk like movement pretty regularly. I’m active in the gym so that may play a part in that.