How much should AHI increase from sea level to 6500 ft altitude?

[untoutseul05]

It depends how speed you go from sea level to 6500ft.
I think it's not good for everybody's health to do this to fast.
At this altitude, the air has less pressure and there is less oxygen in a liter of air you breath in.
So, your body to have "his" oxygen makes you breath more quickly. But if you stay, your breath will slow down and your body will acclimate himself.
In the first nights, I think your oxygen level is to few : the equipment suppose you are doing apnea but in the reality, you don't.

In a ideal world, you should stay a few days at something like 3000ft to let your body acclimate himself.

[mesenteria]

The air will be less dense, cooler, and drier. Those three factors will conspire to alter the way you sleep, maybe even the way you feel generally.  

6500 feet ASL isn't especially high, as heights go.  Most people in reasonable health will do well up to about 10K', and then things get dicey unless the person can stay and acclimate for at least five or six days.  During this time, the body will be adapting to stress.  Stress and sleep are not fast friends.

[garyrgraham]

I do travel from sea level to 6500 feet in one day.  I usually stay at that altitude for 1-3 weeks at a time before returning to sea level.  I am going to have to use the CPAP machine with OSCAR and post the data so you will be able analyze my situation better.

I appreciate the suggestion to use Diamox prior to traveling.  I will try that as well.

I have a more difficult time tolerating CPAP at 6500' altitude. is that normal? I think my Dreamstation is rated for up to 7500 feet.

[garyrgraham]

Thank you for the clarification between AHI and SpO2 drops and that SpO2 drops can be caused by things other than sleep apnea.  Can I conclude that if there are less than 3-5 SpO2 drops/hour (at sea level) that there is not a need for CPAP?  I am consistently in that range at sea level.  I have never had a sleep study at altitude. I use my digital pulse oximeter at altitude to provide feedback on sleep quality and I get many SpO2 drops. I am going to try Diamox next time I go up to the mountains and I will monitor my AHI with CPAP. Is that a good plan?

[Gideon]

Good plan, you will have much better info.

You cannot conclude anything apnea wise just from an Oximeter other than it's not a bad idea to get a sleep study and be sure.

[Jeff8356]

@garygraham, a PSG (sleep study) would be the best way to determine if you need CPAP either way.  Sleep apnea is not usually something that people just get over, normally it's a lifetime thing.  But stranger things have happened.  The AHI you will see in OSCAR from your CPAP machine is your "treated" apnea.  There is no telling what your untreated apnea (AHI) would be without having the PSG done.  Presumably you had a sleep study already and your Dr prescribed you a CPAP as a result?

I would suggest you consider using both your CPAP and your oximeter to monitor things.  

I have had nights with large amounts of desats, 90-100 (SpO2 drops) and virtually no apnea's.  And other nights with a lot of apneas and almost no desats.  So it's not always black and white where your oximeter stats are a perfect indicator of whats going on with your apnea.

[garyrgraham]

Here is an OSCAR screenshot at sea level.  Lots of data! Can you give me any guidance on what learn from this data?  My pulse oximeter had 9.8 drops of 4% or more/hour which is double my normal at sea level.