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+--- Thread: Good AHI? (/Thread-Good-AHI)
Good AHI? - Ripandsnort - 04-01-2014
Was wondering if lower than 5.0 for 46 out of 53 days was good progress?...Thanks!
RE: Good AHI? - Bama Rambler - 04-01-2014
I'd say that it isn't terrible, but I wouldn't necessarily say it's great either.
Given the machine that you have, you should really consider looking at the data with either Sleepyhead or Encore Basic and see what it looks like. You may see something that could help get your AHI even better.
RE: Good AHI? - ImaSurvivor - 04-01-2014
Welcome to the forum Ripandsnort!
You should be under 5. However sometimes an apneic event can happen while you are still awake and they don't mean anything. As Bama Rambler suggested, if you look at software you should be able to determine when those times occur and if you were actually asleep. Things like unconsciously holding your breath while still awake or even sneezing with the mask on can register as an event. I have had a small handful of times AHI over 5 in 4 months. A couple of those was when I had my first cold since being on CPAP. Another time was during a severe sneezing spell. As a newbie, when it was still difficult for me to get the mask on and adjusted just right, I didn't want to take it back off when I was overcome with a sneezing spell. It put my AHI over 5
RE: Good AHI? - retired_guy - 04-01-2014
Rip, it's kind of relative to where you began. You're under 5, and that's great. So now you need to check on your leak percentages to see if other improvements can/should be made. I had a zero last night, which I do not do all that often. Usually I'll bounce around between .2 and 2.0. But last night everything came together with the mask playing nice and very little leakage. The results showed it.
So the most important thing for you to do now, if you haven't already, is to download the Sleepyhead software and begin to use it to see exactly what's going on in the night when only your cat and your machine are awake.
RE: Good AHI? - PsychoMike - 04-01-2014
Yup, as others have said, Rip, it can be very personal. If you were assessed with an AHI of 50, I'd say terrific! If you were assessed at an AHI of 10, it's a good improvement, but not quite as earth-shattering.
There may be some room for improvement still and, of course, one of the important questions to ask is: how do you feel? If you're feeling better and getting good sleep, then it sounds like therapy is working for you and that's a good thing.
RE: Good AHI? - RonWessels - 04-01-2014
You have an interesting machine, and should get the Clinician's Manual for it. In there, you will find that you can set an Auto-Trial mode, which turns the machine into an Auto-CPAP device. Now, use of that mode is limited to a total of 30 days (not resettable except at the factory), but that mode is what told me that my fixed pressure was inadequate for my treatment and what prompted me to buy the "real" Auto-CPAP machine I have now.
Think of it as a multiple night at-home sleep study titration.
RE: Good AHI? - GreyParrot - 04-02-2014
Your leak data is very important. I ONLY have an OSA now when my
mask leaks and I don't wake up to fix quickly. I'm pretty good at
being able to catch a leak early now, so my AHI is rarely over 1.0
but when it is have either had a mask leak, or I have taken an opiate
painkiller too late in the day. That causes many CAs for me so unless
I really have to I medicate at noon. The med works just OK by the time I go to bed, but I'd rather have a sore back than a high AHI.