What should be my AHI target?

[Ikon]

Hi all.
Ten days in on my CPAP journey.
Pleased with results so far.
Started at 29.4.
Went to 10 then 6.7 then 3.7 - and it’s been floating between 3 and 5 since.

I have an auto adjusting DreamStation 5-18 with a dreamwear mask.
My average is 8-9 and my 90% is 10-11.
My mask fit is always above 95% except for one night.

And I’m getting reacquainted to the joys of narrative dreaming. Love it.

But what should I target for AHI? This is a clear improvement. But should I be aiming to be under 2? Or under 1? Or be grateful for where I’m at?

I know that less than 5 is normal when off a machine. What is normal with one?

[zonker]

But what should I target for AHI? This is a clear improvement. But should I be aiming to be under 2? Or under 1? Or be grateful for where I’m at?

I know that less than 5 is normal when off a machine. What is normal with one?

this was the hardest thing for me to get through my skull. in some ways, i'm dealing with it still.

in the end, the ahi number means nothing. having said THAT, around here, the consensus SEEMS to be under two is good and under one is excellent. but what good is it to have the most excellent numbers, yet have poor sleep?

it's down to what you, as an individual, want. if you are feeling good, waking up refreshed, not waking up constantly through the night and unable to return to sleep and so on and so forth, who are we to judge?

there's a philosophy around here about such and such ahi equals being jabbed with a sharp stick every so many minutes through the night. i don't subscribe to that, but someone will be along shortly to state it again.

this is all very general and down to your mileage may vary.

and i feel rather silly saying the above because for ME (and me only!), i'm looking for that low number. i think it helps me mentally as well as physically. i have a thread up about it now. for me, i feel better all the way around the lower my ahi is.

i'll stop blithering now and wish you the best of luck, whatever number you decide to stay with.

[loggerhead12]

It depends. How many times per hour do you want to be woken up? My own experience is that more than 120 is bad, and less than 1 is good. That's my target - less than 1.

AHI isn't everything, but for ten days in your numbers are excellent.

[joeljjk11]

I am only speaking from my personal experience but There is no difference in how I feel when my AHI is say 10 or when it is much lower. I will feel the same, again this is my own experience using CPAP.

[Dog Slobber]

Instead of asking people to post a bunch of potential, meaningless, arbitrary numbers, why don't you post some charts and perhaps receive some advice on actually improving your therapy?

[Goofproof]

But what should I target for AHI? This is a clear improvement. But should I be aiming to be under 2? Or under 1? Or be grateful for where I’m at?

I know that less than 5 is normal when off a machine. What is normal with one?

this was the hardest thing for me to get through my skull. in some ways, i'm dealing with it still.

in the end, the ahi number means nothing. having said THAT, around here, the consensus SEEMS to be under two is good and under one is excellent. but what good is it to have the most excellent numbers, yet have poor sleep?

it's down to what you, as an individual, want. if you are feeling good, waking up refreshed, not waking up constantly through the night and unable to return to sleep and so on and so forth, who are we to judge?

there's a philosophy around here about such and such ahi equals being jabbed with a sharp stick every so many minutes through the night. i don't subscribe to that, but someone will be along shortly to state it again.

this is all very general and down to your mileage may vary.

and i feel rather silly saying the above because for ME (and me only!), i'm looking for that low number. i think it helps me mentally as well as physically. i have a thread up about it now. for me, i feel better all the way around the lower my ahi is.

i'll stop blithering now and wish you the best of luck, whatever number you decide to stay with.

AHI under 5 Min Good, under 2 Good and usually obtainable, 0 or 1 the goal to strive for! AHI is very important, as it is a sign your body is breathing in O2, Not breathing O2 can be hard on your health. "DA!"

Many things can cause you to be not rested, or sleep well, OSA is but one of them, but it's the one that can be helped with proper XPAP use. At least you won't be dying in your sleep, when using it correctly/ Jim

[Miss Emerita]

Ikon, it's great you're having good results so early in your treatment! I want to second DS's recommendation that you use the Oscar software. I have the sneaking suspicion that your settings can be further optimized, but there's no way to tell without the detailed information available on a Daily chart. Let us know if you have questions about getting going with Oscar.

[Goofproof]

If you are getting good results with 8 cm, why not bump your start pressure your 7 cm, the machine will spend less time trying to get where it needs to be. for me 15 cm is where it needs to be, so 15 cm is where I start, no ramp. Jim

My AHI is under 2 most nights.

[lasseponken]

Before I started my treatment, the AHI was 68. On a good night now with my CPAP the result usually is 0.3 with a clean mask, after a week not cleaning the mask its 1.3

[chunkyfrog]

An unscented baby wipe can suffice in between mask washings.
It is also less traumatic to the silicone.
I use them on my face too.
I can't imagine anything more delicate than a baby's diaper zone.

[Ikon]

I am on a long caretaking stint away from home. I just have my iPhone and iPad. And I’ve got a DreamStation with a modem and Bluetooth. Is there a way of getting more detailed info from my DreamStation with what I’ve got so i can post to Oscar? It seems like the basic info available on my app and on the machine is pretty basic.