AHI = 3.7 Is this Low???

I'm new to CPAP (been on seven weeks) and am starting to review my data.
It shows my AHI is 3.7 - is that a low number? Should I expect to feel better at this point?
I'm not - I'm wondering if it takes a lower AHI to feel better.
At what AHI are most people at when they feel great?
Hope this makes sense to all.

Thanks - I appreciate any and all comments.

Hugs to all!
Tina

You STILL haven't registered or logged in properly to the forum.... PLEASE take the time to do this. Once you are logged in properly, your name will appear in blue and be clickable. This allows folks to PM you; you can PM others, you get the full features of the forum when logged in. Once logged in, go up to the User Control Panel (top left) and then Profile and then Edit Equipment.... from there choose your gear from the pull down menus and then choose to show them in TEXT not pictures.

3.7 AHI is not low, but it is in the good zone... anything below 5. Most of us strive to reach 1 or 2 at most. Many are below 1. I average 1.5 but have had a reading as low as 0.3. A lot of this depends on the data, too. One can have a great AHI but the events shown in the data may be caused by leaks or centrals....and those things need to be addressed.

I hope you will take advantage of this forum by logging in properly...

Tina..very knowledgeable folks are available on this forum to assist you with your CPAP and health issues, IF, you could take the time to provide more information, such as, titration results, equipment use. You are not going to get much help in regard to your requests if you don;t provide more info.

Emilia has provided you with the necessary instructions. Help us- Help You

Tina, I wished I had my AHI that low. Since starting CPAP 6 mo ago it never was below 7. This morning it was 12.
But I feel OK overall. I sleep 7 hours with only one break to go to pee.
As to residual daytime sleepiness I take one hour nap daily.
My ESS is around 6. Have you checked yours?


THE EPWORTH SLEEPINESS SCALE

http://www.stanford.edu/~dement/epworth.html

Could it be that you have other underlying conditions besides Sleep Apnea Disorder?

mikeandtina59 wrote:I'm new to CPAP (been on seven weeks) and am starting to review my data.
It shows my AHI is 3.7 - is that a low number? Should I expect to feel better at this point?
I'm not - I'm wondering if it takes a lower AHI to feel better.
At what AHI are most people at when they feel great?
Hope this makes sense to all.

Thanks - I appreciate any and all comments.

Hugs to all!
Tina

Hi, Tina.

From a doctor's POV, an AHI of 3.7 would indicate "effectively treated" sleep apnea (anything under 5 is considered "normal" and/or under control). But an AHI of 3.7 may leave the user feeling horrible. I think most forum members would say that an AHI under 2 is much more acceptable.

If you're not feeling any benefits after seven weeks of use, you may need an adjustment in the pressure. Are you reading the data from the screen, or do you have software? (The info from the screen is averages; the details from the software are far more telling when there's a problem with the therapy.)

Is everything else about the therapy going okay for you so far? Mask fits well and is comfortable, and you're wearing it all night? What machine are you using, and what pressure setting(s)? Do you use the Ramp or exhalation relief?

*I'll echo Emilia's suggestion and ask that you register for the forum and go to the User Control Panel (link at top left of the page); choose your equipment (carefully, as some names are similar) from the drop-down menus and list them in TEXT; use the Comments box to add anything more (i.e., pressure(s), exhale relief, etc.); then be sure to save the changes. All of that info will then be included in your posts, and other forum members can tailor their responses accordingly.

Thank you for the instructions on how to register to the forum. I hope that I have done so correctly!

I have not yet purchased software and am getting my AHI (yes, it is the average) from my machine. I am not having any major leaks and am adjusted to my mask (pillow type)

I upped my pressure to 9.5 two days' ago from 8.5.

Sorry I wasn't information was not posted - I think it should show-up now!
Tina

Yes, I do use the ramp (it starts at 4) and I do wear the mask all night long. I don't know about the exhalation feature.

I've only had a machine with data for a couple months, so there are more knowledgable people on this forum, but I look at the obstructive events (OA) and my machine will give me the duration.

If you AHI is 3.7 and you sleep for 7-1/2 hours and all of them are obstructive you have 25+ blocked airway apneas a night. If they are 30 or 40 seconds long, that is pretty disruptive. So getting into the numbers is important.

My personal goal is to get the obstructive events under 1 and the duration of each under 20 seconds. I tend to get a number of centrals, so my AHI is higher than ideal, but I feel fine.

My wife and I went away for a couple of nights and I had a total of 4 apneas over both nights and they were all less than 15 seconds, and all my numbers were really good. Back at home I'm back into the 5's and even had a 60 second apnea. Now if I could be on a permanent "paid" vacation...

There are so many facotrs that I am trying to get my arms around. Exercise, eating, stress all seem to play into the numbers for me and not just machine pressure.

John

Thanks, John, I will check if my machine gives OA numbers.
Thanks for your input.

Tina

tina... try using Sleepyhead or Onkor to get the numbers (there are directions viewtopic/t64906/PR-S1-software-options ... Novel.html )

The one's that you're pulling off the machine are a 7 day average... and the leaks showing aren't truely what you need to see. Need to see a nightly snapshot of what's going on vs a weekly rolling average.

Thank you, cflame!
Tina

I had my trial S-8 Autoset Vantage read today. Get long term machine next week, maybe. I want auto, but think DME wants to give me PAP.

Ayhow, here are numbers. Any help to what they mean from serious experience CPAPers appreciated.

Data from 7/11/2012 to 8/2/2012

Pressure
Median: 7.6 95th percentile: 10.2 Maximum: 11.8

Leak
Median: 0.0 95th percentile: 8.4 Maximum: 27.6

AHI & AI
Apnea Index: 0.2 AHI: 3.7 % Time in Apnea: 0.1 Hypopnea Index: 3.5

Average Daily use: 7.46

mikeandtina: get the model number from the bottom of your machine to make sure we're talking about the right machine. the 50 series machines are the older system one that was recently discontinued (mine is 550P) and replaced by the 60 series. yours might be 560 something. i say this because it is pretty new. if it is the 60 series like 560, sleepyhead won't work in it. you may have to use encore to read the data. do not buy software. you can get encore basic here by pm'ing pugsy.

greatunclebill wrote:mikeandtina: get the model number from the bottom of your machine to make sure we're talking about the right machine. the 50 series machines are the older system one that was recently discontinued (mine is 550P) and replaced by the 60 series. yours might be 560 something. i say this because it is pretty new. if it is the 60 series like 560, sleepyhead won't work in it. you may have to use encore to read the data. do not buy software. you can get encore basic here by pm'ing pugsy.

greatunclebill...FYI...this is an old post.