Sleep Apnea Questions

[paul.deitch]

Wore the equipment last night, a Somno Screen Plus and got a printed report and a basic explanation from the doc this morning.
Apparently I am a borderline medium/strong sufferer... well that explains the constant tiredness and other things.
But I would like to understand the entire report which is not only in German but has lots of abbreviations.
For example: Heading: Obstructive Number (Index) = 26 (3.9)
I tried a Google search but but I couldn't find explanations for everything. Is there a guide somewhere that I can't find?

Anyhow I should learn to sleep with a rucksack with filling and wear nose plasters and go back in a couple of months to see if I really need a CPAP machine or not.
It's going to be rather strange going to bed wearing a rucksack but I guess there are worse things in life!
Cheers!

[Seventy]

I don’t suffer personally but I thought I’d seen a thread fairly recently - here it is:

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[quinny100]

The obstructive number will be what is commonly known as AHI - Apnea/Hypopnea Index.

This is the number of disruptive breathing events per hour - either apneas or hypopneas. An apnea is a complete pause in breathing, a hypopnea is a period of shallow breathing.

AHI should be below 5 ideally. Above 30 is classed as severe.

There is a lot of focus on AHI, I suspect because it’s easy for CPAP machines to measure - but the effect on your oxygen saturation and heart rate are far more important as that is ultimately what causes the symptoms.

If you want to learn more, CPAP Reviews channel on YouTube is a very good place to start - Nicko who owns the channel is an Australian sleep specialist who presents in an understandable way.

On a personal note, I wouldn’t be afraid of CPAP if there’s any question you need it. I started on it last year and wish I’d done it much sooner. Doesn’t bother me at all and I’ve slept like a baby since the first night I got the machine. Previously I’d be up 3 or 4 times a night.

[paul.deitch]

Thanks for the feedback. Much appreciated. After two nights sleeping with a rucksack my BP has gone from 160+/110 to 130+/90. So that's very positive.

[pherlopolus]

I was 32 and am hovering around 1 with the machine. They actually stopped me driving until I went back for first check up which was about 7 weeks.

Mine started working after first night and had so much energy!

Things to look out for are dryness in nose/mouth/throat which can largely be cured with a humidifier on the machine. Also watch out for rain-out where moisture condenses in the tube and runs into mask/affects valves in mask etc. For that you will need a heated tube.

[andyA700]

paul.deitch said:

Thanks for the feedback. Much appreciated. After two nights sleeping with a rucksack my BP has gone from 160+/110 to 130+/90. So that's very positive.

That is very good, stick with it. I have been using CPAP for 22 years and noticed the same improvement from day one. My AHI was 68 prior to being treated.