I just got the results from my sleep study and was diagnosed with mild sleep apnea. Study results found:

Results:
Total recording time - 466 min
Total sleep - 424 min
Stage 1 - 45 min - 11%
Stage 2 - 208 min - 49%
Stage 3 - 92 min - 22%
REM      - 78 min - 18%

Apneas REM 3, NREM 3, Total events 6
Hypopneas REM 18, NREM 42, Total events 60
AHI 9 (total), REM AHI 16
RERAS 42
RDI 15.3

ECG shows some PVC's and intermittent bigeminy

Arousal 271 total arousals or 38 per hour

O2 - base 96%, lowest 91%

No leg movement issues.

Mild snoring



I've read posts from others with numbers much worse and I can understand how they have benefited from xPAP treatement. I'm curious if others with mild sleep apnea have found CPAP worth the trouble? Has it made a difference for you?

SortaSleepyInSeattle wrote:

I just got the results from my sleep study and was diagnosed with mild sleep apnea. Study results found:

Results:
Total recording time - 466 min
Total sleep - 424 min
Stage 1 - 45 min - 11%
Stage 2 - 208 min - 49%
Stage 3 - 92 min - 22%
REM      - 78 min - 18%

Apneas REM 3, NREM 3, Total events 6
Hypopneas REM 18, NREM 42, Total events 60
AHI 9 (total), REM AHI 16
RERAS 42
RDI 15.3

ECG shows some PVC's and intermittent bigeminy

Arousal 271 total arousals or 38 per hour

O2 - base 96%, lowest 91%

No leg movement issues.

Mild snoring



I've read posts from others with numbers much worse and I can understand how they have benefited from xPAP treatement. I'm curious if others with mild sleep apnea have found CPAP worth the trouble? Has it made a difference for you?

Forget about the numbers for a little while.
You were referred for a sleep study for some reason or other.......what type of symptoms were you experiencing ?
You appear to have some cardiac issues. Your sleep architecture looks OK.

OSA, whether mild, moderate or severe......if symptomatic needs treatment.
OSA, if left untreated will deteriorate with time and become more severe and symptomatic.

What has your sleep doctor said to you ?

OSA is seldom, if ever, straight forward.

Daniel.


_________________
The untreated Sleep Apnoea sufferer died quietly in his sleep.......
Unlike his three passengers who died screaming !!!!!!

(Anon)

My wife & daughter were hoping for an end to the snoring. I was hoping for an improvement in depression.

I've always fallen asleep easily, but since the study, now that I'm paying attention, I do feel tired quite a bit.

My doctor says 1) lose weight and the problem may take care of itself (I'm 6', 250 lbs), and 2) I can start with CPAP if I want.

SortaSleepyInSeattle wrote:

My wife & daughter were hoping for an end to the snoring. I was hoping for an improvement in depression.

I've always fallen asleep easily, but since the study, now that I'm paying attention, I do feel tired quite a bit.

My doctor says 1) lose weight and the problem may take care of itself (I'm 6', 250 lbs), and 2) I can start with CPAP if I want.

I'm disappointed with your doctor's attitude........is he/she a sleep doctor or GP ?
To say that the problem MAY take care of itself is not satisfactory. You have a total of 38 arousals per hour......this has to be addressed.

Excessive tiredness is usually brought about by a disrupted sleep architecture (usually lack of Stage N3 Sleep). In your case you seem to be getting sufficient Stage N3 Sleep. There can be other causes also. Depression can also be a side effect of untreated sleep apnoea.

Even with complete data, and as we are not medics it is hard to pinpoint exact causes. IMHO, I suggest that you give XPAP a try, as it will help to treat the condition, and stop any deterioration.

Daniel.


_________________
The untreated Sleep Apnoea sufferer died quietly in his sleep.......
Unlike his three passengers who died screaming !!!!!!

(Anon)

Given that untreated OSA itself causes weight gain and makes it difficult to loss weight, why not go ahead and get a CPAP?  You will get a jump-start to getting healthy and if you have a sleep study down the road after losing weight and find that you don't need a CPAP anymore, then that will be great.  But for now, you will be treated and you will immediately begin regaining your health.

Vicki



Last edited by Vicki on Sat Oct 03, 2009 2:45 am; edited 1 time in total
_________________
Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent.
Marilyn Von Savant

That which does not kill you makes you stronger-Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich must of had apnea.

Seeing that you are not having too many apneas, positional therapy or weight loss may very well correct your sleep disorder breathing.

It couldnt hurt to go through with CPAP and lose weight simultaneously.

I think the best question is: Do you want to better your health and not tear your system apart when you stop breathing multiple times in a night?

You're tired. Your body is telling you something.

For example (not related to you), you know how experts/doctors/etc. say that the body gives signs before having a heart attack? The body has pain in the arms, neck and jaw. People ignore these signs and then they have a heart attack. If they survive, they look back and think "I should have gone to the doctor when I felt that pain." [NOTE: I'm not saying you're going to have a heart attack if you don't treat sleep apnea...I'm using as an example for not listening to your body.]

Your body is not breathing when it should be. Because of your fragmented sleep, your body is getting tired when it shouldn't be. It's telling you "I need to sleep better. Something's wrong." Try to hold your breath for 30 seconds. Then breathe for 30 seconds. Then hold it for 30 seconds. Then breathe. Then hold. etc. This is what is happening, more or less, at night -- you just don't realize it.

So the next question is: Do you want to listen to your body?


_________________
Previous Mask: F&P Zest (did not like)
Current Mask: Resmed Swift LT for her (nasal pillow)
CPAP: F&P Sleep Series 234

maf79 wrote:

I think the best question is: Do you want to better your health and not tear your system apart when you stop breathing multiple times in a night?

You're tired. Your body is telling you something.

For example (not related to you), you know how experts/doctors/etc. say that the body gives signs before having a heart attack? The body has pain in the arms, neck and jaw. People ignore these signs and then they have a heart attack. If they survive, they look back and think "I should have gone to the doctor when I felt that pain." [NOTE: I'm not saying you're going to have a heart attack if you don't treat sleep apnea...I'm using as an example for not listening to your body.]

Your body is not breathing when it should be. Because of your fragmented sleep, your body is getting tired when it shouldn't be. It's telling you "I need to sleep better. Something's wrong." Try to hold your breath for 30 seconds. Then breathe for 30 seconds. Then hold it for 30 seconds. Then breathe. Then hold. etc. This is what is happening, more or less, at night -- you just don't realize it.

So the next question is: Do you want to listen to your body?

According to the experts at the American College of Chest Physicians in an October 2005 issue of "Chest" magazine, as many as 60% of the people with obstructive sleep apnea experience a lowering of symptoms when they slept on their side as opposed to their back. They estimate that as many as 50% of the people that experience sleep apnea could be successfully treated by using positional therapy.

I'm not disputing that; however, I don't think people should depend fully on that for treatment unless their doctor says that is 100% the problem. It doesn't help everyone. For instance, I've never been a back sleeper yet I have moderate OSA to the point where I was almost falling asleep while driving --118 events a night.

My fear would be that leading people to believe that their OSA could be more or less cured by avoiding sleeping on their back when they possibly would still need to be treated with their CPAP but wouldn't realize it or wouldn't accept it. I know that OSA can be positional, but I think it varies greatly on the individual.


_________________
Previous Mask: F&P Zest (did not like)
Current Mask: Resmed Swift LT for her (nasal pillow)
CPAP: F&P Sleep Series 234

maf79 wrote:

I'm not disputing that; however, I don't think people should depend fully on that for treatment unless their doctor says that is 100% the problem. It doesn't help everyone. For instance, I've never been a back sleeper yet I have moderate OSA to the point where I was almost falling asleep while driving --118 events a night.

My fear would be that leading people to believe that their OSA could be more or less cured by avoiding sleeping on their back when they possibly would still need to be treated with their CPAP but wouldn't realize it or wouldn't accept it. I know that OSA can be positional, but I think it varies greatly on the individual.

I didnt mean to reply to YOU. I am so used to doing that, so I go "trigger happy". It was just a general observation, but one that has a lot of weight, IMO.

But you are right, it doesn't help everyone, which is what the study suggests. It helps 1 out of every 2, according to their research.

Given that we do not know if SSinS's OSA is positional I don't think it is in their best interest to suggest positional therapy without the caveot that they fully discuss it with their doctor.  I know that was probably your idea RAM, but it needs to be clarified so that people don't assume they should just follow our advice without consulting their sleep doc.

Vicki


_________________
Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent.
Marilyn Von Savant

That which does not kill you makes you stronger-Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich must of had apnea.

Thanks all for your input. I plan to try the xpap machine to see If it helps. I was hoping to hear someone say that they had "mild" apnea and they felt way better once they treated it. I'll give it a shot and let you know how it goes...

FWIW-
I do have mild apnea and CPAP has made a significant difference for me. The results were not an overnight phenomenon. It took probably a few weeks to see any change and about 6 weeks before I was realizing the full benefit.

I hope things go as well and as even more quickly for you.

Best wishes,
Bill

I got my APAP yesterday. First night was not too bad... I woke up a bit groggy, but given all the strange gear I was wearing I'm not too surprised. Hopefully I'll sleep better as I get used to it.

I did get 7 hours of therapy and the machine reports AHI of 1.2. No major mask issues, just a bit of fiddling around with it in the night as I changed positions.

I'm a 22 year old female, 5'1" and 120 pounds. So the last thing I was expecting from going to the sleep clinic was them telling me I had sleep apnea. It's mild, but when I go into REM, it doubles. All but one of my episodes were hypopneas. They said it woke me up on average 24 times an hour during REM, which helps explain my sleepiness. I thought I had REM sleep disorder, because I yell, talk, sing, laugh and do everything in my sleep. Seems like that night I didn't. Had a hard time sleeping with all that stuff attached to me.

I went in last week and tried the CPAP. I didn't want to, but the doctor said to give it a try. I slept a lot better last time, but who knows if it had anything to do with the mask on my face. I go in for my results next week and I'm curious as to how much it helped. How are you feeling now that you've had it for awhile? I just wish I didn't have to start using something like this so young...or ever. But I don't want problems later in life.