Sleep Eff   88.7
Stage 1     5.9%
stage 2      88.1%
stage 3/4   1.6%
Rem          4.4%
Sleep Lat    20.7/min
REM Lat      389/min

Arousal Index  12.6/ hr
RDI                 54.2/hr
RDI supine       66.0 / hr
RDI REM           82.1 / hr
Respiratory Events:     Apneas   299
                          Hypoapneas     91

Lowest Oxy Saturation               71%

Severe Obstructive Apnea

Snipe 32,

     There are three numbers that jump out at me. You have a Respiratory Disturbance Index (RDI) of 54.2 per hour. That means that you stop breathing for at least 10 seconds on an average of 54.2 times per hour. You do the math.

     You had an O2 saturation of of 71%. Doctors become concerned with any figure below 90%. This mean that your brain in not getting enough oxygen - that is why you have dayime drowsiness, fatigue, lethargy, headaches, and lack of concentration. It is dangerous to drive with your o2 that low. You could have a wreck and injure or kill someone.

     You have an arousal index of 12.6 per hour. This means that you go from a deeper sleep to a lighter sleep (not necessarily awaken) on an average 12.6 time an hour. This is an indication that you are experiencing disturbed sleep.

     I do hope that you are scheduled for a titration test very soon.

     Hope this helps.

Amos

I was scheduled for titration the night after my results came out.  My doctor was nice enough to do that even though I was suppose to wait 10 for my insurance to get approve because I'm active duty navy.  I was able to have lots of dream when I wore the cpap and didn't feel like I moved on the side.  I believe I slept on my back throughout the night.  I didn't have any problem wearing the nose mask.  I liked the air going through the nose and fell asleep pretty quick.  Tomorrow I am scheduled for an appointment to find out the results of my titration study.  The tech said she used 12 psi but its up to the doc.  I hope I get the machine soon cuz I drive 45 minutes to work everyday.  One question, once I have the machine does that mean I will no longer have apnea as long as I use the machine for sleep.  Thanks.  I will post my results tomorrow.   By the way he did mention that if I had that oxygen saturation during my day activity I would have been in ICU.  What do you mean by disturbed sleep?

snipe 32,

     Congratulations on being set up for the titration test and getting your equipment so soon. Yes, you will always have apnea. You will discover this truth if you nap in your lounge chair during the day or sleep at night without your equipment.

     Cpap therapy acts as an air splint to keep you airways open; since, of course, the doctors can't put a plastic or wooden splint in your throat.

     Disturbed sleep means that you are not getting recuperative sleep. You awaken and feel as if you have been wrestling all night not rested and refreshed.

     Hope that your apnea does not interfere with you Navy career. I have a son working as a civilian at the Kingsbay Submarine Base in St. Mary's, GA.

Amos

Hi Snipe,

You might notice that during your sleep study, you seldom got out of stage 2 and into stages 3 and 4 which are the deeper more restorative sleep stages.  Below are the normal sleep percentages.  


Normal sleep% are:
Stage 1 - 5%
Stage 2 - 55%
Stage 3/4 - 20%
REM - 20%

And as Amos indicated, your sleep apnea is severe.  It's worse while sleeping on your back (which is typical), but it's severe no matter how you sleep.  Mild apnea is 5-15 apneas per hour; moderate is 15-30; severe is 30 or more per hour.  So I do hope you get your machine soon.

You asked "once I have the machine does that mean I will no longer have apnea as long as I use the machine for sleep?"  Yes, but only if it's all working properly.  So once you start your cpap, be watchful of how you progress.  There can be some problems at first, or not.  The biggest thing seems to involve the mask.  Sometimes it can take some trial and error to get one that fits you good and doesn't leak much.  Plus some have the issue of mouth breathing.  If you are a mouth breather and are using a nose-only mask, then you won't get the full benefit of the cpap.  Some mouth breathers end up not doing so when they start cpap with the nose-only mask.  But if you start using a nose-only mask and find you're mouth breathing or getting excessive dry mouth, then you may have to change the type of mask.  Plus, there have been situations in which the pressure works for awhile and you're feeling better, but then it stops working.  Some people need some fine tuning of their machine, where the pressure needs to be increased.

But if all is working as it should and you're using cpap regularly, then yes, it reduces your apneas to normal levels.  (less than 5 apneas per hour is considred normal)

Good luck!


Linda

I know this is an old thread but can anyone answer my questions.

I had a sleep study done and I'm concerned about my Oximetry Data.   The lowest O2 saturation was 86% and the amount of time that the saturation was below 89% was 0.5 min.  The same table lists "Average Wake (%) = 97.    What does this mean?  I know the 86% is low but how do I interpret that in the context of the amount of time that the saturation was below 89% as 0.5 min. ?

Sleep efficiency 91% and Arousal Index was 9.2/h

I sure would appreciate any help with this.

Thanks!