Ever wonder how does sleep professionals determine if you are having mild, moderate or severe sleep apnea, and if your sleep apnea has improved with the continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment? Apnea-hypopnea Index (AHI) is a number that you might want to track for which apnea is the number of times one stops breathing for at least 10 seconds, and hypopnea is when one has a partial blockage of the airway with shallow breath. For example, if AHI is 4, one has approximately 4 incidents of hypopnea or apnea per hour for every hour of sleep. An AHI less than 5 is normal for mild and moderate sleep apnea patients, while for some severe sleep apnea patients the number depends if they are feeling more rested each morning, experiencing fewer symptoms, and progressively improving AHI.
Is it normal for your AHI to change or fluctuate, and when should you worry? If your AHI varies within reason such as during an afternoon nap or within a day or below AHI of 5, it should not be of concern but if the AHI was stable and suddenly increase over the past few days or weeks, even though there is a good mask fit each morning, you should seek sleep professionals or equipment provider for
advice. However, if the AHI rise above 5 and you are experiencing any of the events such as mask leak, mask-off events, central or complex sleep apnea (CSA), and due to changes in medication. If air is escaping from the CPAP mask, the air pressure to keep the airway open is insufficient and it can be due to a poorly fitted mask, inadequate cleaning or mouth leak, while mouth leak is the most common root of the problem especially if you are a mouth breather and using a nasal pillow or nasal mask. If you just started on CPAP therapy, it is common for one to remove the mask during the night might be unconsciously due to the discomfort of mask-wearing, do consult the doctor on ways to reduce such events for an effective treatment. If you have been diagnosed with obstructive sleep
apnea and are on CPAP therapy but the AHI is still rising, it might be due to another condition like central or complex sleep apnea as the brain might not be telling the body to breathe caused by a dysfunction in the central nervous system. Most newer models of CPAP machines will detect and report if one is experiencing CSA otherwise seek to consult the doctor or equipment provider to
resolve the issue. Lastly, if you are on periodic use of certain medications, narcotics or alcohol, it may cause the AHI to rise, and always consult the doctor if that is the root of the problem and on how to compensate for it
If you are experiencing any of the symptoms of sleep apnea such as snoring, daytime sleepiness, irritability, and low energy, it is important to consult a doctor to confirm the diagnosis early and the underlying issue of the cause of sleep apnea. Depending on your financial situation and sleep apnea condition, the doctor will work through with you the type of sleep apnea test in the comfort of your home or an in-lab sleep test to determine the precise nature of your condition to avoid any long-term issues. Besides most insurance companies now pay for sleep testing and CPAP OSA treatment, early intervention with a sleep apnea device can stop snoring or one can a sleep apnea CPAP trial from the equipment supplier or distributor that distributes a range of sleep apnea machine and CPAP supplies for a better quality of sleep and healthier overall well-being.
The Air Station
