Are you currently on continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) expecting the promise of an improvement of your sleep apnea but does not seem like the case and should you be concerned about it? Some common questions might come to your mind, why do I still have apneas or apnea hyponea index (AHI) more than zero even when I am already on CPAP therapy, at which AHI scale is it considered safe or normal, and why does my AHI scale jump higher when I took a short nap?
CPAP therapy, oral appliances and other sleep apnea treatments are designed to reduce the AHI and not cure your sleep apnea, and it is normal even for people who are not suffering from sleep apnea to have up to 4 apneas an hour, or a varying AHI from night to night. Depending on the severity of your sleep apnea, the AHI target goal should correspond accordingly for example if one has severe sleep apnea with an AHI of 40 and down to 8 after starting on CPAP therapy, it still brings short and long-term benefits although 8 is considered as mild sleep apnea, the patient is waking up fewer times and more restorative sleep as compared to without the treatment. Ideally, the treatment goal should be getting AHI below 5 but do consult the doctor about what is an acceptable AHI for you that is based on your condition, and the adjustments to consider if the AHI rises above the target goal. However, AHI is just one of the indicators to determine if the sleep apnea treatment is working, if the following symptoms such as snoring, constant tiredness, poor concentration, night sweats, weight gain, lack of energy, forgetfulness, sexual dysfunction, frequent nighttime urination, morning headaches, insomnia, depression or anxiety, have improved or disappeared it can be an indicator that the treatment is working especially if you are women in menopause phase suffering from frequent morning headaches, insomnia, depression or anxiety. Nonetheless, if you are new to the treatment, it takes time to reach the target goal as it takes time to adjust to the mask discomfort or you might be tempted to remove the mask in the middle of your sleep. Hence, it is important to consult the doctor or equipment supplier for a mask fitting to find the right size, model, and type of mask if your AHI does not improve over a long time. More importantly, if your AHI measures the total number of events per hour and not the total number for example if you took a 30 minutes nap and your AHI is 4, it meant you only experienced 2 apneas which is still within the normal range.
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.
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