AHI Score - Why Is It Important?
Vložit
- čas přidán 1. 08. 2024
- What is an AHI score? This is something many patients ask once they have done a sleep study and they receive information telling them that their AHI was high. AHI stands for Apnea-Hypopnea Index, let's break this down to get a better understanding.
Apnea is the cessation of breathing for more than 10 seconds during periods of the night. Hypopnea is shallow breathing for 10 seconds or more resulting in a 30-90% reduction in airflow from your normal breathing that results in a 3-4% decrease in your oxygen saturation.
Collectively, Apneas and Hypopneas are called events and they are calculated by counting all of the events and dividing the number of events by the number of hours slept. You might ask why do you need to know the AHI and the answer is very simple; your AHI score provides you an indication of how severe your sleep apnea is is used by professionals to determine what therapy is right for you and also to determine if any adjustments need to be made to the given therapy. There are multiple treatment options if you do have a high AHI.
Treatment options for patients that have sleep apnea are as follows:
CPAP machine therapy involves wearing a mask connected to a machine that keeps your airways open via constant positive air pressure.
Oral appliance involves you going to a Dentist and them designing an appliance that will keep your jaw forward, in turn, keeping your tongue from blocking the airway.
An electrical stimulator implant involves a surgery that will put a stimulator in your body to provide an electrical pulse every time the tongue falls back and blocks your airway.
These are the three main treatment options when it comes to your AHI and whether you choose one treatment method or another is completely up to you. One thing we can tell you for sure is if you have a high AHI you do want to seek treatment because having sleep apnea can put you at risk of developing a multitude of health conditions. Whether your AHI is at 5 or is above 30 no matter the level you should get treatment immediately to prevent any further conditions from developing.
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:54 What is AHI?
01:53 AHI Calculation
02:21 Treatment options
03:14 Should I look for treatment?
04:40 Causes of a High AHI
Shop Online:
Our Store: sleeplay.com
CPAP Machines: sleeplay.com/collections/cpap...
CPAP Masks: sleeplay.com/collections/cpap...
CPAP Cleaning: sleeplay.com/collections/cpap...
CPAP Supplies: sleeplay.com/collections/cpap...
Oxygen Therapy: sleeplay.com/collections/oxyg...
Go Social:
Facebook: / sleeplayground
Instagram: / sleeplayground
Twitter: / sleeplayground
TikTok: / sleeplayground
I have been on cpap for almost 9 years ,& your explantion is wonderful!!! You explain AHI the way no doctor ever has ,you made it very understandable .
=) Thank You so much for your feedback!!
I AGREE!! :)
The very BEST explanation of AHI yet!!!
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed.
Excellent presentation; thank you for making it understandable.
Glad it was helpful!
Great information!! This helped me a lot🥰
Glad it was helpful!
Excellent presentation!
Thank you so much! Stay tuned for more informative content :)
Excellent presentation , learned the definition of AHI , importance of mask fit , cushion replacement and lots more ...
We are glad this was helpful! Thank you so much for the compliment. Please let us know if there is anything we can assist you with ever.
Nice explanation. Thanks
You are welcome, thank you for the feedback
Life changing! With my CPAP I’m 0.7-1.3. Old number was through the roof and I woke up with horrible headaches nearly every day. All gone now.
Absolutely, judging by your comment you must of had a very high AHI previously. Those numbers you are at now would definitely give you a life changing experience. We are so happy to hear, Keep it up!!
What is your max pressure now?
@@bobshelton9049 I had the Dreamstation set the pressure level automatically and then I tweaked some of the other settings myself. I’ve always been at 11.0.
@@skepticalobserver7484 do you have it set on CPAP or AUTO? Thanks
This information is very helpful. I was gifted a Resmed 9 and have been using it for 3 months. I had an at home sleep study 3 months ago that indicated I have sever sleep apnea. Because I did not purchase the machine from the company that I used for the sleep study it has been very difficult to get a compliance report. I have viewed many CZcams videoes to learn how to access the compliance report information and have been recording my report daily for the last week.
Do you have any recommendations for accessing the compliance report using wireless date therapy modules on the back? I do not have the modules and wonder if they are available for purchase since my machine is a 9 and the current version is an 11 from my understanding.
Yes, you can access the compliance and data off of the SD card that should be in your S9. That is an older machine but a good one never the less. The newest unit is the Airsense 11 but they are currently having issues with the data being sent and an SD card would still be needed at this time also. But yes the newest unit is the Airsense 11 which is a great machine. Let me know if I can help further, I would be happy to!
Thanks my fellow Puerto Rican dude
You bet, LOL!
My AHI is never over 1 and is usually 0.3 or 0.7 but I still wear a cpap and fatigue is horrible everyday and has been for years now. I can't workout and no ,longer try and the doctors have ruled out everything but even with a low AHI still want me to wear my cpap. It makes no sense and I actually feel worse when I don't wear it so I don't know. With such a low AHI I don't even think I need one.
Hi,
I would say your AHI is below 1 because you are wearing the CPAP machine. You may have other issue causing that. Not to be personal but I just spoke to a family member regarding that. My body feels dead and drained I have no motivation to do anything. It may be a lack of a vitamin or something like that. I am trying to figure out as well. But if the AHI is under 5 it is due to the machine being worn.
Hi, my four year old airsense10 auto was replaced in July this year because of the noise it was making with a same up to date model. I wear a full face mask with no leak problems, my AHI was 5.0 or below on the old machine but from day one of using the new one my AHI shot up to an average of the high teens sometimes 21. The sleep lab have remotely tested it and say it’s working fine but they did alter the EPR but it made no difference. Any ideas would be much appreciated, it’s set at min 4 & max 20, it’s too much of a coincidence that my AHI changed dramatically the day I got my new replacement. John.
Hi John,
Thanks for reaching out! Is there a lot of leakage coming from somewhere perhaps? The high leakage sometimes is detected as Unspecified Events but there not really Obstructive Events. If it is an Auto machine , there is minimal leakage and the pressure is adjusting but still not eliminating your events. You could be having Central Events where the CPAP would not correct those. You would have to get retested at that time, to see if the BIPAP may be needed.
I am confused about AHI. So when it is low numbers it is because of the machine? Or I would get the same numbers if I didn’t use the machine?
What normal people get when they don’t have the machine?
Yes, the AHI is the (Apnea) when you stop breathing for 10 seconds or greater. (Hypopnea) when you have shallow breathe for 10 seconds or greater. The (Index) per hour of the events. That should be under 5 meaning your sleep apnea is gone during the time of use. Yes, most people have under 5 events per hour normally.
Hi I purchased an airsense 10 about three months ago unfortunately the machine developed a fault and I was without it for six weeks while resmed repaired it.
My concern is that my AHI was 5.6 and central apnea 2.4 since the machine has been returned it’s jumped up to 17 and 15 is this normal or could the machine still have a fault!
It just seems odd given I’m using the same settings??
Wow, is the machine on Auto settings? If so and all is the same with you, as it was when you first started CPAP. It should not be that high or that big of a difference. I would bring to a local DME to test or look at if able.
I am set at 4 and even with that have mostly stomach air so uncomfortable. Is there a machine that goes below four is their a way to slow the air
Hi Thanks for reaching out! No, 4 is the lowest pressure there is the more you use it should become much easier for you. There is a device to help with Inspiratory pressure relief to help with bloating etc. I have attached for you below.
sleeplay.com/products/sleepres-v-com
During my test in Feb, I was at 156. This week I finally got a machine (yes, four months later). First night, 0.4. Second 0.6. Third night (last night) 0.0. Is this normal? Or is the machine THAT good?
Your AHI was 156 or 156 was the total number of events during your test? Remember, AHI is number of events divided by the hours you slept
@@Miss_Millie_ it was six months ago, so I don’t remember- he just said it was one of the highest AHI numbers he’s ever seen. I have a follow up appointment next week to clarify
@@Miss_Millie_ just got a message back from my clinic (after hours crew responds quick!). It’s an AHI of 156. Don’t know what that equates to per hour as I think I only slept 3hrs that night, they said it was less.
Answering your other question, I also don’t feel much better even though I’m sleeping “better”. Maybe it’s a long term thing. I guess I’m not falling asleep standing up any longer, so that’s a plus…
The machine is basically eliminated your sleep apnea! Coming from an AHI of 156 to 0.4 or 0.6 is amazing!! You should definitely be feeling a big difference. Happy to hear.
Hi, Need clarification please. So my events shows 0.1 under sleep report, if I scroll down the AHI for a month shows 1.9. Something not right, right?
My sleep study showed 718 events in 8hrs of sleep (so an AHI of 90). With therapy my AHI is under 1. You'd think I'd feel better for it but I don't. Why is that??
Hello,
CPAP therapy does have side effects like headaches and dry mouth. What symptoms do you have?
@@Sleeplayground super tired & groggy, super dry mouth (with use of a chin strap), mouthfuls & gut full of air
@@Miss_Millie_ How long have you been using the CPAP machine?
Hi, I’m on machine for day 3 now, just woke up and my score is 0.9 ahi, humidity 2 , therapy 8hours. Could someone please tell me what all this means? Is it a good score? i feel a lot better without it the dry mouth when I wake up
As a long term Autoset cpap user, your numbers are pretty good. I typically use a humidity of 4. Your .9 is not bad at all. Make sure your mask is not leaking.
@@Sebastian-ov4uo thanks for the reply, I’ll turn up the humidity and it’s definitely not leaking, just uncomfortable on my nose cause I use the nasal mask
An AHI of 0.9 means you have mild sleep apnea, the humidity level of 2 just means thats the level of heat it's putting out. The AHI score is good but if you are having an issue with dry mouth you may want to turn the humidifier level up.
I thought an AHI above 5 was more than just mild sleep apnea? Mines at .06
I have had a ahi of 1to3 for that last two years and just went to my doctor a year ago and she didn't take me off my my bipap machine please help
Is that withe the BIPAP the AH of 1 to 3?
I'm using cpap and it say 2.3 per hr is that okay??
Yes, it is great. The goal is an AHI of 5.0 or under, your doing Awesome, Keep it up!
I'm in Japan and my doctor doesn't do much at all. He just gives me my AHI report every three months. My AHI is all over the place. I'm trying to set the pressure myself and around 8cm seem OK but my lowest AHI June 3rd and 4th were 0.8. Then September 12th 22.1. The best pressure is in the eight level. Im at a loss, feel like a weak kitten most of the time. HELP if you can. Thanks in advance.
Edward
Hi Thanks for reaching out! I apologize to hear that no one is helping. I would try to avoid as much as possible setting the machine yourself. If you have been diagnosed with OSA then you can go to a doctor to send you to be re titrated for the current pressure needed. Possibly an Autoset pressure would work for you of 6-20, it would titrate to what is needed throughout the evening so your not guessing or trying to decipher from the report what is needed.
don't wait for a doctor help yourself with Oscar, reddit and youtube it can be tweaked really easy and fast, night over night to get the best settings and fastest results.
That's what i did a week ago and now i can sleep really well.
This may or may not help, but my doctor has the pressure max set at 13 on my machine. The daily report from the cpap machine shows a minimum pressure "4.0 cmH2O" and "90% pressure" at 13.0 cmH2O. Dr had the max set to 14, but that ended up being too high & was causing unpleasant symptoms in my body that I felt during the daytime. The symptom was hard to describe, but it was like a shakyness. Once he had the cpap supplier lower the pressure to 13, that symptom went away.
@@Sleeplayground Thanks, I have my pressure set 9cmH20 now and it's perfect. My daily AHI is now most nights 2 or below. I finally found the right pressure. 🐱
Even when i use the Cpap i am still tired, the AHI is around 3,5-5 or 6
Those number are good as far as the events per hour. However you may need to check with the doctor possible suplemental oxygen or a different form of therapy may be needed.
The ahi percent overall is 17 percent but number of events a night .04 or . 02
=)
My ahi is 32.6 still waiting for machine been more than 3 weeks.hope I get one soon.
? Is this going to be your first machine?
He is Amazing doctor he’s playing very clearly I like it very good very good
=)
I've seen videos where it was said you can't trust what your machine is reporting regarding AHI.
I would say more when you do Home Sleep test you would give maybe 5 to 10 more events or apneas per hour then what it reads, because of accuracy. As far as the machine I have not heard of anything like that.
Mine was 116 and with bipap its now 3.8.
Thats Great! Glad the machine is helping
People without sleep apnea made up the rule that 5 or under is normal. Anything over 2 and I feel like ass. I'm actually quoting my doctor right now too lol. He has sleep apnea himself so his goal is always 2 or under and he ignores the 5. I guarantee everyone with sleep apnea can relate to this comment. There's a drastic difference in energy when you can get it under 2
Andrew we hear you and we definitely can help you reach that goal!
So I have 60 how do you think I feel?
Just realized I should follow up on this and say it's the Apnea part of the AHI that is preferable to be under 2 (through experience). The hypopnea contribution is a little more forgiving. So gotta look at the sleep report and not just the AHI
My event 1.4 per hour means..
That is an awesome AHI! hat means the machine is doing exactly what it is intended for to eliminate you apneic events. Keep up the great work!
Today I am lightheaded and not alert.On cpap 8 months
Hi, Thanks for commenting. May I ask the type of machine you are on?
@@Sleeplayground Resmed 11
Ahi 0.9
Aleluia
Thanks!
My score is 60 events an hour
.
a
Hi, can you cure from sleep apnea if you loose weight?
Obstructive sleep apnea if you lose enough weight most times, yes. Central sleep apnea no.
A lot of the weight gain comes from the sleep apnea. When you do not reach REM sleep, your metabolism does not work properly causing weight gain. So naturally, if you are on machine and getting the sleep you need it is opposite.
@@Sleeplayground
Thanks, I have an apnea test in a few weeks, I woke up coughing a few times and that is why I am going to do that test, I have been under a lot of stress and am still suffering from it
!
=)
So 70 is still stupid high on the Machine ..
Hello,
Is the 70 referring to your AHI or events per hour?
@@Sleeplayground thank you
Been to my doc and now have a new
Machine which has been working well last night only
17 an hour thank you for the reply