Sleep Apnea and Me
Blood Oxygen Saturation Monitor on Amazon.com
Sleep apnea and me it was always something that I didn’t believe could happen. It is such an insidious condition. It sneaks up on you without a warning. But I take that back there were warnings. Years earlier, my wife had noticed my breathing difficulty while I slept. I dismissed it. Complete and utter denial.
A simple blood test turns the tide
It wasn’t until my general practitioner doctor started doing tests on my blood oxygen levels that it started me thinking about what sleep apnea was doing to me. Blood oxygen levels are a simple test that uses a Fingertip Blood Oxygen Saturation Monitor to let you know what your levels are. If you have sleep apnea your levels will be low.
Q: What is a dangerous blood oxygen level?
A: QUICK ANSWER
Blood oxygen levels under 90 percent are considered low and warrant immediate medical attention, according to the Mayo Clinic. A dangerous blood oxygen level, also called hypoxemia, occurs when a lower-than-average level of oxygen is circulating from the blood to the cells and tissues of the body. Normal blood oxygen levels are within the 95 to 100 percent range.From www.reference.com, https://www.reference.com/health/dangerous-blood-oxygen-level-9531efe81ddde283
In my case, my oxygen levels were low. Low enough that I could have taken a nap at every long stop light. I had almost all the telltale signs of sleep apnea. Testing needed to happen.
Signs and symptoms
People with sleep apnea have problems with excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), impaired alertness, and vision problems. OSA may increase risk for driving accidents and work-related accidents. If OSA is not treated, people are at increased risk of other health problems, such as diabetes. Even death could occur from untreated OSA due to lack of oxygen to the body.From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_apnea
I got tested
A sleep apnea test monitors your breathing and bodily functions. My test occurred at a sleep lab in the bay area. I was having the testing done by the VA. Testing at home was not available for me. The test determines how often you have a sleep apnea occurrence. The test results will give you a number. The number of times per hour you have an apnea occurrence. My number was shocking. It was over 90. That is more than one per minute. I rated severe sleep apnea. Interested in what happens during a sleep apnea test? The following video covers it pretty well.
The Apnea–Hypopnea Index or Apnoea–Hypopnoea Index (AHI) is an index used to indicate the severity of sleep apnea. It is represented by the number of apnea and hypopnea events per hour of sleep. The apneas (pauses in breathing) must last for at least 10 seconds and be associated with a decrease in blood oxygenation. Combining AHI and oxygen desaturation gives an overall sleep apnea severity score that evaluates both the number of sleep disruptions and the degree of oxygen desaturation (low oxygen level in the blood).
The AHI is calculated by dividing the number of apnea events by the number of hours of sleep. The AHI values for adults are categorized as:
Normal: AHI<5
Mild sleep apnea: 5≤AHI<15
Moderate sleep apnea: 15≤AHI<30
Severe sleep apnea: AHI≥30
For children, because of their different physiology, an AHI in excess of 1 is considered abnormal.From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apnea%E2%80%93hypopnea_index
My Options
My options for sleep apnea treatment are CPAP, a mouthpiece, or surgery. The VA currently does not support the mouthpiece. The VA does not consider the technology tested enough. So that method was out. Research on the surgical treatment did not sound promising with limited results. CPAP became the only method of treatment for me.
The Results
Now that I have had my CPAP machine for some time my number is in the single digits. Great news from the 90’s to the single digits. I have more energy. I can tell the difference when I skip a night or two of using the CPAP machine. Sleep apnea and me have finally settled into a routine.
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