Question 1

what is the minimum nightly time in terms of hours of cpap usage to achieve a therapeutic benefit?

Accepted Answer

Depends on how bad: Depends on how bad the sleep apnea is. If the apnea is mild you might have to wear the device all night to see a difference while someone with severe sleep apnea might see some difference with only an hour of real sleep since this would be more than they get in a whole night without cpap. It's best to use all night to avoid desaturations that lead to heart and brain issues of course.

Question 2

i always wake up dehydrated, but now that i have a cpap, i wake up dehydrated within 3-4 hours of going to bed.  what gives?

Accepted Answer

Dry mouth: Sounds like you likely breathe through your mouth at night, causing dryness. The air pushed into the airway by CPAP can make this worse. Drink fluids in the evening to make sure your body has enough water to produce saliva.

Question 3

had psg & woke q 2 min for 8 hrs. got cpap & now wake 11xs per hour. is there anythng else tht can b done? i use cpap @ hme but stll tired all day.

Accepted Answer

Abnormal sleep study: Your diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea with a prescription of CPAP requires vigilant follow up preferably with a sleep specialist.  CPAP adjustment may be necessary plus a host of lifestyle measures.  Medication could be indicated but only after close followup

Question 4

day 3 cpap.  sleep study ahi 59. with resmed auto ahi 4.5 --22 clear airway events. wore mask 7.2 hours. implications? how long before i am not tired?

Accepted Answer

Under a month.: You certainly need mask with ahi of 59. Most people do not keep the mask on as long so congrats. Sounds like you are dialed in. You should be able to catch up on your sleep and feel better in the next month. Give it time. It takes awhile to work off your sleep debt.

Question 5

are there effective alternatives to cpap? i have sleep apnea. my level of energy is very low, i fall asleep any time i am sitting still for more than an hour, when i am driving distances, and when at the movie theater, i cannot make through a movie withou

Accepted Answer

Short : Short of a tracheostomy (hole placed in the throat to breath) CPAP is considered the gold standard for treating osa because of it's effectiveness. Not knowing your ahi it is difficult to determine the severity of your disability, though, from the symptoms your describe, it appears to be high.  Depending upon the level/location of your obstruction there are other treatment modalities that may be considered, such as surgery or an oral appliance.  All have their advantages and disadvantages.  You should discuss your situation with your sleep management doctor.  Rest assured your complaints are not uncommon with patients who use cpap.

Question 6

would low o2 saturation levels at night below 90 for 2 to 3 hours with cpap result from breast  cancer radiation ?  normal lung function , chest x-ray

Accepted Answer

Probably not: Radiation damage to the lung can be detected functionally on pulmonary function tests.  If your pulmonary function tests are completely normal, it would be unlikely that radiation lung damage was the cause of the fall in 02 saturation.

Question 7

how does cpap work?

Accepted Answer

Airway splint: CPAP forces positive pressure into the nose/ mouth or both.  It acts as a pneumatic splint to open up a closed airway.  It can provide pressure when you breath in only or both when you breath in and out.  CPAP works for mild, moderate and severe sleep apnea.

Question 8

if i cannot afford cpap, now what?

Accepted Answer

CPAP: See if you can get on Medicaid.

Buy a used-reconditioned one. I have one myself I bought as a back up.  Will cost at least 1/2 as much.

Advertise for the type you need on Freecycle or in paper.

See what you can find online. 
Ask Dr. to have a social service consult to help pay.

Question 9

how can you tell if a cpap is working?

Accepted Answer

Sleep study : Ask your doctor to have a sleep study done while wearing the c pap machine. You will know if it is working during that study.

Question 10

my ahi on my cpap is normally between 1-3ish. last night it spiked to 4. on occasions i have seen it spike before but it also listed as my mask being off. this time, i only had 2 episodes of the mask being off. concerning?

Accepted Answer

: These number on the home CPAP machines have more to do with mask fit than anything else. If it is an occasional increase, just be certain the mask is on correctly and you don’t feel a significant leak of air around the edges. If the trend with an increase in the AHI continues, then see your sleep doctor so that the mask fit can be checked by the doctor. Good luck!

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Doctor answers about:

Events per hour on a CPAP

A member asked:

What is the minimum nightly time in terms of hours of cpap usage to achieve a therapeutic benefit?

A member asked:

I always wake up dehydrated, but now that i have a cpap, i wake up dehydrated within 3-4 hours of going to bed. what gives?

A member asked:

Had psg & woke q 2 min for 8 hrs. got cpap & now wake 11xs per hour. is there anythng else tht can b done? i use cpap @ hme but stll tired all day.

A member asked:

Day 3 cpap. sleep study ahi 59. with resmed auto ahi 4.5 --22 clear airway events. wore mask 7.2 hours. implications? how long before i am not tired?

A member asked:

Are there effective alternatives to cpap? i have sleep apnea. my level of energy is very low, i fall asleep any time i am sitting still for more than an hour, when i am driving distances, and when at the movie theater, i cannot make through a movie withou

A member asked:

Would low o2 saturation levels at night below 90 for 2 to 3 hours with cpap result from breast cancer radiation ? normal lung function , chest x-ray

A member asked:

How does cpap work?

A member asked:

If i cannot afford cpap, now what?

A member asked:

How can you tell if a cpap is working?

A member asked:

My ahi on my cpap is normally between 1-3ish. last night it spiked to 4. on occasions i have seen it spike before but it also listed as my mask being off. this time, i only had 2 episodes of the mask being off. concerning?

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