Remember, I discussed how many times I stopped breathing in an average hour of sleep, and my lowest oxygen saturation levels.
So what is considered stopping breathing during these sleep studies?
Well, the first thing is that the cessation of breathing must be for a minimum of 10 seconds to be considered an apnea episode. Some episodes can actually last 2 minutes or longer. As long as the sufferer continues sleeping, the apnea episode will continue. It is only stopped when the brain wakes the sufferer up and stimulates the muscles in the throat to open the airways again. This can happen hundreds of times a night, without even being aware that it is happening.
Also included, though, are hypopnea events, or times when the breathing becomes shallow or the breathing rate decreases. While there is still some breathing, the oxygen saturation levels will still decrease, because not enough air is being taken into the lungs.
Apnea and hypopnea episodes are almost always accompanied by a decrease in the oxygen saturation levels in the blood. This can be used in combination with the number of events to determine the severity. Thus the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) is used. So, here is a brief definition using the AHI of the levels of severity of sleep apnea.
Mild apnea is usually 5 to 15 episodes of apnea or hypopnea every hour with 86% or more oxygen saturation in the blood.
Moderate apnea is typically 15 to 30 episodes of apnea or hypopnea every hour with 80% to 85% oxygen saturation.
Severe apnea is when more than 30 episodes of apnea or hypopnea every hour occurs with no more than 79% oxygen saturation.
The more severe the sleep apnea is, the more it will affect your waking lifestyle, including possibly falling asleep at inappropriate times. If you think you may suffer from sleep apnea, talk to your doctor, and see if a sleep study is indicated for your symptoms.
Sleep Apnea Severity Levels
I touched briefly on the severity of my recently diagnosed sleep apnea. This post will go just a little deeper into what determines how bad your sleep apnea really is.
Remember, I discussed how many times I stopped breathing in an average hour of sleep, and my lowest oxygen saturation levels.
So what is considered stopping breathing during these sleep studies?
Well, the first thing is that the cessation of breathing must be for a minimum of 10 seconds to be considered an apnea episode. Some episodes can actually last 2 minutes or longer. As long as the sufferer continues sleeping, the apnea episode will continue. It is only stopped when the brain wakes the sufferer up and stimulates the muscles in the throat to open the airways again. This can happen hundreds of times a night, without even being aware that it is happening.
Also included, though, are hypopnea events, or times when the breathing becomes shallow or the breathing rate decreases. While there is still some breathing, the oxygen saturation levels will still decrease, because not enough air is being taken into the lungs.
Apnea and hypopnea episodes are almost always accompanied by a decrease in the oxygen saturation levels in the blood. This can be used in combination with the number of events to determine the severity. Thus the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) is used. So, here is a brief definition using the AHI of the levels of severity of sleep apnea.
Mild apnea is usually 5 to 15 episodes of apnea or hypopnea every hour with 86% or more oxygen saturation in the blood.
Moderate apnea is typically 15 to 30 episodes of apnea or hypopnea every hour with 80% to 85% oxygen saturation.
Severe apnea is when more than 30 episodes of apnea or hypopnea every hour occurs with no more than 79% oxygen saturation.
The more severe the sleep apnea is, the more it will affect your waking lifestyle, including possibly falling asleep at inappropriate times. If you think you may suffer from sleep apnea, talk to your doctor, and see if a sleep study is indicated for your symptoms.
Until next time
Sleep well
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