Posted by SleepyTimeGal on December 29, 2008 at 09:07:33:In Reply to: Please Explain My Latest Titration posted by Riv on December 28, 2008 at 17:10:01:
Basically, you do have sleep apnea and you do need treatment. The fact that your blood oxygen drops to 83%, 86% and 88%, even for a short time, is significant. Sleeping blood oxygen should never drop below 90%. Left untreated over a long period of time, it will cause cognitive deficits and memory problems; I speak from experience.
It looks like you also have some arousals from limb movements; sometimes an iron deficiency contributes to this.
It doesn't seem to be unusual that sleep apneics have trouble reaching Stage 3 & 4 sleep (the deepest, restorative sleep) even with CPAP. No one seems to know why; if they do, it hasn't been posted on this board.
With the range of pressure needed throughout the night, I would hope the doctor will prescribe a self-adjusting autopap.
Other, more knowledgeable posters, will undoubtedly have much to add. Good luck in your treatment.