Explanation of AHI
Following several blood and heart monitoring tests, doctors confirmed that my stroke was caused by severe obstructive sleep apnea (AHI = 48.9). According to my sleep study, an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) of 30 or more is considered severe, while anything below 5 is classified as normal.
Mask Adjustment and Monitoring Progress
I’ve been using a full-face mask every night, which has been a major adjustment. Sleeping with something over my nose and mouth feels unnatural, and I have to regularly monitor the mask for air leakage, aiming to keep it below 16L/minute. A few times, I’ve managed to have zero leakage, but as a side sleeper, my tossing and turning often makes that challenging.
My CPAP machine app provides detailed tracking of how well the mask fits and monitors my AHI. It also records my progress, showing whether I’m meeting key goals like keeping leakage below 16L/min and maintaining an AHI of 6 or less, which I’ve been successfully achieving.. Below is my progress in detail.
Fatigue and Iron Levels
I recently had my iron levels checked, and since taking iron pills haven’t been effective, I’ll be getting an iron infusion soon. My hematologist believes that low iron could be contributing to my ongoing fatigue, though it might also be related to adjusting to the CPAP machine, or the common post-stroke symptom of fatigue, which I’ll discuss in another post.
“As you start to see the benefits in your life, you’ll never look back.” I’m getting there slowly, I do feel an improvement in my quality of sleep – when I wake up, I do feel like I slept well.