"Mild" Sleep Apnea

[Unregistered]

I'm a young pilot (under 30) and my wife has complained before about me snoring and even stopping breathing from time to time. I've got an annual physical appointment lined up in a few weeks and I'm wondering if I should bring it up and ask about it (see reasons below).

I went ahead and did a self sleep study using a datalogging Pulse Oximiter. What I found was that my spO2 levels primarily stayed between 95 & 99, and the lowest it got was 91 (one time). There were also three other times it got as low as 93. I recorded 6 times during the night that my pulse increased rapidly along with the spO2 levels dropping. From looking at this data it appears I did indeed have 6 apnea events. I also did an audio recording and verified I was snoring before these events and then stopped breathing for a short time.

In my bit of research I found that there is a measurement of the severity of abnormal breathing and is basically measured in number of apnea events per hour. In my case I believe this number would be around 1 which would be categorized as "normal." Additionally since my spO2 never dropped below 90% I think this would also be normal. I don't have any problem staying awake during the day and can't remember the last time I took a nap during the day.

I'm wondering if I should even bring this up with my GP this month during my annual or if it would be good to go ahead and discuss with him and see what he thinks. Thanks for any input and help you can provide.

 

[Matthew]

You could bring it up, he might be able to explain the readings a little better. I don't think it would hurt anything.

I can't remember the exact number, 6 or 7? You need this many apneas per hour to meet the requirement for an OSA diagnosis. And to count as an apnea event, you have to stop breathing for a particular amount of time.

Since, based on your numbers, you don't have OSA, he might be able to make some suggestions on your snoring. You could also ask your dentist about a mouthpiece that could help, too.

 

[AggieMike88]

What is currently not in evidence here at this moment are the size/wight issues that the AME is going to use during the exam to judge your risk of OSA. The guidelines effective earlier this year say the AME's must do more intensive screening. We have discussed in past threads that airmen who have escaped this net are now being caught because of visual appearance items such as height/weight/BMI/neck size has the AME starting the OSA evaluation process.

Your situation as you describe has me saying two things. First, get it checked out by your family doc and a board certified sleep doc as needed. OSA can aggravate other health issues if left untreated. And many of us subscribe to the mantra of "Health first, fly later."

Second, your post says you're in a grey area of the unknown on a major FAA health issue. Start reading up on the issue both from a personal health standpoint and on what the FAA wants to know. Make sure your docs don't record something they think/guess might be there. Make sure you don't go into the AME's office without knowing that you do or don't have OSA.

Finally if your docs say you have OSA, do get a good CPAP and start therapy. You will be amazed at what a real good nights sleep does for you.


FAA announcement of the pending new Sleep Apnea rules: https://www.faa.gov/news/fact_sheets/news_story.cfm?newsId=18156

AME guidance material on OSA: http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org...e/guide/media/faa osa reference materials.pdf

 

[Unregistered]

OP here. I'm 6ft 170 lbs with a BMI of 23.1 so no issue on that side of things. I'm going to try to keep monitoring my spO2 levels overnight and am trying out a dental device that moves my lower jaw forward tonight. Also the first spO2 levels I mentioned were after 2 alcoholic drinks that night so that may have aggregated the situation. I'll bring it up with my doc but make sure he is careful about what he documents. I don't mind going through the whole get a CPAP if I really have a problem, but I don't want to create an issue if things are indeed normal.

 

[Matthew]

I did a little looking around for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) sleep apnea criteria. FAA uses the AASM guidelines. An apnea or hypopnea event has to last >= 10 seconds to count, and >= 5 /hr meets the criteria for a diagnosis.

OSA is OK for FAA to work with, Central Sleep Apnea is not. A home test can't tell the difference.

It sounds like you won't trigger an AME flag based on height, weight, and BMI. But that doesn't mean you don't have OSA. I didn't fit the profile either.

 

[Lindberg]

Second, your post says you're in a grey area of the unknown on a major FAA health issue. Start reading up on the issue both from a personal health standpoint and on what the FAA wants to know. Make sure your docs don't record something they think/guess might be there. Make sure you don't go into the AME's office without knowing that you do or don't have OSA.

Is this even a grey area? Six apnea events per hour would be mild sleep apnea. He had six per night. That's normal. OSA is not nearly the only cause of snoring, and most people snore sometimes.

My advice to the OP, which is worth what you paid for it, is buy some Breathe-Right strips and get on with your life. If your snoring isn't keeping your wife awake, it isn't that bad.