Ask your Doctor, mine told to I had to sleep with my 02.

Grannie's right. Generally your doc would order a sleep test and/or a series of tests to determine what your SPO2 is at rest and at a given level of effort. From those tests they will determine whether or not you require O2 and what protion of the day it is needed...

Hugs,
Dennis

I'll talk to her tomorrow when I see her. All my tests were done while on large doses of prednisone and since being off it my function has declined. I think I will ask to have the tests done again. Not really an accurate picture of lung function if I was on 40mgs of prednisone at the time.

Hi,
Yes, ask your Dr. I had a sleep apnea/study a few weeks ago. I'm on oxygen 24/7 right now, and have been for almost 3 months.

So they tried me out to sleep without any oxygen, and after an hour, they put me on 2 liters. Then, i guess an hour later, my O2 went down to 72, so she put me on 3 liters.

I was wearing a bi pap machine at home. I go back to be tested/fitted and treated with a new mask, and will spend one more night having them diagnose what settings i will need on my machine.

I stopped breathing completely 3 times that night. I have moderate sleep apnea. I'm hoping that after I lose all the weight i want, i will not have to worry about sleep apnea anymore!

Good luck! Let us know what happens,

Boo

I didn't even know I needed oxygen at night until they tested me. They said my sats went down into the high 70. Getting the oxygen at night does make a big difference
God bless

Since yoou are supposedly at rest when in bed, your oxygen needs sre much less than during waking hours when you are up and about. The medical testing the others have mentioned is feasible and makes sense because it sounds as if you might be stopping breathing during this period, in which case you'll need a Cpap that will force oxygen into your lungs if, and when, you stop breathing. Many times I'll wake up in the morning with the thoughts/feelings thst I've stopped breathing during the night. I base that on the pulse ox readings which show in the very low 70's when I awaken, even tho I'm on 4LPM of P2 even at night!

See, ya got me wondering now if I'm stopping breathing during the night. I'll just wait until my next pulmo appt in May, and ask him, since he does sleep studies also.

I had a sleep study done. It showed that my oxygen saturation dropped off as I fell asleep; and dropped lower and lower; as I went into a deeper stage of sleep.
I started on night time oxygen. I am on oxygen 24/7, now, due to my Stage 4 rating, and my lung function tests (PFT).

What happens is that you when you sleep - your breathing slows down and becomes shallower: http://www.clevelandclinicmeded.com/medicalpubs/diseasemanagement/pulmonary/chronic-obstructive-pulmonary-disease/
There is a section a ways into this article on Sleep and COPD and sleep apnea.
SPO2 drops in those of us with COPD (without oxygen) because we are already functionining on the down side edge of a nonlinear oxygen utilization curve (because of our damaged lungs). Without supplemental oxygen, we simply slide off the bitter end of that curve and end up with SPO2 levels in the 60's and 70's. Which cause us to continually be half awake, cause night incontinence or urinary problems and usually have us walking around like zombies after 8 hours in bed...

Hugs,
Dennis

My doctor ordered an overnight pulse ox test done. I did it at home, and had to sleep with the pulse ox taped to my finger so that it wouldn't slip off. Even though my O2 is usually between 95-99 during the day, it went down to 73 at night. I've been using O2 @ 2 LPM for about 7 mos, and it has made a big difference in how I feel. Have your doctor order a test.
Hugs, Sue

My situation was like Sue825. Lincare delivered the pulse ox to my home & picked it up the next day. 2 days later they delivered a concentrator & 2 small O2 tanks in case of power failure.

DennyGene is right on with the shallow breathing during sleep.

I checked my O2 levels when I woke to go to the bathroom several times a night. The need to "go" during the night was triggered by a low PAO2 - 65%. Extreme fatigue each day was the other sign.

I realized later ... my doc always asked meif I was sleeping OK. When I mentioned I was awake several times during the night..he ordered the pulse ox computerized test during my sleep. I did sleep well...just woke up a lot !

I'm a little confused on one thing. I'm not on O2, but sleep with a CPAP. I know this is a silly question, but does the CPAP turn room air into oxygen? I used to have a concentrator at night, but when I was diagnosed with SA, they switched me to the CPAP unit. I've never had any oxygen tanks. I'm just confused as to whether I'm technically on O2 just using the CPAP.

For those on O2 24-7, do you consider being on O2 when you switch to your CPAP for SA?

Pat -
Here's a page that explains the difference between CPAP and O2 therapy: http://www.ehow.com/facts_5889760_oxygen-cpap_.html
Apparently your low O2 was only caused by the SA and not an underlying disease...

Hugs,
Dennis

Thanks so much, DennyGene! That explained it in terms even I could understand!

I do have Emphy as well as SA, and can't do anything strenuous. I can't have another sleep study done for another year, but I'm definitely going to ask them to test me and see if I need oxygen at night. I don't want that issue to fall through the cracks.