Skip to content
While I breathe, I hope Newsletter (Turkish)

Sleep glossary

AHI (apnea hypopnea index)

A number that shows how many times an hour your breathing stops or becomes very weak during sleep. You can think of it as counting the stumbles in an hour of sleep.

A little more detail

The number of apneas and hypopneas per hour of total sleep time. In adults, the generally accepted severity thresholds are 5 to 15 mild, 15 to 30 moderate, and 30 or more severe; the diagnosis is made with polysomnography or a home sleep apnea test.

Source: Kapur VK, Auckley DH, Chowdhuri S et al. Clinical practice guideline for diagnostic testing for adult obstructive sleep apnea: an American Academy of Sleep Medicine clinical practice guideline. J Clin Sleep Med. 2017;13(3):479-504. doi:10.5664/jcsm.6506

Articles that use this term

Related terms

All terms