What Do AHI 5, 15 and 30 Mean?

AHI is the average number of apneas and hypopneas per hour of sleep. In adults, commonly used bands are under 5, 5–14.9, 15–29.9 and 30 or more for normal-range, mild, moderate and severe categories.

What does the evidence say?

AHI is a standard tool for classification and treatment decisions, but it does not capture the full burden. People with the same AHI can differ in event duration, oxygen drops, sleep stage, body position, symptoms and comorbidities.

What to do next

Review AHI alongside oxygen nadir, time with low oxygen, supine and REM indices and symptoms. Ask how your individual risks affect the treatment recommendation.

Interpret with care

Do not treat thresholds as absolute cliffs. A home-test respiratory event index may differ from PSG AHI because actual sleep time is not always measured.

Put the reasoning together

AHI 14.9 and 15.1 are not biologically opposite. Conversely, two people with AHI 10 can differ greatly in oxygen burden and daytime impairment.

A common misconception

Myth: lowering AHI solves everything. Oxygen burden, symptoms, blood pressure, adherence and quality of life also matter.

How to use this information

While preparing for testing, keep usual routines and record sleep time, position, alcohol, congestion and medicines. The goal is not to manufacture a “good” result but to capture a representative night. When results arrive, review signal quality, what was measured and why the recommended next step follows. Do not postpone care merely to complete a diary when warning signs are already clear.

Next-step checklist

• Check whether the result is AHI or REI
• Review oxygen nadir and time low
• Add position, REM, symptoms and comorbidities

Bottom line

AHI is an important coordinate, not the whole map. Interpret the number with oxygen, symptoms and individual risk.

SleepBit records can make a clinical conversation more precise. Diagnosis and treatment changes should be decided with a clinician.