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Apnea-hypopnea index (AHI)

The number of breathing pauses (apneas) and partial blockages (hypopneas) per hour of sleep — the score a sleep study uses to grade sleep apnea as mild, moderate, or severe.

By the glp1.how editorial teamReviewed

The apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) is the headline number from a sleep study. It counts how many times per hour of sleep your breathing either stops completely (an apnea) or becomes shallow enough to drop your oxygen or briefly wake you (a hypopnea). Fewer than 5 events an hour is considered normal; 5–14 is mild sleep apnea, 15–29 moderate, and 30 or more severe.

The AHI is how clinical trials measured the effect of GLP-1 treatment on sleep apnea — the tirzepatide trials that led to its approval for obstructive sleep apnea reported roughly a halving of AHI — and it's the number a repeat sleep study uses to decide whether apnea has improved enough to change CPAP settings or stop. See the guides on getting a sleep study and sleep quality on a GLP-1.

In the SURMOUNT-OSA trials, tirzepatide lowered AHI by about 25 to 29 events an hour from a starting average of about 50 (NEJM, 2024 (external link)).

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Revision history

Updated 1 time since Sep 2, 2026 · show changes
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Related guides

  • CPAP as the weight comes off: managing sleep apnea on a GLP-1 · Tirzepatide (Zepbound) roughly halved sleep apnea severity in the SURMOUNT-OSA trials, and 42 to 50% of participants reached the trial's definition of resolution. That still left many with apnea, and the trials never tested stopping CPAP for good. This guide covers why you shouldn't retire your machine on your own, how pressure and mask fit change as weight comes off, when and how a repeat sleep test happens, and how an OSA diagnosis affects Zepbound coverage (as of September 2026).
  • Getting a sleep study: what to expect and how coverage works · If a GLP-1 has you asking about a sleep study, this is the practical map: why apnea matters more now that one of these drugs treats it, the two kinds of study and what each night is like, the AHI number that grades the result, and how referral and insurance coverage usually work.
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Related terms

  • Obstructive sleep apnea · A sleep disorder in which the airway repeatedly collapses during sleep, causing brief pauses in breathing; it is closely linked to obesity.
  • Tirzepatide · A once-weekly dual GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist made by Eli Lilly, marketed as Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes and Zepbound for weight management and obstructive sleep apnea.
  • GLP-1 · A gut hormone (glucagon-like peptide-1) that stimulates insulin release, slows digestion, and reduces appetite; the target of drugs like semaglutide and liraglutide.
  • CPAP · Continuous positive airway pressure: a bedside machine that blows gently pressurized air through a mask to hold the airway open during sleep, the standard first-line treatment for obstructive sleep apnea.

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