Are resmed airsense reports really accurate?

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Permalink Reply by Kath Hope on February 1, 2024 at 20:11

The hospitals see far more than we see on the app in their clinical software, and do bear in mind that it's the opinion of a Youtuber you must have seen, as sleep professionals worldwide have used their software for many years, and Resmed's software, along with the clinical software from other manufacturers, are very well respected and important to the sleep clinicians.

If you're not feeling good and your AHI is 5 or below then it may help to check your oxygen levels and you'll need an overnight recording pulse oximeter, such as Nonin 3150 (expensive) or Viatom etc (don't rely on a smart watch). You do have to bear in mind though that oxygen desaturations can also be from other causes, as well as apnoeas. It would be a good place to start though.

Also, if all seems to be going well with your CPAP therapy, there's other things that can cause daytime tiredness - some often common in sleep apnoea, so blood tests for thyroid, diabetes, iron, B12 and Vit D are all worth doing. Plus checking the side effects of any regular medication you take as lots of meds cause tiredness and some also cause disruptions to sleep. Oh and also make sure you're getting a good 7-9 hours sleep every night with your CPAP.

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Permalink Reply by John on February 1, 2024 at 20:22

Hi Kath, I did get myself an O2 Ring, but it hid behind some furniture somewhere and won't come out. When I find it I can check what's going on. I read that, like you say, smart watches aren't that good so I went for dedicated kit with a high sample rate. I got the OSCAR software which breaks out a load of info from resmed SD cards
I agree you have to be a bit streetwise with what blokes on youtube say. I don't quite know what to make of it. It was this


regards,
John

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Permalink Reply by Kath Hope on February 1, 2024 at 21:36

The o2 ring is good if you can retrieve it 😂

Yes I've seen Nick's videos and he has a lot of great content, but it doesn't mean everything is 100% correct (same for us all as we just try our best with the knowledge we have). Oscar is very good and reports very similar to Resmed. Nick uses his own software which I've never used so can't comment, but millions of sleep professionals use Resmed's software and I'm sure any issues would have been picked up over the many years it's been used if it was unreliable.

As I said in the last comment, there can be so many reasons why remaining tiredness continues, and because we have a sleep disorder we tend to be quick to blame that. To complicate things even further, sometimes there can be hidden problems though that don't always show up on the CPAP results as it's not possible. As an example, my CPAP therapy was 100% spot on, but what wasn't realised is that I was retaining co2, which is more common in obesity which I aren't, but can also happen with over conditions like COPD, neuromuscular problems etc (my reason isn't know as I'm always a mystery lol). The only way of confirming co2 retention (also called hypercapnia or hypoventilation) is to have arterial blood gases (ABG) done.

I'd suggest (assuming your AHI is 5 or below and you're getting 7-9 hours sleep) getting your oxygen checked and also those blood tests done I mentioned, then if all come up fine, it's time to speak with your clinic for further investigation.

John said:

Hi Kath, I did get myself an O2 Ring, but it hid behind some furniture somewhere and won't come out. When I find it I can check what's going on. I read that, like you say, smart watches aren't that good so I went for dedicated kit with a high sample rate. I got the OSCAR software which breaks out a load of info from resmed SD cards
I agree you have to be a bit streetwise with what blokes on youtube say. I don't quite know what to make of it. It was this


regards,
John

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Permalink Reply by John on February 2, 2024 at 9:45

Hi Kath, thanks for your great answer. I think even if the CPAP was perfect it's the other rigmarole interferes with sleep, for me anyway - oh the pipe's gurgling, oh didn't shave and have to tighten everything, oh the temperature changed and now the condensation on the mask is whistling, oh I didn't refill the tank enough etc etc - all those constant tweaks.
I don't know if other people fiddle constantly with the kit, maybe they find it easier to settle on one set up.

One thing I've found is my nose can't be relied upon to stay clear so it's a nasal mask one day, then wake up with it stuffed so back to a full face, then a pillow because it feels clear again and so on.

I found I may have nasal valve collapse, if I do the Cottle procedure the air flow is like day to night it feels so much better. One of those things you don't realise is abnormal because you've always had it. I hope I can find a GP who knows about it and can tell me what's what.

So I use a silicone nostril expander, "Brez", which makes things feel much better and can go under a mask, but I worry that any mask pressing even lightly on the bridge of the nose will close already half closed nostrils. I think when you're asleep things can move around and without knowing it the nice nasal flow gets shut off.

Nose breathing, I'm given to understand, is the best way and mouth breathing can have negative consequences.

I did address the whistling vents on the mask by rubbing a little oil on the inside, a fine smear of veg oil that I hoped wouldn't hurt the plastic. I figured if I put something hydrophobic on then water won't collect so easily. It seemed to mitigate the whistling somewhat.

I'd have thought having a design with fewer, bigger holes would give the same vent flow but without being blocked so easily with water drops and turning into a whistle.

I never heard of co2 retention I'll have to look that up.

Hope some of that is helpful to others.

thanks,

John

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