Tracking Your Sleep With CPAP

By Mike Noon

2 min read

This past year I got my first new CPAP in over 15 years. How much change can happen in 15 years? I found out that it’s a lot.

My new machine is the ResMed AirSense 10 Respond. I never use the humidifier feature on CPAP machines. My old CPAP had a separate tank that I could connect to for the humidifier feature. My new machine has a built-in humidifier. The nice feature is the tube now has warming coils. I would imagine this makes using the humidifier a more pleasant experience.

The robots are taking over

The ResMed AirSense 10 Respond can also adjust the air pressure automatically throughout the night. My old machine was set to 1 setting and it stayed there all night. The technology of the new machine detects when you are having an apnea and will accordingly adjust the pressure as needed. The robots are slowly taking over.

My CPAP machine tracks my sleep

The new feature I have liked the most is that the ResMed AirSense 10 Respond tracks my sleep. There are 2 reasons for this.

Insurance and compliance

The first is for insurance. Insurance companies want to make sure you are using the CPAP that they are paying for. Big brother is always watching. My rep from the medical equipment company I use explained that if I didn’t use the machine for at least 4 hours a day, the insurance company would stop paying. While I don’t like the fact that big brother is always monitoring, I do understand there is a lot of insurance fraud and waste.

Data for my doctor to review

The second reason for tracking is so my doctor can access my sleeping patterns. He now has hard data to assist me on my health journey. He actually caught me tinkering with my pressure settings. I have had issues with taking in too much air and waking up with terrible stomach pains. I explained why I adjusted my pressure. He explained that this is a common side effect of CPAP. I am not advocating for adjusting your own pressure; please talk to your doctor if you are experiencing issues. Do be aware that they’ll know with these newer CPAP machines.

Sleep data at my fingertips

I can also see all of this data that is being tracked. There is an app called myAir. Every morning, about 30 minutes after I take my CPAP off, all of my sleep data uploads to the app.

This app shows me how long I slept. It rates my mask seal on a scale from 1 to 20, with 20 being the best. It shows how many apnea events I have per hour. Lastly, it shows how many times I take my mask off during the night.

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Seeing what causes a bad night of sleep

It takes all of this data and then gives me a score. 100 being the best. I score a 100 two or three times a month. I typically score in the high 90s. Once in a while, I have a bad night of sleep. I find it helpful to see what caused my bad night’s sleep. If my seal was bad, I know I should tighten my headgear.

How do you feel about having this information tracked? Would any of this help you on your health journey?

This article represents the opinions, thoughts, and experiences of the author; none of this content has been paid for by any advertiser. The SleepApnea.Sleep-Disorders.net team does not recommend or endorse any products or treatments discussed herein. Learn more about how we maintain editorial integrity here.

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patti Member
Thank you <inline-mention username="Mike Noon" user-id="4118265"/>. I know I need to find someone sooner than later, I’ve been having more issues lately with not being able to breathe well with the mask on. I try to stick with it, but it’s tough when not being able to breathe gives you panic attacks, lol! I’m afraid to go to MyAir to see how bad I’m doing. I try to get my 4 hours every night in, but have been having a harder time lately. I see my pcp next week, so I will ask him. The blood work that shows I haven’t been using the Cpap enough is higher, so I have to get that back down if I don’t want to see another specialist. I access my bloodwork before I see him, so there aren’t any surprises. He knows I do this, and is happy to have a patient that is involved with their treatment. Have a great day and weekend. Don’t forget Daylight Savings Time is this Sunday, unless you are lucky enough to be in a state that isn’t doing it. Hopefully some day the country can do away with DST altogether.
patti Member
<inline-mention username="Mike Noon" user-id="4118265"/> We have a very similar experience! Had my old Cpap for 10-12 years, it was replaced with a Res-Med AirSense 10. Only difference is the representative neglected to tell me about the wireless properties of it, (Big Brother), and after that I couldn’t get supplies because my mask was horribly leaking. I got back ( I had been complaining for months) on the manager to get me a better mask. I ended up finding one myself on the internet after he said they didn’t have any for women, and told him to order it. It took my internist telling me to see a sleep specialist to really change things around. I was just spinning around in the dark before that. The sleep doc had me do new sleep studies, change my mask, and kept after the supply company to get new equipment. I hadn’t gotten any equipment for 16 months before I saw him. My usage improved, and I started using the MyAir app too. It helped me see where I was having problems, mask leaks, getting up, forgetting to put it back on. Unfortunately, my sleep doctor went to working with the VA, and it’s been hard for me to replace him. After a year Covid restrictions were in place, so that was that. I know I have to find a new sleep specialist, but it’ll be hard not to compare them. I know when I do see someone new I can take the MyAir report to them, it has so much information on it. I prepared one that had a years worth of data on it! Great stuff. 
1. Mike Noon Member
 <inline-mention username="patti" user-id="4119000"/> I apologize for taking so long to reply. I always say we need to be our own advocate. It sounds like you took things into your own hands. It can be hard to switch Drs. However, I have usually experienced the new perspective from a different Dr. to be a positive experience. Best of luck! - Mike (Team Member)

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