personal, at home sleep apnea test?

[nmevan]

Is there a testing device one can purchase to check to see if they have sleep apnea without having a sleep study test performed by a medical sleep specialist?
I have been diagnosed with severe sleep apnea and I sleep with a BIPAP machine. I mostly sleep on my back. I want to test myself without my BIPAP to see if I have less apnic events while sleeping on my side, without going through the complicated and expensive medical sleep study system.

Thank you.

[vandownbytheriver]

O2Ring would get you close I think. Good luck.

[Pugsy]

Not everyone will have significant desats in terms of Oxygen levels enough to earn the OSA diagnosis.
There's more to OSA than just oxygen levels.

A positive result is fairly straight forward but a negative result doesn't necessarily mean no OSA.

[nmevan]

Not everyone will have significant desats in terms of Oxygen levels enough to earn the OSA diagnosis.
There's more to OSA than just oxygen levels.

A positive result is fairly straight forward but a negative result doesn't necessarily mean no OSA.

thank you, Pugsy. You have been a great resource to this community for a long time.

My interest in a home sleep apnea test is to check to see if sleeping on my side might lesson my apnea events enough to go camping without my BIPAP unit and a heavy battery to run it.

I'm supposed to head off on a cross country (USA) bicycle trip in july and I'm desperate to cut down on the weight I will have to carry on my bike. As well as the time it takes to recharge the battery. I realize I might not ever lesson my severe sleep apnea altogether, but if I could somehow move it to a more moderate range by some positioning, I might be able to, perhaps, forgo treatment from time to time. I know, I know...clutching at straw.

Thanks again for your input.

[Julie]

Maybe I'm missing something, but why haven't you tried side sleeping yet?

[nmevan]

Maybe I'm missing something, but why haven't you tried side sleeping yet?

I do at times, Julie....I go from being on my back to sometimes being on my side...but it doesn't mean anything without some type of test to see if my apnea events are less or my O2 changes...hence the title of my post.

[dataq1]

Considered WatchPat 1 ? Not obligated to follow up with sleep specialist. Cost 190 dollars

[Janknitz]

Our hosts at cpap.com offer a home sleep test: https://www.cpap.com/home-sleep-apnea-test for $175.

[Movieman]

Have you looked at your sleep study results? The sleep study (if you moved from your back to your side during the test) should show your AHI in different positions. I've seen at home tests for sale on website, but don't know how accurate they are.

My at home sleep study scored me in different positions as I moved throughout the night. Maybe you could get the report and see?

I do in fact have moderate sleep apnea when on my side and severe sleep apnea on my back. I believe AHI is between 15-19 depending on which side. My AHI while on my back is a not so great 35. I tried to sleep only on side when first diagnosed so I didn't have to use a CPAP. That didn't go well for me, I felt horrible and as it turned out I could never stay on my side all night long. Also, I developed BPPV and had to try and avoid side sleeping. As long as you don't have BPPV episodes, shouldn't be an issue for you.

I'm not sure how you would feel side sleeping without CPAP just for a short period of time if your side sleep position apnea is moderate. You may be ok or might not feel great. I think each person is different with how they feel.

Hope this helps. Good luck.

[chunkyfrog]

Sleep studies do often have the ability to assess position vs events;
but the provider$ are rarely motivated to provide that information to the patient.
You can probably $ee why.

[Movieman]

Sleep studies do often have the ability to assess position vs events;
but the provider$ are rarely motivated to provide that information to the patient.
You can probably $ee why.

Yes, I see why. My sleep doctor provided me my report upon request. That's how I know my different numbers. Is this doctor unique? To clarify, it was the written report and not the actual test data. Maybe most reports don't show this information? My written report had all the different AHI and positions.

[LordAlmightyLord137]

Sleep studies do often have the ability to assess position vs events;
but the provider$ are rarely motivated to provide that information to the patient.
You can probably $ee why.

Would you explain please?
I really don't see why a provider (doctor) would be motivated to withhold positional/event information?
thanks

[Movieman]

Would you explain please?
I really don't see why a provider (doctor) would be motivated to withhold positional/event information?
thanks

Oh, I was thinking chunky frog meant the sleep test provider. Not sure either why a doctor would withhold that information if it were in the report. My sleep doctor told me my overall AHI and my AHI in different positions. He wanted me to know that although the test diagnosed me with moderate sleep apnea, he considered mine on the severe side. He pointed out specifically how bad my apnea was on my back versus my sides. He said on another night if I had taken that test, it could have easily showed severe if I stayed on my back. Very confusing stuff. I qualified for CPAP, so it didn't matter to me for treatment purposes; however, it was great to know to try and stay off my back during sleep which rarely happens. LOL.

[chunkyfrog]

Some doctors do not trust the patient to have "too much" information.
Been there, so, yeah, it happens.
They don't really need a reason.

[BigWing]

Couldn't you get close to the answer you seek by turning the settings down on your CPAP to where it is not helping reduce events much? I highly recommend the use of SomnoPose to record your sleep position, by the way.