oxygen desaturation levels.

Hello, I am new so please forgive me if I failed to find the answer to my question elsewhere in this forum. My question pertains to Oxygen levels. I had a sleep study, and I was diagnosed with an RDI of 17. Which for some reason didn’t seem really bad, but what really got my attention was when I was told my oxygen desaturation levels were down to 70 percent. I was prescribed a APAP device. I don’t have COPD, or anything that I know of that would cause this, other than what comes with sleep apnea. I received a RESMED device this past March. My adjustment to using the device wasn’t bad, typical I would say. But what I would really like to know is if it is having a positive impact in improving my nighttime oxygen levels. I don’t get to see my sleep doctor until next month. So, my question is what devices members of this forum would recommend to accurately monitor my oxygen levels while I sleep. Some of the devices that I found online seem to have mixed reviews or are really expensive.

Welcome! When you have a moment, could you put your machine and mask information in your profile? That way it'll be there whenever someone views a post from you.

If you hit 70% for a very short while, that wouldn't be anything to worry about. Do you know how many minutes you spent below 90%? Below other percentages less than 90%?

You may at some point want to use the Oscar software, and if you ever do, it might be nice to have an oximeter whose data you could export to Oscar. Here is information about devices that are Oscar-compatible:


OSCAR is currently compatible with Contec CMS50D+, CMS50E, CMS50F and CMS50I serial oximeters.
(Note: Direct importing from bluetooth models is probably not possible yet)
You may wish to note, other companies, such as Pulox, simply rebadge Contec CMS50's under new names, such as the Pulox PO-200, PO-300, PO-400. These should also work.
It also can read from ChoiceMMed MD300W1 oximeter .dat files.

If you're unlikely to use Oscar, then I'd say the best oximeter for you is the one that you find comfortable to sleep with and that will maintain good contact with your skin. If it's a ring, you need to be able to fit it onto the recommended finger(s).

Dwep60 wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 16, 2023 9:59 am

I don’t have COPD, or anything that I know of that would cause this, other than what comes with sleep apnea.

Then you should not be having desats if your CPAP system is working properly.

What are your typical daily AHI and leak levels? How do you feel at the end of a day? Did you have any excess sleepiness or fatigue during the day?

I would use OSCAR to check the effectiveness of CPAP therapy. It sounds like oximetry would be redundant in your case.

I agree that using an oximeter may well be redundant for you, but maybe it could help you gain some peace of mind.

Sadly, I don't have info regarding the amount of time spent at or below 90 percent. It's been frustrating not getting the information I would like from the sleep lab. My next appointment is in five weeks. I plan on asking to see the sleep lab results and maybe a copy of it if possible. It's been about 45 days since I have started using the RESMED AIRSENSE 10 AUTOSET. So far, my adjustment to the APAP hasn't been too bad, with only a few nights where I have struggled with the mask. I searched U-tube for information. Found "Lefty27", and "Uncle Nicko", who seemed to have a lot of information to offer. I have down loaded OSCAR and have looked at my data. But admittedly, I am from a generation that isn't well versed in the use of computer technology. So, it's been a bit of a challenge to apply what I have been able to learn from Jason. The APAP device I am using, seems to be controlling the AHI events, but I didn't think that the AHI was all that high to begin with. But that may be just my ignorance showing. The machine indicates that the AHI events are below 5 like it should be.
The machine is still set at 5 to 20. Which I thought was kind of a wide range. When I started on this journey, I was waking up so many times at night, it was driving me crazy. Originally, doctors just thought it was BPH, but found that my bladder was of normal size. Unfortunately. they found that I had bladder cancer. The tumor has been removed, and so far, everything has been good. But the frequent nighttime awakening continued, and the doctors attributed my symptoms to nocturia. So, a sleep study was ordered. If the cpap takes care of the low oxygen levels, then all is good as far as I am concerned. The jury is still out on whether or not my sleep is improving. Thanks for mentioning that time spent under a certain level of desaturation was important to consider. I hope to find the answer to that question when I see my doctor.

Get Oscar set up and you'll have all the info you need after experts here see results and suggest any changes they think might need doing... but post on Imgur.com and leave a link IN THIS thread - the forum can't accept any more attachments so Imgur will work instead.

You could try e.g. moving from 5 to 6 or 7 and see if there's any difference after a couple of days but leave the max at 20 where most usually have it...it's the min. setting that does the job.

Hey great, you’re already using Oscar. So go ahead and get one of the compatible oximeters. The Oximeter Wizard on the Oscar home page will guide you through the process of getting you O2 data into your charts.

Dwep60 wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 16, 2023 9:59 am

Hello, I am new so please forgive me if I failed to find the answer to my question elsewhere in this forum. My question pertains to Oxygen levels. I had a sleep study, and I was diagnosed with an RDI of 17. Which for some reason didn’t seem really bad, but what really got my attention was when I was told my oxygen desaturation levels were down to 70 percent. I was prescribed a APAP device. I don’t have COPD, or anything that I know of that would cause this, other than what comes with sleep apnea. I received a RESMED device this past March. My adjustment to using the device wasn’t bad, typical I would say. But what I would really like to know is if it is having a positive impact in improving my nighttime oxygen levels. I don’t get to see my sleep doctor until next month. So, my question is what devices members of this forum would recommend to accurately monitor my oxygen levels while I sleep. Some of the devices that I found online seem to have mixed reviews or are really expensive.

70 percent is very serious. your blood is loosing oxygen. have your doctor check your Hemoglobin and Hematocrit with a blood test. my sleep doctor wanted me to get another sleep study where they put the mask on and see what pressure works for me. I already had 3 sleep test. I turned down his sleep test. my blood levels was a low. primary doctor was getting nervous because my blood was to thick. I could have a heart attack or stroke if I don't take care of it. what I did. bought myself the Lookee 02 ring. it cost 150 dollars. I'm on Apap with pressure 4 to 20. events 1 to 3. my ring found my problem. my oxygen was drooping down to 70 for the lowest reading and stayed up in the middle 80s during the night. I told my doctor about this. he sent me to see the oxygen doctor. he gave me a home study test. that test came back on boarder line. another problem. medicare will not approve this. I'm not going to play politics with the insurance company. write me out a prescription for a concentrator. I will pay out of my pocket. total cost for 2 concentrators home and portable 3 grand. money well spent. I only need this while I sleep. we want our blood oxygen to stay up in the 90s most of the night. when it drops below 90. you start to loosen oxygen. when it goes down to 70. it time to take action about it. all those 02 rings work the same way. pick the one you like. get it and use it every night. I use mine all the time. it will save your life. I don't see any doctors no more. I manage my problem myself. if I have a problem. I will let him take care of it. get work now. you want to try another sleep study. that's up to you. you have the same problem I had too.

Ray4852 wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 17, 2023 6:13 am

70 percent is very serious.

Calm down! That was part of her untreated result. She's using CPAP now.

Your entire post is alarmist and not at all useful.

70 percent is not serious. what's serious to you. my blood tests didn't tell me to calm down. they were trying to tell me something.

Dwep60 wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 16, 2023 6:37 pm

I plan on asking to see the sleep lab results and maybe a copy of it if possible.

Yes, it's a good idea for everyone to have a copy of the summary pages of their study. Put it in a permanent file. You shouldn't "maybe" a copy. It's your legal right to have a copy of any of your medical records.

But, worrying over your study is not important now. It gave you a diagnosis which qualified you for the insurance benefits for CPAP. The important priority for you is how well your CPAP process is working. Since you are not entirely comfortable with computer technology, you might want to consider a free account at SleepHQ.com. If you upload your data to SleepHQ.com, it's easy to post a link here to get help.

On the other hand, if you want to use OSCAR to post here, the instructions are in my signature.

Ray4852 wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 17, 2023 6:37 am

what's serious to you.

What's serious is how she is doing when using CPAP.

Good grief.

Ray4852 wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 17, 2023 6:13 am

70 percent is very serious. your blood is loosing oxygen. have your doctor check your Hemoglobin and Hematocrit with a blood test.

The OP's O2 dropped to 70% on the diagnostic sleep test. OP does not have any hard evidence of significant O2 desats while using her APAP, particularly since the OP has no history of other conditions other than sleep apnea that would explain the nighttime O2 desats.

It's still worth getting an oximeter to measure things given her worries about whether her O2 might still be dropping at night.

Ray4852 wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 17, 2023 6:13 am

my sleep doctor wanted me to get another sleep study where they put the mask on and see what pressure works for me. I already had 3 sleep test. I turned down his sleep test.

In my opinion you were a fool to turn down that sleep test for titrating the device. It would have provided you with a lot of additional very useful data. Not only would you have come out of the test with an idea of the minimum pressure needed to actually control your apnea, you would also have gotten real data gathered in the lab about your continuing O2 desats. In particular, you would have information about whether the desats continued in the absence of OAs and Hs. And if that is indeed happening, that points to a problem that you have in addition to common OSA.

Ray4852 wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 17, 2023 6:13 am

my blood levels was a low. primary doctor was getting nervous because my blood was to thick. I could have a heart attack or stroke if I don't take care of it. what I did. bought myself the Lookee 02 ring. it cost 150 dollars. I'm on Apap with pressure 4 to 20. events 1 to 3. my ring found my problem. my oxygen was drooping down to 70 for the lowest reading and stayed up in the middle 80s during the night.

Sounds to me like you may still be having clusters of events.

But if your O2 is in the mid 80s for extended periods of time in the middle of the night AND you are not having clusters of OAs & Hs that are causing the O2 destats, you need some additional testing to find out what is wrong.

Ray4852 wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 17, 2023 6:13 am

I told my doctor about this. he sent me to see the oxygen doctor.

Do you mean a pulmonologist---i.e. a doctor who specializes in treating problems with the lungs and respiratory system? If so, what specific tests did the pulmonologist order? And did the pulmonologist suggest possible causes for the O2 desats in addition to OSA? If so, what are the other possible causes the pulmonologist wants to rule out?

Ray4852 wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 17, 2023 6:13 am

he gave me a home study test. that test came back on boarder line. another problem.

What kind of a home study? Another sleep test? Or a lung test? Have you had any testing to rule out things like COPD? (In the early stages of COPD, some people have significantly more problems maintaining O2 at night than they have in the daytime.)

Ray4852 wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 17, 2023 6:13 am

medicare will not approve this. I'm not going to play politics with the insurance company. write me out a prescription for a concentrator.

I hope that you actually listen to the doc rather than demanding a script for the O2 concentrator.

Ray4852 wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 17, 2023 6:13 am

I will pay out of my pocket. total cost for 2 concentrators home and portable 3 grand. money well spent. I only need this while I sleep.

Now you have really lost me: If you only need supplemental O2 when you are sleeping, then why do you need 2 concentrators PLUS a portable O2 concentrator? That set up only makes sense if you need O2 pretty much round the clock. And you would only need O2 round the clock if there's something other than OSA that is causing your low O2 levels.

Ray4852 wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 17, 2023 6:13 am

we want our blood oxygen to stay up in the 90s most of the night. when it drops below 90. you start to loosen oxygen. when it goes down to 70. it time to take action about it.

Granted. But the OP has taken action: They got themselves a sleep test which showed moderate OSA (based on RDI = 17) combined with significant O2 desats. And they then got themselves an APAP and started using it. And it's reasonable to believe that the O2 desats are no longer occurring, but getting an oximeter may help ease the OP's mind.

Ray4852 wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 17, 2023 6:13 am

I don't see any doctors no more. I manage my problem myself. if I have a problem. I will let him take care of it.

Good luck with "managing your problem" all by yourself. Out of curiosity: Has a doctor actually prescribed supplemental O2? If so, how much O2 is your concentrator set to add? Or are you just "guessing" about the settings based on your oximeter ring's readings? Too much O2 can be as dangerous as the O2 desats you want to prevent.

Ray4852 wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 17, 2023 6:13 am

get work now. you want to try another sleep study. that's up to you. you have the same problem I had too.

There is no evidence the OP has continued to have O2 desats while on APAP. You claim you are still having O2 desats down to the 70s, along with substantial time spent with O2 levels in 80s while on APAP. That's a whole different kettle of fish.

ChicagoGranny is right: Your post is unnecessarily alarming to the OP, rather than being helpful.

I'll go further: You seem to be implying that you can manage using supplemental O2 without some professional involvement beyond writing a script for an O2 concentrator and that others, including the OP, should do the same. In my opinion this is potentially dangerous advice.

Ray4852 wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 17, 2023 6:13 am

70 percent is very serious. your blood is loosing oxygen. have your doctor check your Hemoglobin and Hematocrit with a blood test.

Your H&H becomes low when you're bleeding, not when you're apnea-ing or hypopnea-ing.

You have NFI what you're talking about.

Rubicon wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 17, 2023 10:19 am

Ray4852 wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 17, 2023 6:13 am

70 percent is very serious. your blood is loosing oxygen. have your doctor check your Hemoglobin and Hematocrit with a blood test.

Your H&H becomes low when you're bleeding, not when you're apnea-ing or hypopnea-ing.

You have NFI what you're talking about.

Exactly what I thought when I read that drivel.