How to you assess your AHI?

[coolwater]

Hi all,

I've recently suspected I have sleep apnea, having borrowed my friend's Wellue O2ring which monitors heart rate and oxygen levels. I'm trying to get an idea of how severe it is but it only provides info on drops over 3% (ODI) but everyone who has apnea refers to AHI.

I looked at how AHI is calculated in a sleep study; they record heart rate and oxygen levels. But this is precisely what the O2 ring monitors, which makes me wonder why it doesn't provide an AHI estimate.

How do you all know your AHI- is the only way through a sleep study? Is it possible to guesstimate prior to this based on o2ring's 3% ODI?, or at least get an idea of severity based on ODI?

Thanks

[upsman]

The only way to get a true sleep apnea diagnosis is with a PSG, or sleep study. This can be done in a clinic...recommended...or an at-home test.

Oxygen levels, snoring, heart rate, etc. are only a few indicators needed to determine sleep apnea. There's no way to estimate your AHI or what type of events you may be having by using an O2 ring.

[Dormeo]

A PSG sleep study is certainly the gold standard. Among other things, it will monitor brain waves to provide good data about whether you're awake or asleep and what sleep stages you are in throughout the night. More information here: https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedu...c-20394877

Many home tests are Watch PAT tests. (PAT stand for peripheral arterial tonometry.) These do not have EEG channels. More information here: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaoto...le/1759186

Obstructive sleep apnea should be suspected in people who report daytime sleepiness, irritability, and loss of cognitive function, especially if they or a bed partner reports frequent snoring and stoppages of breathing. But you can't diagnose it without a test.

[StratCat48]

Can you post a screen shot of your O2Ring results? Below is a comparison typical  of before I started CPAP and one from a couple days ago. The O2Ring is what prompted me to see my PCP and have him setup a sleep study. I was not sleeping well prior to CPAP. My apnea was rated as severe by the sleep study results.
FWIW....my AHI was 1.5 on May 19th for the second screen shot. I'm typically 0.5-0.9 AHI on most other nights.