Monitoring actual waking

[sleepy1235]

The issue with apnea is that we are awakened during sleep by them, but we fall back to sleep and don't remember them and so without a sleep study we don't realize we have an apnea problem, excepting being tired.

The machines through inferred back pressure flag apneas and we monitor these. 

However, what monitoring devices or sets ups are there to directly measure actual awakenings during the night. The ultimate objective is not to be waking up.

[eseedhouse]

However, what monitoring devices or sets ups are there to directly measure actual awakenings during the night. The ultimate objective is not to be waking up.

As far as I know the only sensors that can decide unequivocally that you are awake or asleep involve electrodes pasted to your scalp and connected via multiple wires to an EEG machine.   Generally only available in hospitals.

Your CPAP or APAP machine can monitor your breathing but has no way of telling if you are awake.  In general the lower your AHI gets the less likely you are to have awakenings.  Some machines monitor RERA (Respiratory Effort Related Arousals) as well as apneas and hypopneas.  These give you more information, but I don't know how accurate they are so far as the RERA's are concerned.

But I don't think there is anything that you or I can afford that can do better than to guess your sleep/wake status.