Resmed apnealink home sleep test issues

[greywyvern]

Sorry, this was meant to be posted to the main apnea board.

I did a resmed apnealink home sleep study last night. However, the finger monitor didn't record my heart rate or oxygen levels, and its' light on the machine kept switching between red and green, it wouldn't constantly read & record. I don't usually have an issue with sp02 monitors, this one is one you put the finger in the enclosed rubber ...thimble-like thing instead of the peg type I'm used to. Any ideas? It stayed on, but it's light on the box kept flashing between red and green, and I didn't end up with consistent monitoring throughout the night, giving me next to no spO2 or HR data. I also didn't sleep properly...I was stuck in the twilight zone all night.


I'm paying out of pocket for this test as although I'm in a country with largely publicly funded healthcare, as a tiny young-ish woman, I haven't been able to get a funded test (despite my history of prematurity, choanal atresia and deviated septum AND apnea as an infant...I was on an apnea monitor until I was old enough to rip it off myself...but since I'm not a middle aged overweight male, and I don't fall asleep driving...) so it's important I get solid results so I can get my GP to take me seriously because the exhaustion since...forever... is practically killing me (possibly literally, ya know...).  Any tips to make sure I get useful data?
 
I tried to link a random 1 hour screenshot of what I did get but I'm too new. It looks really weird/abnormal to my clueless eyes. I was relaxed but not properly asleep. 

Thanks, I really appreciate anyone taking the time to help, I'm at my wits end with the exhaustion, and my heart rate is all over the place, which can't be good. And I'm trying to study fulltime, and I can just feel my sleep issues killing my brain cells as I type (only half kidding). 

[DeepBreathing]

Hi greywyvern - I've moved this to the main forum. Hopefully somebody will be along in a moment or two with some good advice.

If you're having trouble attaching screenshots, see the instruction here: http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.php...pnea_Board

[greywyvern]

Thank you. I had two windows open and managed to post on the wrong one. After looking at the guide to attaching images you linked, I think I've managed to upload the screenshot of a random 1 hour time period of last night's sleep test data.

[Mogy]

Hi greywyvern,
I have used the ApneaLink home tester several times and for me the biggest issue is that it doesn't determine when you are actually asleep.
The data you have shown is raw data. It is very hard to interpret it in that form. In the section that you have the screenshot on the SpO2 data is okay, but there is an issue with the nasal flow data.
Whoever you rented the tester from should be able to give you a better report.
Something that looks like this:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/JRwvjo5eBZRrYogp9

[greywyvern]

I'm a mouth breather due to a deviated septum, and a neonatal choanal atresia repair has left me with small nasal passages. It's most likely I wasn't actually breathing consistently through my nose. I'm returning the device today and will await their report.

[Mogy]

If you are mostly concern about SpO2 you can purchase a Contec recording oximeter off of eBay that costs about US$50.
The oximeter report generated should get action from your doctors if it shows desaturations.