Taking a sleep test while on CPAP?

[hydra]

Is it beneficial to take an at home sleep study while on CPAP ?

[Deborah K.]

It looks like you are already using a pap machine.  Why do you want a sleep study?  Is it to see if you need to use your machine, or to figure out what settings to use?  If it's settings, we can help you.  If you download Oscar, a free cpap reporting service that provides detailed information about your sleep each night, and post the reports, folks here can help you choose settings that will provide both better therapy and better comfort.  At the top of each page in the black section, you will see OSCAR.  From there you can learn how to use the program.  If that's too complicated, there are plenty here (not me) who can help you figure it out.

[hydra]

Thanks!  I was just wondering if taking the at home sleep study while on CPAP could help glean anything different than the CPAP machine itself and/or OSCAR..

[TechieHippie]

Do you mean simultaneously? I don't think I would want to use both CPAP and home sleep test at the same time...You would have to make sure none of the equipment interferes with each other electronically.

But a large part of sleep test data is derived from oxygenation information. If you are looking for more data, you can get a continuous overnight oxygen monitor such as the Sleep U and it might be cheaper than a sleep test. Plus, you can use it every night instead of just a one-time sample. These devices measure SPO2, heart rate, and motion and with some setup be integrated into Oscar so that you can see how the data correlates. They don't measure sleep position or exertional effort, but some people have rigged up an overnight camera to get the former.

Does anyone know if exertional effort can be seen or intuitive from Oscar PAP data?

[MikeR20]

I did a lab PSG with CPAP
Shown a different AHI (5.1 vs 1.6), very shallow sleep, and bruxism
If you are having problems after trying several things, maybe it could help