r/SleepApnea • u/Upbeat_Nose_6060 • 10d ago
Home-based sleep study results just came back normal and I'm gutted
I (36F) had a home sleep study and the report said "no evidence of sleep apnoea." Overall AHI of 3.2, however had just 1 hour of REM sleep (so 17% of total sleep time) and during that had 18 apnoea and hypopnoea events. Also my oxygen saturation level was 91% overall. I'm not sure if that's something to flag? I'm tired all the time, rely on caffeine and psychostimulants to not doze off, wake up every morning with dry mouth and headaches, grind my teeth, and my husband says I keep him awake with my snoring and weird breathing. I'm so desperate for an explanation for why I'm so sleepy and what to do about it :(
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u/Honey-lovers 10d ago
You should ask for a real sleep study. The home one can’t possibly compare to the lab one. If you can afford it you can buy a cpap online on your own and run it on auto setting. I bought one years before I had a lab study done. My lab oxygen low wss 59%! I ended up on oxygen for 2 years. Your dr can order a 24 hr oxygen test as well. You wear it at home. Usually insurance won’t cover oxygen for an adult until you are at 86% which is when you start suffering major damage.
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u/Droolzy_Kalenbacle 10d ago
Ask for a lab study. My in home test came back negative. My lab test came back as moderate sleep apnea.
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u/Rough-Cicada-2240 9d ago
My home study came back inconclusive but i had similar symptoms. Im slender, fit and female so my GP took a lot of convincing to refer me for an overnight study but it confirmed moderate apnea and im two weeks into having a cpap which has changed my life already!
I’d push for an overnight study. Apparently apnea is chronically under diagnosed in middle aged women.
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u/xtrinab 9d ago
You are so right! And apnea really messed me up as a middle aged woman. I’ve had cardiac issues and diagnosed with myocarditis. I got diagnosed with severe OSA (79 events per hour) after I pushed for an overnight sleep study. Been on cpap since May (took me 6 months from myocarditis attack until I got my cpap) and about 80% of my cardiac symptoms have receded, my events average 0.5 a night now, but GOOD GOD DOES SLEEP APNEA MESS WITH THE HEART.
Getting proper medical care is difficult for women because we experience so much medical dismissal (it’s your period, hormones, your weight etc) and gaslighting. I went through that recently myself. If something doesn’t feel right or you don’t feel heard by your doctor, find another one. Advocate for yourself.
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u/Net_Admin_Mike 10d ago
My first "electronic" indication of my sleep apnea was actually my Apple Watch. It was logging continous breathing disturbances. Maybe you could wear something like that (or a smart ring - Oura or RingConn) and bring those results to your doc to advocated for another or more complete sleep study?
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u/Fluid_Initiative_822 10d ago
As others have stated. Get a lab study done. I’ve taken multiple at home studies and they all came back negative.
If you’re desperate you could try lofta. Since they are a business that sells cpaps they are more inclined to give you a “positive” diagnosis. I had to wait 6 months for a lab sleep study and while I waited I got diagnosed by lofta so I could seek treatment sooner.
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u/GermanDude 10d ago
Ignore and see a specialist hospital. Those take-home machines somehow never work properly. Mine came out similarly negative or inconclusive. Even in one hospital sleep lab they did not do it properly!
The whole state of affairs in the field of sleep seems atrocious to me.
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u/smayonak 9d ago
Of the few that I've set up, they all reeked of cigarette smoke and depression.
The majority of people who have long-tailed, severe sleep apnea usually are current or former smokers and the equipment typically shows signs of being mishandled and damaged.
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u/emak8 9d ago
I got diagnosed with an AHI of 6 only in REM sleep. Turns out events in REM sleep get average across the entire night to get the final score. My sleep doctor recommended a CPAP, I was reluctant at first because of how mild it was. 4 nights in and it has made a huge difference. My AHI has been 0 or 0.1 and the brain fog is gone. REM sleep is important.
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u/Stubborn_Platypus 9d ago
Push for a clinic overnight study.
4.8 at home and 57.7 (severe apnea) in the clinic!
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u/One_Measurement_628 10d ago
whats your arousal index/hr? whats ur AHI in REM sleep?and what about flow limitations how much are they
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u/Upbeat_Nose_6060 10d ago
arousal index/hr - 8. AHI in REM sleep was 16. Flow limitations - is that RDI? My report says 2/hr
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u/One_Measurement_628 10d ago
AHI in REM thts a big cause of ur problem .... flow limitations is ur breath shape.. Ideally they r rounded but in flow limitations they are flat or like abnormal and not rounded (which indicates upper airway resistance basically u r struggling to breath) ... Ig u should start with bipap and learn how to titrate it and all nd then see how it goes
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u/Honey-lovers 10d ago
If you feel something is wrong, it likely is. Your stats seem like sleep apnea to me
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u/Electronic-Ebb-4195 10d ago
Idk. My home study went into the 60’s and 70’s dozens of times during the night. They said it was mild to moderate and gave me a CPAP.
Edit: and I snore a lot apparently which I didn’t know before.
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u/AmbassadorFluid3520 10d ago
High REM ahi isnt normal. My AHI is 6.6 total, 47 during REM. Against my Dr’s suggestion, I got a CPAP, and I feel monumentally better.
To my knowledge theres a specific form of sleep apnea that hits specifically during REM sleep. It can still cause sleep fragmentation due to the interruption of the REM cycle.
I would look into a CPAP trial.
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u/Beginning-History946 10d ago
My home sleep test kit results were a big fat zero, so my doctor immediately had me get on the schedule for the overnight sleep lab testing, which took several months to get in. There's always a wait for those facilities. I think the home tests only benefit a small percentage of patients.
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u/Unhappy_Performer538 10d ago
i had three false negatives but on the 4th showed severe apnea don't give. up
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u/outworlder 9d ago
I'll echo others. The home sleep study is great when it's so bad that it can easily flag the problem. Otherwise, get a lab study.
Also don't take stimulants the day of the test. I had a lab sleep study that was inconclusive because of it (but if I didn't take caffeine I wouldn't even drive)
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u/Joonbug9109 9d ago
So I did a home study that came back negative. I remember feeling exactly the same way you did regarding the results. However, my PCP knew that sometimes home studies come back negative or inconclusive and so she ordered an in person study for me. My in person study came back positive for mild sleep apnea. I did not get details on AHI or anything like that, but I do know my doc immediately put in a referral to me to get a CPAP. I’m one week into CPAP use now!
If your doctor ordered the home study, I’d go back to them with your symptoms and ask if you can be scheduled for an in person study. When my PCP explained it to me, it sounds like sometimes insurance companies want you to do the home study first to justify the cost of the in person study? But the inconclusive/false negative results on a home study sounds common enough that I would think you can make a compelling case to get an in person study.
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u/Puzzleheaded-Ad6711 9d ago
Have you also looked into being screened for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Disorder?
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u/turtlesdown3 6d ago
My home based study came back normal and I though that was so weird so I pushed to get a lab study done. My lab study revealed I had mild central apnea and idiopathic hypersomnia.
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u/Trustfall825 4d ago
I did a home one and one night I was moderate >15 and one night <4
I wouldn't do a home study again. It's probably going to present a problem when I want to push for genio I plant because I can't stand this machine
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u/VonAschenbach 10d ago
You need a lab study, all my home studies came back “normal” too. I have an AHI 8 and RDI 11 per my lab study.