recently I was diagnosed with moderate sleep apnea. Mostly it’s supine based, so I’ve started sleep position therapy. 2nd week in. How reliable is Sleep as Android for tracking this? I want to monitor how well I’m sleeping and am not too sure what exactly I’m looking for with regards to how SAA tracks such occurrences.
I’ve attached last night’s results. Deep sleep at 60% is positive, but there definitely seems to be some sporadic light sleep occurrences during the longest deep sleep period. Could those be apnea occurrences still? Can sound recording detect and record such occurrences? Any suggestions or feedback on the graphs? Thank you.
Hi @mgs1968, the deep sleep percentage is too high. Where exactly was the phone during the tracking?
Sleep apnea cannot be detected by the actigraphy method itself. But you can try the sonar sensor - if the signal is strong enough, the app can estimate your breath rate (and dips in this rate). A compatible wearable with a SpO2 sensor will provide data about the saturation of the blood - so you will also see the dips in the SpO2 level on the graph.
Sound recording usually can record the apnea events, if they are accompanied by the typicalsounds.
the phone is placed on the bed, right next to my pillow. My deep sleep average for last 14dys = 48%. App shows Aus avg is 43%, and a few countries show above 50% (56% highest).
With regards to wearables, is there a preference with regard to compatibility with SaA? I’ve just taken a look at Samsung Galaxy 6 etc. I’ll continue researching a few others. Thank you.
Could you please send me the logs? I will check the raw data (Left ≡ menu → (?) Support → Report a bug).
Sonar is a contactless tracking, so it is not exactly like the wearable.
Do you have this low signal strength on all frequencies? Try other frequencies from the drop-down menu list. Also check, if there are no sound-enhancing features (like Adaptive sound, Equalizer, or Sound profiles) - these will lower the signal.
All compatible listed in the docs will work, including Galaxy 6. I am not sure, if I should recommend Galaxy line, though, to be honest. Some users are experiencing a strange gap in the data at the end of the tracking (the most crucial part for smart alarm), as there seems to be some internal battery optimization on the watch.
Our favorite is currently the Mobvoi Ticwatch 5 PRO (it is not an affiliated link just our main developer Petr’s article about how he loves this watch).
Signal strength for sonar frequencies is the number in the middle of the screen “Test sensor” in Settings > Sleep tracking > Test sensor.
A recoding volume threshold set too high may result in too few sound files being recorded - if the volume threshold is high, only a few sounds will match the criteria. The optimal threshold in most environments is 15-25%.
Hello! We have very similar Apnea issues, except I have gone the CPAP route, however I still track my sleep outside it.
If you can buy one, try an O2 Ring, it works with Sleep As Android. It has a pulse oximeter, movement detection and heart rate detection.
I tried it with and without CPAP and it woke me up because my oxygen was too low when I inadvertently rolled on my back without CPAP.
I also have a Polar watch (an Ignite), which is very good at picking up interruptions, also tracks your heart rate and HRV (but doesn’t work with SAA unlike the Polar bands). Whether you trust the sleep stages it’s up to you but, as far as telling me how many times my sleep is interrupted, I was well below the average score they stated is normal before CPAP, and with CPAP I often get an average or above score.
The O2 ring paired with Sleep As Android seems to be better at picking up when you are awake than the O2’s own ViHealth app (waking up during the night to go to the loo was picked up by my watch but not by the O2 ring when I used the Vi Health app).
So O2 ring seems decent WITH Sleep As Android as far as sleep interruptions go. As far as oxygen it’s FDA approved so I don’t question that (also given my experience when I rolled on my back without a CPAP).
Buying that AND a Polar watch would be costly. An O2 ring is probably sufficient. I’ll say that the O2 ring gives me a higher estimate of deep sleep and a lower estimate of REM. The Polar is the opposite, it says I have less deep sleep and more REM on the same night. I ignore the sleep stages and just focus on interruptions as I said.
just our main developer Petr’s article about how he loves this watch).