Testing for oxygen saturation during the night can be useful for sleep apnea sufferers to monitor their sleeping patterns and the number and severity of breathing disturbances they have. Oxygen desaturation (dips in blood oxygen) happens when breathing pauses, temporarily causing those levels to fall.
Alongside tests like overnight pulse oximetry, keeping track of your sleep quality, the frequency of interrupted breathing, and how beneficial breathing techniques are impacting your sleep apnea can be part of a targeted approach.
Today, we’ll explain why oxygen saturation matters and discuss some of the best sleep apnea tracker and wearable tech devices you might choose to invest in, such as a Fitbit or an Oura Ring, to help monitor nighttime breathing.
Sleep Apnea and Oxygen Saturation: The Basics
There are many ways physicians and sleep specialists identify sleep apnea or review progress to determine the right treatments and lifestyle changes. Oxygen saturation monitoring is one of the most frequently used types of testing, as it reviews whether your oxygen levels fall below the healthy levels for a person of your age and general health.
People with sleep apnea often experience fluctuations. Their oxygen levels might remain consistent for much of the day or during lighter rest but drop suddenly and dramatically to as low as 70% in more severe cases.
Blood oxygen can be tracked and recorded with medical testing, such as overnight pulse oximetry. This test uses a device that clips onto a finger and stores the data captured into a device connected to it with a cable.
Alternatives include smartwatches and wearables, which, although not recommended for use instead of a properly calibrated medical testing system, can provide useful insights.
Using Wearable Tech to Monitor Oxygen Saturation Levels
Smartwatches and devices like the Oura Ring can empower wearers to monitor and trace their own sleep, nutrition, activity levels, and general wellbeing–but they are not comparable to devices or tests performed or supervised by a physician. However, the functionalities and features built into wearable devices have evolved rapidly in recent years and provide more data and information that can help users see how their lifestyle, habits, and routines affect the way they feel and sleep.
Watches and wearables primarily rely on sensors that emit infrared light and measure data by monitoring how much of that light is reflected or absorbed, with a sensor either on the reverse side of a watch or inside a fitness tracker ring. There are caveats, but many wearables are fairly reliable when measuring oxygen saturation levels, also known as ‘SpO2,’ when resting, although the data collected is thought to be less dependable when you sleep.
This is because natural movement and variations in your sleeping position can impact the measurements taken, with wearables lacking the ability to recognize these factors. That said, some series of Apple Watch have been found to have the closest correlations in terms of SpO2 readings when compared to a medical oximeter, alongside the highest instances of overestimated measurements.
Therefore, wearables might be a positive step forward in taking action to monitor your sleep and oxygen levels. Still, you should review the data with a degree of caution, recognizing that some results may be inaccurate.
Natural Ways to Augment Your Sleep Apnea Approach
If you have lived with sleep apnea for several years and recognize that measures to address your symptoms have been ineffective or that you want to try different approaches without the intrusion of a CPAP machine or mouthguard, the first step is to download your copy of Sleep Apnea Solution. This latest publication by Dr. Dylan Petkus, a leading authority on holistic sleep apnea approaches, provides detailed guidance about how and why sleep apnea occurs, the underlying reasons your smartwatch or device records regular drops in oxygen saturation, and some of the steps you can take.
Examples include effective breathing techniques, following established nutrition programs that support healthier sleeping, and adjusting your sleep schedule and environment to give your body and mind the best opportunity to wind down and prepare for rest.
Once you have downloaded your copy and digested some of the valuable information shared, you can use this to inform your approach going forward. You can also use either an oxygen saturation test or a wearable device to monitor the impacts and see how your sleep quality and quantity change over time!
