Image from Cristian Newman via Unsplash

 

How Sleep Apps Can Help You Sleep and Improve Your CPAP Experience

 

 

By Admin

 

 

Sleep apps are becoming extremely popular as public awareness about sleep health is increasing on a global scale. Many new CPAP devices include a sleep data application in their product descriptions, either as a customary feature or as an accessory. And third-party applications offer sleep tracking for uses beyond CPAP therapy, monitoring your sleep behaviors and informing you of any significant changes. These apps have become increasingly more sophisticated, and allow users to take charge of their sleep concerns and manage their own treatments. In a sense, this a revolutionary movement in sleep medicine, coming at a time when people are beginning to realize just how important their nightly activities are for long-term health and well being. But there are many choices in the app market, and a wide range of functions are available for both CPAP data and for general sleep monitoring purposes. We’ll try to answer any questions about what these applications can do for you, and why their use and popularity continues to rise amid growing public concerns over sleep health and related disorders. Follow the links provided for further information, as any decision concerning your health should be a well-informed decision.

What Sleep Apps Do

Sleep applications have a number of different functions, but most will track nightly activities using sensors or CPAP machine data and inform the user of the resulting patterns or events. While the definition of an event may differ between applications, any measurable fluctuation in the data will likely result in a notification, or if severe enough, will sound an alarm. The general idea is for the applications to help the user by monitoring certain sleep behaviors or physiological activities such as heart rate, breathing, snoring, or sleep cycle patterns. Smartphone apps tend to use their accelerometers (motion sensors) or sonars (sound) to monitor movement, while wearables such as the Apple Watch use actigraphy, which tracks the body’s position over time. Other functions of sleep apps may include sounds or music to help you fall asleep, voice-activated journals for dream experiences, and a variety of monitoring functions during the day and night to help assess your overall health.

Which App is for Me?

The answer to this question depends, of course, on your own personal health and lifestyle needs. To help you decide, we’ll provide a brief overview of some of the most popular sleep applications currently available, and what each app can do for your sleep, your health, and your nightly CPAP therapy experiences.  

  1. Sleep Trackers and Smart Alarms

These applications monitor sleep behaviors and make suggestions based on patterns and events. They can be used on their own as a sleep aid, but are ideal CPAP therapy accompaniments because the information they provide can be used to help determine the effects and improvements of the therapy over time. The “Smart Alarm” feature will attempt to wake the user at the most optimal time when deep sleep has ended, using motion sensors to determine when a lighter sleep stage have arrived. Apps like the Sleeptracker 24/7 also provide a secondary source of feedback as patients proceed with their home treatments and wish to make any necessary adjustments along the way.  

Sleeptracker 24/7

One of the Sleeptracker 24/7’s major selling points is access to high quality customer service and tech support. Motion X, the Sleeptracker’s developers, are highly receptive to customer feedback, complaints, or other inquiries, and the app is highly popular as a result, leading in market sales for its iPhone version since 2012 Another reason for Sleeptracker’s popularity is its versatility and range of functions. This app is able to determine when you are in deep sleep or light sleep, and will wake you during a light sleep period closest to your set waking time. Sleeptracker 24/7 also monitors heart rate, snoring, sleep talking, or any other event that disrupts the cycles of sleep. The Sleeptracker’s AI technology learns and adjusts to patient sleep patterns over time, making suggestions to help users improve their sleep. The Sleeptracker 24/7 also includes a White Noise Generator to help with insomnia, and a “Get Active” feature that tracks day movement and urges for increased movement after prolonged inactivity. The Sleeptracker 24/7 does a lot, and idea is to restructure your routine around sleep and health needs, which should always be a top priority.

Features:

  • Great Customer Service and Tech Support
  • Uses AI Technology Machine-Learning to Develop Intuitive User Profile
  • Wakes User at Optimal Light-Sleep Periods
  • Monitors Heart Rate, Respiration, and Movements
  • Optional White Noise Generator
  • Affordable: Only $.99 at the App Store
  • Available for both iPhone and Android

 

Runtastic Sleep Better

The Runtastic Sleep Better app is a sleep tracker with additional dream logging functions that many users enjoy. Like the Sleeptracker 24/7, this app has a number of features and settings to consider which also includes daytime activity monitoring, for example, tracking exercise, alcohol or caffeine intake, and other behaviors that can affect your sleep. With a lot of features to choose from, this app is ideal for active people who are also concerned about their sleep.

Features:

  • Tracks Sleep and Daytime Activities
  • Includes Smart Alarm
  • Focused on Fitness and Exercise
  • Includes Text or Voice Journals for Dreams, Moods, and Awakenings
  • Available for both Android and Apple iOS
  • Free with Optional Premium Features

Runtastic Sleep Better: via Nexus 2

 

  1. Wearable Device Apps

Wearable device apps are designed for products that are worn, such as the Apple Watch, and as such are able to make close readings of user movements and vital signs. Wearable devices already include health applications, so sleep apps tend to integrate with the systems already in place, making them very easy to use.  

Sleep as Android

This application is designed for the Android operating system, and like Sleeptracker 24/7, it includes a range of features with optional settings, allowing users to create specific tracking profiles to best treat their conditions or concerns. Sleep as Android can be used for smartphones as well as for any smartwatch that uses the Android operating system, making it extremely versatile as a sleep tracker, smart alarm, and wearable device app with a range of features aimed at sleep improvement.

Features:

  • Sleep Monitor and Smart Alarm
  • Saves and Displays Nightly Sleep Data
  • Includes Diagnostics for Improvement
  • Integrates with Android Smartwatch Health Apps
  • Free with Optional Premium Features

 

Sleep++

Sleep++ is an application designed for the Apple Watch device, which has impressive tracking capabilities for health monitoring. The Sleep++ app provides a tool and interface which allows for quick access to readable data formats. High functionality and reliability make this app a popular choice for wearables, and settings can track the moment you fall asleep and wake up each morning and evening.

Features:

  • Monitors Sleep, Restless Movements, and Waking Periods
  • User-Friendly Interface and Display
  • Starts and Stops Automatically as Needed
  • Integrates with Apple Watch Health Apps
  • Free With Optional Upgrades
  • Sleep++ is for Apple/ iOS Only

 

  1. Snore Tracking Apps

Snore tracking applications are fairly self-explained. These apps focus on snoring, but use the snoring data to help make suggestions about how best to reduce the snoring and improve sleeping overall. Snoring apps are specialized in measuring both the frequency and intensity of snoring, and usually record snoring as well, allowing users to hear the sounds they make when they are asleep.  

SnoreLab

Another popular app, SnoreLab, focuses on snoring but has great potential for diagnostic measures, particularly for sleep apnea. By treating snoring, the app is meant to help with any related disorders affecting your health and sleep. Available for both iPhone and Android, SnoreLab uses advanced algorithms to measure snoring intensity and records snoring before and after suggested remedies to allow users to check the results. SnoreLab uses color coded graphs to display data, providing a user-friendly means of interpreting each night’s recordings.

Features:

  • Monitors and Records Snoring
  • Measures Snoring Intensity as nightly “Snore Score”
  • Suggests and Tests Remedies for Snoring
  • Free App with Added Premium Features
  • Available for iPhone and Android (Integrates with Health Apps)

 

  1. CPAP Data Apps

CPAP Apps are designed to read the data that CPAP machines already record and store for each period of use, but they also include a number of features to help CPAP users with their products. The data is often backed up on SD Cards that can be taken to a physician or sleep specialist for reading, but with the advent of CPAP data streaming apps, the process has been made easier and much more accessible. These apps are normally compatible with both the Android and Apple iOS systems, and are free to download with the purchase of a compatible machine. Although some users prefer additional apps for further details and data summaries, these apps are becoming more user-oriented in their guidance and instructions, as well as providing a helpful means of reading and transmitting the most important information about how CPAP therapy can best serve the patient.  

Philips Respironics DreamMapper

The Philips Respironics DreamMapper is a good example of an app that started as a data reader, but has been upgraded over time to provide a wide range of guidance tools for the patient. Accessible through any browser, the DreamMapper app allows users to track their own therapy progress by checking daily trend reports, Apnea/Hypopnea counts, AHI (Apnea-Hypopnea Index, i.e. events per hour), and other sleep data. Based on the data, patients can use the app to adjust their device settings to improve their therapy. The app will also check for leaks and other mask problems, and troubleshoot any technical difficulties. Using the Philips Respironics EncoreAnywhere cloud system, physicians or other specialists can access the data at any time and leave comments or suggestions.

Features:

  • Reads and Monitors CPAP Therapy
  • Guides in Mask Fitting and Machine Adjustments
  • Tracks Usage Time, Leaks, Waking, and AHI
  • Presents Data in Easy-to-Read Bar Graphs
  • Coaches Using Encouragement and Goal Reminders
  • Free with Compatible Device

 

ResMed myAir

ResMed’s myAir app is similar to the DreamMapper for Philips Respironics, but specializes in ResMed’s proprietary coaching and scoring formats. Like the DreamMapper, myAir records and tracks usage, events, AHI, user trend reports, and leakage. But myAir also includes features to log daily feelings upon waking, and how to best treat some of the more common CPAP therapy challenges. The myAir Score provides a summary of therapy effectiveness, and encouragement prompts urge the patient to keep trying when usage levels drop. ResMed’s AirView system provides cloud access to the data, which also includes the myAir Sleep Library; a collection of instructions, video tutorials, and other reference materials to help patients with their treatment.

Features:

  • Scores Overall Effectiveness of Therapy
  • Uses Tailored Coaching and Guidance
  • Includes Comprehensive myAir Library of Resources
  • Helps New Patients Adjust to Therapy
  • Free with Compatible Device

 

  1. Open Source Apps

The Story of SleepyHead

SleepyHead is a free and open-source option for sleep tracking software, but has recently been discontinued due to disagreements between its developers. Still available in its original forms for iPhone, Android, and Ubuntu (Linux), the app is still a good resource due to its ease of use and highly detailed, comprehensive data. Though no longer in development, SleepyHead remains very popular among CPAP users who wish to have total access to their data. But the app’s main advantage, its attention to detail, can be a handicap as well. Some patients get very easily lost in the magnitude of data presented by the app, and may not know how to interpret the numbers. For many open-source developers, this is one of the primary focus points for future development. Providing a means of interpreting sleep data in ways that can direct a user to make appropriate adjustments can be challenging, especially when each patient has uniquely individual health concerns. But the high demand for this level of personalization continues to be an impetus for development as we progress toward a more effective, technologically advanced approach to healthcare in the future.

The Future of Sleep Apps

At the moment of this publication, more advanced and sophisticated sleep apps are being developed for both CPAP and general sleep health needs. New technologies promise a more personalized approach as well as more detailed data and diagnostics for the user. In time, these developments will provide everything from accurate assessments of sleep cycles to real-time remote data access for healthcare professionals. Now that Smart devices and cloud platforms are so prevalent, developers are doing their best to promote better health through the use of these technologies, and applications are an easy and inexpensive way to keep track of your own progress, whether you’re simply trying to stop snoring, or fighting a serious, life-threatening disorder.  

Sources

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - https://www.cdc.gov/features/index.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Ffeatures%2Fgetting-enough-sleep%2Findex.html

National Sleep Foundation - https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/five-clusters-sleep-patterns

Philips Respironics - https://www.usa.philips.com/c-e/hs/sleep-apnea-therapy/dream-mapper.html

Puinikaweb - https://piunikaweb.com/2019/02/21/rise-and-fall-of-sleepyhead-how-community-backed-cpap-hacking-got-jeopardized/

ResMed - https://myair.resmed.com/Default.aspx?redirectCountry=2

Runtastic Sleep Better - https://www.runtastic.com/en/apps/sleepbetter

Sleep++ - https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/sleep/id1038440371?mt=8

Sleep as Android - https://sleep.urbandroid.org/

Sleeptracker - https://www.sleeptracker.com/

SleepyHead - https://sleepyhead.jedimark.net/

SnoreLab - https://www.snorelab.com/