CPAP & FitBit sleep measurement accuracy

[RichardMW]

I do not see much deep + rem activity in my FitBit.

I am starting to suspect that the fact that I am using a CPAP mask results in FitBit missing deep sleep & rem recognition.

Have any other CPAP users seen this lack of deep & rem sleep?

Do you think that there is something wrong with the FitBit sleep algorithms for people who use CPAP?

Example:

Last night I went to bed at 11:45 PM and woke up briefly 3 - 4 times and woke up at 9:10 AM.

In the morning I woke up feeling as if I had gotten a good night's sleep.

FitBit Premium said I had 7 hr 27 min sleep.

Deep sleep = 9 minutes

Rem = 19 minutes.

Light sleep = 6 hr 59 minutes.

I am fairly certain I had more rem sleep since I woke up during the night remembering dreams. That typically happens at the end of REM.

I also think that I had more than 9 minutes of deep sleep based on the fact that I felt rested after waking up.

I am 77 years old in reasonable health.

I use a Versa 2. I have a FitBit Premium subscription.

My CPAP machine is a Phillips Respironics with a Dreamwear mask.

Last night the CPAP said I had an AHI of 5.4. That means that the CPAP is working well.

[DaveJS]

I'm finding this too. I've only had 7 nights of CPAP and although getting a sleep score on my Versa 3, I'm getting 0 mins of REM or deep sleep recorded. I used to get sleep stages. I have recently been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation though, so it could be an inconsistent heart rate reading causing this issue for me. Feel pretty good each morning though with AHI readings of 2.0 - 5.5 events p/h.

[Lindy99]

Thanks for the reply! I’ve been using my CPAP for 6 months now. After
about 1 month, my REM sleep measurements on Fitbit normalized. Don’t know
why this seems to be a trend?!?!

[Itsme1]

I have the same problem with ONLY the sleep tracker on my Charge 2, namely: 

It worked fine for the first 4 days I started using a new Resmed 10 CPAP machine.

But for the last 4 days with the CPAP the fitbit sleep tracker has given incorrect readings.

1- it does not tally the full duration of my night's sleep, but the CPAP does.

2- The fitbit does not break sleep down into its usual 4 levels.  Instead it gives a simplified sleep pattern, because,

the error message says, "Your tracker couldn't get a consistent heart rate reading while you slept".

However, all the other, non-sleep functions work fine on the fitbit.

AND it gives me a COMPLETE heart rate readout for the whole night, as usual, which contradicts the reason given for the sleep tracking failure.

 Fitbit support wants me to go through their standard trouble shooting steps:

1- update to the new OS from my current 22.55.2 to 22.58.

I tried to do that 4 times but the tracker refused to update.

The next step Support asked for was to reinstall the Fitbit app to be able to update the OS and see if the sleep tracker would work with the CPAP.

I decided to wait and see user comments on how good 22.58 is and because it is clear that the problem is only due to having started using the CPAP.

Plus, it didn't seem like Fitbit Support knows about this problem and has a dedicated fix for it.

Posted on 3/6/2024

Advice would be welcome.

[Itsme1]

PS:

I see that the problem I just reported in 2024 has been noted on this board since 2020 for various fitbit models, and no resolution has been found.

One of the 2 people at Fitbit support that I talked to today, 3/6/2024, claimed he never heard of the problem before. I asked him if he/Support ever googled it....

The second Support person consulted with their team and said they had nothing specific to say other than they're working on solving problems.

FYI:  To add more info about my situation: I did restart my phone where my fitbit app is, and my fitbit watch is positioned on my arm as it has always been when the sleep tracker worked.

One poster said their fitbit (Versa?) resumed sleep tracking after a month.  Maybe that will happen to me.

[chelsea474]

i must be honest you are very healthy and good looking 

[jonnyD777]

i am also experiencing  the same issues

[jonnyD777]

Mine do show REM and deep sleep when I have my bipap ON

[SunsetRunner]

This is a question I have and you may have answered it.  Several years ago, I was diagnosed as needing a CPAP,, did wear it, and it reduced my snoring.  After a while I got to where I couldn't wear it any longer as it dried out my sinuses terribly.  I haven't used it in quite a while, and mt Charge 5 very seldom shows a high variation in O2.  My sleep numbers are generally in the mid-80's to low 90's.  I'm thinking the Fitbit is telling me I don't have sleep apnea now.  Any thoughts?

[RichardMW]

AlbiesDad.

Are you using the humidifier with your cpap and filling it with distilled water? That might resolve your dried out sinus problem.

Your FitBit does not track your sleep apnea.
What CPAP machine do you use? Have you looked at the AHI index report on the CPAP? It should be below 5.

If FitBit thinks you are getting good quality sleep, how do you feel when you wake up? Is it consistent with the FitBit score?
You could try sleeping without the CPAP for a few days and see if you feel rested when you wake up.

[SunsetRunner]

Sorry, I had not seen this.  I've had the CPAP for quite a while.  I've used distilled water, High pressure, low pressure, heated hose, no heat in hose, no water - the thing dried out my sinuses.  I used it a couple half nights recently - all I can handle at one time - my AHI was zero both times.  I've stopped again.