cpap record of usage hours

Hi I have a dreamstation bi pap machine and it will total up all the in use time no matter how many times I put it on or take it off in one 24 hr period...so it does add up the time of use within a 24 hour time span....hope this helps.

@rfries- I've never had more than say 15 minutes while having mask on & off, but I believe that should still work.
@johnbishop will have a more certain answer on this I'm sure.:-) Jim @thankful

@rfries It sounds like you are serious about tracking your sleep. It may be helpful to members like @lolaemma @seleeta @woogie if you detailed the what the process was "setting up" your CPAP machine and what the "make" and "model" of the machine is?

@rfries - I'm with @thankful and @starfirey2k on the recording hours of usage for the CPAP or BiPAP machines. I'm pretty sure they just record total usage based on a 24 hour period using the date/time on your CPAP/BiPAP machine. If you really want to see all of the data you may be interested in reading through the following discussion - Want to see all the data stored on your CPAP machine's SD Card?: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/want-to-see-all-the-data-stored-on-your-cpap-machines-sd-card/

I am pleased to answer this. Every morning I anxciously wait for ResMed to get my sleep report ready for my laptop. After 2 1/2 months of usage I am now getting consistent events below 5 per hour, which is normal sleep. The really big turning point was the tennis ball method of keeping me off my back. I do access the settings page on the CPAP on board computer and experiment with max pressure settings and ERP.
I am Canadian and have no requirement to report to Medicare. I did not attend the sleep trial which would have used titration to find my best settings.but instead did that myself. The sleep clinic doesn't help me at all because I refused to pay them $2600 for a machine that I bought on Amazon.ca for $1000. It is a ResMed Airsense 10 and a hybrid mask. These are Canadian dollars and the exchange rate right now is 1.34.
The set up process was to:
1- Watch the free videos on YouTube explaining the how to use a CPAP and how to bring up the "secret" settings panel.
2- Since the video reported that most users set the max pressure at 10 cm. of water column, that's where I started. I now have it at 7.0 and will continue to fine tune that setting.
3 For ERP I tried both 1 and 3 as a setpoint and saw no difference however I will redo that test now that I have eliminated the erratic results that are brought on by sleeping on my back.
4- WRT humidity and temperature I am using the default settings as shipped and see no need to change.
I hope that covers the set-up process.
I want to write about the tennis ball method that grew from a discussion with @johnbishop in which I came to realize that the frustrating erratic results, that did not correlate with anything that was happening, was actually related to rolling onto my back, unknowingly. The tennis ball gets irritating when in contact with the skin. I duct taped and safety pinned it to a fabric belt which I wear over a tee shirt at about kidney level. The belt is not tight and I don't feel the ball until I turn onto my back. It seems like just the determination to stay off my back has made a big difference. There is a device on Amazon designed to reduce snoring by keeping the user off his back. It is a large cylinder with a backpack type of vest and the air pressure (hardness) is adjustable (55US$). My sleep test showed 20 events per hour when on my back and 8 when on my side.
There is something really suspicious about this industry. I think that our universal health care pays the sleep clinic for the sleep test and subsequent sleep trial. So why do I need to pay him $1600 extra for the machine and why does the manufacturer seem to be in colusion with this robbery by hiding the settings panel from the machine owner? I may be wrong but it smacks of extortion and I sent a scathing email to ResMed decrying their lack of integrity. I'm a cranky 79 year old male.

Yes I have had the same experience when using the toilet. However, when I was awake, without the mask, for about 2 hours something different happened. I slept 3 hours, was out of bed for 2 hours, returned to sleep with the mask on and the report showed a usage of 3 hours. I guess I have to redo that test. The report is usually available 1.5 hours after stopping the machine so there must be some cut-off point and it must be less than 1.5 hours. Or maybe 1.5 is wrong. Or maybe it is adjustable.
The reason that this is important to me is that my usual sleep pattern is to go to sleep at 10:30 PM, wake at 2 or 3 AM, lie awake in frustration for an hour or more, get up for an hour or two, get sleepy, return to bed and sleep deeply for 2 to 3 hours. I know it's nuts but this has been the pattern for so many years I don't think it will change now.

FWIW. The ResMed airsense10 allows about 1 hour pause. Last night I had a 1 hour pause (roughly) between two phases of sleep 6 1/2 hours and 3 1/2hours.Roughly 1 hour after the second phase the ResMed report was ready and reported 10 hrs. of usage. This is good to know for people like me who wake up in pain and need to be up for a long pause. I hope this helps someone.

When does the 24 hr period begin and end

Welcome @ange32004, From what I've read most CPAP machines reset at noon so record from 12:00 noon until 12:00 noon the next day.

"The Day Resets During your Usage:
For most CPAP machines, the day resets at noon. This is because most people sleep at night. However, many of our CPAP customers work at night and sleep during the day. This can cause part of your CPAP usage to go on two separate days. This will dramatically throw off the time you think you are going to see on your CPAP report. The easiest resolution for this is to contact your provider to have the day cutoff changed for you. Rest assured that the time will be counted, but it may be on two separate days."
-- Usage Hours don’t add up on your CPAP – What is Happening?:
https://cpapmyway.com/blog/missing-time-on-cpap-compliance-report
Are you having concerns about CPAP compliance?

I just got my ResMed Friday. The first night I had no internal vibrations and it said 8 episodes. Saturday night it read 2 episodes but I had internal vibrations again. Medicare will pay for the machine and I'm required to use it at least 4 hours within a 24 hour period and after 13 months, I will own the machine. I'm using the nasal cpap. My pressure is set at 4. I got it solely to try to help the vibrations since after sleep study I didn't have any for a week and a half. The tech told me I didn't really qualify as a patient with sleep apnea. I don't snore, wake up gasping for air, get sleepy during the day and the pressure is as low as they'll go.