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I think you will find any auto will do what you ask (except perhaps for access to data). The ResMed (Airsense 10), Respironics (Dreamstation) and Fisher & Paykel (Icon Auto) all do. I'd go for whichever is cheapest because there is little to separate them. Having said that, check them out because you may find the controls on one easier than another, which is a significant thing. I only use the above 3 brands, but they do make up about 98% of the market. Other brands are probably pretty much the same.
I also wouldn't get too carried away with following the data. The odd download or 2, from a trained professional, will tell you all you need to know (and way more than the machine will display to you). It's usually best not to sweat the details. If your download says it's working and you are comfortable that should be all you need to know.
In short, yes it will. It can't tell if you are awake or asleep. Any change in breathing is counted. This is why it is rare to get an AHI of 0 even if you a re absolutely fine. Another thing that fools it big time is restless legs.
How are you using your humidifier? The AirSense 10 has one built in, so you obviously have a humidifier, but how is it set? Humidification normally helps with these issues, but if you humidifier is not set right it won't do as good a job as it might. Do you empty your humidifier chamber every day?
Being a technician, and not a doctor (just to be clear), it could be sleep apnoea, but it could also be something else. What you describe could be what are sometimes called hypnogogic jerks and may not be indicative of there being a problem with your sleep while you are sleeping. In other words, while you are sleeping everything works fine, it's just that something disturbs you sometimes. A sleep study should provide some answers, like do you breathe OK while sleeping. If the study doesn't turn up any sign of OSA, then your problem is more likely mental than physical and medication may be the best option.
I suggest that you not be too concerned about the numbers. Have you have an in-lab study, or were you just handed an automatic machine? If you have a proper titration in a sleep lab then you can be confident that your breathing has been demonstrated to be OK at a certain pressure. If you have not had a study, then you could try to get one to see exactly what is going on. Automatic machines are NOT infallible. Indeed, I frequently come across patients for whom an automatic machine is unsuitable. There are a number of things which confuse automatic machines causing them to react inappropriately (either delivering too much pressure or not enough).
Ask all the questions you can think of at your sleep study - answering question is part of their job. Also, the more you know about what's going on the more you will feel in control of the situation. Be very cautious about using sleeping meds. If you have OSA many of them will make it worse (by relaxing you they make your airway more likely to collapse). Also, they can be very habit forming, you can develop tolerance over time (they stop working) and when you stop taking there can be a rebound effect where you cant sleep at all for several days. Always be very cautious about sleep meds and talk to you doctor at length about them.
A few hours can provide enough data to draw some reasonable conclusion about your sleep in some cases. If you are obstructing every 30 seconds for 2 hours then it is safe to say that you have OSA. It may take more sleep to get a good picture of how your OSA varies with sleep stage and position, but sometimes even this can be pretty well represented in only a couple of hours. It is very variable. It is also worth remembering that you usually sleep more than you think you do when having a sleep study. The real question is are the people who are involved with your sleep study genuinely interested in your health (doctor, technicians etc) or are they in it for the money. I work t at a facility which is free to the public and we don't sell anything, so our only interest is in the health of our patients. However, I know of a lot of places that are established purely as cash cows for doctors. This can lead to a lot of people getting poor advice and the wrong equipment, which is why I post on this site. The better educated people are, the less likely they well get ripped off and the more likely they will get the best treatment possible.
I can tell you that there is currently no approved and effective surgery for treating sleep apnoea (at least that is the latest word from all of my professional medical sources). There are a number of surgeries practiced, but they all have very low success rates, are very painful, have a high level of post operative infection and in the rare successful case the problem can return in a few years. This is why reputable doctors all advise against it. Sorry. Just the way it is.
The small flow of air you mention is generated by the machine to cool the humidifier. You will notice a little snowflake symbol flashing on the screen to indicate as much. It will last until it thinks it is cool. Ignore it. It's fine. I'm not sure why ResMed felt the need to add this feature when millions of CPAP machines around the world have operated perfectly fine without cooling their humidifiers.
A large leak can reduce the sensitivity of the detection apparatus of the CPAP machine in some cases, so that may be why you have more events with the full face mask. However, there is a documented phenomenon in which people need a high pressure to eliminate obstruction when using a full face mask than when using nasal. One theory is that it is a "reverse MAS effect" with the pressure on the lower jaw from the bottom of the full face mask exacerbating airway collapse. Whatever the cause, I have seen it happen with my own eyes in some of my patients.
You could try taping your mouth shut with a nasal mask, at least for a few nights. If your residual AHI goes up then you were probably obstructing before with the nasal mask but the leak was stopping the machine from registering it. If your residual AHI is still low with the mouth taped shut then that would suggest your breathing is fine with the nasal mask the higher AHI with the full face is due to the reverse MAS effect. In the latter case you could keep using nasal is if it is more comfortable. A mouth leak is not necessarily a big issue in itself if CPAP is still effective.