Blog
Evidence-based articles about PAP therapy, flow limitation, and sleep data analysis. Written for patients who want to understand their therapy — and researchers pushing the field forward.
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Mandibular Advancement Device (MAD): What the Evidence Actually Shows
A mandibular advancement device (MAD) advances the jaw to treat sleep apnea and snoring. Evidence-based review of efficacy, MAD vs CPAP, and cost.
Tongue Retaining Device (TRD/TSD): What the Evidence Actually Shows
A tongue retaining device (TRD/TSD) uses a suction bulb to hold your tongue forward during sleep. An evidence-based look at efficacy, candidacy, and cost.
What Your myAir Score Actually Measures (and What It Leaves Out)
ResMed's myAir score is built from four weighted components. Here is exactly how it's calculated, what it leaves out, and how to see the flow waveform behind it.
What Is Residual AHI on CPAP, and What Counts as Good?
Residual AHI is the events per hour your CPAP still records while you use it. What is typical, what counts as good, and when to talk to your provider.
How Do I Get CPAP Data Off the SD Card?
Which SD card your machine uses, how to copy the data folder, and how to open it in your browser. Works for ResMed AirSense and Philips DreamStation machines.
CPAP vs BiPAP: Which Device Do You Need and Why?
CPAP delivers one pressure; BiPAP delivers two. Learn the difference between CPAP and BiPAP, how their therapy data compares — IPAP, EPAP, pressure support, and flow limitation — and how to load your BiPAP SD card data into AirwayLab.
Is DreamMapper Shutting Down? What Philips CPAP Users Should Know
Is Philips discontinuing DreamMapper? What we could verify as of August 2026, where the shutdown rumor comes from, and how to keep your CPAP data safe either way.
How to Read Your CPAP Therapy Report: AHI, Leak Rate, and Pressure Explained
Understand every field in your CPAP therapy report — residual AHI, event types (OA, CA, H, RERA), mask leak rate, pressure data, and usage hours — with plain-language explanations.
What Does My CPAP AHI Number Mean? A Plain-Language Guide
Your CPAP AHI counts apneas and hypopneas per hour — but what do the numbers mean, and what does AHI miss? A plain-language guide for PAP users.
Hypopnea vs Apnea: Understanding the Difference in Your CPAP Data
Apneas and hypopneas both count toward AHI, but they are different events with distinct waveform signatures. Learn what each means and why the split matters.
How Do I Download ResMed CPAP Data from an AirSense 10 or 11?
Step by step: power down, take out the SD card, copy the DATALOG folder, upload it in your browser. Covers AirSense 10 and AirSense 11 with no software to install.
What Are the Alternatives to OSCAR for CPAP Data in 2026?
Web-based alternatives to OSCAR for reading CPAP data, including SleepHQ and AirwayLab. What each shows, which ones show the flow waveform, and what stays free.
What Free CPAP Data Analysis Software Can I Use?
Compare free CPAP tools by what they show: flow waveform, flow limitation scoring, per-night trends, browser or desktop. AirwayLab runs in the browser, no install.
What Is the Difference Between AHI and RDI?
Your sleep study shows RDI. Your CPAP shows AHI. They measure different things. Learn what each metric counts, why the numbers differ, and how to read both.
How to Analyze Your CPAP Data at Home
Learn how to analyze your CPAP data at home — explore AHI trends, leaks, and flow limitations with free, private, browser-based tools. No uploads, no accounts.
How to Read OSCAR CPAP Charts (A Plain-English Guide)
Learn how to read OSCAR CPAP charts — AHI events, flow rate, pressure, and leaks — explained in plain English for PAP therapy users.
What Is a Normal CPAP Leak Rate and When Is It Too High?
Leak rate is unintended air escaping your mask or mouth. What the number means, where the common high-leak line sits, and how to see leak next to events.
What Are RERAs and Why Do They Matter Beyond AHI?
RERAs are breathing disturbances that wake you without counting as an apnea or hypopnea. What they are, why AHI misses them, and how to see them in your own CPAP data.
SleepHQ Alternative: Comparing Cloud vs. Browser-Based CPAP Analysis
SleepHQ is cloud-first. AirwayLab analyses your CPAP data entirely in your browser — no upload, no account, open-source engine. An honest comparison of both tools.
CPAP Compliance Tracking: Your Questions Answered
What is CPAP compliance, how is it tracked, and what does a compliance score mean? Clear answers for PAP users navigating insurance and therapy requirements.
How to Export and Understand Your CPAP Data
Learn how to export CPAP data from ResMed, Philips, and Fisher & Paykel machines, what the numbers mean, and how tools like AirwayLab help you see the full picture.
Understanding Your CPAP Data: A Plain-Language Guide to AHI, Leaks, and Flow Limitations
New to CPAP data analysis? Learn what AHI, leak rates, flow limitations, and RERAs actually mean — and how AirwayLab helps you see your therapy clearly.
Understanding Your CPAP Pressure Settings: What the Numbers Actually Mean
Learn what CPAP pressure settings mean, the difference between fixed and auto pressure, and how to read your pressure data — without clinical jargon.
How to Read Your ResMed SD Card Data in Your Browser — No Download Needed
Your ResMed SD card holds detailed EDF files with your full breathing waveform. Open them directly in your browser with AirwayLab — no software to install, no data uploaded.
Low AHI But Still Tired? What Flow Limitation and RERAs Reveal
Your AHI looks great but you still feel exhausted. Learn why flow limitation and RERAs matter — and how to find them in your PAP data.
Analyse CPAP Data in Your Browser — No Download, No Cloud, No Account
AirwayLab analyses your CPAP data entirely in your browser. No software to install, no cloud upload, no account needed. See AHI, flow limitation, RERAs, and the Glasgow Index free.
The Four Metrics AirwayLab Tracks — and What Each One Tells You
AHI only tells part of the story. Learn what the Flow Limitation Score, Glasgow Index, WAT score, and NED analysis show about your PAP therapy data — and why they matter.
v1.2.2: Your Data, Explained -- Not Judged
AirwayLab v1.2.2 ships 23 PRs: MDR compliance sweep, dashboard improvements, and honest data framing. Your PAP data, explained -- not judged.
v1.2.1: Clearer Language, Same Deep Analysis
AirwayLab v1.2.1 updates how insights are worded to be clearer, more accurate, and aligned with EU MDR guidelines. Your analysis stays the same.
Why Your AHI Is Lying to You
AHI was never designed to measure sleep quality. It misses flow limitation, RERAs, breathing irregularity, and the autonomic stress response. Here is the evidence -- and what you can track instead.
Your AHI Is Normal But You're Still Exhausted — Here's What Your Data Is Missing
An AHI under 5 doesn't mean your therapy is working. Flow limitation, RERAs, and autonomic stress can fragment your sleep without showing up in standard metrics. Here's how to find out.
How PAP Therapy Actually Works: CPAP, BiPAP, and Pressure Support Explained
A visual, beginner-friendly guide to the physics of PAP therapy. Understand how EPAP splints your airway, why inspiration creates dangerous negative pressure, and how pressure support pushes air through.
Not Everyone With High Flow Limitation Feels Bad — Here's How to Find Out If Yours Matters
Two people with the same FL% can feel completely different. Individual sensitivity to flow limitation explains the gap. AirwayLab's symptom self-report helps you find your own correlation.
The Hidden Respiratory Events Your Flow Data Isn't Showing You
Your AHI is normal, your NED looks clean, but your oximetry shows constant arousals. Brief airway obstructions — events too short and too subtle for standard detection — may explain the gap.
Does Flow Limitation Drive Sleepiness? What the Evidence Shows
Your AHI is 2, your arousal index is low, but you're exhausted. A growing body of research shows flow limitation itself may drive daytime sleepiness — independent of arousals.
Arousals Don't Tell the Whole Story: Why Flow Limitation May Matter More
Sleep medicine assumed arousals fragment sleep and cause symptoms. But research from Dr. Avram Gold and others suggests the stress response to flow limitation itself is the primary driver.
Is the Epworth Sleepiness Scale Measuring What You Think?
You scored normal on the ESS but feel terrible. Recent research by Drs. Gold and Stoohs shows the ESS conflates sleepiness and fatigue — and may be screening out the patients who need help most.
Why Your Brain Might Matter More Than Your Airway: Understanding CNS Sensitization in Sleep-Disordered Breathing
Your flow limitation is mild, but your arousals are through the roof. A growing body of research points to central nervous system sensitization — and your AirwayLab data might already be showing it.
What Is Flow Limitation in CPAP Data and Does It Matter?
Flow limitation is a narrowed airway your CPAP may not count as an event. What the flattened waveform means, why you can feel tired with a low AHI, and how to check.
Beyond AHI: Why Your Sleep Apnea Score Might Be Misleading You
The Apnea-Hypopnea Index has been the gold standard for decades. But a growing body of research shows it misses critical breathing events. Here's what you should be tracking instead.
Your PAP Data Belongs to You: Privacy in Sleep Medicine
Every night, your PAP machine collects intimate health data. Where does it go? Who can see it? And what are your rights? A look at privacy in the age of connected sleep devices.
What Is the Glasgow Index in CPAP/BiPAP Data?
The Glasgow Index scores the shape of each breath during sleep on nine components. AirwayLab calculates it automatically from your ResMed EDF data -- free, in your browser.
How to Get Your ResMed AirSense 10 Data Into AirwayLab (Step by Step)
Learn how to find, remove, and read the SD card from your ResMed AirSense 10. Step-by-step guide to getting your CPAP data into AirwayLab for detailed analysis.
What Is the WAT Score in CPAP Data?
WAT (Wobble Analysis Tool) is three metrics in one: FL Score, breathing regularity, and periodic breathing detection. AirwayLab calculates it from your ResMed EDF files.
Where Is the SD Card on a ResMed AirSense 11 and How Do I Read It?
Where the SD card sits in the AirSense 11, how to take it out safely, what is on it, and how to read the data in your browser without installing anything.
What Is NED (Negative Effort Dependence) in PAP Therapy Data?
NED measures a breathing pattern where greater respiratory effort produces less airflow. AirwayLab calculates NED per breath from your ResMed EDF data, free in your browser.
What Is UARS? Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome Explained for PAP Users
Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome (UARS) is a sleep breathing disorder standard AHI scoring routinely misses. Learn what UARS is, how it differs from OSA, and what your PAP data can reveal.
CPAP Flow Limitation Score Explained: What 0, 0.5, and 1.0 Mean
ResMed devices report flow limitation on a 0, 0.5, 1.0 scale. Here is what each value means in your data, how it appears in OSCAR, and how AirwayLab's FL Score relates to it.
How to Get Your ResMed AirCurve 10 or AirCurve 11 BiPAP Data Into AirwayLab
How to access SD card data from your ResMed AirCurve 10 or AirCurve 11 BiPAP machine. Step-by-step guide to reading your bilevel therapy data in AirwayLab.
What Is Central Apnea? Reading Central Events in Your CPAP Data
Learn what central apneas are, how they differ from obstructive events, and how to read CA counts in your CPAP data — including treatment-emergent patterns.
How to Read Your CPAP Data Report (What Your Doctor Sees)
Learn what's in a CPAP compliance report — AHI, usage hours, leak rate — and what your doctor and insurance company actually look at.
AHI Explained: What the Apnea-Hypopnea Index Means on CPAP
AHI counts apneas and hypopneas per hour of sleep. What each event is, the severity bands, and why your CPAP AHI is only an estimate.
Why Isn't My CPAP Data Showing?
Missing nights in your CPAP app? See the causes ResMed's own help pages name, what to check, and how to read your nights from the SD card.