Your Doctor Has 15 Minutes. Make Every One Count

Sleep medicine appointments are short. Your doctor needs to assess your therapy, decide if anything should change, and move to their next patient, often in under 15 minutes.

Walking in with your data organized changes everything. Instead of vague questions like "How's your CPAP going?", your visit becomes a focused conversation about specific numbers, clear trends, and concrete next steps.

Here's exactly what to bring and what to ask.

The 4 Metrics Your Doctor Actually Wants

1. AHI Trends

Your AHI (Apnea-Hypopnea Index) is the headline number: how many breathing disruptions you're having per hour. But a single night's AHI doesn't tell the full story. Your doctor wants to see the trend: is your AHI improving, holding steady, or creeping upward over weeks?

An AHI under 5 means your therapy is working well. If it's consistently above 5, that's a conversation about what might need to change.

2. Usage Hours

This is straightforward: how many hours per night are you actually wearing your mask? Most sleep physicians want to see at least 4 hours per night, and ideally 7 or more for full protection during REM sleep.

Your usage data also matters for insurance compliance (more on that below). Bring numbers, not estimates.

3. Leak Rates

Leak data tells your doctor whether your mask is fitting properly. High leak means the machine can't maintain the right pressure, which undermines your entire therapy.

If your average leak rate is consistently above 24 L/min, your doctor may recommend a different mask type (opens in new tab), a different size, or adjustments to your strap tension. Check our guide to fixing CPAP leaks for steps you can take before your visit.

4. Pressure Data

Your CPAP delivers air at a specific pressure (measured in cmH2O) to keep your airway open. If you're on an auto-adjusting machine (APAP), the pressure varies throughout the night based on need.

Your doctor looks at your 95th percentile pressure, the pressure your machine needed 95% of the time. If it's consistently hitting the top of your range, your prescription may need adjusting. If it's staying low, you might benefit from a narrower range.

How to Get Your Data

The SD Card Method

Your ResMed machine records detailed therapy data to a removable SD card. On the ResMed AirSense 11 (opens in new tab), you'll find it behind a small door on the left side. On the AirSense 10, it's on the back panel. Gently push to eject.

The SD card contains everything: per-second pressure and leak readings, individual respiratory events with timestamps, and session-by-session summaries. This is the most complete data source available.

The myAir App

ResMed's myAir app syncs basic therapy data over cellular or Wi-Fi. It's convenient, but limited. You'll see a daily score, approximate usage hours, and a simplified AHI number.

The problem? myAir doesn't let you export detailed reports. You can't see per-event breakdowns, time-series charts, or the kind of granular data that helps your doctor make specific decisions. It's fine for a daily check-in, but it's not enough for a productive appointment.

A Better Option: CPAP Clarity's PDF Reports

CPAP Clarity generates detailed, doctor-ready PDF reports directly from your SD card data, for free, in your browser.

Here's what you get:

AHI breakdown by event type: obstructive apneas, central apneas, and hypopneas shown separately, so your doctor can see exactly what's happening
Leak and pressure metrics: averages, 95th percentiles, and color-coded status indicators
Time-series charts: your entire night visualized, showing when events cluster and how pressure responds
Plain-English narrative: a summary that explains your data in everyday language

You can download a single-night report from the dashboard or a multi-night summary from the history page. Print it out or pull it up on your phone. Either way, your doctor will have everything they need.

Your data never leaves your device. No account required. No sign-up. Just insights.

Generate your free report →

What to Ask Your Doctor

With your data in hand, here are the questions that make your 15 minutes count:

"Should my pressure be adjusted?" If your 95th percentile pressure is bumping against the top of your range, or your AHI is trending upward, ask about widening or shifting your pressure range.
"Do I need a different mask?" If leak rates are consistently high despite proper fitting, a different mask type might solve the problem.
"Are my events obstructive or central?" This matters because the treatment differs. Obstructive events respond to pressure increases. Central events may require a different approach entirely. Learn more about reading your CPAP data.
"Should my EPR settings change?" EPR (Expiratory Pressure Relief) makes exhaling more comfortable by reducing pressure when you breathe out. If you're having trouble with central apneas or aerophagia (swallowing air), EPR adjustments can help.
"Am I meeting insurance compliance?" Ask your doctor to confirm your data supports continued coverage.

Insurance Compliance: Know Your Numbers

Most U.S. insurers require you to demonstrate CPAP compliance during the first 90 days, and many continue to check periodically after that. The standard threshold is:

4 or more hours of use on at least 70% of nights over a rolling 30-day period

That means at least 21 out of 30 nights with 4+ hours of wear time. Your usage data is the proof. If you're close to the threshold, knowing your exact numbers helps you and your doctor advocate to your insurer with confidence.

The Bottom Line

Your sleep doctor wants to help, but they need data to do it well. Showing up with your AHI trends, usage hours, leak rates, and pressure data transforms a routine check-in into a meaningful conversation about your health.

Take five minutes before your appointment to pull your SD card and generate a report. Those five minutes can change the next six months of your therapy. And if it's been a while since you replaced your tubing, filters, or water chamber, stocking up on fresh supplies (opens in new tab) before your visit is a good habit.

Get your free CPAP report →

What to Bring to Your Sleep Doctor Appointment