Do you have sleep apnea and worry about your oxygen levels dropping below normal while you sleep?
If this is you, an overnight pulse oximeter is an excellent device that will help you track your oxygen and make sure your CPAP is working as best as it can for you.
For this review, I conducted careful and extensive research to find the best pulse oximeter for sleep apnea and some great alternatives that are excellent for home overnight oximetry.
These devices are designed for overnight oxygen saturation monitoring to help you maintain normal overnight oxygen levels and make the most out of your CPAP or BiBAP Machine therapy.
Note that none of my recommendations include the standard fingertip pulse oximeters (the type that clips over the finger).
With this type of fit, they’re not likely to stay on during the night to collect complete and accurate readings.
Also, most fingertip pulse oximeters don’t have a key feature that the pulse oximeters in this review have: a vibration alarm that prompts you to adjust your sleep position and/or CPAP/ BiPAP/ APAP therapy when your oxygen level drops below normal.
Table of Contents
Wellue O2Ring Oxygen Monitor
My Top Pick: The main reason I recommend the Wellue O2Ring Oxygen Monitor over the similar Wellue SleepU Wrist Oxygen Monitor is the fact that it fits like a ring, which provides a comfortable, secure fit without the worry of anything disconnecting overnight. [Read My Full Wellue O2Ring Review Here]
It vibrates to notify you when oxygen levels or heart rate are low or abnormal, so you can adjust your sleep position or CPAP during the night.
Finally, the Wellue O2Ring Oxygen Monitor provides accurate readings as it continuously tracks oxygen levels every second.
Wellue SleepU Wrist Oxygen Monitor
Also Great The Wellue SleepU Wrist Oxygen Monitor is still a great option because, in addition to still providing accurate readings and detailed analysis reports, it has a vibration alarm that tells you when your oxygen levels are low and also an excellent battery life of 16 hours.
This device straps to your wrist and is connected by a wire to a ring sensor that fits over your thumb or finger.
If you prefer this type of fit over the Wellue O2Ring Oxygen Monitor, I still recommend this pulse oximeter.
Wellue WearO2 Wearable Pulse Oximeter
Budget Pick: The Wellue WearO2 Wearable Pulse Oximeter makes for a good, lower-cost option.
However, because of its lower cost, it has fewer features, such as no computer software capability and basic data reporting (compared to professional, more detailed reporting of the above two devices).
Additionally, while this device has a preferred ring fit, it’s also the bulkiest, which you may find isn’t ideal to wear while sleeping.
Oxiline Pulse X Pro
I would highly recommend Pulse X Pro as it boasts a measurement accuracy of up to 98%.
It can be used by both professional specialists and ordinary users at home. The latch fits snugly to the finger and does not move out during operation.
The gadget consumes minimum energy, so it does not require frequent replacement of batteries.
It can measure your Saturation Measurements and Perfusion Index in several seconds.
The model is recommended for people with poor eyesight, as all indicators are displayed in large characters on a large screen. The display also has an additional backlight.
Check out here my full review of Pulse X Pro Including how you can connect it to your smartphone.
Wellue O2Ring Oxygen Monitor – In Detail
The Wellue O2Ring Oxygen Monitor is second best-in-class when it comes to ring sensor oxygen monitors.
Firstly, it’s the perfect size and fit for overnight use. It fits comfortably over the thumb or finger, leaving the rest of the hand free for movement.
With the ring fitted, the Wellue O2Ring Oxygen Monitor stays on securely throughout the night and doesn’t slip off.
The ring perimeter is 2-3.2 inches (50-82 mm) and adjusts to fit all sorts of finger sizes within this range.
This pulse oximeter continuously tracks oxygen levels, pulse rate, and motion every second, gathering an impressive amount of data in a typical night.
It has a built-in memory for data collection, but data can also be stored using the Android or iOS app or the Mac or PC software.
The app or software that comes with the Wellue O2Ring Oxygen Monitor provides overnight oximetry interpretation and gives you access to detailed analysis reports of blood oxygen levels, heart rate, and body movements. It produces high resolution trend charts with 4-second intervals.
You can also easily generate professional PDF or CSV reports to instantly send to your doctor for further analysis.
But don’t let all of that data talk overwhelm you.
The reports are easy to read, if you have the right guidance. Click here to see my guide to how you should be interpreting these results (bookmark this page to refer to once you get your new pulse oximeter!).
Now let’s get to one of my favorite features of the Wellue O2Ring Oxygen Monitor: it vibrates when low oxygen levels or abnormal heart rate is detected.
The vibration feature can be customized by intensity of vibration, what you want it to vibrate for (like your oxygen, heart rate, or both), and at what threshold for each.
Furthermore, an added benefit of the vibration alarm is that if you’re wearing it while sharing a bed with your partner, it only wakes you up (unlike a sound alarm, which might wake up your partner).
Recharging the Wellue O2Ring Oxygen Monitor is easy, as it only requires USB connection. Finally, the battery life of 12-16 hours is more than sufficient, as you can get about two night’s use out of it before it needs a recharge.
Pros & Cons
PROS | CONS |
Ring fit is comfortable, secure with no concerns for disconnecting overnight | Some reported app issues |
Vibrates when oxygen levels are below normal | Some dislike the software |
Can be set to vibrate at a customized oxygen level and vibration intensity | Does not sync with Apple Health |
Collects accurate readings and creates detailed analysis reports on app or computer software that can be printed and shared |
Wellue SleepU Wrist Oxygen Monitor
The Wellue SleepU Wrist Oxygen Monitor is also an exceptional overnight pulse oximeter option. It has all of the same key features as the Wellue O2Ring Oxygen Monitor aside from a few small differences.
The device is strapped onto your wrist with an adjustable strap, which is connected to a ring sensor that’s worn on your finger or thumb.
The ring perimeter is slightly smaller than the Wellue O2Ring Oxygen Monitor, at a range of 2-3 inches (50-76 mm).
Additionally, the Wellue SleepU Wrist Oxygen Monitor only vibrates when blood oxygen levels are low (as opposed to the Wellue O2Ring Oxygen Monitor, which can be set to vibrate for blood oxygen levels and/or heart rate).
Finally, the battery life of this device averages around 16 hours, which is similar to the Wellue O2Ring Oxygen Monitor, whose battery life ranges from 12-16 hours.
In my opinion, it’s the fit that makes this device slightly inferior to the Wellue O2Ring Oxygen Monitor. There’s a risk that the ring sensor can be disconnected from the wrist strap overnight, which can lead to incomplete readings.
However, due to the fact that this device has a vibration alarm for low oxygen levels and creates excellent analysis reports that you can share with your doctor, I still think this is an acceptable product if you think you prefer the way it fits compared to the Wellue O2Ring Oxygen Monitor.
Pros and Cons
PROS | CONS |
Longer battery life than the Wellue O2Ring Oxygen Monitor | Risk of ring sensor disconnecting from the wrist strap overnight |
Vibrates when oxygen levels are below normal | Does not have vibration alarm setting for abnormal heart rate |
Can be set to vibrate at a customized oxygen level and vibration intensity | Some find it too expensive |
Collects accurate readings and creates detailed analysis reports on app or computer software that can be printed and shared | Some reports of defective devices |
My Budget Pick: Wellue WearO2 Wearable Pulse Oximeter
The Wellue WearO2 Wearable Pulse Oximeter makes for a decent overnight pulse oximeter option. It’s similar to the Wellue O2Ring Oxygen Monitor, but is an earlier version that has fewer features.
It fits similarly, like a ring over your thumb or finger.
However, this device is a bit more bulky, weighing 18 grams (0.63 oz) compared to 15 g (0.53 oz) of the Wellue O2Ring Oxygen Monitor.
The bulkiness isn’t an ideal feature for wearing while sleeping and makes it less sleek and less comfortable compared to the Wellue O2Ring Oxygen Monitor.
Additionally, the Wellue WearO2 Wearable Pulse Oximeter has fewer app and computer software capabilities.
The app generates a report of just basic data, compared to the other two pulse oximeters reviewed here that create more detailed, professional reports.
Also, unlike the other two devices, the Wellue WearO2 Wearable Pulse Oximeter doesn’t have computer software capability, and the interval in which data is reported is shorter (1 minute compared to 4 seconds of the other two devices).
Like the Wellue SleepU Wrist Oxygen Monitor, the Wellue WearO2 Wearable Pulse Oximeter only vibrates when blood oxygen levels are low (whereas the Wellue O2Ring Oxygen Monitor can be set to vibrate for both blood oxygen levels and heart rate, or one or the other).
While Wellue reports that this device is meant for daily use (compared to the other two devices which are meant for both sleep and daily use), I think this can still be used to obtain overnight readings.
Pros and Cons
PROS | CONS |
Lower price | Only collects basic data |
Vibrates when oxygen levels are below normal | Does not have vibration alarm setting for abnormal heart rate |
Longer battery life than the Wellue O2Ring Oxygen Monitor | Shorter data interval in app |
Can be used overnight along with CPAP therapy | Not compatible with computer software |
Recommended Pulse Oximeters for Sleep Apnea
Wellue O2Ring Oxygen Monitor | Wellue SleepU Wrist Oxygen Monitor | Wellue WearO2 Wearable Pulse Oximeter | |
---|---|---|---|
Works with CPAP | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Fit | Fits on thumb or finger | Monitor straps to wrist plus ring that fits on finger or thumb | Fits on thumb or finger |
Weight | 15 g (0.52 oz) | 31 g (1.09 oz) | 18 g (0.63 oz) |
Ring perimeter | 2.4-3.4 in (60-86 mm) | 2-3 in (50-76 mm) | 2-3 in (50-76 mm) |
Wireless capability | Bluetooth | Bluetooth | Bluetooth |
Prolonged tracking | Continuously tracks oxygen levels and heart rate every second | Continuously tracks oxygen levels and heart rate every second | Continuously tracks oxygen levels and heart rate |
Oxygen level range | 70-99% | 70-99% | N/A |
Alarm/notification | Silent vibration alarm | Silent vibration alarm | Silent vibration alarm |
Customizable alarm | Adjustable vibration intensity and threshold of blood oxygen and heart rate | Adjustable vibration intensity and threshold of blood oxygen only | Adjustable vibration intensity and threshold of blood oxygen only |
Printable/shareable reports | Print/share professional PDF/CSV analysis report of oxygen levels and heart rate | Print/share professional PDF/CSV analysis report of oxygen levels and heart rate | Print/share basic PDF/CSV analysis report of oxygen levels and heart rate |
Display interval in app | 4 seconds | 4 seconds | 1 minute |
PC/mac software | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Battery | Rechargeable via USB with 12-16 hours battery life | Rechargeable via USB with 16 hours battery life | Rechargeable via USB with 16 hours battery life |
Built-in memory | Yes, 4 sessions up to 10 hours each | Yes, 4 sessions up to 10 hours each | Yes, 4 sessions up to 10 hours each |
Water resistant | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Amazon rating | 4.3 / 5 | 4.2 / 5 | 4.2 / 5 |
Price | Check Price | Check Price | Check Price |
Closing Points
You might have noticed that I didn’t include any fingertip pulse oximeters in this review.
This is because this type of device isn’t the best for home overnight oximetry.
Since they can fall off easily while sleeping, obtaining overnight readings would be difficult with these devices.
Therefore, I highly recommend the Wellue O2Ring Oxygen Monitor, as it checks all of the boxes:
- It lets you know when you need to adjust your sleep position to maintain normal oxygen levels
- It obtains accurate readings that you can trust
- You can easily view and understand your readings in detailed analysis reports (that you can also share with your doctor)
- It’s sleek and comfortable
- It stays on your thumb or finger securely during the night
If you think you prefer the fit of the Wellue SleepU Wrist Oxygen Monitor, however, it’s still an excellent choice.
And finally, if you’re looking to spend less and don’t mind fewer features, the Wellue WearO2 Pulse Oximeter would be the option for you.
Note: Once you get your new pulse oximeter, be sure to check out my article on how to interpret your Wellue pulse oximeter results here.
After reading this, you’ll have a solid, basic understanding of your results without having to wait until your next appointment with your doctor!
Wellue vs Viatom
Wondering about the difference between Wellue vs Viatom after reading this? Wellue and Viatom collaborated to make the products reviewed here.
They are manufactured with Viatom technology and distributed by Wellue.
FAQs
Does sleep apnea affect blood oxygen levels?
Yes.During sleep apnea, this can happen all the time, leading to low oxygen levels in the blood. Then you wake up gasping for breath.
During the night, this sometimes happens dozens or even hundreds of times, and the consequences of this for your health can be deplorable.
Can an oximeter detect sleep apnea?
Yes.Pulse oximetry is a diagnostic procedure that determines the saturation of the blood with oxygen, while the skin is not disturbed.
Are there pulse oximeters for kids?
Now you can see different models of children’s pulse oximeters, which differ from adult models in size, design (for children these are brighter devices).
However, they have the same principle of operation: a sensor with infrared radiation is in every device. It passes through the skin, soft tissues of the finger, earlobe or foot and is absorbed by the blood.
The device displays heart rate and SPO2 depending on how oxygenated the blood is. Most household pulse oximeters run on batteries.
What is the Best pulse oximeter for personal use?
The Welue O2Ring Oxygen Monitor is best-in-class when it comes to ring sensor oxygen monitors for personal use.
How accurate is a pulse oximeter for cold fingers?
The cold constricts the blood vessels and the blood passes through the finger more slowly.
The same thing happens with a reduced “upper” pressure, less than 80 mm Hg. Blood simply does not have time to reach the fingertips at the right speed. The pulse oximeter cannot read the pulse wave and gives incorrect results.