Pugsy's Pointers...SleepyHead/OSCAR Tutorial and TX Hints
Posted: Thu May 02, 2013 6:18 pm
Edit 10/16/20 Read only thread. If you have a question or a problem please start a new topic/thread so it gets the attention it deserves. I am in the process of trying to consolidate things and cleaning up old post with images that no longer have working image links or other broken links. Back when I did this Thread I was using Photobucket for free and now they want to charge me so they either broke the links to images or plaster their logo all over my images. Eventually I will try to do a total redo of the tutorial but I just can't do it right now.
Edit: 12/11/19
I added OSCAR to this topic because OSCAR is based off of a version of SleepyHead.
Any hints about using SleepyHead pertain to OSCAR as well.
SleepyHead won't be updated anymore as new machines get released nor will any bugs be fixed. OSCAR will be and there are people working on bug fixes as we speak.
https://www.sleepfiles.com/OSCAR/
http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.ph ... stallation
http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.ph ... rpretation
Edit...02/08/18...link to my thread on how to post images for forum review and the basics on what we like to see in those reports.
Subject line...How to post images for review
viewtopic/t158560/How-to-post-images-for-review.html
Link to my pointers or ideas on helping sort out and get through some of the common problems we face when we first start cpap therapy.
viewtopic/t94035/Pugsys-Pointers-3Deali ... -road.html
Pugsy's Pointers #3...Dealing with some of the common bumps in the road when we first start cpap therapy.
Edit 07/12/17 to add the link to RobySue's explanation of Respironics snore reporting here at this forum. Good stuff.
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=155478&p=1182858&hi ... s#p1182858
Once again...if you have a specific question about your own personal data or your reports...create your own thread because a lot of the forum veterans aren't going to be reading this thread. If you stick your problems in here it will get lost and not get the attention that your problem deserves.
Also please note...these thoughts are my thoughts meant only so that you can become better educated as to what you are seeing. These aren't meant to be dial a wingin guidelines. I really don't like to tell someone what to do. I would rather educate someone so that they can make an informed decision about what direction they want to maybe take and/or discuss with their medical care team whenever possible. If you are self treating for some reason (no insurance, no money, or whatever) again I just want to educate so that you can make an informed educated decision about what you want to accomplish and why. It's not my place to judge you or tell you that you have to go get an in lab sleep study to have any chance of success. Ideally we all would get good sleep studies (diagnostic and titration) done in a good sleep lab...but sometimes we don't get ideal and just because someone doesn't get "ideal" doesn't mean we shouldn't try to help.
For plain jane uncomplicated OSA...people can have success with self diagnosing and self titration...is it "ideal" ? of course not..but sometimes we don't get ideal in real life.
Just bear in mind that there are a whole bunch of other possible complicating factors that might accompany OSA or be the reason for feeling crappy. It isn't always OSA that is the big culprit. I wish it were that easy.
In regards to dial a wingin...making changes to the settings on your machine on your own.......
I don't want anyone to go dial a wingin unless they have a good reason to and are comfortable with what they are undertaking and go into it understanding what they are doing and why.......so I just wanted to make that clear.
So with those thoughts in the back of your mind let's see if we can understand what you see on those reports. We are going to target SleepyHead/OSCAR but the same data is shown on the other reports...Encore or Rescan or whatever. The data is the same so the meaning is the same.
There's a glossary to help you understand what you are seeing on the reports. Read it.
http://sleepyhead.sourceforge.net/wiki/ ... p/Glossary
Edit: 12/11/19
I added OSCAR to this topic because OSCAR is based off of a version of SleepyHead.
Any hints about using SleepyHead pertain to OSCAR as well.
SleepyHead won't be updated anymore as new machines get released nor will any bugs be fixed. OSCAR will be and there are people working on bug fixes as we speak.
https://www.sleepfiles.com/OSCAR/
http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.ph ... stallation
http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.ph ... rpretation
Edit...02/08/18...link to my thread on how to post images for forum review and the basics on what we like to see in those reports.
Subject line...How to post images for review
viewtopic/t158560/How-to-post-images-for-review.html
Link to my pointers or ideas on helping sort out and get through some of the common problems we face when we first start cpap therapy.
viewtopic/t94035/Pugsys-Pointers-3Deali ... -road.html
Pugsy's Pointers #3...Dealing with some of the common bumps in the road when we first start cpap therapy.
Edit 07/12/17 to add the link to RobySue's explanation of Respironics snore reporting here at this forum. Good stuff.
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=155478&p=1182858&hi ... s#p1182858
Once again...if you have a specific question about your own personal data or your reports...create your own thread because a lot of the forum veterans aren't going to be reading this thread. If you stick your problems in here it will get lost and not get the attention that your problem deserves.
Also please note...these thoughts are my thoughts meant only so that you can become better educated as to what you are seeing. These aren't meant to be dial a wingin guidelines. I really don't like to tell someone what to do. I would rather educate someone so that they can make an informed decision about what direction they want to maybe take and/or discuss with their medical care team whenever possible. If you are self treating for some reason (no insurance, no money, or whatever) again I just want to educate so that you can make an informed educated decision about what you want to accomplish and why. It's not my place to judge you or tell you that you have to go get an in lab sleep study to have any chance of success. Ideally we all would get good sleep studies (diagnostic and titration) done in a good sleep lab...but sometimes we don't get ideal and just because someone doesn't get "ideal" doesn't mean we shouldn't try to help.
For plain jane uncomplicated OSA...people can have success with self diagnosing and self titration...is it "ideal" ? of course not..but sometimes we don't get ideal in real life.
Just bear in mind that there are a whole bunch of other possible complicating factors that might accompany OSA or be the reason for feeling crappy. It isn't always OSA that is the big culprit. I wish it were that easy.
In regards to dial a wingin...making changes to the settings on your machine on your own.......
I don't want anyone to go dial a wingin unless they have a good reason to and are comfortable with what they are undertaking and go into it understanding what they are doing and why.......so I just wanted to make that clear.
So with those thoughts in the back of your mind let's see if we can understand what you see on those reports. We are going to target SleepyHead/OSCAR but the same data is shown on the other reports...Encore or Rescan or whatever. The data is the same so the meaning is the same.
There's a glossary to help you understand what you are seeing on the reports. Read it.
http://sleepyhead.sourceforge.net/wiki/ ... p/Glossary