Detailed user guide for SleepyHead

[MarkWill]

I fear I am missing something about SleepyHead. I installed it a few days ago and now I am trying to interpret the data(bear mind that I am a newbie here so many of the terms are new to me).

Looks like there's lots of good stuff there but the user guide seems more like just a series of (unexplained) screenshots than an actual guide for how to interpret and use the data exposed. Is there a real user guide somewhere, so I can walk through each screen and learn how to understand what SleepHead is reporting?

http://sleepyhead.sourceforge.net/wiki/ ... sers_Guide

Thanks.

Mark

[Pugsy]

Have you seen my tutorial on SleepyHead..top thread in the Announcements section of main forum page?
It's not the greatest composition because it's hard for me to put my thoughts into words but it is at least something to get you started on understanding what you see on the reports.

Read the tutorial and come back with specific questions for whatever might need further clarification and I will try to clarify it better.

[palerider]

I fear I am missing something about SleepyHead.... Looks like there's lots of good stuff there but the user guide seems more like just a series...

I direct your attention to the first post in the announcements section on the main page.

[MarkWill]

Have you seen my tutorial on SleepyHead..top thread in the Announcements section of main forum page?
It's not the greatest composition because it's hard for me to put my thoughts into words but it is at least something to get you started on understanding what you see on the reports.

Read the tutorial and come back with specific questions for whatever might need further clarification and I will try to clarify it better.

I did, Pugsy, and I am very appreciative of you putting this together. But - very respectfully - while there's some good info there it's not a focused user guide. By way of example (and, again, I am somewhat sheepish about this since I truly am appreciative), when I open that thread I see a longish message in conversational tone.

The first link is about general CPAP issues. The next is "Pugsys Pointers" so not something I'd naturally look for in relation to Sleephead. But if I do click on that I see a list of pointers that look promising, especially the third link ("Understanding your data from your software reports" - that sounds EXACTLY what I want). But when I click on that I am just taken back to the original page and i feel like I'm going around in circles.

What I am looking for is something that discusses each page by referencing the charts and how to interpret the data,

Thank you.

Mark

[Pugsy]

When I have some time I will see what's going on with the links.

I told you I am not the greatest at composition..that's never been something I am good at. What I am good at is the technical evaluation stuff. I avoided all English or composition classes in college whenever I could get away with it.
I am not good at it and I actually hate doing it. I know my personal short comings and that's certainly one of them but at this stage of my life it isn't going to change. I am sorry that my way isn't enough help for you.

Over on the apneaboard.com RobySue has a similar tutorial...maybe her way of explaining things works better for you.
I am sorry but I don't have a link to her tutorial over there but it can be found with a bit of searching.
She is much, much better at composition than I am.

Again..if you have a specific question...just ask and I will try to help.

[MarkWill]

When I have some time I will see what's going on with the links.

I told you I am not the greatest at composition..that's never been something I am good at. What I am good at is the technical evaluation stuff. I avoided all English or composition classes in college whenever I could get away with it.
I am not good at it and I actually hate doing it. I know my personal short comings and that's certainly one of them but at this stage of my life it isn't going to change. I am sorry that my way isn't enough help for you.

Over on the apneaboard.com RobySue has a similar tutorial...maybe her way of explaining things works better for you.
I am sorry but I don't have a link to her tutorial over there but it can be found with a bit of searching.
She is much, much better at composition than I am.

Again..if you have a specific question...just ask and I will try to help.

First off - thank you again! I want to be very clear that my comments were not at ALL intended to be critical or disrespectful. Your apology is both unnecessary and not accepted (because it's unnecessary ).

I will admit that the opening post in the thread threw me off a little (when I came back in circles) but as I scroll down I see some useful discussion and opinion about the various screens and options. This is all good and I am going to work my way through that. I could well be that your conversational tone is actually more valuable in the long run than a "mere" user guide, so it truly is appreciated.

That said, I do think there's a need for a true user guide or at least a "starter guide". I found a few links on the SleepyHead wiki that link to the "official" user guide but the links are either broken or direct to a page that merely show the screenshots, without true explanation of what they mean (that's just bunch of screenshots of stuff I can already see, not a user guide ).

Anyway, thank you again and I will hunt around for RobySue's content too.

Thank you!

Mark

[Pugsy]

I know that my thoughts are hard to follow sometimes...well often if truth be told... and I have a real problem with tending to write novels..makes for difficult following for sure.
I know the tutorial needs some work and updating but again...since I hate it I will find every excuse in the world to not do it. That's just me.

Besides...the main point of the tutorial was understanding the data itself....remember I am more technically oriented and not a true user guide.

Let me see if I have the link to Robysue's work hidden some where....I have like 400 links saved pertaining to cpap stuff...I may have it but don't know where to find it.

[MarkWill]

I know that my thoughts are hard to follow sometimes...well often if truth be told... and I have a real problem with tending to write novels..makes for difficult following for sure.
I know the tutorial needs some work and updating but again...since I hate it I will find every excuse in the world to not do it. That's just me.

Besides...the main point of the tutorial was understanding the data itself....remember I am more technically oriented and not a true user guide.

Let me see if I have the link to Robysue's work hidden some where....I have like 400 links saved pertaining to cpap stuff...I may have it but don't know where to find it.

Please don't worry about that, Pugsy. You have already been very helpful and I can dig around. I'm sure I will find it.

Thanks again.

Mark

[Pugsy]

OMG...it was in the first folder I opened.
I need to add it to my tutorial. Off to go do that right now before I forget.
http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.ph ... d#pid73182

[MarkWill]

OMG...it was in the first folder I opened.
I need to add it to my tutorial. Off to go do that right now before I forget.
http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.ph ... d#pid73182

Thank you - that looks excellent on first glance and i am sure it will compliment your own commentary very well.

Thank you again, Pugsy.

Mark

[Grace~~~]

I'm crazy about the Pugsy novel speak ... LOL ~~~
maybe because it sounds a lot like the voice in *my* brain (just smarter!)

OP, MarkWill I have been following your posts with GREAT interest. Thank you so much
for sharing and learning here and I so hope you will continue to post about your ideas
and observations.

I have been on cpap since May and I am feeling so much improvement.
I just had another awesome night with awesome sleepyhead scores that make me
as happy as seeing my straight A report card.

MarkWill I do not know if you have clicked on the flow rate that shows the shapes of
your breaths?

You know if you click on it ... it expands out and you can see little waves?
At least I think most folks see little waves?

I have a ridiculous way of breathing obviously.
Nothing pretty or rhythmic at all.


~~~anyway ... MarkWIll, If you put together some insights specifically about those 'breath shapes'
from the 'flow rate graph' it would be amazing for me. (and maybe others?)

My brain is feeling better than it has in SO LONG ... but damn it if cpap can't blow any computer
skills up my nose! I WISH!

...everyday ... one of my goals is to figure out how to maybe post some of my ugly breathing here
to get comments. ... but I never seem to get to it. Lots going on with me and also a lifetime of
being intimidated by computers.

It's OK though ... it's mostly just curiosity.

My AHI's are under 1 and my leak rate is controlled and "acceptable" and I am sleeping
8 plus hours straight with only one potty break a night. (and I have a Frankenstein rebuilt urinary system!) no morning headaches ... and overall just feeling better. I owe it all to CPAPTALK!

I am writing now though to really THANK YOU, MarkWill for sharing exactly where you are and allowing those of us *not as bright* to copy off your paper.

The internet and these discussion boards still seem surreal to me ... but I can't help but be amazed at what is possible? Maybe you can post some of your breath shots and explain them? LOL When you understand?

...probably yours are pretty waves though ~~~

~~~mine is just ugly chop ... even Kelly Slater couldn't surf them

[Shooting Star]

Thank you for that link! Excellent resource, learning tool. Much appreciated.

[MarkWill]

OP, MarkWill I have been following your posts with GREAT interest. Thank you so much
for sharing and learning here and I so hope you will continue to post about your ideas
and observations.
...
MarkWill I do not know if you have clicked on the flow rate that shows the shapes of
your breaths?

~~~anyway ... MarkWIll, If you put together some insights specifically about those 'breath shapes'
from the 'flow rate graph' it would be amazing for me. (and maybe others?)
...
I am writing now though to really THANK YOU, MarkWill for sharing exactly where you are and allowing those of us *not as bright* to copy off your paper.

Your post made me smile, Grace While I am going to thank you for the kind words (though I don't believe I have anything to contribute at this time, such is my position on the learning curve!). What I am NOT going to thank you for is lighting the nerd in me. See, I have happen to have something of a technical background (I work for a large company that has a lot of Windows!!) and now that you have pointed out the "waves" and the fact I can zoom in and all sorts of other good stuff I am discovering now.... well, there goes my day

I am increasingly intrigued by this, to the extent that it might keep me awake at night. I do see "nice little waves" but I also see the flatness in pressure leading up to an OA. The more I interpret this data and think what is happening to me and how my machine responds, the more I want to discover more.

So, yeah - thanks for that Grace

Now - just to totally disprove my technical statement - if I can figure out how to upload a screenshot I'll do so later

Thanks.

Mark

[Jay Aitchsee]

For those that like to examine flow rate waveforms, I've gathered up some examples in the following threads:

Nasal Mask Waveforms: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=113502&p=1095402#p1095379
Sleep Wake Junk: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=113409&st=0&sk=t&sd=a#p1094245
Mouth Leaks: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=112758&p=1085906#p1085906

Consolidated Waveform examples: viewtopic/t114197/Flow-Rate-Waveform-Ex ... -Mask.html

[Pugsy]

If you haven't yet figured out how to upload those screen shots
I use imgur.com it's least problematic IMHO
https://sleep.tnet.com/reference/tips/imgur

How to organize things. There are 3 pages (links) so be sure to read all 3.
https://sleep.tnet.com/resources/sleepyhead/shorganize

For some examples see this thread...we don't need all those graphs...just the basics to start with and if we need something else we will ask.
viewtopic/t103468/Need-help-with-screen-shots.html

Please do me a favor and embed the image in your post so I can see it straightway without having to click on a link.
When I have to follow links for images they take forever to load (internet speed sucks) and sometimes I just say screw it and don't say anything because I can't see the image and thus can't help.

Use the preview button before you final post to see if the image shows up or you see a link.
If you use imgur...register and log in and copy the last line in the box with all the addresses and it will embed quite nicely.