Sleepyhead

[jcurt172]

I'm new to the whole software thing but downloaded sleepyhead yesterday. It seems pretty user friendly but I'm having trouble deciphering some of the terms and reading the graphs. I also need help interpreting the data so that I can understand my sleep situation and make the necessary changes. Is there a better software for a beginner to use and can anyone direct me to some information that will help me understand and interpret this stuff? I've done several searches but seem to get mired in the terminology and technical jargon.

[Pugsy]

Do you have the clinician manual for your machine? It will explain some of the terms you see on the report. SleepyHead is so very new and still under construction so no glossary of terms Help section yet.
There is nothing to help you evaluate your own particular data. Usually we just post a report here with our questions and someone will help with the items you have trouble understanding.
Some of the terms are commonly used acronyms which you can find here..wiki/index.php/Category:CPAP_Definitions between this and the clinician manual most terms are well covered.

There are other software options available but none do more than report what the machine scores. Same data as on SleepyHead presented visually differently. You have to learn what it means on your own with help from members here.
It doesn't take much to get a grasp as to what the data means and if there is anything there that needs work to improve.

You can post an image of the report and someone will offer help. I use screen shots.
This is how I post screen shots of the reports.
Open the image to full size so it is easily read.
I use Vista snipping tool to create a screen shot and crop the image at the same time.
Prt/scr key will also take a screen shot if using XP. If laptop is used sometimes the Fn key has to be pushed at the same time as the prt/scr key
I think windows 7 Home Premium has the snipping tool, Basic may not.
Once the screen shot is created save it in jpg format.
Upload the image to a host site. I use Photobucket it is free, there are others.
Once the image is uploaded then copy the ENTIRE IMG address. Be sure to include the opening and closing IMG in brackets. Paste that copied address into a post here.
Use the preview button. If you can't see the image try again because if you can't see it we can't.

[archangle]

I'm new to the whole software thing but downloaded sleepyhead yesterday. It seems pretty user friendly but I'm having trouble deciphering some of the terms and reading the graphs. I also need help interpreting the data so that I can understand my sleep situation and make the necessary changes. Is there a better software for a beginner to use and can anyone direct me to some information that will help me understand and interpret this stuff? I've done several searches but seem to get mired in the terminology and technical jargon.

No, there's nothing much better for the beginner, unfortunately. The official Respironics software is not very user friendly. None of the software really explains the results, it simply reports the data that's recorded by the CPAP machine.

SleepyHead is still in development. It will be a little better once the overview section is cleaned up.

The online Onkor program might be easier to use, but I haven't tried it myself.

[Breathe Jimbo]

jc, the most import piece of data is AHI = your average number of apneas and hypopneas (i.e. events) per hour through the night. The goal is to get AHI under 5.0. You can learn everything else bit by bit as needed.

[GumbyCT]

Unfortunately there is a steep learning curve to all of this. Fortunately, this forum has lots of useful and helpful info. Below is a link I haven't recommended in a long time now but is very useful when climbing this learning curve. Give it a try.
For Acronyms & Definitions
http://www.sleepnet.com/definition.html

HTH

This won't happen overnite so you will need to educate yourself - this is a self-serve forum so help yourself.

viewtopic/t35702/Where-A-CPAP-Newbie-Should-Start.html

Learn to search - search.php

The "Advanced Search" option can be found on the very top of each forum page directly under the "Home" icon. Drill down - search again using another term.

For Acronyms & Definitions
http://www.sleepnet.com/definition.html

Good Luck

[Mary Z]

You've gotten some good links I would take the time to check. Also I find I can Google any new term I come across. There is quite a learning curve to being an experienced user, but all the information is out there.
I would say the most important thing, before trying to understand your data, is to use the machine all night, every night, plus naps. If you're not doing that, nothing else matters.
Good luck, keep us posted.

[jcurt172]

Thank you everyone for all of your input. Guess I better just dive in and be a little more patient. I've been using my machine for about 3.5 weeks and it seems my AHI's are increasing little by little so I'm anxious to find out what's going on. Thanks again for all the great info!

[archangle]

By the way, SleepyHead mostly shows you the data that's generated by the CPAP machine. It doesn't try to interpret or explain what it means, especially from a medical point of view.

[Carl LaFong]

Sleepyhead is good in some respects, but is clearly lacking in some areas. But the developer(s) are definitely on the right track and I salute them and cheer them on. For now, if you can get the Encore Viewer or Encore Pro you'll get a fuller picture.

[Lizistired]

As you figure out the software, you can post screenshots here for others to help you interpret the data.