I posted the following on another thread, in response to lynninnj's questions that evolved into a discussion of range.
I suggest that if the discussion of range continues, we continue it
here.
lynninnj wrote: ↑Sat Aug 20, 2022 7:19 pm
I feel as though there’s a misunderstanding and I don’t know how to fix it.
lynninnj wrote: ↑Sat Aug 20, 2022 2:30 pm
My median pressure was obviously going to be higher when the pressure settings were higher.
Here's where the misunderstanding starts.
The
median of any distribution means that 50% of the cases happen
at or below the statisitc (the "thing") we are measuring.
The median, as I noted in my previous post is far less affected by extreme values than the average.
You can spend 5% of your time at a maximum pressure of 20, and that will have absolutely no effect on your median pressure.
You can spend 20% of your time at a pressure of 4, and that will have absolutely no effect on your median pressure.
In your example, your minimum pressure was 8 - the machine could not go lower than that.
lynninnj wrote: ↑Sat Aug 20, 2022 2:30 pm
Because the median pressure was just above the minimum pressure, I wanted to try lowering it a bit just to see what the response was.
So you lowered you miumum pressure. But what was your response to the change?
How did feel you and what was your AHI when you spent more time at lower pressure?
Now the median pressure is a little bit lower
And that indicates that you did indeed spend some time at pressure lower than 8.
S0?
What was
your response to sleeping more of the night at lower pressures?
How did you feel and what was your AHI when you spent more time at lower pressure?
You will have the correct setting for you - the sweet spot - when you sleep well and feel great at the lowest pressure necessary for that to occur. The machine will not - cannot - tell you what the sweet spot is.
Another important bit of information to consider:
Which mode is our machine set to run on? The lower median means far more when your machine is in
Autoset for Her mode, because in in
Autoset for Her mode the machine itself changes the minimum setting it uses during the night. In regular Autoset, it will drift down to the lowest pressure you give it, and rev up in response to events, again and again. In Autoset for Her, the machine says "uh oh, there were 3 obstructive apnea within X minute[s], I'm not going lower that tonight!" that might result in higher median.
And now here is my secret, a very simple secret; it is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye.
Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Good advice is compromised by missing data
Forum member Dog Slobber Nov. 2023