How often do you check your efficacy data?

I hate to say it but I check it almost every time I take the mask off. Many times, the numbers don't agree with what I feel and then more digging is required. I'm a data addict and I doubt this pattern will change very much.

I'm only 3 months into CPAP therapy, but I check my stats and download from the SD card every day - I tried doing it every second day, but ........

I do assess how I FEEL and how I think I slept before looking at the data. Often the 2 don't correlate

I'm also diabetic, and after 2 years at that, still test my glucose at least 4 times per day, sometimes much more depending on the situation and no, I'm not on insulin.

Ok, I'm a little obsessive, but as DoriC said - you could have worse addictions LOL.

Cheers,
xena

I have had my cpap less than a week. I have no idea how to check the data!

I check my weekly on Monday afternoons, unless I have had a bad night the night before then I will check my data the next day to see if there was anything that was going on.

I also will make notes if there was something going on. Like if I was sick, did or didn't using sleeping medication for that night.

need more time to reply

Marchmom wrote:I have had my cpap less than a week. I have no idea how to check the data!

Hi Marchmom, and welcome to the forum!

We need to know what equipment you are using to help you learn how to check your data. The easiest way to let everyone know what you are using is to go to the upper left of this window, click on 'User Control Panel', then 'Profile', and on the 'Edit Equipment' tab enter in your machine, mask, etc. in TEXT format.

Good luck!
Lyn

What I am interested in most is leak and length of session. Those things I can work on optimizing, and should if I want good therapy!

I often have just hypopneas, and usually when I feel extra bad it is from increased apneas. If I have slept decent length and no leaks and feel especially bad, I do capture the detail and download it to ResScan to see what is going on when.

I also play the predict game based on how I am feeling, and often I can predict if I have had increased apneas.

I don't have a pen and paper of the stats daily....used to until I got the software. At first, I downloaded details every few days so I had a long string of months of all detail in the ResScan reports. Now I have long strings of summary only punctuated by detail days when I am struggling and have increased numbers as mentioned already.

Checking every morning off the lcd on the APAP is so simple it doesn't make sense to me to not do it. If I miss the numbers because it in after 12noon....... I just shrug my shoulders; no biggie.

Sometimes my issues are a result of how I am/am not breathing when I sleep; sometimes it is more when I go to bed, whether I am having seasonal light issues, my activity and nutrition, and other factors. I was dismissed/undiagnosed/untreated for so many years that sleep and I still have a difficult relationship!! And that is likely a combo of neurological issues, behavioral issues, and old habits that are slow to change even when I am aware and committed to changing them...... takes time.

CPAP is an important improvement in my functioning; it doesn't singlehandedly fix things pronto!
Looking at the lcd every morning on a fully data capable machine make good sense and is easy. Obsessing about numbers should be cautioned against; being aware of overall trends is helpful for identifying possible action areas if fucntioning and numbers trend as relating to each other...

Just my take....

J

I write mine down--right next to my fasting BHG; keeps me honest, and gives me positive (usually) feedback.
Hubby doesn't write anything down--lets the machine do it.

The 18-month mark was when my habits changed. I wasn't checking daily before that, but I was checking every three or four days so that I always had detail graphic information to download to ResScan. For a long time, I really wanted to see how long any apneas lasted, when during the night they were occurring, and what the leakage profile for the night looked at (rather than a couple of statistics). Now I just download every three or four weeks, often enough to keep a permanent record of the summary data and provide an opportunity to sample the details to see if anything strange pops out. It has become all so routine. For any interval I select of more than a week, my AI is 0.0 and my HI is between 1.5 and 2.0. Apneas are 10 or 11 seconds, 99 times out of 100. My results vary from day to day for reasons I cannot figure out, but not by much. So keeping one eye on the trend still makes sense, but I feel like I can safely put daily review (or semi-weekly review) behind me.

Hi Dori,
It was easy, I just started a new job that took up the time I would have used to check the stats! I had always said that once my husband retired i would have to get a job(just to stay sane), and I did.

Brenda

I use a cpap machine and check it almost daily....if not every day its at least 3-4 times per week. I usually feel good most days so its just a matter of making sure my AHI does not creep up on me without me knowing it....

Marchmom - If you have the machine you have listed, it won't give any data except how long and how often you use it. I guess there is a memory card in that model but it will only give compliance data.

You need a "Pro" or an "Auto" in the System One to give you detailed data. With either of those machines you also need the software to read the card as well.

You have only had your machine a week. It would be worth checking with your DME to see if you can trade up to at least a "Pro".

Going on 2 1/2 years, and now only check periodically, unless something seems amiss. The last few weeks I have been checking weekly because I was having leak issues. Once I have them resolved and things seem back to normal - I will probably check less frequently unless/until something makes me feel the need.

I get very good therapy from my machine and therefore it's kind of boring. It's pretty much the same all the time--particularly since the on-screen data on the PRS1 is so limited. It's a PITA to fire up the laptop and download the data to Encore Viewer software, so after the first few weeks or so of having the software I just quit bothering more than once a week.

Now I look at the data every week or every few. I've been using other masks (FF and nasal masks) because of a nasty bout of respiratory infection that hit my entire system, so I have more leak issues and more waking issues. So I am looking a bit more frequently (consistently every week) for the past month or so. Despite all that, my AHI's remain very good and boring at 0.5 to 0.6 on average with the occasional night of 0.0!

Over three years on CPAP---and still checking data....every day!

Carrie