Sleepyhead question

[Rustym511]

When there is a spike on the AHI chart, what does that signify?
Also is there a simple explanation of each of the charts somewhere? I am new to this and don't really understand the terms.
Thank you

[zonk]

I've not used SleepyHead yet, not sure what "spikes on AHI" mean but AHI at or below 5 considered good therapy and how you feel is important too. "How to use SleepyHead" video posted by britincanada http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Thread-...sleepyhead
SleepyHead glossary http://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/sl...r_Glossary

[trish6hundred]

Hi Rustym511,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
What zonk said and you might look at the wiki page here on the board. I think there are also some threads dealing with Sleepyhead as well.
Hang in there for more answers to your question and best of luck with CPAP therapy.

[RonWessels]

Firstly, if you are not aware, AHI (or Apnea Hypopnea Index) represents the average number of apnea and hypopnea events occurring every hour. It is an indication of the severity of a patient's apnea. A value of 5 or less is considered normal. A value of 5-15 is considered mild. A value of 15-30 is considered moderate. A value of 30+ is considered severe.

Unlike the AHI report from a sleep study or from the summary display on your CPAP machine, SleepyHead computes a running computation of AHI values. It totals the number of apnea and hypopnea events in the previous hour and plots that number at that time. So a spike on the AHI chart indicates that one or more events happened at the point of the spike, and are now included in the sum. If no further events occur, an hour later, the AHI chart will return to 0.

In a previous thread here, some of the more important graphs were explained.

[PaulaO2]

Also remember that no two nights are the same. By looking at the data, we get a good idea of what is our normal ranges. Then, when something goes wonky, we can see it.

Things that could effect AHI are numerous. Stress levels, sleep quality, alcohol consumption, certain foods, new pillow, the heat, the cold, etc. Then there's mechanical such as leaks, sleeping on our backs, etc.

[RonWessels]

Also, when you look at the data, remember that anything that happens while you are still awake shouldn't count. I often end up holding my breath as I futz with my pillows. Since the machine doesn't know if I'm asleep or not, it counts that as apnea events, artificially inflating the AHI above its "true" value.

[courtney123]

Things that could effect AHI are numerous. Stress levels, sleep quality, alcohol consumption, certain foods, new pillow, the heat, the cold, etc. Then there's mechanical such as leaks, sleeping on our backs, etc.

I'd just like to add the direction of the wind, size of the moon and whether you're facing East or North can sometimes fiddle with the numbers.
In other words - once you learn to see what's normal vs. abnormal in the graphs you'll find there can be occasional goofy stuff and mis-readings.
Take it all as a guide and not a "take to the bank" assessment of your sleep last night.

Sorry for jumping in :grin:

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To download the SleepyHead software, go here:
http://www.SleepFiles.com/SH/