Help analyzing Oscar waveforms

[Okaythen]

Hi All,

Can someone please help me interpret these waveforms? They’ve been like this for the past 18 days and I’m really struggling with severe exhaustion and anxiety.

Also, sorry for any trouble I caused on here in the past. I’ve been sick for a very long time and frustrated and angry at life as a result. I sincerely apologize if I hurt anyone’s feelings. That wasn’t right of me. Especially to all the helpful members who are so supportive and just trying to help others.

[Miss Emerita]

The resolution of the image isn't great, but from what I can see these look fine. What is it about them that concerns you?

[Okaythen]

Oh, okay. I thought they were supposed to look well-rounded? These look like jagged, like the letter R.

[vandownbytheriver]

Oh, okay. I thought they were supposed to look well-rounded? These look like jagged, like the letter R.

It's the peaks that are of concern... yours look fine. Here, take a look around 01:42am... zoom in with your mouse, click n drag:

https://sleephq.com/public/0a2adc38-6ac ... d330799694

Now *them's* some crappy waveforms.

Here, read more than you ever wanted to know... has pictures!

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8417563/

[Okaythen]

Thank you, Vandownbytheriver!

[Okaythen]

But my waveforms look so odd and I feel like hell, so shouldn’t that mean something? I thought that normal flow is supposed to look like a rounded hill.

[vandownbytheriver]

The Oscar you posted was zoomed in to a period where you're just having average breathing... we don't get much more than that. You have periods of Hypopnea... we don't get to see those zoomed in... we don't know if there are other graphs to look at.

SleepHQ lets you share a night where the viewers can zoom in and look at any or all of the data... you're on biPap, but it's not allowed to change pressure... so we don't get to see if the events are related to breath waveform disturbances (flat-topping etc).

Join SleepHQ (free), upload your SD card there, and share a night here. You might also consider getting an O2 monitor, I use O2Ring, works for me.... poor oxygen will explain your bad feeling.

[Rubicon]

I thought that normal flow is supposed to look like a rounded hill.

Depends if it's a "you" breath or a "machine" breath.

[Okaythen]

What’s the difference between a “you” breath and a machine “breath”?

[Okaythen]

The Oscar you posted was zoomed in to a period where you're just having average breathing... we don't get much more than that. You have periods of Hypopnea... we don't get to see those zoomed in... we don't know if there are other graphs to look at.

SleepHQ lets you share a night where the viewers can zoom in and look at any or all of the data... you're on biPap, but it's not allowed to change pressure... so we don't get to see if the events are related to breath waveform disturbances (flat-topping etc).

Join SleepHQ (free), upload your SD card there, and share a night here. You might also consider getting an O2 monitor, I use O2Ring, works for me.... poor oxygen will explain your bad feeling.

Okay, thank you for the tips and info. Much appreciated.

[vandownbytheriver]

Join SleepHQ (free), upload your SD card there, and share a night here. You might also consider getting an O2 monitor, I use O2Ring, works for me.... poor oxygen will explain your bad feeling.

Okay, thank you for the tips and info. Much appreciated.

Here's a crappy night... before bi-level:
https://sleephq.com/public/1f8e789b-83f ... 2c35847870

Here's a recent night, much better O2's:
https://sleephq.com/public/0887426a-439 ... 5f9fc6c538

Note how the O2 is just stellar, big improvement. No FL's to speak of. These are Herculean pressures for me... I was titrated in a lab, I would not have gone this crazy myself. The pulse craziness is just the O2Ring acting up... I trust its oxygen much more than its pulse... I've worn a Fitbit to bed and it doesn't show those 200bpm artifacts. I'm taping the Ring on and that helps keep it honest.

[Okaythen]

Join SleepHQ (free), upload your SD card there, and share a night here. You might also consider getting an O2 monitor, I use O2Ring, works for me.... poor oxygen will explain your bad feeling.

Okay, thank you for the tips and info. Much appreciated.

Here's a crappy night... before bi-level:
https://sleephq.com/public/1f8e789b-83f ... 2c35847870

Here's a recent night, much better O2's:
https://sleephq.com/public/0887426a-439 ... 5f9fc6c538

Note how the O2 is just stellar, big improvement. No FL's to speak of. These are Herculean pressures for me... I was titrated in a lab, I would not have gone this crazy myself. The pulse craziness is just the O2Ring acting up... I trust its oxygen much more than its pulse... I've worn a Fitbit to bed and it doesn't show those 200bpm artifacts. I'm taping the Ring on and that helps keep it honest.

I see that. Wow.

[Rubicon]

What’s the difference between a “you” breath and a machine “breath”?

"You" breathe in a negative pressure system-- diaphragm drops down, air gets sucked in, restrictions to flow (usually) appear as flow limitations, and worsen the more aggressively you try to inhale.

The "machine" utilizes a positive pressure system. You might initiate a breath (S mode) or the machine may do so (T mode) but the inspiratory waveform reflects what the machine is doing. And if the underlying flow limitation was caused/worsened by airway collapse during spontaneous inspiration (negative pressure) voila! it's successfully treated.

That said, there are plenty of other variables:

With some machines you can tailor the breath to make it look like whatever you want.

You might have fixed flow limitation, and that can be pesky.

Machine settings could simply be inappropriate.