How Often Do You All Look at Your OSCAR Stats?

[boxofrain]

OK maybe a weird question. I have only been in this CPAP world for a few months now. I have worked hard to get my nightly AHI average below 1.0. But something that has come out of this is I may be too obsessed. Every morning I feel the need to pop out my SD card, import into OSCAR and look at how I did. Normally good results. But then I get an occasional bad night. And it gets me upset. So then I get more obsessed with checking! I would love to hear from experienced users here... once you have tweaked your machine and you pretty much know how you are doing, do you continue to check every day? Or is it better to just leave it alone and maybe check on a much less frequent basis? Unfortunately, even though I do not think I have true OCD, when I have an issue that involves something I can measure such as heart rate, O2 Saturation, blood pressure, I definitely go way overboard checking. I don't think this is not good. I guess I could be "somewhere" on the OCD spectrum! I wish I could change!

[Dog Slobber]

I check mine daily.

I've built it into my morning routine.

• Get up
• Look at AHI on screen
• Make coffee
• Go to computer
• Transfer OSCAR data via wifi (can do this because I use FlashAir wifi SD Card)
• Read email, news, etc
• Import into OSCAR
• Look at results

My results are very consistent, no surprises, just curious.

But then I get an occasional bad night. And it gets me upset. So then I get more obsessed with checking!

This sounds a bit problematic.

You simply don't have great days, everyday. Variance is natural and should be expected, you've only been at this for a few months.

[Pugsy]

Hmmm....not very often so I just opened up OSCAR and I see that my last download was Tuesday Aug 4.

I don't need data to tell me how I slept. My body does a pretty good job of that all by itself.

All that said...when I first started cpap therapy I did download and look pretty much every day but only in the evening because I didn't want to cloud how my day went from maybe less than stellar data. In fact one of my very best days in terms of how I felt followed a night with AHI of 10.4. Go figure that one. I just knew that from the way I felt like superwoman that I just had to have had one of those 0.0 nights. Nope.

I got bored with chasing the data after about 6 months. Started downloading less and less or if I did download I did it just for record keeping because back then if we didn't download ever so often we lost detailed data. So even when I did download I didn't really look at the results.
Now with the new machines that store all the data on the SD cards and we don't have the limitations of data being overwritten like it used to be....I just do the download whenever I happen to think about it. Obviously not very often.
I rarely even look at the LCD screen.

In my mind....OCD is when you HAVE to see the data to have a complete day. Now if you have time and you just want to see the data and you have time...not OCD. Fine line I know.

Remember I have been on cpap since May 2009. I have years of nothing but very boring data and I know pretty much what I will see before I ever look. The only time I might check data more frequently....new mask experiment to check for leaks.

[LSAT]

If all you want is AHI, you can get that on your machine in the morning...no need to go to Oscar

[boxofrain]

Thank you all very much for your help. I think I’m going to make it a point to not check it nearly as much. Even though it’s kind of enjoyable and I do learn, I do get a little bit obsessive. I definitely check much more than AHI when I’m on OSCAR. Some of the metrics I still don’t understand completely but I’m trying to get a grasp. And Pugsy, I never get to the point where it would ruin my day if I don’t check OSCAR. Not nearly at that level. Thanks again all for your support.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[WakingKnowledge]

I generally only update Oscar when I am trying to figure something out or look for a pattern or if I have an issue that night. Otherwise I just leave it be unless I am still trying to tweak the settings.

[chunkyfrog]

Maybe 2012.
Now, I just read the onscreen report and copy the good stuff into a notebook.
I'm on my third notebook.

[Arlene1963]

I used to do the daily ritual of downloading and checking in Sleepyhead for the first couple of years but now all I do is check the AHI and leak rate on my machine each morning.

My AHI is low, my sleep is good. Nothing to see really so I don't. Maybe I would if there was an anomaly. (AHI over 4 which would be very high for me)

I haven't even downloaded Oscar since I bought my Microsoft Surface last year.

[khauser]

Almost never, unless:
- I am trying a new mask, so I can see leakage details, etc
- I'm not feeling rested or there is some other reason to suspect a need to tinker with treatment

The last time I looked was earlier this year when I experimented and ultimately switched to the Bleep DreamPort interface.

[mper!?]

Hi,
_ good question!

_ I am afraid, I cannot even imagine going through all this without daily data observations and analyses. I am completing some 3.0 years on PAP's, since this thing, kind of saved my life. Initially, on blind brick CPAP I waisted a quite long while on my therapy.

_Today, it is my 651 day with Oscar, while moving from Autoset (1.5 months) to AirCurve 10 Vauto.

_ hope one day I would be able to go through this, without daily data analyses and insights.

_So many things to tackle along the way, in my case (UARS+RLS/PLMS+Nocturia+Chronic Anxiety, and so on). So many things to address, either machine/mask/collar/hose/parameters wise or dignostic/treatment/medications outcomes on my drawbacks.

_ I am pretty sure, I would not have getting anywhere without those daily data analyses and insights; still needed these days, after getting at some 80 to 90% of success on taming my problems;

_ Am I obssessed? Well, maybe, somewhat! Whathever, it woulld worth doing so; otherwise, no significant chances, I am afraid. Pugsy did give me an idea, maybe: not looking at my data just as I get up, rather than at bedtime or the day after

_ In my modest opinion, not-missing the so powerfull OSCAR underused outcomes could improve a great deal the worldwide low compliance and treatment successes with the PAP machines;

all the best and good luck

[khauser]

_So many things to tackle along the way, in my case (UARS+RLS/PLMS+Nocturia+Chronic Anxiety, and so on). So many things to address, either machine/mask/collar/hose/parameters wise or dignostic/treatment/medications outcomes on my drawbacks.

These, especially UARS with regard to PAP, seem to be much harder to adequately treat because the available algorithms are not really tailored for it. So I think in that case I can understand why it becomes more necessary to keep working on it. And you are doing that, which is excellent!

[Wulfman...]

I don't use the newer software........I have used Encore Pro since I started therapy in mid-May 2005.
But, the answer is "EVERY DAMNED DAY". And, here's the reason........
If I were to happen to be in an automobile accident and they tried to blame me when they found out I had sleep apnea, I would have my butt covered to prove that I was compliant and also the effectiveness of my therapy. With a couple of exceptions (when a card failed during the night or I forgot to put it back in the machine), I have every nightly download going back to my beginning nights.

For me, it's a LEGAL question and I'm not about to change now. It became part of my morning routine right away and it's just become a force of habit since. When I'm away from home for extended periods, I swap out the cards (I have many) so they don't overwrite the data after seven sessions. Then, when I get home, I download them and review my therapy.

On a side note, one of the forum members adopted that routine years ago and when he was (legally) accused of something he didn't do, he had the nightly reports to prove he was home in bed asleep and the judge threw out the case. He was glad he had followed my advice.


Den

.

[elsueno]

x

[elsueno]

x

[Pugsy]

The newer machines keep all the files on the SD card and nothing gets overwritten or lost. So if something isn't downloaded promptly...it's still available should there ever be a legal need to prove use.

Now the older machines...different story but it's not that way now.

In fact the internal storage on the machine, even if it doesn't save the detailed data, still saves AHI and hours of use and dates of use for one year. So even if someone doesn't have a SD card....there is still proof of use available.