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Reading graphs

A High Peak Shape

This is a shape where both the speed of the rise and the height of the peak are large. What to look at is the slope going up and the width of the peak.

The graph

Example curve that climbs steeply in a short time and reaches a high peak The horizontal axis runs from 06:00 to 15:00. The vertical axis is how well the body is moving, relative to that person's own range — higher is better movement. Doses are marked at 07:00. The highest point is around 08:00. higher lower 07:00 06 08 10 12 14 Example curve that climbs steeply in a short time and reaches a high peak The horizontal axis runs from 06:00 to 15:00. The vertical axis is how well the body is moving, relative to that person's own range — higher is better movement. Doses are marked at 07:00. The highest point is around 08:00. higher lower 07:00 06 08 10 12 14
  • Response through the day
  • Reference curve, for comparison
  • Time a dose was taken
An illustration generated for teaching. A high peak does not mean good or bad by itself, and real curves differ from person to person.

A high peak by itself is neither good nor bad. It might mean a stretch when you moved well, or it might mean other discomfort was present around that same stretch. The curve alone doesn’t tell you which one it is.

That’s why, for this shape, what’s recorded near the peak matters. A peak of the same height means something completely different depending on whether it comes with “Saying I walked best at this time” or with “Saying my body was shaking at this time.”

The other thing to look at in the shape is the width. As in the illustration above, a peak that climbs steeply is usually narrow. It often doesn’t stay up for long in proportion to how high it climbed, and comes back down quickly, so looking only at the peak height can make it look better than it really was. You need to also record the time you started feeling heavy again, along with the good time, for the width to show up.

What to look at

  • The slope going up The shorter the horizontal distance from the dose marker to the peak, the steeper it is.
  • The height of the peak Read this by comparing it with the peaks of other days and other doses.
  • The width of the peak Whether it stays wide, in proportion to how high it climbed, or passes by as a sharp point.
  • Any event marked near the peak If you've logged an event such as dyskinesia, look at where it falls.

Worth recording when you see this shape

  • The time you took the dose, and the best time The gap between these two is the speed of the rise.
  • Your output at the peak A number needs to be on record if you want to compare heights.
  • How your body felt during that stretch Whether you were moving well, and whether swaying or discomfort came along with it.
  • The time of any dyskinesia, if it happened This lets you see later whether it overlapped with the peak or not.
  • Whether it was on an empty stomach or after a meal This is information you read together with the speed of the rise.

The shape of the curve is material for describing your situation. Decisions about the type, dose, or timing of medication belong with the clinicians who look after you.

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