Anyone else with no success using CPAP?

[phoen1kx]

Any other person in this forum who has tried CPAP and feels no difference? How did you overcome it?

Surely I'm not the only person..

[cps22]

I've been on CPAP about 7 months, with no change in my sleep or how I feel. There doesn't appear to be much difference from the occasional nights when I don't use it at all, other than perhaps having slightly more O2 drops (though my average O2 overnight is about the same). I have a feeling that my issue has more to do with my slow shallow breathing and CAs than it does with any OAs that the CPAP is treating. I have a lot of flow limits - but if I increase my pressure, it increases my CAs. Or maybe I do get some relief from the CPAP, but it's counterbalanced by sleep disruption from all the CPAP gear and annoyance. 

[Jay51]

Fair question.  I got into sleep apnea treatment about 3 years ago. Probably like most people, I got into it to feel better (and have more energy).  Definitely a good motive.  Fast forward to today:  I feel better when I wake up in the morning.  Not super great every morning.  I am not going to lie.  But, knowing that my AHI (and SPO2) levels are much improved is "success" to me personally from a health prospective.  It is success from a sleep apnea treatment prospective and a bit of an improvement from the feeling standpoint.  

I have seen others here at ApneaBoard with this same question (or similar).  It would seem to me if a person got their AHI (and SPO2) levels near normal (and very importantly: optimized as well as possible) and have used cpap therapy for a good period of time (say a couple of months; or better maybe 6 months or a year even), then if they don't feel better, then I would think that there is another reason for not feeling well.  It may take years to get fully optimized in treatment and some people never get completely optimized IMO (correct machine, correct pressures, acceptable mask, etc.).  Sleep apnea would be ruled out as the cause of feeling bad (or low energy) it seems.  It might take some more effort trying to figure out that piece of the puzzle though. 

Just my opinion from my experience here (and experience working in the healthcare field).  Disagree with me if you want to.  YMMV.

[BobinHI]

Do you have a partner who can give you some objective feedback? I started CPAP 25 years ago because of the increased risk of heart failure or stroking out that apnea seems to cause. I was not using CPAP because I felt sleepy during the day. I was using CPAP because I did not want to die. But much to my surprise, my wife began to say that I was exhibiting a lot more energy during the day. I was not really aware of that, but she certainly was.

So, I would probably have told you that I felt no different after using CPAP. My wife would tell you it was a big difference. If you have a spouse or partner who knows you well, you might ask what they think.

[HalfAsleep]

You might want to post an Oscar and have someone evaluate your settings. It’s very possible the current ones are disrupting your sleep, even if you technically sleep well because you have low-number AHI.

[Expat31]

Hi, 
Yes, post these graphs we need data :-
 - Events
 - Flow rate
 - Pressure
 - Leak rate 
 - Flow limitations (if available on your Lowenstein)   
 - Respiration rate (if available on your Lowenstein) 

The key areas to look for the  likely candidates for your poor quality of sleep are :-
- Mouth or mask  leakages, causing the machine to malfunction. 
 - Insufficient  minimum pressure
 - Positional apnea causing clustering of events. 
 - High flow limitations, causing unnecessary pressure provoking sleep arousals (ie micro awakenings)

We may need at a later stage the key elements of your sleep study.

Thanks

[paulag1955]

I feel the same on CPAP as off, but my AHI is always under five from - I don't remember - 80 or something ridiculous before starting treatment. So I say it's working.

[PeaceLoveAndPizza]

This is a common thought for many. CPAP does not magically fix sleep issues, it only corrects whilst used very specific sleep disordered breathing ones. Once a CPAP machine is tweaked to the best of its abilities, what remains are sleep issues outside its control. We need to look at general sleep hygiene to improve sleep quality once the CPAP machine does its job.

https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-hygiene

“When you have eliminated all of which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” 
- Sherlock Holmes

[Big Guy]

I started CPAP Therapy in Sept. of 2018. I used it nightly for about 2.5 years. I had no trouble at all getting used to it, and my numbers were good. 

I took a good two-year hiatus from it. I'm having some AFIB issues now, and my doctor wanted me back on it. So, I'm now back at it each & every night. 

I turn 70 this October, and can honestly say that the therapy didn't seem to make any difference to me. As you get older, it's harder to determine what might be a medical issue and what might be just a sign of growing older. 

Having said what I said, I do plan to keep at it for as long as I remain motivated.

[phoen1kx]

Hi, this is data from last night. 

Pressure is what the doctor set at last visit:
min: 6(it was 4 but I bumped it up to 6, felt hard to breathe with 4)
max: 15
standard, apap mode
softPAP is at 2

My sleep feels terrible the past few weeks.