[CPAP] How long before you felt rested?

[aussiefilo]

Hi all, thanks in advance to all that reply.

I'm 27 years old and recently got diagnosed with moderate sleep apnea. I've been using a CPAP machine for a bit over 2 weeks now but I still feel somewhat tired and I find that I wake up during the night. I'm hoping it's simply a matter of getting used to it before I feel fully rested. Do you mind sharing your experiences?

[PaulaO2]

It can really vary. Some never feel that. Others almost give up because they are hit with sudden exhaustion.

I didn't have daytime sleepiness after starting CPAP but I did have long hours asleep, and so asleep, I didn't hear the alarm. I had to start setting several clocks in effort to wake me.

[DeepBreathing]

G'day aussiefilo, welcome to Apnea Board.

For some lucky people, there is an instant and amazing improvement in sleep quality, energy and general well-being. For the rest of us, it's a process which might take a few weeks or a few months. Some unlucky people never achieve that level of nirvana, but we can try. So don't be too disappointed if it doesn't come instantly - in the great majority of cases it comes eventually.

We don't have a lot of information to go on, so I'll make a few random comments which might help you improve the experience....

Your mask is probably the single most important piece of the jigsaw. If it is comfortable, fits well and doesn't leak, then you're half way there. On the other hand an uncomfortable leaky mask will derail the whole process and everything else is wasted. The mask is also the most personally variable part of the therapy, so if yours isn't right, try different makes / models until you get one which is right for you.

Your hose can disturb your sleep if it drags on your face or wraps around your neck or otherwise makes you uncomfortable. You can get "hose hangers" which attach to your bed and feed the hose to you from overhead, reducing the chance of dragging or tangling.

Your pressure will largely control the efficacy of your treatment. Your setting of 5 is really low. This could be because of your youth (I was 27 once..<sigh>..) or because the lab messed up the titration, or just because that's all you really need. A lot of people report feeling starved for air at very low pressures, so if you're experiencing that feeling you might want to talk to your doc / provider about increasing pressure a bit.

Humidity can be too low or too high. Do you wake with sore, dry nose and throat? Bump up the humidity. Do you get spots of water coming through the mask onto your face? Lower the humidity. I'm not familiar with your machine - does it have an climate control type feature? This can optimise the humidity and temperature for maximum comfort.

Mouth leaks can be an issue with nasal and nasal pillows masks (such as you have). If you open your mouth while under therapy, the pressure will be released and you'll no longer have effective therapy. This may be accompanied by a hissing sound and/or a sore dry throat. If this is affecting you, you can try a chin strap or train yourself to form a seal by placing the tongue against your palate.

These are some of the more common problems that people have with CPAP. You may have one or more of these, or you may have none - it may genuinely just be a case of give it some more time. It's nothing to stress about - mild apnea won't kill you overnight and you've got plenty of time to get used to it and make any necessary adjustments. The main thing for you is that you've been diagnosed while still young, and this insidious disease won't have a chance to slowly ruin your health. Keep it up - it will come good, and the effort is worth it in the long run.

[TyroneShoes]

I never felt more "rested" because I never felt not rested before xPAP. The goal of xPAP is to improve oxygen saturation consistency by preventing apnea. Feeling rested is only a secondary result that you may or may not feel any benefit of, and that is also not a reliable way to gauge how effective your therapy is. You already have a solid number, AHI, which tells you directly how many apneas you have, and that is a direct, solid indicator of how well the therapy is working, for the most part. The many benefits of xPAP that you may not see are what are important, such as extending your lifespan for another 20 years.

What I did feel is an instant remission of nocturia, and less daytime sleepiness. But I never really ever felt more rested since that was not problematic in the first place. And eventually, I began to feel more aware of myself. Maybe even smarter. I'm told I am also no longer irritable.

[aussiefilo]

Thanks. I have very minimal leaks with my current mask and my stats are good (average of <0.9). The mask feels a bit uncomfortable though. Maybe in a few months time I'll try a full face mask.

Hopefully it's not some other underlying condition!

G'day aussiefilo, welcome to Apnea Board.

For some lucky people, there is an instant and amazing improvement in sleep quality, energy and general well-being. For the rest of us, it's a process which might take a few weeks or a few months. Some unlucky people never achieve that level of nirvana, but we can try. So don't be too disappointed if it doesn't come instantly - in the great majority of cases it comes eventually.

We don't have a lot of information to go on, so I'll make a few random comments which might help you improve the experience....

Your mask is probably the single most important piece of the jigsaw. If it is comfortable, fits well and doesn't leak, then you're half way there. On the other hand an uncomfortable leaky mask will derail the whole process and everything else is wasted. The mask is also the most personally variable part of the therapy, so if yours isn't right, try different makes / models until you get one which is right for you.

Your hose can disturb your sleep if it drags on your face or wraps around your neck or otherwise makes you uncomfortable. You can get "hose hangers" which attach to your bed and feed the hose to you from overhead, reducing the chance of dragging or tangling.

Your pressure will largely control the efficacy of your treatment. Your setting of 5 is really low. This could be because of your youth (I was 27 once..<sigh>..) or because the lab messed up the titration, or just because that's all you really need. A lot of people report feeling starved for air at very low pressures, so if you're experiencing that feeling you might want to talk to your doc / provider about increasing pressure a bit.

Humidity can be too low or too high. Do you wake with sore, dry nose and throat? Bump up the humidity. Do you get spots of water coming through the mask onto your face? Lower the humidity. I'm not familiar with your machine - does it have an climate control type feature? This can optimise the humidity and temperature for maximum comfort.

Mouth leaks can be an issue with nasal and nasal pillows masks (such as you have). If you open your mouth while under therapy, the pressure will be released and you'll no longer have effective therapy. This may be accompanied by a hissing sound and/or a sore dry throat. If this is affecting you, you can try a chin strap or train yourself to form a seal by placing the tongue against your palate.

These are some of the more common problems that people have with CPAP. You may have one or more of these, or you may have none - it may genuinely just be a case of give it some more time. It's nothing to stress about - mild apnea won't kill you overnight and you've got plenty of time to get used to it and make any necessary adjustments. The main thing for you is that you've been diagnosed while still young, and this insidious disease won't have a chance to slowly ruin your health. Keep it up - it will come good, and the effort is worth it in the long run.

[OpalRose]

Hi all, thanks in advance to all that reply.

I'm 27 years old and recently got diagnosed with moderate sleep apnea. I've been using a CPAP machine for a bit over 2 weeks now but I still feel somewhat tired and I find that I wake up during the night. I'm hoping it's simply a matter of getting used to it before I feel fully rested. Do you mind sharing your experiences?

Welcome to the forum aussiefilo,
Prior to being diagnosed, I had high anxiety, wasn't able to sleep much, 2 to 3 hours a night, couldn't catch my breath, and was pretty much a zombie most days.

I can't say I got used to cpap right away, but went from not sleeping to sleeping 9 to 10 hours. I didn't want to sleep that much, but just couldn't get up.

After about 6 months, my sleep pattern started to level out. I sleep between 6 to 7 hours and feel good when I get up.

Keep in mind that everyone is different. Give it time.

[sleepybeaver]

Hi all, thanks in advance to all that reply.

I'm 27 years old and recently got diagnosed with moderate sleep apnea. I've been using a CPAP machine for a bit over 2 weeks now but I still feel somewhat tired and I find that I wake up during the night. I'm hoping it's simply a matter of getting used to it before I feel fully rested. Do you mind sharing your experiences?

Hi Aussiefilo...I felt like superman the first day after treatment, and thought wow this is what I'd hoped for, but that was shorted lived. It lasted that way for about 2 weeks. Then I started to feel a little day time sleepness and lost the ability to fly. But I no longer have the headaches that were so bad and I don't catch myself falling asleep at the wheel. So I would say it is working and maybe some day I get that red cape back. I've been on the cpap since May 15th of this year....Good luck to you and stick with it even when you feel it's not working....cause it probable is.

[trish6hundred]

Hi aussiefilo,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
CPAP can ttake some getting used to and it can take time before you notice improvements, so just stick with it.
Hang in there for more responses to your post.
Much success to you with your CPAP therapy.

[jingo]

I had/have the same results for15 years. My issue is narcolepsy and sleep apnea. If your issues persist look into narcolepsy, it doesnt have to include cataplexy(falling down asleep). Narcolepsy fragments sleep at night and makes you very tired during the day.

[otrpu]

I can still remember how totally rested I felt doing my sleep test. Using the mask I'd never felt so rested in my life. Wifey had been jabbing me for decades to turn on my side so she could get some sleep. When I don that mask I'm asleep before I know it. Took me no time to adapt to using CPAP.

Cheers,
otrpu