I Accidentally Slept Without MY CPAP Machine

[Sleepster]

My go-to-sleep routine involves strapping on the mask, slipping in between the sheets, and connecting the hose to my mask. Last night I woke up at midnight and noticed that the hose was still attached to its hanger on the headboard. Meaning I somehow missed that last step. I estimate that I slept about 3 hours with no therapy. That's the first time I've slept without therapy. I had a AHI of 23 during my sleep study in Oct 2011.

[Big Guy]

I sleep w/o mine sometimes on purpose. Well......only twice now, since having started on CPAP early last Sept. 

There are times when I just don't feel like messing with it. But, I still gear up anyways. It's a daunting thought to think that I have to do this for the rest of my life. 

I'm going to give it my best shot for a couple of years and see how I feel by then. So far, now after about 7 months, it's been nothing to brag about, improvement wise.

[OpalRose]

I can honestly say there have been a few times that I wished I could just get in bed and not have to bother with all this...

Then I remind myself of how it was before CPAP....waking every couple hours gasping for air, not knowing what was wrong.  Not to mention the elevated blood pressure, headaches and having to use the bathroom several times a night.  I tend to forget how bad I felt before.

I’ve never purposely gone without using my machine.  The few times I’ve gone without is when we would lose electricity for one reason or another, and the difference in how I felt was evident to me and everyone around me.  

[Sleepster]

It's a daunting thought to think that I have to do this for the rest of my life. 

I feel the opposite. I'm glad I have the opportunity to do this for the rest of my life. My father and who knows how many countless otheer ancestors have had to live with this malady. We get to enjoy life and we get to live a longer life.

[Big Guy]

Prior to being diagnosed with SA, the only tell-tale sign I had was snoring. I didn't wake up feeling sick or excessively tired. I retired from 29 yrs. in LE. A good portion of those years was working the swing / midnight shift. Never any issues staying awake all night, and often enough, having to deal with others that meant you harm. 

Never an issue with involuntarily falling asleep. No blood pressure issues, until I was treated for A-Fib. After that, all of a sudden I had BP issues. I had a complete physical with a complete blood work-up every year. No problems. 

I suppose that I was expecting a big change once I was well into my SA therapy. It just hasn't come. Maybe I'm a late bloomer. That's why I'm going to continue it. I'm really hoping that by the 1 year mark, I will feel an improvement. 

I'm not ready to give up on it.......yet. I'm a patient individual. Being retired, I have time on my side. Time will tell!

[Melman]

a few nights ago I woke up and noted that, although I had the mask on, I forgot to turn on the machine. I'm so comfortable with the pressure that I sometimes don't notice the difference.

[Sleepster]

a few nights ago I woke up and noted that, although I had the mask on, I forgot to turn on the machine. I'm so comfortable with the pressure that I sometimes don't notice the difference.

You could avoid that problem in the future by turning on the "auto-on" feature.

I, too, am so comfortable with the pressure that I don't notice it. I feel for the air jetting out of the exhalation ports to verify that the machine is on.

[stanleydean]

Occasionally I will get back in bed after a bathroom break and fall back asleep so quickly that I do not manage to connect the hose. Usually it's only a few minutes before wake up and correct the situation but sometimes the lapse will be as much as an hour. Like some others I am very comfortable with the pressure.

Stan

[Sleeprider]

Never happened, never will. Cannot sleep without the pressure. I have taken machines from my wife and best friend when mine failed. Finding myself without positive pressure is a panic inducing experience.

[Melman]

It'd interesting how we differ. Some of us are pretty much unaware of the pressure, others are uncomfortable without it, and others feel like it's a hurricane.