[Treatment] CPAP Habit forming?

[vsheline]

Hi Rich,

Good to hear from you again.

I sometimes fall asleep reading or in front of the computer and so will miss a night of PAP therapy. Unless I manage to wake up enough to get to bed and start PAP therapy the whole next day will be pretty much a waste from fatigue and brain foggyness. And I find my memory will be affected: without PAP treatment I may have forgotten things I learned or worked on earlier in the week.

Take care,
--- Vaughn

[Airstream]

I am totally, unequivocally, addicted.

[alby_c]

I have gone one night without the cpap since starting, just to check it really was working ( dumb - huh) - totally horrid - never want to do it again. I had a completely wasted, headachy, confused and lethargic day. Just like the days before CPAP - except then I didn't know it wasn't normal for me and I just tried to battle through the fog.

If it is a habit - I have no intention of breaking it. I prefer to view it as a life saving treatment - just like insulin for diabetics - no one begrudges them having their treatment nor suggest they just harden up and do without it - why should we be different.

[archangle]

We shouldn't be too glib about this. Lots of people look for excuses to not use CPAP. Many think it's something the medical mafia pushes on us just so we get hooked and will have to keep paying them for doctor visits, etc.

If you have apnea, you tend to get somewhat used to it and manage to sleep despite being partially strangled over and over every night. It still has bad effects on your health.

Once you start CPAP, your brain and body get used to not being strangled every few minutes.

You'll find you have a hard time sleeping if you stop CPAP after using it for a while.

If you quit CPAP long enough, you'll probably find you can sleep (badly) just like you did before CPAP, but your apnea will be killing you slowly.

[buck1]

I am spoiled by it.

I have found that if I try to sleep without it I toss and turn as if I cannot get enough air?   {This is while I'm still awake?}

I have found that I have grown so used to it and if I try to sleep without it I feel like I can’t get my breath.

I also feel as if  I am straining to draw a good breath.

I find that I miss how almost effortless it is to fill my lungs with air with the machine pushing the air down my wind pipe.

I only feel this when I try to sleep at night without it.

Anyone else have this problem?

buck1

[Ockrocket]

I actually find I can easily do a night without it (just did so last night due to reflux issues and being on the verge of throwing up, something I don't want to have to clean out of my mask and hose   )....

When I do miss a night I wake up feeling as refreshed, or even more so, than a night on CPAP... I just need to make sure I get 7.5 to 8 hours sleep in a night.

My SA was diagnosed as "mild".. and without a diagnosis as to why I "blacked out" and crashed my work vehicle I wouldn't have been given my driver's licence back.

The fact that I had simply fallen asleep at the wheel and was in to my fourth long day at work, and had been awake for over 14 hours when I crashed, was not considered an acceptable cause for the crash... in spite of the road safety authorities in this country doing media and television advertising stating that fatigue and a microsleep is more dangerous than driving drunk. 

[Leemax]

I've only been doing this for a little over a month, and haven't even gotten all the bugs worked out, but I still feel like I would not want to go without it even for a night. There have been several nights that I have had to stop it at 3 or 4 in the morning because of discomfort, but even then I would rather be on it. I know I haven't gotten anywhere near the full benefit from it yet, but I'm sure it's a good thing for me. I hate the idea of being slowly killed by apnea.

[buck1]

Thanks for input!!

[Sleep2Snore]

Not that I am addicted to it, but I can't live without it     I might wake up dead  



I dread the time when for some reason I can't use it.  I was once stuck on a coach and couldn't use it.  We were stuck in the snow with half the roads shut or blocked with snow, I had no option but sit it out   I was so glad to get home to my bed the next day.  It is when you are with a load of other people in a coach and you nod off and either start to snore or make a snort or a grunt as you realise you are not breathing and wake up!
It would be if it were not so embarrassing