I wanna cry

[Soisnore]

Ever seen a 50 something in tears?  That's me right about now.  I am so very tired!!  I am a brand new CPAP user who picked up her first machine last Tuesday night.  I have used it religiously every night since and I am just not getting a good nights sleep.  

My story - I snore ... I snore so loud that my daughter can hear me in her bedroom above my room on the second floor.  Doesn't bother me one bit.  Slept like a baby and would sleep hard.  I decided to get a referral for a sleep study due to all of the complaining by those I love.  It showed I have mild apnea.  I don't have a copy of the at home study, all I remember was the number was on the low end of mild.

I found this site part way into my week and bought an SD card and have data from the last two nights.  I wake so tired in the mornings and the last few days with a headache.  I also now have a stuffy nose, but I work in a daycare (bugs galore) and have allergies so this is not uncommon.  I don't have a sleep specialist per say.  I was referred to a neurologist who gave me the sleep equipment to use one night at home.  Haven't talked to anyone since I picked up the machine.

Here is the data I have from the last two nights since I installed the card.  If anyone can offer any advice that will help me get through this and get a good nights sleep, I would be grateful.


   
   
   

[harrywr2]

Welcome to the forum. Don't cry, we've all been down this road.

Most adults will complain about 'not getting enough air' with a minimum pressure less than 6 cmH20.
Your snore and AHI numbers are great!
You might want to try increasing your minimum pressure to 6 cmH20 to see if that clears your headache problem.

[3rdMarDiv]

Ever seen a 50 something in tears?  That's me right about now.  I am so very tired!!  I am a brand new CPAP user who picked up her first machine last Tuesday night.  I have used it religiously every night since and I am just not getting a good nights sleep.  

My story - I snore ... I snore so loud that my daughter can hear me in her bedroom above my room on the second floor.  Doesn't bother me one bit.  Slept like a baby and would sleep hard.  I decided to get a referral for a sleep study due to all of the complaining by those I love.  It showed I have mild apnea.  I don't have a copy of the at home study, all I remember was the number was on the low end of mild.

I found this site part way into my week and bought an SD card and have data from the last two nights.  I wake so tired in the mornings and the last few days with a headache.  I also now have a stuffy nose, but I work in a daycare (bugs galore) and have allergies so this is not uncommon.  I don't have a sleep specialist per say.  I was referred to a neurologist who gave me the sleep equipment to use one night at home.  Haven't talked to anyone since I picked up the machine.

Here is the data I have from the last two nights since I installed the card.  If anyone can offer any advice that will help me get through this and get a good nights sleep, I would be grateful.

You are really doing well with your OSCAR reports..LOL

I'm sure someone will get to you with more helpful information than I can offer.

I will tell you that I doubt anyone has ever started CPAP and fell in love with straight off the bat. I've been on CPAP for quite awhile and I can tell you that it takes time.

You need to keep at it and it will become more natural. Right now I could not imagine sleeping without my machine.

Yea, There is a serious break in period. It gets worse before it gets better.

Good news is, if you are serious about it you start seeing positive results within a few weeks.

Little by little it will continue to improve until you are an "Old Salt".

The more you use it the quicker you get more comfortable with it.

[SarcasticDave94]

Welcome to the Apnea Board.

I'm not sure if this applies to you, but most adults need more air pressure than 4 can give. If you feel at all air starved, I'd consider a pressure bump to 5 or 6. It may help the headaches too.

[ApneaQuestions]

As you know, there are MANY reasons why people can feel exhausted. Some are related to apnea and sleep arousals but many are not.
If you had a sleep study in a lab (hooked up to EEG) the report may give some insight into your sleep architecture and arousals.
To see that, we'd need you to upload the details of the study redacted to remove any names, addresses and SS# etc.

There is presumably also a back-story to the referral to a neurologist. Was a CPAP machine their first thought?
In addition, have you had various hormonal tests such as thyroid to eliminate the obvious? If not, a referral to an endocrinologist may be in order.
For a 50 year old female, the effects of menopause or perimenopause are probably already on your radar.

As far as the snoring is concerned.. I don't see much evidence of that on your latest results. Have the loved ones noticed a change?
Your sleep duration was 8 and 9 hours on those charts. Nothing is jumping out at me at present. Maybe the sleep study results will tell us something.

[Rcgop]

Patience. The advice above is spot on. It gets worse before it gets better. 

I too had allergies. 4 years ago I started shots and CPAP. Don’t know which was worse. It doesn’t take that long too start feeling better but even now I am still getting better results each month. The only help I can give is stick to it and be patient. It will get better..

[Sleepster]

I have used it religiously every night since and I am just not getting a good nights sleep.  

This is perfectly normal. It's hard to get used to the mask and the hose and the air pressure. But as long as you continue to use it religiously you will adapt. Then you will notice yourself starting to feel better than you have in years. Just stay committed and things will work out for you. I promise.

[OpalRose]

Hi Soisnore,
Your numbers are really good, but many of us realize there can be other factors that keep us from getting a good nights sleep.

Talk to your doctor about the allergies and congestion.  Are you taking anything for that?

Do you have "untreated" high blood pressure?  This may be a cause of headaches.

Also, talk to your doctor about possibly checking your oxygen levels while you sleep.  
Perhaps he can let you us an overnight Oximeter.

I am jumping on the bandwagon here to raise your minimum pressure to 6cm.  
A setting of 4 can cause you to feel air starved.  

Order a Clinicians manual for your machine so that you will know how to change your pressure.
I think you will find that slightly higher pressure more comfortable.

https://www.apneaboard.com/adjust-cpap-p...tup-manual

[Soisnore]

Thanks for all of the encouragement. It’s hard when I was sleeping and feeling fine before! I’ll trying raising the minimum as I do feel like I’m not getting enough air at times. My husband says the snoring is gone with the machine.

I did an at home sleep study. No idea why I was referred to a neurologist other than the only sleep study place in town currently doesn’t have dr on staff. Completely healthy except for the snoring. If anything my blood pressure is on the low side. It’s going to be hard to put that thing back on tonight! Honestly never been so tired. I’m just not getting into a deep sleep and am easily woken using the cpap and then it’s hard to fall back asleep. Without the machine, I’m usually out cold.

[trish6hundred]

Hi soisnore,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
good luck with CPAP therapy. Patience is required, I know how frustrating this is. Why these DME'S don't set the pressure beyond wide open (4-20 I'll never know, accept they are lazy. Maybe you can set it to 7-20, and see if that will help.
Good luck and don't give up.punctuation and typo