No Mask, No Difference?

[Dreamcatcher]

Well just back after a 10 day break. Had a great time with NO mask NO machine nothing. Strange thing is, I felt no difference? Not sure at all why this was as I thought I would be dog tired but nope I was fine. The only thing I can put it down too was sleeping position, maybe the way or position you sleep makes all the difference. I never put much thought into it but maybe its time to take readings on the different ways I sleep. Still find it strange!

DC

[zonk]

Well just back after a 10 day break. Had a great time with NO mask NO machine nothing. Strange thing is, I felt no difference?

May be you,re cured, got to be something in the water or whiskey . I would get panic attack sleeping without the machine or might not make it through the night. its all Olympics on Tv - going to listen to Gladys Knight "Help Me Make It Through the Night"

[mjbearit]

Most likely a week just was not enough time to build up enough of a sleep debt for you to feel it. Just guessing!

[Itsadryheat]

I know my sleep position makes a difference. I can tell by looking at the "events" on the rescan software just when i roll onto my back. I went in for the sleep study initially because my arms were falling asleep from sleeping on them. Now with the cpap i can give them a break.

[Sleepster]

Well just back after a 10 day break. Had a great time with NO mask NO machine nothing. Strange thing is, I felt no difference?

How you feel is very subjective. Are you going to start using it again now that you're back?

Not sure at all why this was as I thought I would be dog tired but nope I was fine.

Sometimes when I'm tired from a vacation is takes a few days for it to catch up with me. It's not until then that I realize just how tired I was!

The only thing I can put it down too was sleeping position, maybe the way or position you sleep makes all the difference. I never put much thought into it but maybe its time to take readings on the different ways I sleep. Still find it strange!

Sleeping position certainly can make a difference. So can a lot of other factors, too.

I know that before I was on CPAP therapy my wife would complain that I snored. But it wasn't consistent. I would go a week or two when I didn't snore. Then a week or two where I'd snore almost every night.

When I slept on my back I was titrated at a pressure of 13 cm. Now my pressure can go as low as 9.5 cm and I can still keep my AHI around 2.0. Untreated my AHI is 21.

[archangle]

I've heard the theory that some people breathe well for a while after they stop CPAP. Maybe something stretches out or your nervous system adjusts somehow.

I'm skeptical, and it doesn't seem to work for me, but it's possible.

[Dreamcatcher]

Well Im back on my machine tonight not because I want to but I want to see if I feel better or not

[PaulaO2]

I am concerned that others, especially new users, may see this thread as being permission to go without their mask and machine. That one or two nights, or, heck, two weeks without it won't hurt anything.

So I am raising the caution flag here.

Going two weeks without your (the generic you/your, not DC exactly) mask and machine has a great potential to be dangerous. Within a few nights, your body is already reacting to the lower oxygen levels and the bad sleep, even if you do not notice it. A few nights more, and such things as blood pressure, pulse rate, oxygen saturation levels, etc, they are all slowly getting worse. A few nights after that, and, if you are not already, you will start showing signs of what your body is trying to tell you.

Going two weeks without your mask and machine is dangerous in another way. You are breaking a habit that is, basically, keeping you alive. You must maintain that habit.

A few winters ago, we had a bad snow storm and we were without power for 5 days. Because I did not have a backup system that worked (long story) when I needed it to, I went five nights without my machine. By day six, I was cranky (poor sleep), shaky (hypertension and undiagnosed diabetes), dizzy (blood pressure was rising more and more), and otherwise not doing well. We had decided that if the power was not on by that night, we were taking me to a hotel. Luckily, it came on and I sleep like a rock for about 12hrs. It was at least two weeks before my blood pressure was back down and I felt well again.

A while back (it may have been at the old forum) I started a thread about a friend of mine (she has MS) who regularly detoxes herself from most of her medications and then starts them again. She does this with her doctor's approval and it gives them a chance to regularly check how well the medications are, or are not, working. I asked the forumers if going without the CPAP every once in a while would do any good. The overwhelming response was, to put it mildly, HECK NO.

So, to repeat that, HECK NO, do not attempt what DC did without fully thinking it through and being aware of the consequences. Because, whether DC noticed them or not, there are consequences.

[Dreamcatcher]

Thanks Paula

At least if I get it wrong and check out you wont be able to say "I Told You So"

On a more serious note, please "DO NOT" go without your mask or against your doctors advise. You are given your equipment for a reason. I know my body and I know the risks but after 3 years Im still looking for answers.

[zimlich]

Not everyone with sleep apnea feels bad. This is why it's insidious. I believe taking a ten day break was reckless.
What made you do such a thing?