[Treatment] How long it took you CPAP users to feel all the good benefits of the CPAP therapy?

[Rousseau21]

I’m a newbie in the sleep apnea world and I just want to have hope from other users like you.

Is been two weeks now that I’m using my CPAP machine. I’m using it all night for an average of 8 hours.
By the way my IAH is 15-20 when I sleep on the side and 30-35 on the back. I'm moderate like they say.

To give me an average, how long it took you CPAP users to feel all the good benefits of the CPAP therapy?

and have a nice day!

[ezdrifler]

Ive used mine two weeks, im fairly new.

I downloaded the sleepyhead software and i was able to see how i was doing, if i had leaks in my mask, etc.

I dropped my AHI to approximately 5, i was 26 without cpap.

I actually feel more sleepy when i wake up, I feel is harder to wake up from such a deep sleep .

in the afternoon I no longer need a nap, I no longer yawn and feel im falling asleep at the wheel in the afternoon, and that strangr headache (that later i found out it was due to the oxigen depravation) has gone away.

I have bad nights, im still making adjustments such as my humidifier, mask type, sleeping position.

But i had a change since night one, I think you should be able to drop your AHI lower, 20+ sounds high

[Rob S]

from day 1 my treatment was working, AHI from mid 70's to averaging around .5 even with successful treatment The first 3 months i felt worse than before starting but from then on i started noticing some improvements in how i feel. at 7 months now and i hope i continue to see more improvement.

[Sleepster]

I had one or two mornings during the first week or two when I felt I had gotten at least some better sleep. Mostly I felt worse because the machine really bothered me. But I used it religiously and the number of mornings that I felt better increased in frequency. I'd say it took about 2 months before I could say I actually felt better most of the time. Then in the next few months the headaches that had plagued my existence for decades started to fade. Anxiety faded. Lots of good stuff kept happening. It's been just over four years now and there's no way to describe how much better I feel.

[trish6hundred]

Hi Rousseau21,
I took to the machine right away and noticed the benefits very quickly.
Others have a really hard time taking to it.
Hang in there for more answers to your question.

[otrpu]

Everybody's different. Don't know if anybody has come up with averages you want. All I can say is, I can still remember how rested and alert I felt when I awoke my first morning at home in 2003, after having used my "Brick" of a CPAP that first morning. I had never felt so good as I did that first morning.

Cheers,
otrpu

[Asjb]

I’m a newbie in the sleep apnea world and I just want to have hope from other users like you.
Is been two weeks now that I’m using my CPAP machine. I’m using it all night for an average of 8 hours.
To give me an average, how long it took you CPAP users to feel all the good benefits of the CPAP therapy?

Hello Rousseau - congratulations on using CPAP for an average of 8 hours in your first two weeks. Fantastic!

Reading this Board for a year now, the only thing that seems to apply to everyone is - that everyone is different...

So don't lose heart if progress is slow.

I felt less fatigue within a few weeks of starting CPAP, and as my AHI had gone down to 3 to 12 (from a diagnosis night of 58) , I felt very happy that my cardiovascular health was being protected by CPAP, and that reassurance has stayed with me.

But I have to say my fatigue only went away (and what a difference it was) when my AHI was routinely below 2, ideally below 1. I believe some people can be this sensitive but it's unusual.

Suggest you keep track of your data with Sleepyhead so you have 'good evidence' to show your doctor if you find after a few months that your symptoms, AHI, etc could be improved even further.

Good luck.

[schrader]

No difference for me after 4 months. I am still hopeful.

[Rousseau21]

Wow! I love this forum.

everyone for your experience I appreciate!

And for other like me, let's stay positive and be patient (hard for me )

We have hope!

[Inspired]

I felt better after the first night, and continue to improve daily. AHI dropped from 15 during sleep study, to 1.5 the first night on cpap. It is still averaging between 1 and 3, with three weeks of cpap use, gradually adjusting to the machine. I've tried several masks and have been patiently figuring out how to stop leaks and improve. Fatigue is 80% gone, no more need for naps, and I wake up without that foggy head feeling. I am not surprised that I occasionally still have a "bad" night with more leaks and AHI around 3 but most nights that is not the case. It takes time to adjust to sleeping in space cadet gear.

I am so grateful and loving my cpap, and this forum for all that I am learning.

Keep at it and you will find your way to improved sleep and overall better health!