What's an estimated time to feel the effects

[DariaVader]

WOW! you actually sleep 9 hours - how can you do that!

I know - right?

Not a usual happenstance, but I can indeed sleep for 9 or even 10 hours now, when I need to. Before CPAP I woke from body pain several times a night and got up when I just hurt too much to sleep anymore. Now I can truly sleep like a baby a majority of the time!

I wish I felt my best after 7 hrs, but I never have; still a typical night is 7.5 hours

[OpalRose]

One thing I don't like is when I feel I need a nap during the day. For some reason that is not refreshing to me at all. I can count on feeling worse if I take a nap.

[DariaVader]

One thing I don't like is when I feel I need a nap during the day. For some reason that is not refreshing to me at all. I can count on feeling worse if I take a nap.

This was the case for me until CPAP - and I mean for my whole life. Now I can nap if I need to, but I am not in the habit of it.

[0rangebear]

WOW! you actually sleep 9 hours - how can you do that!

I know - right?

Not a usual happenstance, but I can indeed sleep for 9 or even 10 hours now, when I need to. Before CPAP I woke from body pain several times a night and got up when I just hurt too much to sleep anymore. Now I can truly sleep like a baby a majority of the time!

I wish I felt my best after 7 hrs, but I never have; still a typical night is 7.5 hours

I have always wanted to sleep a full 8, just to know what I feels like but 9! WOW- I rarely get close to seven hours and typically sleep between 5 and 6. Although in the last couple of weeks I have had several 6.5 hour nights. This may be a result of the Therapy

[DariaVader]

I have always wanted to sleep a full 8, just to know what I feels like but 9! WOW- I rarely get close to seven hours and typically sleep between 5 and 6. Although in the last couple of weeks I have had several 6.5 hour nights. This may be a result of the Therapy

It took at _least_ 6 mo for me to get to that point. probably about the same time I began to have closer to natural REM. As near as I can tell, I have always had obstructive apnea due to overly small pipes. (no solid food until age 3...) just took me til > 55 to know it.

[iloveoliver]

Thanks everyone for your responses. I'm no having no problem with using the mask except for when I first put it on. There's a small hole in the front which allows air to escape to prevent the buildup of CO2. THAT bothers me, I keep checking for leakage but its just that stupid hole. Maybe I'll call the sleep center and see if that's normal. I have downloaded sleepyhead but I have yet to download the memory card.

[green wings]

I found that I really needed to listen to music before I fell asleep for the first couple of months of CPAP usage. I thought the music was just relaxing me, but at some point I realized that it was also covering up most of the sounds coming from the CPAP machine and mask vent.

Now I am able to fall asleep without the music if I'm relaxed and tired when I put the mask on. If I'm feeling tense, though, I will fixate on the rhythm of my breathing and the change in volume and pitch of the air flow sounds and it starts to make me feel more and more awake.

I probably need to learn a relaxation technique for this, but I've only recently become aware that I do it sometimes. So far it's easier to turn on relaxing music.

Thanks everyone for your responses. I'm no having no problem with using the mask except for when I first put it on. There's a small hole in the front which allows air to escape to prevent the buildup of CO2. THAT bothers me, I keep checking for leakage but its just that stupid hole. Maybe I'll call the sleep center and see if that's normal. I have downloaded sleepyhead but I have yet to download the memory card.

[green wings]

Daria,

Do you have any graphs handy that show this? I'm interested because I'm still not remembering any dreams and also because I was told I had no REM sleep during my initial sleep study. (Is that even possible if you sleep for five hours?)

Someone on the forum had mentioned that REM can be guestimated by reviewing the respiration patterns, because REM respiration looks very much like awake respiration. I mentioned that to my Sleep Doc and he looked interested, thought a minute, then agreed it was so. Using respiration patterns as a guide, it took me 6 months to have consistently more than 1 REM cycle per night. at 1.5+ years I have the more normal 3 to 4, depending on whether I sleep 6 hours or 9 (or more usually in between there).

[FrankNichols]

I am one week into therapy with my new toy. Based on how I feel right now and how it is going, I estimate the time to "feeling better" at forever...

[DariaVader]

Daria,

Do you have any graphs handy that show this? I'm interested because I'm still not remembering any dreams and also because I was told I had no REM sleep during my initial sleep study. (Is that even possible if you sleep for five hours?)

last night... highlighted what I think are REM periods. Good night for me, btw - lower pressure than normal to chase the bogies away feel good today too. That last bit might be more REM now I think about it - I don't tend to lie in bed awake.